Rotary Information for 23rd of October
With the big emphasis on raising monies for the drought affected communities, a lot of focus has come on to Mental Health.
Australian Rotary Health was a prime mover in bringing mental health to the forefront and de stigmatising it, in the whole of Australia. They have held Forums all over our district in past years and will soon be holding a Mental Health First Aide course here in Wagga .
ARH is the leading NGO providing research grants into both the causes of mental health problems and how it is possible to treat them. The Black Dog doesn't discriminate as has been affirmed by the very privileged in society such as Prince Harry, or the very wealthy such as Packer. Sports people, politicians, mums and dads are all equal targets ! We must find a treatment, and ARH is at the forefront of that fight.
As an aside, a lot of Rotarians confect the Rotary Foundation with ARH. They are separate entities entirely.
The Foundation is the funding arm of Rotary International and makes fund available to all Districts to perform various projects. They also provide grants on a world scale, Global Grants, one of which our club applied for and succeeded in the Congo.
ARH on the other hand is an Australian venture raising funds for the principal purpose of improving health outcomes in Australia.
They provide research scholarships for Phd students, and for undergraduates who are following a particular line of inquiry. Money has been allocated to such areas as Multiple Sclerosis, Motor Neurone, Heart disease. That list goes on. Our own club provided a Phd Scholarship researching Melanoma. in memory of our long standing member Gordon Braid