Rotarian Peacebuilders Bridge Our Communities
Rotarian peacebuilders come from all walks of life, traditions, and places. They unite in peacebuilding, peace action, and Rotary service.
Discover RAGFP Members in every corner of the world on our Peace Map!
Meet two Rotarian peacebuilders from different regions of the United States.
Oregonian Pioneers Peacebuilder Club Concept
Mike Caruso is a Rotarian visionary, former Governor of District 5100, past RAGFP Board member, and current RAGFP member.
His ideas for creating Rotary peacebuilder clubs remain blueprints for Rotarians around the world.
Following graduation from the University of Portland, he served in the Peace Corps in Malaysia for 3 years working in Tuberculosis Control, primarily with the 16 Malaysian aborigine tribes.
He served as District Governor in District 5100 during the 2011-12 Rotary year and helped create resources that assist Rotary districts around the world in developing criteria, organization, and structure for forming strong peacebuilder clubs. District 5100 also became a supporter of the Rotary Peace Centers Program, offering guidance in recruiting Peace Fellows, and providing Rotary Scholarships.
Mike’s service in Rotary has included everything from helping provide medical and dental care for third-world children, to helping his District plant Peace Poles throughout the Northwest and North America. His energy and creativity continues to inspired Rotarian peacebuilders.
Visit RAGFP’s Peacebuilder Page.
Rotary is Big in Texas
Rotarian J. Dean Craig is president of the Noon Rotary Club in Kingsville, Texas.
He is an Assistant County Attorney, former Peace Corps volunteer, and RAGFP member.
He believes his time spent volunteering in Northeastern Thailand prepared him for leadership in both Law and Rotary, because he learned how peacebuilding fosters justice for all. His Rotary club is involved in many peace projects.
Noon Rotary Club’s partnership with the Tripureshwor Rotary Club in Nepal is one example of how Rotary clubs in smaller cities, can have a Texas-sized impact in peacebuilding. Nepal is still recovering from the massive earthquake of 2015. Livestock production continues to suffer in much of the country, leading to malnutrition.
Noon Rotary Club is assisting local Nepal communities in “rabbit farming.” This innovative solution creates an environmentally sustainable source of protein for those who need food, and a means of income for displaced farmers.
Noon Rotary Club of Kingsville also funds scholarships for underprivileged children in Monterrey, Mexico, and they obtained a global grant to fund a graduate student who will travel to the Netherlands to study vegatation. J. Dean hopes her groundbreaking research will help solve some of the world’s next big environmental issues.
Noon Rotary Club president J. Dean Craig leads his club by setting examples in volunteerism, peacebuilding and civic engagement. We are grateful for his commitment to peacebuilding and membership in RAGFP.