International Service
Recent International Projects
During 1999-2000 the club sponsored a Rotary Foundation Matching Grant project with the Quilmes-Oeste Club in Argentina. The $8,000 project provided medical equipment to an ambulatory hospital in the Buenos Aires suburb. This was the first time the club had its own matching grant project, as far as anybody can remember. The project was under the initiative of Guillo Rodriguez.
In 2001-02 the Club participated in a District 6060 sponsored grant to provide eye cataract surgeries, as part of the Avoidable Blindness Initiative. More than 65 surgeries were sponsored by the Club in southern India thus becoming a 100% supporter, i.e. at least one eye surgery sponsorship for every member of the club. The project was initiated by RI District 6060.
In 2004-05 the Club once again and under the initiative of Guillo Rodriguez sponsored a Rotary Foundation Matching Grant project in Argentina, this time with the Berazategui Rotary Club to provide medical and hospital equipment to attend diabetic patients in a very poor section of Greater Buenos Aires; the project cost was $6,300.
In 2005-06, the Club was the lead sponsor of a matching grant project in the PHilippines costing $35,000. It consisted of a feeding program for malnourished children in the RI District 3790, which is located in the western part of the island of Luzon in the north of the country. The project was initiated at the district level.
During 2007-08, the Club was the lead international sponsor of a Rotary Foundation matching grant for a project in Brazil with the Francisco Beltrao Novas Geracoes Club supporting an equestrian program where mentally and physically handicapped youth ride horses in a supervised environment and this physical movement and contact with such a large animal results in improved physical abilities as well as enhanced psychiatric results. The program cost was $12,150 of which $3,000 was our club's contribution. the project was initiated at the district level.
During 2009-10 and under the initiative of Rod Cooper, the club sponsored a clean water project in Pimieneta, Honduras. Our club was the interantional sponosr of this project which was made posssible through a matching grant from The Rotary Foundation of Rotary Interantional. Additional funding was provided by RI District 6060 and RI District 6460 in western Illinois and RI District 4250 in Honduras in addittion to Clean Water for Coffee Producing Countries Donor Advisory Fund. The local sponsor is the rotary Club of San Pedro Sula. the Gateway chapter of Engineers without Borders is a mojor partner. The project provides water to 375 people in the Las Casitas neighborhood. The total cost of the two phase project was $56,000.
International Youth Exchange
The Youth Exchange Program has been one of the most successful international projects of the club. Each year, the club arranges international Youth Exchanges of long term duration (one academic year) for high school-aged students. A primary goal of the program is to foster world understanding by way of intercultural exchange.
Youth Exchange began for District 6050 in 1985. District Governor H. Middleton asked Webster's PDG Alan Hoener to begin a district committee. Alan asked Webster's Jack LaBarge to serve on the committee and to place the first student taken by the committee. Jack accepted and placed the student in Webster Groves. Webster Groves was the first host club for the district. Jack served on the committee from its inception. Steve LaBarge participated soon after the inception of the committee and initially assisted Howard Schwadron as inbound coordinator and then assumed that role until 1992. Alan chaired the committee until 1989. Jack LaBarge did outbound students from committee inception through June of 1992 and chaired the committee 1989 to 1992. Steve chaired from 1992 to 1994. Steve re-assumed the chairman position in the late 1990s. He was followed by Irene Kalnins in the early 2000s.
Since 1985 Webster Groves has hosted one or two exchange students every year (three students were hosted once) and have participated in the hosting of students on youth exchange tours. The Club has also sponsored many outbound students. A fun fact of youth exchange is that two students who met through the district program, one from Webster Groves, subsequently married; Alan and Willie Hoener, Steve and Cathy LaBarge, and Mary and Jack LaBarge were all at their wedding. For about 7 or 8 years, Mary and Jack LaBarge hosted a Christmas party at their house for exchange students. The boys spent the night at their house and the girls stayed at Steve and Cathy LaBarge's. Usually some outbound exchange alumni attended.
