Governor’s Monthly Le er
November 2018 Editor : Mona Sitwala
DG’s MESSAGE Dear Rotarian friends, We, from Gujarat, welcome our Hindu New Year “Samvat” 2075, with lots of enthusiasm and goodwill. May the new year fulll all our wishes, realise our dreams and inspire us to serve mankind. This is the time to renew our commitments and make new resolutions in life as well as in Rotary. At the helm of our district, I have lots of dreams and wishes. My prime wish is to do as many meaningful and effective projects as we can and try to make a difference in our community. I dream to raise good amount of Rotary Foundation contribution from our district and do our bit to make the Foundation stronger and bigger. Above all, I want to give you a memorable District Conference, an event which brings us all together and something we all look forward to.
As the days pass my heart beats are increasing when I think of the District Conference. I see it as an opportunity to celebrate all that Rotary stands for. It revives our friendship across the District, make new ones, updates us about all the wonderful work being done, gives a chance to listen to great speakers, all this over good food and entertainment. The countdown has begun and from today its just 35 days for our District Conference “Sangam - The Conuence” to unfold. Preparation are on to give you the best time of the year through 4th to 6th of January, 2019, at one of the best locations. The Conference Chairman Dr. Agam Shrivastava, Co-chairman Devang Munim and Dr. Ranu Ajmera, along with entire core team is working day in and day out to give one of the memorable District Conference to all of you.
Friends no event can be successful without your support. I urge So far we have been able to do many projects right from July 2018 you all to register for the Conference as fast as possible. Let us when we began our year with project "PANKH" – the District come together to raise a cheer to our fabulous institution and our notebook distribution project and the Red Revolution. Both the District 3060. I promise you a marvellous and rewarding time. projects are highly appreciated by the clubs and substantial work has already been done. Similarly Clubs have undertaken Thanks all for everything you do for Rotary. Keep going! signicant projects in all the six areas of focus and their dedication and determination is noteworthy.
Pinky Patel
From District Grants we will be distributing school benches, sewing machines for vocational training centres, Dialysis machines, "Aqua Points" and sanitary napkin disposable machines for girls in schools and colleges. I am sure shortly we will be able to execute all the planned projects well in time.
Latest Addition To District 3060
Charter presentation to New Club RC Amreli Gir DG Pinky Patel seen with President Baldevsinh Gohil and Secretary Hardik Zinzuvadia
R. I. PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE One early June, more than 30 years ago, I had a business trip scheduled to Las Vegas. I had been a Rotarian for about six years, and I thought of myself as an active member: I attended every meeting, I'd served as club secretary, I knew everyone in my club. But for me, Rotary was very much a community organization. It connected me to Nassau and perhaps even to the Bahamas — but no farther. I had never given much thought to Rotary beyond the Bahamas, and it had never crossed my mind to travel to a Rotary convention. But that spring, I realized that my trip to Las Vegas would coincide with the Rotary International Convention and thought, why not? I sent in my registration and paid my fees, never suspecting that the experience would change my life. When I walked through the doors of that convention, I was stunned. It was one thing to know that I was part of a global organization with over a million members around the world. It was something else altogether to stand there in the middle of it. I went to every general session, looked in at every booth at the House of Friendship, and learned about projects that I hadn't even known you could do in Rotary. That convention didn't just open my eyes. It opened my mind. It inspired me to completely change the way I saw Rotary, what Rotary could do for me, and what I could do through Rotary. That inspiration has stayed with me ever since — and is renewed every year, at every Rotary convention. In June 2019, Rotarians from all over the world will converge in Hamburg to Capture the Moment at the 110th Rotary
International Convention. Many, like me, will have been coming to conventions for years; many others will be coming for the rst time. Whether they're looking to connect with old friends, to nd inspiration for a new Rotary year, or simply to see what Rotary is all about, each of them will nd their own moment in Hamburg. Hamburg is a port city that connects Germany to the world and that has been an economic and cultural hub for centuries. It's a wonderful place to visit — to stroll the shores of the city's lake, take a boat trip on the Elbe River, dine out, hear great music, and explore fascinating museums. It's also the ideal place to kick off a European vacation. If you're a regular convention goer, you absolutely won't want to miss out on the friendship and inspiration you'll nd in Hamburg. And if you've never been to a convention, please consider this my personal invitation. Register, and let this convention Be the Inspiration for your Rotary journey.
