An Idea, with talent and drive, a great start for a project, but at their Jan 27 Zoom meeting, Grand Island Rotary learned that Connections are what make Rotary projects unique and so successful. Dr Jodi Porter set the stage – a tough start to life: very limited sight, upheavals in life of a missionary family, culminating in several months with Bishop Desmond Tutu in South Africa; administering MSF (Drs w/o Borders) projects, brought her to Ontario, its Human Rights Commission, and membership in Niagara on the Lake Rotary. Then the unique value of Connections: finding ways to actually deliver $3000 worth of ‘Plumpy’nut’ concentrated nutrition bars financed by her Rotary Club, to starving, literally dying, youth of Yemen! All done thru contacts in the Canadian Yemeni community, contacts with the warring parties in Yemen thru MSF, and the impossible was done – a modest contribution by a mid sized Canadian Rotary Club, making a life saving difference to youth in war-torn Yemen! This is the difference that Rotarians can make, and have made, in this world. Rotarians are not all unique in the way Jodi Porter is, but all Rotarians are unique in ways that can help.
