Stories
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Reality StoreThe Reality Store By Tom Noreen On March 26, 2024, the Cedar Springs Rotary Club and community volunteers converged on the Red Hawk Intermediate School to conduct an exercise with the 8th grade. It gives  them a taste of the reality of making ends meet. They were given a salary, the options of buying or renting, picking out a car, choosing insurance, signing up for utilities, buying groceries, and more. The goal was for the students to stay within their salary.Before the exercise students picked their jobs, determined whether they were married or not, and how many kids they had by rolling dice in class. Their teachers coached them on the process and the reason they were doing it. I worked the utilities table, where based on the type of residence they chose, they found out how much they had to pay for water, gas, electric, sewer, and trash. They then chose whether or not they wanted different levels of internet, TV and streaming services. Finally, they determined how many cell phones they needed. Compared to last year, the kids were very selective of the entertainment services. Most picked the most economical level. As they progressed around the gym buying groceries, and insurance as examples; a number of them had to go back to the beginning to reassess their earlier choices because they broke their budget. Two of the key places they could save money was by downsizing the residence and auto choices. These in turn affected the cost of insurance and utilities. What we heard from the students was that they didn’t realize what their parents were paying for “the basic needs” of life; hence, the Reality Store. I think the majority learned and had a good time. |
Rotary at the Start of the United Nations
During World War II, Rotary informed and educated members about the formation of the United Nations and the importance of planning for peace. Materials such as the booklet “From Here On!” and articles in The Rotarian helped members understand the UN before it was formally established and follow its work after its charter. Many countries were fighting the war when the term “United Nations” was first used officially in the 1942 “Declaration by United Nations.” The 26 nations that signed it pledged to uphold the ideals expressed by the United States and the United Kingdom the previous year of the common principles “on which they based their hopes for a better future for the world.”
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Rotary and the United Nations have a shared history of working toward peace and addressing humanitarian issues around the world.