Barry Rassin
GENEROUS GIVING : AN ACT OF GRACE In Rotary, November, is celebrated as the Rotary Foundation Month. As much as Rotary is about friendship, it is also about responsive giving. Very recently Rtn. D Ravishankar, President Rotary Club of Bangalore Orchards, donated a whopping sum of 100 crore or $14.7 million to The Rotary Foundation. Later he said “I think 90 per cent of the people didn't like what I did, because I pricked their conscience. Anyway, I believe that beyond a point what you keep turns into poison… poison not for yourself, but your kids and their future.” Closer home, PDG Ashish and Ranu Ajmera donated to become Arch Klumph Society(min. 250,000 $) member th and were felicitated on 27 October at RI headquarters. If I am not mistaken, he is the fourth AKS member of 3060. Not only them, but hundreds of Rotarians regularly donate to TRF in their own capacity. Such seless giving is what keeps Rotary going and getting stronger. It is never the amount that is important but the spirit and grace in which it is given. A point that comes up for discussion is that should your donation be trumpeted and announced? Yes, why not? Your act could serve as inspiration for someone. It is seen that if one person in a group steps forward to give, there are more chances of others getting up to do the same. The days of anonymous giving are fading away. Charity begins at home. We always prefer to give to people around us or working for us. Because this way we know that our money will not be misused. Same way, we can give to the Foundation and be sure that our money is in the right hands. The Rotary Foundation is high in terms of accountability and transparency, as certied by Charity Navigator year after year. Ninetyone percent of Foundation funds are spent directly on service programs. TRF takes up the world's most difcult problems and delivers sustainable, long-lasting results. A very classic example is the ght to eradicate Polio. TRF provides a
In 1917, Rotary's sixth president, Arch Klumph, a successful businessman and musician from Cleveland, Ohio, proposed setting up an endowment fund “for the purpose of doing good in the world”. That simple idea, with an initial contribution of $26.50, set in motion what is now called The Rotary Foundation – a powerful force which has transformed millions of lives around the globe. global reach and members identify local problems and use Rotary's vast network and the resources to take action in their communities. Due to its taintless image other organizations have come forward as partners and this increase our impact and effectivity. The Rotary Peace Centres train some of the world's most dedicated professionals to resolve conicts and promote national and international cooperation. Giving is not just about making a donation, it is about making a difference. A difference in the life of the receiver, as well as the donor. It makes them both richer.
Mona Sitwala
Clubs at work
Clubs at work
Clubs at work
“THANGANAT – ROTARY NAVRATRI MAHOTSAV” BY RC VAPI
“GIVE HOPE, GIVE A HAND” - LN4 PROJECT OF RC BARODA METRO
RC Vapi organizes “Thanganat” every year since th th 2001. This year it was held from 10 to 18 October at Rotary Foundation for Education & Learning – College Ground, for raising funds for “Free Dialysis” at Haria Rotary Hospital managed by Rotary Charitable Trust run by the Club.
Rotary Club of Baroda Metro and Monachem foundation Launched the LN4 Project, on 30th September 2018 at Monachem House, Gorwa, Vadodara.
Total of 18 Groups (1500 players) performed “Garba” and every day the Club awarded 28 participants for best performances. The awardees of all 9 nights then were eligible to perform on the th 10 Day which is specially played as Grand Finale and the overall top 40 participants are awarded. Around 2500 spectators visit daily. This year club decided to go digital and placed 5 LED screens for live video as well as digital advertisements which were streamed by the media in the entire city of Vapi. Each year the Club collects funds which caters mainly to the Health Care services and for the Education sector as the club runs a Hospital and Colleges which are self nanced. Club achieved the expected target of aggregating funds for Free Dialysis for the entire year amounting INR 4500000 (US $ 62500). PRIP Kalyan Banerjee, AKS Rajjubhai Shroff, MLA Rtn Kanubhai Desai, Valsad District Collector Shri C R Kharsan and Deputy Superintendent of Police Mr Joshi were the few guests who visited this event.
