FOUNDATION MINUTE: OCTOBER 5, 2026.
Welcome to Week ONE of RI’s Month of Economic & Community Development.
The message this week, is from Rotarian Jennifer Jones, Rotary Foundation Trustee’s Chair. Jones primarily touches on the continued efforts by The Rotary Foundation to make life better for the good of all. “Families face displacement, communities navigate climate shocks, and humanitarian needs arise both close to home and across the places we serve. These realities touch us. Yet even as the world shifts, Rotary’s response remains steady, compassionate, and effective. We don’t turn away from uncertainty — we meet it with purpose. The Rotary Foundation was not built for fair weather. Over the last decade, we have strengthened our approach: weaving sustainability into every project, expanding partnerships, and embracing evidence-based solutions. This evolution has made us more resilient and more community-driven. It’s why our comprehensive goal of raising $500 million across the Annual Fund, Endowment Fund, and PolioPlus Fund is not only ambitious but achievable. We’ve proved before that we could reach it, and momentum is building again. While global attention shifts from one crisis to the next, Rotary stays. We convene partners who might never otherwise collaborate. We mobilize resources quickly because our networks are already in place, built through decades of trust. And we strengthen communities not through one-time interventions but by sustained presence and shared commitment.
In Rotary,
Olabisi Gwamna, PhD
Mount Pleasant Evening Rotary
Editor, Foundation Minute.