RI President 2019-20 Mark Daniel
Maloney - April 2020
================
Dear Fellow Rotarians,
I spend a lot of time thinking of family, not just my own or the
extended family of Rotary, but also the families we are helping
in the communities we serve. In many parts of the world, mothers
and children face challenges to survive that most of us will never
comprehend. According to the World Health Organization, the risk
of a woman in a low-income country dying during pregnancy or childbirth,
or from related causes, is about 120 times higher than that of a
woman living in a high-income country. It is encouraging that infant
mortality rates are declining globally, yet 4 million babies annually
still die within the first year of life.
In April, Rotary turns its attention to maternal and child health.
And when we think of what we can do to help, we can look to clubs
like the Rotaract Club of Calabar South-CB, Nigeria, for inspiration.
It teamed up with the Rotaract Club of Canaan City (CB) in a program
focused on educating mothers on best practices to prevent infant
mortality and promote postnatal health for themselves and their
babies. In Bangladesh, the Rotary Club of Dhaka North provides free
surgeries and medicine to pregnant women who cannot afford the hospital
costs associated with giving birth. I encourage you and your club
to go to ideas.rotary.org to find projects like these
that are helping to save mothers and children.
We also have witnessed how millions of people — families and
entire communities — have been ripped away from their homes
because of conflict, poverty, and disasters during the past decade.
But Rotary has not stood idly by during the global refugee crisis.
During Rotary Day at the United Nations last November, we honored
a Rotary Peace Fellow and five Rotarians who are taking action to
help refugee communities. Among them was Ilge Karancak-Splane of
the Rotary Club of Monterey Cannery Row, California. After visiting
several tent camps in Turkey, she led a Rotary project that collected
1,000 pairs of children's shoes and socks for families in the camps
and, later, led a global grant project to help educate refugee children.
In March, Gay and I had the privilege of visiting a tent camp in
Torbali and seeing firsthand the good work that Rotarians from Turkey
and California were accomplishing with Syrian refugees.
The challenges faced by mothers, their children, and refugee communities
around the world are daunting. But when we remember our greatest
strength — how Rotary Connects the World — we can begin
to find solutions. Through our creativity, our resources, our dedication,
and our networks, Rotary can and will open opportunities to face
these challenges.
Mark Daniel Maloney
President 2019-20
Trustee Chair's Message - April
2020
Gary C.K. Huang, Trustee
Chair 2019-20
Rotary Club of Taipei
Taipei, Taiwan
Trustee chair's message
Ni hao, Rotarians!
Perhaps the most fulfilling of all human endeavors
is to give back, and Rotary offers countless opportunities
to do it, such as donating to The Rotary Foundation.
Each Rotarian and club can choose the level of Foundation
giving that is right for them.
When you give $100 or more per year to the Annual
Fund, you can become a Rotary Foundation Sustaining
Member. Multiply that gift by 10 and you are a Paul
Harris Fellow — one of those who donate $1,000
or more to the Annual Fund, the PolioPlus Fund, or
approved global grants. Since 1957, there have been
more than 1 million Paul Harris Fellows. And when
Rotarians give $1,000 or more to the above annually,
they become Paul Harris Society members. The Rotary
Club of James River (Richmond), Virginia, is just
one club that reached 100 percent membership in the
society, and your club can do it, too.
Let's multiply by 10 again. Rotarians who commit to
future gifts of $10,000 or more to the Foundation
join the Bequest Society. Major Donors are those who
have already given $10,000 or more to our Foundation.
I am still proud of how we added 106 Major Donors
in Taiwan during Rotary's centennial, exceeding our
goal of 100. Together with the 103 additional Major
Donors recruited the following year, they contributed
more than $2 million to the Annual Fund! The gifts
these donors make can change entire communities.
The Arch Klumph Society recognizes the highest level
of giving at Rotary, at $250,000 or more, touching
hundreds if not thousands of lives for generations
to come. This month, I salute the 11 individuals and
couples recognized during this year's International
Assembly for increasing their giving level within
the society. These generous supporters traveled from
Japan, Nigeria, Taiwan, and the United States to celebrate
their philanthropy.
Now, imagine what your club can do, what contribution
you would like to make, what legacy you would like
to leave, and find a giving level that works for you.
Whatever you choose to give, whatever goal your club
sets, remember that the gifts we give today will help
Rotary and the communities we serve this year, next
year, and beyond, in ways we may never know.
http://www.endpolio.org/donate.
Gary C.K. Huang
Trustee Chair 2019-20
Copyright © 2003-04
Rotary eClub NY1 * Updated 2019
Design & Maintenance of this site by TechnoTouch
e-Strategists
|
