West Bend Sunrise Rotary Club: West Bend students attend world affairs seminar

Contact: Pat Seitz

Regal Ware, Inc.

e-Mail: pseitz@regalware.com

Phone: 262-626-8611

Cell: 262-247-6586

Fax: 262-626-8532

West Bend, WI (August 6, 2009) – Two West Bend students joined students from 30 countries around the world for a week-long seminar at Carroll University in Waukesha, Wisconsin to study “World Hunger: The Ethical Dilema of our Time.” The students were sponsored by the West Bend Sunrise Rotary Club, and gave a synopsis of their seminar experiences during the August 4 meeting of the Club.

Austin Becker, son of John and Jane Becker, gave an overview of the week’s activities, including the viewing of the Hungry Planet Exhibit, a photo essay documenting 12 families from 12 countries (Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cuba, Ecuador, Greenland, Italy, Japan, Mali, Mexico, Mongolia, Turkey, and the USA) and comparing what a week’s worth of food looks like for those families. “It was really interesting to see that the food in the U.S. was primarily processed and packaged, versus some other countries where they ate mostly fresh fruits and vegetables,” according to Austin.

Brianna Scheffner, daughter of Chris and Shelly Kraly, focused on the personal connections the students made during the week. A 2007 Rotary Exchange Student to Brazil (sponsored by the West Bend Noon Rotary) Brianna was excited to connect with others from diverse backgrounds. “Everyone in the world has something wonderful to share with you, and you have something wonderful to share with them in return,” she said.

About World Affairs Seminar (WAS)

The purpose of the World Affairs Seminar is to bring about a better understanding of world problems through a study of current issues, while at the same time providing the opportunity to discuss those issues with other young people from other countries. Emphasis is placed upon promoting a better understanding of the causes of international conflict with the thought that if the causes are understood, problems are more likely to be solved peacefully by our future world leaders. Participants leave the week-long seminar with a greater awareness and understanding of the world around them, critical thinking and negotiation skills, and new friends from around the world. The World Affairs Seminar provides a forum for high school students to learn about perplexing global issues. About 400 students from across the country and around the world joined in the seminar according to a Carroll University publication. For more information visit http://www.worldaffairsseminar.org.

About West Bend Sunrise Rotary Club:

Originally chartered in 1990, West Bend Sunrise Rotary Club meets weekly for fellowship, breakfast, and an informative and interesting presentation from a guest speaker every Tuesday at 7:15 a.m. at the Top of the Ridge Restaurant in West Bend. The Club’s major fundraiser each year is the Kettle Moraine Jazz Festival which is held on the Friday and Saturday following Labor Day at Riverside Park in West Bend. Monies raised through this event are managed through the Sunrise Rotary Foundation, and have been used to fund such projects as the Rotary Skateboard Park and the West Bend Fire Department mobile Fire Safety House. For more information see the Sunrise Rotary Club website at http://www.westbendsunriserotary.org.

About Rotary International:

Rotary International is the world’s first service club organization, with more than 1.2 million members in more than 160 countries in 33,000 clubs worldwide. Rotary club members are business and professional leaders who volunteer to work locally, regionally, and internationally to combat hunger, improve health and sanitation, provide education and job training, promote peace, and eradicate polio under the motto Service Above Self. Find out more about Rotary by visiting the Rotary International website at http://www.rotary.org.