Every year the serving Rotary District 1960 Governor visits each club in the district.  Current Governor Fernando Martins from Rotary Club Palmela has recently been spending time with clubs in the Algarve.  During his official visit to Rotary Club Estoi Palace International, he visited the community projects the club has been involved with during the past year... the ongoing milk project with the Casa do Povo in the Estoi, the refrigerated vehicle recently donated to the Banco Alimentar in Faro, and a tour of the facilities at the volunteer Bombeiros in São Brás de Alportel.

The official charity chosen for the 2013 Portugal Masters played at Vilamoura from October 10-13 was ACCA. The event raised a huge €31,782 !!! This was an amazing result for ACCA, who help children in need in throughout the Algarve.

More than 18 months after the idea for the vehicle was ‘hatched,’ Rotary Club Estoi Palace International, together with other Rotarians in the Algarve and further afield, have delivered the final part of the project to provide a refrigerated lorry for the Banco Alimentar (Food Bank). Last week a shipment of 300 heavy duty plastic boxes for use inside the lorry was received at the Faro facility.

Here is Lawrence Warner - Falling for Madrugada, a fabulous demonstration of courage and determination by the 74 year old.

The MacMillan Coffee morning at Casa Bonina, Rocha Brava managed to raise very close to a € 1000 - to be exact... € 999.44! Vanessa de Beer with the help of Carmen baked and donated all the cakes for the coffee morning.

The Algarve chapter of the Rotarians’ Wine Appreciation Fellowship held its first fundraising event for the multi-national campaign End Polio Now on Friday, 4th October at Restaurant Veneza, near Paderne. 

"Members of St. Luke's congregation fill 50 boxes of groceries following the Harvest Festival service. The boxes are destined for disadvantaged Portuguese families in the area and all the food was donated by members of the congregation."

A very big thank you to everyone who supported this years Backpack Drive for children returning to school. The calls of help for backpack donations from organisations across the Algarve were answered with record support of the campaign, now in its 7th year.