Rotary provides $20 million to help communities worldwide respond to COVID-19

Rotary provides $20 million to help communities worldwide respond to COVID-19

EVANSTON, Ill. (June 23, 2020) — Rotary members throughout the world are working safely and diligently to assess and provide for urgent community needs as they strive to respond and recover from the effects of COVID-19 coronavirus.

While following social-distancing and health guidelines, they are providing comfort and hope to those feeling the effects of isolation and fear, and focusing their resources and solutions toward supporting frontline health workers and first responders as they battle this disease and save lives.

“As leaders in virtually every community on earth, we bring a unique combination of local knowledge and access to a global network of expertise and resources,” said Mark Daniel Maloney, president of Rotary International. “In the face of uncertainty, we are adapting to shifting needs to offer immediate help to people at a rapid pace. And we’ll remain committed to recovering from this health crisis for as long as it takes.”

Rotary members are taking action to provide a range of solutions including handwashing stations and food to those unable to social distance in Kenya, lifesaving information about preventing the spread of COVID-19 in India, ventilators and protective gear for overstretched hospitals in Italy and vital social connections to neighbors who live alone in Bethesda, Maryland.

The Rotary Foundation, Rotary’s charitable arm, has to date awarded $20 million to support Rotary clubs worldwide in their immediate response to COVID-19 in their communities, and to long term recovery efforts.

To learn more about Rotary’s response to COVID-19 and to find out how you can get involved, visit https://www.rotary.org/en/rotary-clubs-help-fight-covid-19-pandemic.

About Rotary:Rotary brings together a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges. Rotary connects 1.2 million members of more than 35,000 Rotary clubs in over 200 countries and geographical areas. Their work improves lives at both the local and international levels, from helping those in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world.

###

Contact: Stephanie Herzfeld, 847-425-5797, stephanie.herzfeld@rotary.org