LN4 is an initiative to provide free prosthetic arms to those people who have lost their hand in an accident or do not have one since their birth. With these prosthetic arms beneciaries can carry out their routine functions like eating, writing and possibly can drive two/four wheeler, while labourers can carry out engineering works. The promotions for this camp started 2 months before. Almost 50+ banners have been put across the city and nearby villages. We got almost 200+ beneciaries registered for this camp across Gujarat. The camp was a huge success and around 131+ beneciaries got their prosthetic arms tted. They were also trained on using these arms and were counselled. RBM received support from the RC of Jamnagar, the RC of Bangalore Peenea and US-based Ellen Meadows Prosthetic hand foundation while RC Baroda Metro and Monachem employees volunteered in this camp. This camp has been a rst of its kind in Baroda. Baroda Metro is planning to take this up as a permanent project by conducting such camps frequently.
Guest Column IMPRESSIONS FROM A GLORIOUS YEAR Dear Rotarian friends, I am sharing my Rotary experience of 2017-18 with you. I am associated with Rotary since many years, and what I have understood is that Rotary focuses on fellowship and service. With the help of this platform we are able to reach the underprivileged and every person associated with Rotary has the liberty to serve mankind in his/her own way. As rst lady when I met Rotarians on national and international events, it was a very different experience. I attended Zone Institutes and International Assembly, where I met so many people that I feel I have understood the real meaning of the phrase “Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam”. I learnt how various Rotary Clubs operate in other countries and how they undertake different projects. And then there were new friendships, which are alive and developing even today. I sometimes wonder, how could I have had such a rich experience if I was not associated with Rotary? I thank Rotary for developing my personality and giving me many friends.
First lady is a distinguished position of the District and I have tried my best to do justice to it. I specially mention here that the work, sacrice and support of the spouses of Club Presidents, has made a difference. The success the district has achieved would not have been possible without their involvement and I will cherish the memories in my heart forever. I remember their warm welcome during OCVs and Installation ceremonies which helped me to retain my energy throughout my journey. 2017-18 was a wonderful and fruitful year for us and the credit of this goes to all the Rotarians of the District. I and Ruchir, are grateful to you for the affection, respect and warmth we received. I sincerely believe that we will continue to do all the good deeds which will make a difference in the society and the lives of the underprivileged.
Sohangi Ruchir Jani. WHAT THEY SAID “When I rst put in my name for RI President's post, I lost. I had to take a deep breath of disappointment and then congratulate the person who got there. When we lose an election, we need to be the better person, the person who congratulates the winner.” RIP Barry Rassin “What we are giving to TRF is much more compared to the developed countries. We are proud of the fact that we have now become a net giver and are no longer a receiving country. I do hope our friends from Europe will follow our example.” PRIP Rajendra Saboo “Today our DG's seem to be recognised only on the strength of Foundation collection and the members their clubs bring in, even though some of those members may be more comfortable sitting in a roadside garage somewhere. Why not on the basis of humanitarian projects they did?” PRIP K R Ravindran “There has been massive improvement in member reporting by Rotaract clubs to RI – from 9 to 72% and we expect to capture 100% membership data of Rotaract this year.” RI Director C Basker
December is Health & Disease Prevention Month
The 49th District Conference
RFE - RI Districts 6420, 6440 and 6450 USA visiting District 3060 Team lead by DGN Lely Staab along with 7 members landed in our district on 12th November 2018. They visited Anand, Nadiad, Bharuch, Ankleshwar and Baroda. They were taken to many Rotary projects and shown around the landmarks of the cities. They are the rst foreign visitors to visit our most important and prestigious landmark of the World “Statue of Unity”. They participated in SNID at Bharuch on 18th November. They visited RC Baroda where they were given a traditional welcome. They departed on 20th November
