Rotary e-Club of Houston - Guest Speaker
 Oscar Arturo Leon Canoe - Sea Turtle Preservation

An army of hobbyists and educators equipped with 3D printers are producing face shields and other personal protective equipment (PPE) to help frontline health care workers battle the coronavirus.

Among them are two Rotary members, who are using their knowledge and resources — along with their Rotary connections — to tackle the shortage of PPE caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Scott Franklin, a professor of mathematics and computer science at Wayland Baptist University in Plainview, Texas, USA, brought home his university’s four 3D printers and is creating about 24 face shields a day. The Rotary Club of Plainview, of which he’s a member, has supported his efforts through grants, donations, and encouragement.

Meanwhile, Jacob Lasorso, who teaches 3D printing design at Suncoast Technical College in Sarasota, Florida, USA, created a home workshop with six 3D printers he assembled from his school and others and is producing close to 48 face shields a day. His initiative is supported by members of his Rotary Club of Venice Sunrise in Florida.

The 3D printing process uses a special printer to create a three-dimensional object from a computer-aided design (CAD) model, usually by successively adding material layer by layer. The material varies but is most commonly a plastic filament that’s sold in rolls and resembles the line on a weed trimmer. Both Franklin and Lasorso use polylactic acid filament, which is eco-friendly and affordable at about $25 a kilogram. Watch this short time-lapse video of Lasorso’s printer creating a visor.

Today, over 70 million people are displaced as a result of conflict, violence, persecution, and human rights violations. Half of them are children.

We refuse to accept conflict as a way of life. Rotary projects provide training that fosters understanding and provides communities with the skills to resolve conflicts.

Rotary creates environments of peace:

As a humanitarian organization, peace is a cornerstone of our mission. We believe when people work to create peace in their communities, that change can have a global effect.

By carrying out service projects and supporting peace fellowships and scholarships, our members take action to address the underlying causes of conflict, including poverty, discrimination, ethnic tension, lack of access to education, and unequal distribution of resources.

Our commitment to peacebuilding today answers new challenges: how we can make the greatest possible impact and how we can achieve our vision of lasting change. We are approaching the concept of peace with greater cohesion and inclusivity, broadening the scope of what we mean by peacebuilding, and finding more ways for people to get involved.

Rotary creates environments where peace can happen. 

Rotary’s Four Roles in Promoting Peace: 

Rotary and its members are:

• Practitioners: Our work fighting disease, providing clean water and sanitation, improving the health of mothers and children, supporting education, and growing local economies directly builds the optimal conditions for peaceful societies.
   
• Educators: Our Rotary Peace Centers have trained over 1,300 peace fellows to become effective catalysts for peace through careers in government, education, and international organizations. 
   
• Mediators: Our members have negotiated humanitarian ceasefires in areas of conflict to allow polio vaccinators to reach children who are at risk. 
   
• Advocates: Our members have an integral role as respected, impartial participants during peace processes and in post-conflict reconstruction. We focus on creating communities and convening groups that are connected, inclusive, and resilient.