Our speaker this week is Kathy Arveson, spouse of Paul Arveson, who will discuss a recent trip to Romania. Kathy is a psychologist based in Rockville, Md. and an associate professor at Regent University. Her practice includes developing a church counseling center, working with a variety of private agencies, and developing a private practice.

Our speaker last week was Patty Alper, president of the Alper Portfolio Group, a marketing and consulting company, and a board member of the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE). Patty described her career in the construction industry and her approach to building a company, and how it led to an interest in mentoring programs in schools. NFTE sponsors yearlong programs in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) careers in underserved schools. NFTE has become an international non-profit organization providing entrepreneurship training and education programs to young people from low-income urban communities. For more information, visit nfte.com.

Last week’s presentation by Barry Thompson continued our series on “This Is Rotary” with a look at how the “Future Vision” grant program works in our Rotary District and through the Rotary Foundation. Barry is chairman of the District’s Grants Committee, and has a lot of experience in looking at grant proposals—both good and bad. He’ shared with us the basic rules for grants, and some ideas on how to improve the grant application process.

Barry went over the eligibility guidelines for District and Global Grants. All activities must relate to the mission of the Rotary Foundation, and include participation of Rotarians.

District grants support local and international projects, scholarships (District 7620 awards two district post-secondary scholarships), vocational training teams, and related travel. District grants tend to focus on smaller projects within our District. “Global Grants” are usually larger in scope and involve international efforts.

Both types of grants are reviewed by the District’s Grants Committee. Clubs applying for grants must meet several requirements, including contribution to the Rotary Foundation ($100 per member per year).