25 Feb. 1944 To Club Presidents and Secretaries The News Letter From the R. |. Secretariat (Central Office) 35 E. Wacker Dr., Chicago |, Ill., No. 16 —1943-44 USS. A: Havana's Generosity 1,000,000 cigars 10,000,000 cigarettes 100,000 pounds of candy 160,000 chocolate bars 10,000 records of Cuban rhumba music were sent by the Rotary Club of Havana, Cuba, to allied soldiers fighting on the world’s battlefronts. These gifts were made possible by the campaign initiated by the Ro- tary club last September for money to buy Christmas gifts for allied sol- diers, which raised $125,000. Last August, Havana Rotarians, in cooperation with several other or- ganizations, sent American soldiers on Guadalcanal ten tons of Cuban candy. Empire Services Club Since November, 1939, when the Rotary Club of Grimsby and Clee- thorpes, England, opened its Empire Services Club, the doors of this can- teen have never been closed for a single day. Since that date over a million cups of tea and coffee and 800,000 light meals have been served to the soldier guests. The club pro- vides innocent amusement, com- panionship under the best condi- tions, and, above all, an atmosphere of home and friendship. It is staffed entirely by volunteer workers. Since last July, the Rotary club has invited four American service- men to the club luncheon each week. Many of the guests have been Rotarians and sons of Rotarians. Now 5,137 Rotary Clubs 218,500 Rotarians (Of these 53 clubs with 1,600 members in war-affected countries are inactive) 84 New Clubs in 20 Countries Since July 1, 1943 Brazil leads all countries (outside the United States of America) with 14 new clubs thus far this Rotary year. You Slog Through Mud... for a mile downhill from our broad- casting station to Victory House in Chungking—a former Chinese club, now a hotel. Furnishings are very modest—you sit on little stools at a T-shaped table with the 43 mem- bers. You meet military men, mis- sion representatives, business men, diplomatic corpsmen, professional men. The luncheon is modest—soup, a meatball with an egg atop, potatoes, and a waffle for dessert. The cost— only eighty dollars! (A good dinner costs several times that price.) The president, a member of the British Embassy and a resident of China for many years, introduces visiting Rotarians. Rotary club flags are on either side of him. One reads “Singapore Rotary Club,” the other, “Hankow Rotary Club.” These cities are in enemy-occupied territory— but their Rotary banners are ready: to go back with the coming of Vic- tory. The secretary announces a gift of $1,500 in U.S. currency from the Rotary Club of Philadelphia, Penna., U.S.A., as a gift to Chungking’s needy—a sum that will realize some 45,000 Chinese dollars. The president rises and says “In- asmuch as this is American Thanks- giving, let us sing ‘America the Beautiful’.” We do, thinking of those so many thousands of miles from us back home. We Americans are asked to sing a song of ours and we answer with a song dedicated to Chungking —‘“It Ain’t Gonna Rain No More’’— which, by the way, it is always doing. It is a difficult life here—mud— lack of running water —lightless nights—difficult communications— threats of bombing—but Chungking ~ carries on! Taken from a letter from Geo. Grim, Jr., honorary member of the Rotary Club of Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S.A., to his home club, describing a typical meeting of the Rotary Club of Chungking. ae Today’s Service Story In this issue of the News Letter is a description of Calgary’s Boys Town Club which is doing a great job in helping to decrease juven- ile delinquency in Calgary. While Calgary Rotary has made the Boys Town Club possible, one man is largely responsible for its unprecedented success. He is Hiram Coulter, employed by the Rotary Club to run Boys Town Club. He is a man not only trained to work with boys, but one who dearly loves that work. As soon as he took charge of the project, it took on new life—more boys joined, new activities were added. He now has 200 boys under his leadership, boys of many nation- alities, races, and religions. Night after night he can be found at the club, working diligently for the welfare of his boys. “Hi” Coulter is not only helping boys who might otherwise never know the joy of wholesome and cooperative effort in work and play—he is building for the future. Rotarians Entertain Children of P.O. W. Some 1,500 children, whose fathers are prisoners of war, were guests of the Rotary Club of Edinburgh, Scot- land, at a pantomime performance of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.” The management contributed the use of the theatre and all artists and staff volunteered their services. As a special treat, arrangements were made with the Red Cross to release 2,000 bars of chocolate to the children. Plans were made at this perform- ance to put on another show for the benefit of the fathers of these 1,500 children, with the intention of send- ing a special parcel to each Edin- burgh father in captivity. £116 for the Red Cross Seventeen Rotarians of Port Eliz- abeth, South Africa, recently spent Saturday morning on Main Street soliciting funds for the Red Cross. Their work was well done, for they collected £116.