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Dinesh Kumar Sharma

Rotary Friendship Exchange with Sri Lanka

Havingjoined Rotary in 2008, “drawn to it so that I can help the poor and marginalised, its service motto keeps me going. Now as governor I have taken up pathbreaking initiatives,” says Dinesh Sharma. He led a team of 60 Rotarians to a six-day tour of Sri Lanka and signed an MoU with DG Pubudu De Zoysa, RID 3220, in Colombo for a Rotary Friendship Exchange. “It was a great experience for us as we went around Colombo, Kandy and Nuwara Eliya,” he recalls.

An Endowment Fund of $25,000, the first in RID 3100, was created by him and its interest will be routed as DDF for service projects. “For the first time, we have five Major Donors, a proud moment for us all in this district.” So far, he has inducted 175 new members and is confident of adding 75 more Rotarians, taking their total headcount to over 2,600 by June-end. Three GG projects (around ` 40 lakh each) are being processed, “while one more is being drafted and we are waiting for a foreign partner.” The clubs have distributed 750 bicycles to school girls, and another 250 will be given shortly. “We have also distributed 350 wheelchairs till now.” A five-acre Rotary forest was inaugurated in Moradabad recently and two Happy Schools ( ` 8 lakh) have been completed.

At the Lakshya seminar, a target of $83,000 was fixed for TRF giving. “We have already collected $91,000 and hope to touch $150,000 by June-end,” he smiles.