RDLT 2020

TALK

Fundraising & The Rotary Foundation Treasurers | Foundation Directors | Finance Directors

AKS Bing Carrion enlightened the Treasurers, Foundation and Finance Directors to successfully engrave the principles of “Fundraising and The Rotary Foundation'', thereby fully equipping the financial operations of the various clubs.

Her talk aimed to inspire a sense of collaboration between Rotaractors and Rotarians. She stressed the new status of Rotaractors being formally recognized as not just a program but as a member of Rotary International. We must take initiative in coordinating with our Rotarians in joint fundraising projects.

As President-Elect of my club, hearing the talk reminded me of our partnership with our sponsoring clubs which made me agree to what AKS Bing Carrion mentioned. Instead of seeking sponsorship or monetary support from our Rotary partners, why not plan a fundraiser together. That collaboration would incite the feeling of accomplishment and autonomy more for us Rotaractors as we’re the one who’s generating the funds for our projects. Partnering with our Rotary Clubs would also start a trend of apprenticeship between them and us, as this will be an avenue where they can teach us how to make our projects more sustainable.

I left the room with not just a plan on my mind but with a vision of partnership.

TALK

Innovative Projects During the Pandemic Club Service Directors Professional Development Directors International Service Directors

DGN Joyce Ambray (Rotary Club of Manila Premiery) elevated the Club Service, Professional Development, and International Service Directors response to crafting “Innovative Projects During the Pandemic”, which tackles holistic and relevant initiatives for the benefit of the vulnerable sectors. Her approach was unlike other breakout rooms as she divided the attendees into two groups who came together to solve two problems she gave. The Directors then pitched their strategic plans of action on how to successfully launch a project in light of the pandemic.

These participants did not disappoint DGN Joyce, as she was amazed by how each group creatively took on the problem to create innovative solutions that could not have been done outside the pandemic.

She wrapped up the session with a story and cited Tom Moore. Tom is a veteran who aimed to raise 1000 euros by walking 100 lengths of his garden before his 100th birthday but ended up raising around 33 million euros for the NHS. What amazed me about this example was not how much Tom raised but how humble his goal was. He did not set a goal that was too far out of his reach. That’s something to keep in mind specially for us officers. As officers, we tend to pursue idealism because we want our projects to go beyond and succeed, but that sometimes is the reason our project becomes too complex to be executed properly. A solution doesn’t need to be overly systematic to solve a problem, sometimes a few steps is all it needs to be good.

Although attended online, RDLT 2020 was very familiar to the old custom RDLT. The addition of four different breakout rooms gave everyone a variety of topics, and a chance for every attendees to work together updating their clubmates of their sessions. Indeed, it brought clubs to further the discussion and facilitate growth of all officers.

Compared to previous large scale online events, RDLT 2020 proved to be the smoothest event I’ve attended so far. The transition from each portion of the program to the other was seamless proving how prepared the organizers were. It’s attendees also contributed to the success of the program as proper online etiquette was observed. This conference just goes to show how far we’ve come in adapting to the pandemic, and how much further we’ll go as Rotaractors.

At the end of RDLT, it proves how much District 3810 has set a high standard of quality and excellence for its leaders. Overall, making this RDLT 2020 become a landmark event.

Give & Do Good in the World

by DRC Chock Encabo Rotary Club of Metro Escolta

“The Rotary Foundation is not to build monuments of brick and stone. If we work upon marble, it will perish; if we work on brass, time will efface it; if we rear temples they will crumble into dust; but if we work upon immortal minds…we are engraving on those tablets something that will brighten all eternity. ” — Arch C. Klumph, December 1928

November is the Rotary Foundation month. It is during this time where we recognize the contributions made by our Rotarians and Rotaractors. The collected efforts exerted by various Rotary and Rotaract clubs all over the world to contribute to the foundation is truly one great act to be celebrated and recognized.

