After a massive storm thousands of starfish were stranded on a beach and a little girl, seeing them stranded, began to throw them back into the water one by one. As she did so an old man walked by.

"Little girl, little girl, can't you see there are thousands of starfish stranded. You'll never make a difference," he said.

"I can for this one," she replied, throwing another starfish back into the water.

This is the philosophy Ku-ring-gai Rotary's International program. The challenges of global poverty are huge, but by rolling up our sleeves and getting involved through the Rotary network where every dollar goes where it's supposed to we can make a whole host of small differences and those small differences add up.

The other way is to become directly involved in aid projects. In this way we assisted in the first East Timor Rotary Youth Leadership Program, sending one of our members to help oversee the first course in Dili. We also sent two young Australian volunteers to Uganda where, with the support of the local Rotary Club of M'kono they helped the local people build a much needed school. And of course two of our Committee members are part of the Bo Hospital Committee, helping the Rotary Club and community of Bo, Sierra Leone to build a new, and only, birthing and children's hospital in the second largest city in that country.

In the grand scheme of things our contributions are small, but we can, and have, made a difference to the lives of thousands.

"We can for this one."