ROTARY CLUB OF NANDNAGARI A SUCCESS STORY Chartered on : 23rd August, 2018; Club Number : 89561 Installation Ceremony : on 06/09/2018, by DG Pinky Patel. Club formed by the efforts of GSR Dr. Ranu Ajmera Charter Members : 22, 3 lady members, Charter President Shabbir Meman and Secretary Rtn. Pritish Banged. Club meets every Sunday. Parent Club : Dhule Femina Projects : Within a short period of two and a half months, RC Nandnagari organised over 60 projects. Some are given below : Voice of Nandurbar : a district level singing competition, judged by Bollywood singer & music director, was organised by the club.Total prize money given 50000/- and winner got a chance to sing in a Bollywood movie. Tobacco Free School District : campaign organised by RC Nandnagari & Salam Mumbai Foundation to make Nandurbar school zones tobacco free. Nandurbar district holds third position in the world for tobacco free school zones, as declared by UNICEF. Plastic Awarness campaign: Banners for plastic awareness were put up in Ganpati pandals, Navrtri mela and auto rickshaws for Public Image of Rotary and plastic awareness. Aao Kitabo Se Baate Kare : Distributed 10000 books in different rural schools on the birth anniversary of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. Manavta ki Diwali : Painted 150 jopadpatti and celebrated Diwali with them; door to door medical check up camp; distribute 300 bottles of vitamin and calcium medicine; lunch for 500 people; distribution of clothes, footwear and saree's to 500 plus people. Future Projects : For fund rising and public image club has started preparing for the Nandnagari festival, wherein stalls, exhibitions, game zones will be set up for three days. 1 to 1.5 lac people are expected to participate. A plastic surgery camp, and a state level One Act Play competition will also be held in the immediate future. Club along with CII will organise a training program for 100 students.
Projects Worth Replica ng “AASTHA” - By RC of Jamnagar The Club : RC Jamnagar, a 69 year old Club is a perfect blend of members of all age – 25 to 75 – which is being capitalized to accomplish ultimate projects for benet of the society. Apart from MSP, its always focuses on long term/ permanent projects like – Aastha, free tment of LN4 prosthetic hands, Pay & Use Toilet Block, Physio-Therapy Center, Dental Clinic, MotherChild Health Center etc. Amongst all permanent projects – AASTHA – A day care center for mentally challenged children is most favored by all members. Conception: Rtn Dr. Rupen Dodhia, a senior member of the club identied need to establish a day care center for mentally challenged children and proposed project. In 2012, Board approved the proposal and responsibility to develop the center was given to Rtn. Dr. Rupen Dodhia, Sharad Sheth, Bimal Mehta & Milan Shah. Development of Project: Initially the project was started at Rotary Community Center with a small group of mentally challenged children. Then, with the help of Andhjan Vividh Laxmi Taalim Kendra, Jamnagar, a full edged day care center was started in 2013. The Project: As on date 64 mentally challenged children are enrolled. Trained teachers and care takers are employed to teach & train the children. Conveyance, training and teaching offered free of charge. Involvement of Rotarians: Every year Rotary members celebrate Navratri, Diwali and Kite festivals with the Aastha children and their parents. Moreover, members donate generously for the project, on the occasion of their birthday and anniversaries. Funding for the project: Rs. 6 Lac + is expense per annum. Fund is raised from society and from Rotary members. Donation to the project is having Income Tax benet under the 80C provision. Future Planning: For better development of mentally challenged and blind children, SENSORY PARK is going to be rd established in 17000 Sq.Ft. of land. This shall be 3 of its kind in st India, and 1 in Gujarat. Estimated cost of SENSORY PARK project is 25 Lac + . This shall be an iconic project of RID 3060. One more Pay & Use Toilet block is going to be started at GIDCPhase-2, Jamnagar.