The Club has sent numerous American youth abroad as well as received many students from all over the world. The Club has received kids from Germany, Mexico, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Russia, Thailand, Brazil, Latvia, and Turkey, among others. In 2001-02 the Club hosted a male student from China and a female from Colombia. Both were the first students that came to Webster Groves without the Club sending a student to those countries. At the time, Rotary does not operate in China because of that country's political views. With Colombia the concern about safety and security prevents the Club from sending students. The Club accepted these non-traditional "exchanges" in an effort to help youth from this countries experience life in America. In 2007-08 the club hosted two Brazilian young men. In 2006-7 we hosted a young man from Poland and a young lady from Australia.
In early 2000, the Club participated in short-term (two to three months in duration) exchanges for visually impaired and/or blind kids. This has been done in coordination with the Missouri School for the Blind. The initial exchanges were made with Argentina, but other countries may soon be involved. Youth exchange has a great history in Webster Groves.
Ambassadorial Scholarships and Others
The Club has also been diligent with The Rotary Foundation's oldest and best-known program, the Ambassadorial Scholarships, the world's largest privately funded international scholarships program. The purpose of the Ambassadorial Scholarships program is to further international understanding and friendly relations among people of different countries.
The Club has sponsored and hosted men and women to study abroad. Most recently, in 1997-98, the Club sponsored an American scholar to McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and has welcome students from Korea and Japan, among others. Werner Bauer has acted as counselor for inbound scholars. In the early 1980s Pete Crump was counselor for inbound scholar Merv Hyde from Australia; he studied at the Central Institute for the Deaf and lived in Webster Groves.
The Club had a young Russian girl participate in the Youth Exchange Program during the academic year 1997-98. Following the exchange, she returned to her country with the desire to come back to the States to attend a university. The Club, in conjunction with other clubs and various individuals, provided the Russian student with scholarship funds. Although not an ambassadorial scholarship, the Russian scholar represented well her country while at Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. The Club's Rotary Charities not-for-profit charitable corporation partly funds Kate Smorodkina's university career.
In 2008-09, the Club sponsored a Webster University student from Ecuador for the 2010-11 Ambassadorail Scholarship. He did not win, but was selected an alternate for that year, which is an accomplishment in itself.
Group Study Exchange
The Club has been active sponsoring and hosting Group Study Exchange team members. Since its inception in 1965, The Rotary Foundation's Group Study Exchange (GSE) program has provided grants for countless teams of men and women in the early stages of their business and professional careers to travel abroad and share vocational information with the representatives of their respective professions in another country. The program's ultimate goal is promoting international understanding and goodwill.
The first Rotarian GSE leader from our club was Alan Hoener; he led a GSE team to Africa in 1982-83. Club members that have been team members are Jean Magre who went to Africa (Kenya and Tanzania in the east, Zambia in the south, and the islands of Mauritius and Reunion in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar) in 1983, and Mike Oppermann who went to Belgium in 1985. Magre and Oppermann joined the Club after their trip and eventually became presidents of the Club.
Most recently, the Club has sponsored team members to Brazil (1998), South Africa (2003), Bolivia (2005), and Turkey (2009).
The Club has hosted GSE teams from Italy (twice), South Korea, India (twice), Norway, Brazil (twice), Argentina, England, Denmark, South Africa, Bolivia, and the Philippines among others. The most recent GSE teams hosted by our Club have been: Brazil (April 2001), South Africa (April 2003), Italy (April 2004), Bolivia (May 2005) and the Philippines (October 2005), India (April 2007), Germany (May 2008), Turkey (2009), Denmark (2010).
Open World Program
In May 2003, the Club hosted a group of Russians sponsored by the Open World Program. The program is operated by the Center for Russian Leadership Development at the U.S. Library of Congress, and is a special program available to Rotary clubs in the United States. Five Russian civic leaders were welcomed into our community. The Club developed an "economic development program", which is one of the eight civic themes approved by the Open World Program. The other themes are education, environment, federalism, health, rule of law, women as leaders, and youth issues. Jack LaBarge and John Dougherty coordinated the delegation's visit to the St. Louis region; various members shared their homes and hospitality with our Russians guests.
Rotary and Polio
The club completed its commitment to a three year, $3,000 contribution to Polio Plus. This program was starte in 1985 by Rotary International to immunize all of the world's children against polio.