More Finalists
expired
"The work that this Rotary Club has done in the MSD area during the past 5-6 years is impressive. There is a high trust level from the target population with the volunteers of the Rotary which will secure local ownership of the newly constructed education & health/wellness center by its beneficiaries. The MSD board under the leadership of its Superintendent (and Rotarian) Paul Mohr have a clear vision with the new center (see attached vision and mission statement). All the other stakeholders have already shown that they are serious about this project. The missing link of the financing for the furniture and computer equipment, requested through this 3H grant proposal, will ignite all the demonstrated willingness and dedication."
"The target population of the MSD area has a strong community pride, which is admirable considering the poor and unhealthy conditions they live in. Many of the involved volunteers and professionals in the MSD and its supporting organizations did grow up in this area and want to see it move forward out of a poverty cycle. A documentary produced by the Arizona State University shows the very unhealthy conditions in this area and speaks about environmental discrimination. The design for the new education & health/wellness center attempts to be as 'green' (or environmentally friendly) as the limited construction budget will allow. The staff and volunteers in the center will teach the community children (and their parents and siblings) that we need to take better care of our natural resources despite the challenges clearly present in this specific community. That shows true grassroots leadership on an issue which is so current and actual in a time that we hear every day about the problems caused by global warming."
"There are about 20,000 people living in the MSD area, of which an estimated 90 percent are from Mexican descent (and of which probably 50 percent do not have legal immigration papers for their stay in the USA, and are therefore excluded from regular preventative health care and basic education). During the site visit, we entered three homes and the state of these houses was worse than the evaluator has seen in many under-developed countries. Because of the existing poverty there are obvious social problems in this community resulting in drug use and crime. The earlier the young children can be kept away from these situations, the lower the risk is that they will get involved as teenagers (the peer-pressure and gang violence are obvious challenges in this community). The new education & health (wellness) center will address this issue at 0-5 (pre K-8) levels, while at the same time offering preventative and public health services for this community."
"It can be argued that it is even harder to live under these circumstances in a developed country than it is in most under-developed countries. In addition, the opportunity to break the cycle of poverty for the people in this community is closer at hand in the developed economy around them through this model partnership of the Rotary, the local school board, some of the city's social agencies, the local naturopathic college and a variety of local NGOs. Therefore this project can develop into a model solution for similar situations around the world. The holistic approach is strong and the model will be adaptable for different economic and environmental settings."
If They Won the $100,000 National Award ...
"The Murphy School District is in an impoverished part of Phoenix, with 40 percent poverty rate, 40 percent low income, and 20 percent lower middle income; there is a 40 percent mobility rate among families and students; 68 percent of the population is Spanish language dominant with very limited English proficiency. The area is replete with salvage yards; is located near a waste facility, a water treatment plant, and the Maricopa County Sheriff's detention center."
"The project that qualified us to be the ReZoom.com A Better World regional winner is the construction of the Murphy School District/Phoenix Rotary 100 Education and Health Center. The center will be completed in the Summer of 2008 and will provide Early Childhood Education for 0-3 year olds through a program sponsored by Chicanos por la Causa; Health Services to the community at no cost, sponsored by the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine; Technology Training for the community; and conference areas for seminars such as Parenting, Health and Nutrition, and Occupational Training. Two classrooms will be dedicated to give assessments and health screenings for the 900 new students that the district averages every year, throughout the year. I was also able to work closely with the City of Phoenix to acquire 2.1 acres of land at a fraction of the cost of the appraised value."
The Murphy Community Foundation will use the ReZoom.com $100,000 award to build and/or install the following "green" features in the Education and Health Center:
• 20,000 square feet of photo-voltaic solar panels that will provide up to 35 percent of renewable energy
• C02 monitoring device to monitor outdoor air flow w/alarm
• Low-emitting materials such as special paints and carpet systems
• Water use reduction facilities
• Building materials that reduce the "Heat Island Effect"
Here is why green technology is so vital for this project:
"In 2002, as part of a Doctoral Seminar on Social Policy at Arizona State University (ASU), Sandra Levy developed a social action research project targeting the Murphy School District. Sandra and four other ASU students toured the community and produced a video about the deplorable living conditions of families in the district neighborhood. The video was edited down to a 30-second public service announcement. Later, experts in the field of "environmental racism" were interviewed. This video has now been shown around the world, in countless college classes, and serves as a teaching warm up for discussions about "environmental racism."
"Therefore, it is imperative that the Murphy School District build the Education and Health Center using "green" technology to:
• Send a message to the surrounding businesses about toxic conditions, that we are all responsible for the environment in this neighborhood, affecting the health and well-being of families;
• Educate students and community members about the advantages and necessity of preserving our environment through the application of "green" technology;
• Create a facility that is not in contradiction to its mission of providing the very best education and health care in a clean and healthy environment, complimenting the surrounding ecology;
• Serve as an international model for school districts to build for the future, designing facilities that apply the latest "green" technology.
"When growing a garden in a gutter, the garden must be sheltered and nurtured in a way that is harmonious with its essential nature."
November 22, 2008
The Murphy Community Foundation
The Murphy Foundation has established trust in its community and provides programs to break the cycle of poverty.
Region #4: Phoenix, AZ
The Murphy Community Foundation exists in an area of Phoenix with a 40 percent poverty rate. The area contains salvage yards, a waste facility and a detention center. In the midst of this turmoil, this organization is creating hope by building a community center to provide classes and free health care. The goal of this group is to help residents in their community rise above their circumstances with a new facility that will offer technology training, parenting seminars, occupational training, health screenings and more.