But more than the recognition, it is the fact that our donations thru the foundation have saved and changed countless lives is what truly matters. As members of the Rotary family, we are all aware that the Rotary Foundation is the heart of Rotary International. But what does the Rotary Foundation really do? Why is there a need to contribute to the foundation? The Rotary Foundation is the product of Rotary International President Arch C. Klumph's vision when he proposed an endowment "for the purpose of doing good in the world" in 1917. As the charitable arm of Rotary, the Rotary Foundation transforms our gifts into projects that change lives both close to home and around the world. Its mission is to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education, and the alleviation of poverty. We can choose where to give and how much to give.

We, as part of the Rotary International family, are all called to make a difference and we can all be successful in reaching out to more people who are in need if we give to the Rotary Foundation. No matter how big or small, our contribution matters. When we give, we can be sure that we can support a child to continue his or her education...we can contribute in building and empowering communities... we can save a mother from any harm during her pregnancy… we can help community leaders to promote peace… we can help provide safe water, support sanitation and hygiene projects… And we can save the environment. Together, we can all do good in this world.

Doing Our Part

by Club Service Director Kenny Clavero Rotaract Club of Manila

In 1917, Rotary President Arch Clump donated $26.50 as seed money for a cause which after 10 years would be named as The Rotary Foundation. That amount of course is worth 20 or 30 times today, but it is not the amount I’d like to focus on, rather the concept of “Seed Money”.

This Rotary Year marks a keystone in the evolution of Rotaract as it is now considered a membership type of Rotary International instead of a Rotary Program. This symbolizes the recognition of Rotaract’s effort over the years and personally, it symbolizes Rotary International investing in the youth (Rotaract) to start sowing their seeds to success at a young age.

The Rotary Foundation provides funding over the years to multiple grants that helps causes related to Rotary International’s Six Areas of Focus. As Rotaractors, we pledge ourselves to be of service to our community, but sometimes our actions feel menial compared to movements or projects of other clubs or people, that is if we look at it in an additive sense.

Our contributions may only make up a small portion of the movement, but its impact on the cause is much bigger in comparison.

The money you donated, no matter how small, will increase the amount of budget our cause that we care about has. The donation you make can influence or inspire people to make donations as well. In our generation right now, we don’t even need to donate money ourselves to raise funds for the cause, simply sharing the post or story that there is a movement for the cause would allow people to donate to it.

Also, if you spread word that there is a movement for the cause, and your connections are more than willing to be part of that movement, then you have increased the number of people helping out. And hopefully, that person that you inspired, will also become a part of your club increasing your club’s potential to contribute to the movement.

We are now recognized as a type of member of a Rotary International. We have to start appreciating the smallest contributions we make and look at what it’ll become in the future. Whether it’d be recruitment, raising awareness, or fund raising, it was by your actions that opened opportunities.

Disease Prevention: What can Rotaract do to help?

by Deputy DRAR Coleene Villanueva Rotaract Club of RCDM Scholars

In this month of disease prevention, you might be wondering about how your club can help - be it in the form of awareness campaigns, medical missions, donation drives, and/or community partnerships. To guide you with that, here is some information that you can tap as you start your club’s journey towards contributing to advocacies on disease prevention.

Campaigns for Immunization

Outbreaks will continue to happen if the sub optimal routine immunization is not addressed. As per the World Health Organization (WHO), “immunization currently prevents 2-3 million deaths every year from diseases like diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, influenza and measles. ” Immunization is also one of the best health investments money can buy. Yet despite these tremendous progress, nearly 20 million infants still have insufficient access to vaccines. In some countries, progress is stalled or even reversed. In the Philippines, for instance, a lot of poor communities remain to be active disease-prone areas due to the highly contagious nature of childhood vaccinepreventable diseases, coupled with the low vaccination rate and lack of herd immunity in those areas. In response to this, our health agencies have developed mid-term routine immunization enhancement and epidemic preparedness, but despite these efforts, the Philippines still has a low immunization turnout according to UNICEF.

The recent issue concerning Dengvaxia has stirred public distrust towards vaccines which eventually caused a rise to cases of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, diphtheria, and most especially, the long-gone polio. Health groups are encouraging different volunteer and support groups to raise awareness on the value and importance of immunization and vaccination, and also help in making these vaccines accessible to far-flung and disease-prone areas.