RI President's Message, January
2017
As we enter 2017, we also enter the second
year of the initiative known as the United Nations Sustainable Development
Goals. These goals, usually referred to as the SDGs, pertain to
a list of 17 areas where the people of the world can come together
to address our most pressing economic, political, and social challenges.
It is a hugely ambitious list, and it has to be. The ultimate aim
of these goals is nothing less than peace, prosperity, security,
and equality for all of humanity.
How do you even begin to tackle such a project?
At Rotary, our answer is simple: one step at a time. These goals
are nothing new for Rotary: They're already reflected in our areas
of focus. We also understand that all of these 17 goals, just like
our six areas of focus, are interrelated. You can't have good health
without clean water. You can't have clean water without good sanitation.
Good sanitation in turn helps keep children in school, which improves
education, which improves economic prosperity and health. When you
are talking about the advancement of an entire planet, no one indicator,
no one goal, no one country, exists in isolation. To make real and
lasting progress, we must all move forward together.
The idea of sustainability is key to the SDGs
– and to our service in Rotary. Sustainability simply means
making progress that will endure. It means not just digging a well,
but being sure that a community can maintain it. It means not just
running a health camp for a week, but training local health workers.
It means empowering families and communities to take charge of their
own futures by giving them the tools they need to succeed.
Sustainability has always been at the heart
of our thinking in Rotary. We've been around for nearly 112 years
and intend to be around for many more. We've already seen the difference
our work has made: in health, in education, in water and sanitation,
and of course in our efforts to end polio.
Polio eradication is the ultimate in sustainable
service: a project that, once completed, will benefit the world
forever. And those benefits will go far beyond the eradication of
a single human disease. The estimated cost savings we will see once
polio is eradicated are about $1 billion per year. That is money
that can be returned to public health budgets and directed to other
pressing needs, carrying the good work of today forward for many
healthier tomorrows.
- John F Germ
President, Rotary International
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Jan.
2017 Trustee Chair's Message
Kalyan Banerjee - Trustee
Chair 2016-17
Celebrate the new year
January marks the start of a new year on many
calendars, but in Rotary, we begin our year in July. That puts us
at the halfway point — a good time to take stock of our progress
and set goals for the remainder of the year.
An annual to-do list for The Rotary Foundation
might include the following items:
Contribute to the End Polio Now campaign to take advantage
of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s 2-to-1 match.
Start a simple or large-scale project in your
community supported by a grant and keep the community informed.
Recommend a promising candidate for the Rotary Peace Centres programme.
Host a Rotary Scholar or vocational training team.
Enroll in Rotary Direct for easy recurring giving.
Include a bequest to the Foundation in your estate plan.
Apply for a Rotary International credit card, which allocates a
portion of each purchase you make to The Rotary Foundation.
As you can see, there are many ways to support
our Foundation and carry out its humanitarian mission. This year,
we have another item to add to our checklist: Celebrate The Rotary
Foundation’s centennial.
Here are some of the ways you can observe
this milestone:
Work with your club to plan a birthday party, fundraiser, or event
in your community to let others know more about Rotary and its Foundation.
Download a promotion kit from rotary.org/foundation100 for ideas.
Promote your club’s Foundation grant projects to local media.
Dedicate club meetings to the discussion of Rotary Foundation
topics.
Read the history of The Rotary Foundation in Doing Good in
the World: The Inspiring Story of The Rotary Foundation’s
First 100 Years. Copies are available in hardback or e-book
format at shop.rotary.org.
Share your centennial plans and events on social media using #TRF100.
Of course, the biggest birthday party of all
will take place in Atlanta from 10 to 14 June, when thousands of
Rotarians will come together for the Rotary International Convention.
I hope you will join me and the Foundation Trustees to make this
the best party of the year.
Trustee Chair's Message, January 2017
- Kalyan Banerjee, Trustee Chair 2016 - 17