ONLY E CLUB OF 3060 ROTARY E-CLUB OF ANKLESHWAR GREEN (RECA) Founded: 21 January, 2014 By efforts of : Then President RC Ankleshwar Meera Panjwani Club number : 85530 Sponsor club : Rotary club of Ankleshwar Inception: Sponsored by Rotary Club of Ankleshwar with an aim of social service and skill development. Members: Majority are members from SRICT, Vataria (leading engineering institute in Gujarat) which is one the regular project of parent club RC Ankleshwar. Some members reside outside Gujarat. Dr. Snehal Lokhandwala is the Charter President. Club has 20 members which include 7 female members. Most of the members are young professional. Meetings: Conducted through E- Channel as per Rotary protocol. Members informed of activities monthly. Board meets whenever required. Members use common platforms like Whatsapp to discuss club matters. OCV : Members in Ankleshwar hold physical meeting with the District Governor. Sponsorship: Has sponsored Rotaract Club of SRICT Projects: Note book distribution, Blood donation, Thalassemia testing, tree plantation and preservation, women self defense, women empowerment and Independence Day celebrations are regular projects. Woolen blanket distribution during winter, old clothes distribution in Diwali and Disaster relief projects are also undertaken. Help of Rotaractors of SRICT taken for most projects.
POLIO : BATTLE AT THE LAST FRONTIER Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has been conferred with the prestigious 'Polio Champion Award' in recognition of his commitment to eradicate polio in Nigeria. With two years and three months without any fresh incident of polio, and only few weeks left, Nigeria is on the verge of being declared a polio-free country by the World Health Organisation (WHO), leaving Pakistan and Afghanistan as the only countries left battling with the disease. RIP Barry Russian has applauded Nigeria's efforts, saying “Rotarians here have done a fantastic job and I am here to say 'thank you'. I am proud to say that Nigeria is one of the strong countries in Rotary as Rotary here continues to grow in membership, donations, service and commitment to do everything possible to make the world a better place,” Thanks to the oral vaccine, invented by Albert Sabin, Rotary and its partner organizations are on the verge of eradication of polio from the world. In 1988 there were 350,000 cases of polio worldwide. So far, this year there have been 27. As the number of polio cases approaches zero, the challenges facing Rotary and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative are challenging. We still need to reach every child with the vaccine and tackle vaccine derived poliovirus which could spread in places with low vaccine cover. We have to follow up on evidence of circulating wild poliovirus and ne tune our plans to keep the world polio free forever. Key facts Poliomyelitis is an intestinal virus that spreads through feces of an infected person. The poliovirus is a single positive strand of RNA enclosed in a protective coating called a capsid. There are three variations of the poliovirus, differing in their outer coatings. Wild poliovirus that we see now are of type 1. Last case of type 2 in 1999; world certied free of type 2 in 2015; last case of type 3 in 2012. The virus infects only humans. There is no cure. The eradication initiative is estimated to have saved 16 million children from paralysis and only Three countries left to be declared polio free. The Rotary Foundation awarded nearly $700 million in PolioPlus grants from 2010 to 2017.
Polio Day Celebra on In 3060
RFE Team to R I District 4195, Mexico Team lead by PDG Jatin Bhatt, along with RFE Chair Praful Dewani and 8 other members visited R I District 4195 Mexico from 11th to 25th August, 2018. They celebrated our Independence Day in Rotary meeting and all Mexicans joined in celebration enthusiastically waving tri colour ags. Team attended 5 Rotary meetings and visited places like Xcaret - Mexico Espectacular, TULUM an Archaeological site, Women Island, Yucatan Peninsula, Rio Lagartos, Izamal, Merida City, Hacienda, Chichen Itza(One of the seven wonders of the world Archaeological site), Valladolid, Centre Cathedral Cenote - EK-BALAM.
Solu on for Rotary Quiz October
Winners President Nayana Wani, Dhule Femina Sec. Ashish Agrawal , Dondaicha Sunrise PP Jinendra Kothari, Ankleshwar
RFE Team to District 1913, Croatia Another outbound team visited Croatia, District 1913, from 6th to 17th October. Five couples and one mother-daughter duo visited Zagreb, Pula, Rijeka, Split and Dubrovnik. They got a very warm welcome and host District planned a splendid and smooth programme. They met with many Rotary Clubs and took part in three formal meetings. They met the District Governor, Darko Tipuric, in Split. Team visited a Global Grant Project at a hospital Split. Team visited many attractions like Zagreb city, Varazdin and Samobor villages, Plitvice Lake District, Amphi theatre Pula, Diocletian Palace, Old town of Dubrovnik. They got a good idea of the culture, food, living and Rotary culture of Croatia.