Mary Grace Evans, Chair

The Rotary Club of Greater Huntsville, like Rotary International, has a diverse and global reach. One of our Rotary Club’s primary purposes is to develop understanding and goodwill among Rotarians and the people of the world. We accomplish this by supporting our District Group Study Exchange each year, recruiting for Ambassadorial Scholars, contributing to the Rotary Foundation and recruiting for Rotary Youth Exchange among other activities and programs. We believe that people of all countries and Rotarians can unite with the common objectives of serving others.

Our primary goals include:

• Fulfilling Our Promise: Eradicate Polio, Annual Contributions by each member between now and 2005 will make this a reality
• Reach the Annual Worldwide Giving target of $63 million.
• Implement year one of the Rotary Centers for International Studies in peace and conflict resolution program and fully use public information and fundraising opportunities.
• Create a sense of Rotary Foundation ownership among Rotarians, clubs, and districts.
• Increase Rotary Foundation support among our membership.

Projects:

 Uganda Water Catchment Demonstration Project

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Rotary Youth Exchange

The most powerful force in the promotion of international understanding and peace is exposure to different cultures. The world becomes a smaller, friendlier place when we learn that all people‚ regardless of nationality‚ desire the same basic things: a safe, comfortable environment that allows for a rich and satisfying life for ourselves and our children. Youth Exchange provides thousands of young people with the opportunity to meet people from other lands and to experience their cultures, thus planting the seeds for a lifetime of international understanding.

Since 1927, students and host families all over the world have had their horizons broadened and their lives enriched by the generosity of Rotary's Youth Exchange program. Administered by Rotary clubs, districts and multidistrict groups, the program today involves more than 82 countries and over 8,000 students each year.

The first documented exchanges date back to 1927, when the Rotary Club of Nice, France, initiated exchanges with European students. Exchanges between clubs in California, USA, and Latin American countries began in 1939, and exchange activities spread to the eastern United States in 1958. In 1972, the Rotary International Board of Directors agreed to recommend Youth Exchange to clubs worldwide as a worthwhile international activity promoting global peace and understanding.