Winning Regional Essay
"On March 1-2, 2007, Mr. Jos Nolle made a site visit to determine if the Education and Health Center Project was worthy of a $300,000 Rotary Grant that would pay the expenses of furnishing the center. Through the Phoenix Rotary 100 and its international partner club, Hermosillo Pitic Rotary in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, the grant was awarded. This was the first time in history the Rotary Board of Trustees awarded this grant to a project in a "developed" country. Below is the Executive Summary:
PART 1: Site Visit Information
Grant Number: 59348
Project Country: Arizona, USA
Project Title: Murphy School District (MSD) Phoenix Rotary 100
Education & Health Center
Host Cosponsor: Phoenix Rotary 100 (District 5490)
International Cosponsor: Hermosillo Pitic Rotary (District 4100)
Site Visitor's Name: Jos Nolle (Welland Rotary, District 7090, Canada)
Dates of Visit: February 28 + March 1 & 2, 2007
TRF Coordinator: Steve Townsend
Executive Summary
"The work that this Rotary Club has done in the MSD area during the past 5-6 years is impressive. There is a high trust level from the target population with the volunteers of the Rotary which will secure local ownership of the newly constructed education & health/wellness center by its beneficiaries. The MSD board under the leadership of its Superintendent (and Rotarian) Paul Mohr have a clear vision with the new center (see attached vision and mission statement). All the other stakeholders have already shown that they are serious about this project. The missing link of the financing for the furniture and computer equipment, requested through this 3H grant proposal, will ignite all the demonstrated willingness and dedication."
"The target population of the MSD area has a strong community pride, which is admirable considering the poor and unhealthy conditions they live in. Many of the involved volunteers and professionals in the MSD and its supporting organizations did grow up in this area and want to see it move forward out of a poverty cycle. A documentary produced by the Arizona State University shows the very unhealthy conditions in this area and speaks about environmental discrimination. The design for the new education & health/wellness center attempts to be as 'green' (or environmentally friendly) as the limited construction budget will allow. The staff and volunteers in the center will teach the community children (and their parents and siblings) that we need to take better care of our natural resources despite the challenges clearly present in this specific community. That shows true grassroots leadership on an issue which is so current and actual in a time that we hear every day about the problems caused by global warming."
"There are about 20,000 people living in the MSD area, of which an estimated 90 percent are from Mexican descent (and of which probably 50 percent do not have legal immigration papers for their stay in the USA, and are therefore excluded from regular preventative health care and basic education). During the site visit, we entered three homes and the state of these houses was worse than the evaluator has seen in many under-developed countries. Because of the existing poverty there are obvious social problems in this community resulting in drug use and crime. The earlier the young children can be kept away from these situations, the lower the risk is that they will get involved as teenagers (the peer-pressure and gang violence are obvious challenges in this community). The new education & health (wellness) center will address this issue at 0-5 (pre K-8) levels, while at the same time offering preventative and public health services for this community."
"It can be argued that it is even harder to live under these circumstances in a developed country than it is in most under-developed countries. In addition, the opportunity to break the cycle of poverty for the people in this community is closer at hand in the developed economy around them through this model partnership of the Rotary, the local school board, some of the city's social agencies, the local naturopathic college and a variety of local NGOs. Therefore this project can develop into a model solution for similar situations around the world. The holistic approach is strong and the model will be adaptable for different economic and environmental settings."
If They Won the $100,000 National Award ...
"The Murphy School District is in an impoverished part of Phoenix, with 40 percent poverty rate, 40 percent low income, and 20 percent lower middle income; there is a 40 percent mobility rate among families and students; 68 percent of the population is Spanish language dominant with very limited English proficiency. The area is replete with salvage yards; is located near a waste facility, a water treatment plant, and the Maricopa County Sheriff's detention center."
Murphy School district is a fully integrated elementary district offering a variety of programs to help the diverse population.
The Murphy Community Foundation will use the ReZoom.com $100,000 award to build and/or install the following "green" features in the Education and Health Center:
• 20,000 square feet of photo-voltaic solar panels that will provide up to 35 percent of renewable energy
• C02 monitoring device to monitor outdoor air flow w/alarm
• Low-emitting materials such as special paints and carpet systems
• Water use reduction facilities
• Building materials that reduce the "Heat Island Effect"
Here is why green technology is so vital for this project:
"In 2002, as part of a Doctoral Seminar on Social Policy at Arizona State University (ASU), Sandra Levy developed a social action research project targeting the Murphy School District. Sandra and four other ASU students toured the community and produced a video about the deplorable living conditions of families in the district neighborhood. The video was edited down to a 30-second public service announcement. Later, experts in the field of "environmental racism" were interviewed. This video has now been shown around the world, in countless college classes, and serves as a teaching warm up for discussions about "environmental racism."
"Therefore, it is imperative that the Murphy School District build the Education and Health Center using "green" technology to:
• Send a message to the surrounding businesses about toxic conditions, that we are all responsible for the environment in this neighborhood, affecting the health and well-being of families;
• Educate students and community members about the advantages and necessity of preserving our environment through the application of "green" technology;
• Create a facility that is not in contradiction to its mission of providing the very best education and health care in a clean and healthy environment, complimenting the surrounding ecology;
• Serve as an international model for school districts to build for the future, designing facilities that apply the latest "green" technology.
"When growing a garden in a gutter, the garden must be sheltered and nurtured in a way that is harmonious with its essential nature."