Katie Hsih and Rakhi Voria are both Ambassadorial Scholars in District 1090 for the 2011-12 academic year. Rakhi is mentored by Katy Goodey in Oxford Spires and Katie is mentored by David Caswell at Sinodun Rotary Club. Both Katie and Rakhi are from the USA and both are studying at Linacre College at Oxford University. Katie is studying Medical Anthropology and Rakhi is studying Comparative Social Policy.
The Oxford Playhouse has been on its present site since 1938 and it has been run as a charity since 1990. It is a ‘playhouse for everyone’ and Polly and the Director have been working to connect with local communities and to develop more diverse audiences. Polly explained that it is a long process but that they have a number of initiatives running, including their attendance at Truck Festival in July this year, where some Spires members saw them during short breaks from cooking bhajees and dahl.
Andrew is the fundraiser for the Ronald McDonald House based at the Children’s Hospital at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. The house has 18 ensuite family bedrooms and provides accommodation for families of children being treated at and staying at the hospital. There are 14 Ronald McDonald houses in the UK, providing over 400 bedrooms for families, most of which are full every night.
What did we learn?
That OXHOP runs the what was called The Night Shelter, its been going about 25 years.
They also run Julian Housing, more about that later.
http://www.oxhop.org.uk/aboutus/index.html
Julian Cottee was an Ambassadorial Scholar in 2009, sponsored by District 1090 to go to Costa Rica for 6 months to study Spanish. This was his third visit to an Oxford Spires meeting, and this time he came to tell us about his new venture Cultivate Oxford, a social enterprise set up in May 2011 based in south Oxfordshire and partnered with Earth Trust.
Tim returned to speak to us about his trip to Sweden as part of the Oxfordshire Scout Jamboree Unit. He previously spoke to us in February 2011 and Spires gave a donation towards the Unit's fundraising efforts for the Jamboree. The Oxfordshire unit raised money for their own trip but also to enable scouts from x, y and z to attend the jamboree.
Phil Shipman, an honorary member of the Rotary Club of Sinodun, visited us on Tuesday 27 September 2011 to talk about his club’s involvement in Uganda with CHIFCOD (Child to Family Community Development Organisation) in conjunction with the Rotary Club of Bugolobi, Kampala, Uganda.