special insert - The Rotary Club of Welland

12 ROTARY SERVICE ABOVE SELF MAY 2007
UNIQUE
CULTURAL
AND
VOCATIONAL
EXPERIENCE
The Group Study
Exchange (GSE) program of
The Rotary Foundation of
Rotary International is
offered as a unique cultural
and vocational experience for
business and professional
men and women in the initial
years of their careers.
Individuals who participate
in GSE seek new perspectives
and vision along
with fresh ideas and firsthand
experience with the culture,
commerce and
governments of countries
around the world.
A GSE Team consists of
four non-Rotarian business
or professional people and a
Rotarian team leader.
To qualify as an ideal GSE
team member you are:
➢ between the ages of
25 and 40;
➢ employed full-time for
a minimum of two years in a
recognized profession;
➢ a citizen of Canada or
the USA;
➢ in good health;
➢ able to express yourself
clearly and logically;
➢ enthusiastic about
your chosen vocation and
exemplary in your work;
➢ open-minded, tolerant,
and flexible;
➢ comfortable as part of
a team with a schedule that
is physically and emotionally
demanding;
➢ be able to travel with
your employer’s consent.
GSE experience in Sweden
By Heather Scott-Ventresca
In the spring of 2006 Niagara was experiencing
an early spring and Sweden a prolonged
winter, the first of many comparisons
that made it feel like I was still in Canada.
The people were friendly, spoke exceptional
English and went out of their way to make
you feel at home in theirs. I could have been
in any Rotarian’s home in Canada (or in the
world as I am learning).
Where things differed the most was in
their tax system. They pay much higher personal
tax based on their income, but everyone
receives the same benefits regardless of
what they pay. All healthcare and university
education are free. Anyone can attend higher
education for free regardless of their status
without overwhelming student loans to
repay upon graduation.
While the government funded all healthcare
and fundraising for hospital equipment
was foreign to the hospital staff, there was
still a number of pieces of equipment that
needed replacing, but there was no funding
available.
Our hospitals rely on community donations
to pay for most equipment.
GSE was a wonderful experience. I was
Laura Dorling used her 2001 Rotary
Ambassadorial Scholarship to help pay for one
of her two year’s of study at a prestigious university
in Mexico.
Her graduate studies helped prepare her for
a career as a senior counsellor in the Canadian
Executive Director’s Office at the Inter-
American Development Bank (IDB), based in
Washington, DC. Dorling grew up in Welland,
where she attended Princess Elizabeth and Ross
elementary schools, and graduated from
Centennial Secondary.
“The Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship
helped me to not only learn about a different
culture but also opened my eyes to the role I
could play in improving the lives of those in
need,” said Dorling.
Rotarians fund Ambassadorial Scholarships
through donations to the Rotary International
Foundation, the world’s largest private sponsor
of university-level, international scholarships.
Started in 1947 the program supports about
800 students studying abroad each year.
In 2007 successful applicants will receive a
grant of $23,000 US for one year of study in
another country to further understanding and
friendly relations among people of different
countries. The award helps cover costs such as
transportation, tuition fees, room and board
Heather Scott-Ventresca, second from right, is shown with Bibi Ekman, left,
Ulrika Engstrom and Matts Ekman, one of the host families during her 2006
Group Study Exchange in Sweden.
able to share much of my fundraising experience
with many organizations in Sweden
who are just moving into the professional
fundraising arena, where it has not been as
much a necessity as it is in our country.
The most important lesson I learned was
that one doesn’t need to travel thousands of
miles from home to learn what is most valuable.
expenses, and some educational supplies.
Dorling’s role at IDB is to actively support
the poverty reduction mandate of the multilateral
development bank by assisting with the creation
and implementation of its policies and
programming in Latin America and the
Caribbean, amounting to about $6 billion US
of development assistance annually.
She completed a two-year master’s degree in
electronic commerce at the Instituto
Teconologico y de Estudios Superiores de
Monterrey in Guadalajara, Mexico.
“This experience also enabled me to help
others to understand the benefits of exploring
foreign cultures and to making efforts to support
socio-economic development as best we
can. We are fortunate to be from a gifted country
such as Canada.
“As I once read, ‘the world needs more of
Canada’, and I find it very rewarding to proactively
share our fundamental values of cultural
understanding and social inclusion with others
around the world,” she said.
Since Dorling’s role requires regular interaction
and negotiation with 46 other member
countries, she continues to reflect Rotarian ideals
and has further enhanced her role as an ambassador
of global understanding and goodwill.
“I’ll be forever grateful to the Rotary Club of
Heather Scott-Ventresca, CFRE, is the
fund development officer for the Welland
Hospital Foundation, where she raises
money for equipment, renovations and new
construction projects. She joined the Rotary
Club of Welland after her return from
Sweden.
AMBASSADOR OF
GLOBAL UNDERSTANDING AND GOODWILL
Welland for all of the support its members have
extended to local and international community
development. Rotarians play a valuable role in
society by taking concrete measures to bring
people closer together, ultimately fostering
international peace and security.
“It makes me proud to be associated with
the Rotary Club of Welland and I look forward
to continuing to support their efforts to
advance our shared vision for a better world,”
she said.
Rotary has introduced scholars to the cultures
of more than 100 different countries
worldwide and has created a worldwide network
of 37,000 alumni.
While abroad, scholars serve as ambassadors
of goodwill to the people of the host country
and give presentations about their homelands to
Rotary clubs and other groups. Upon returning
home, scholars share with Rotarians and others
the experiences that led to greater understanding
of their host countries.
Applicants must have completed two years
of university or college work, or have a secondary
school education and been employed in a
recognized vocation for at least two years. The
application deadline is April 1 each year.
For more information, contact Cheryle
Slattery at cslattery.mazda@cogeco.net.