In continuation of Rotary International’s theme for the month of December and its emphasis on the enhancement of healthcare, The Rotary Foundation recently helped the Rotary Club of Vapi, District 3060 (India) upgrade facilities in the operation theater of the Haria Rotary Hospital, Vapi, a 24-bed local health center, run by the Rotary Club of Vapi.
Medical equipment such as: neurosurgical operating microscope, operating drill, defibrillators, ECG machines, syringes and infusion pumps were funded with the grant. Totaling $85,123 (US), the project was supported by a Global initiative of TRF. In addition to the Rotary Club of Vapi’s initial contribution of $16,186, a term gift of $30,000 was contributed by the Rotary Club of Mumbai Downtown Sealand while District 3142 (Smart City Navi Mumbai) added another $16,000. The Rotary Foundation supplied the balance with a Matching Grant of $22,937.
Just a reminder, as we round out 2019, in the past five years, TRF has funded projects worth over $285,000,000 (US) all over the globe in the areas of Disease Prevention and Treatment.
People from all over the world have multiple reasons for joining Rotary. Many new Rotarians each year join for the same reason I did — because Rotary is a great way to benefit your career. When I was a new attorney starting out in Alabama, Gay and I became partners in her father's firm. He instilled in us the value of joining Rotary as a way to build relationships and demonstrate to potential clients that we were serious professionals who held firm to values even more robust than what our profession required.
Rotary's commitment to vocational service is built on the highest ethical standards in business and professions, the recognition of the worthiness of all useful work, and the dignifying of each Rotarian's occupation as an opportunity to serve society. That last point is so important. No matter our profession, we all contribute mightily to the world when we conduct our work with integrity and always adhere to The Four-Way Test.
I have made balancing the demands of Rotary with professional and family commitments one of my priorities as president. No Rotarian should feel pressured to put in more time than a volunteer position should ever demand. This is true for several reasons, one of them being that the work we do in our day jobs is just as important to Rotary as the work we do in the organization. We carry our Rotary values everywhere, and our professional success helps build a case for Rotary every day we go into the office.
This is particularly important in our efforts to reach younger new members. We want to see a Rotary where no one is ever asked to choose between being a good Rotarian and being a good parent, business owner, manager, or employee. When we ask busy young people to join us, we should not be asking them to give up their time and freedom. We should be rewarding them with an experience that makes everything they already do even more inspiring.
Providing greater balance within Rotary will have another benefit as well: It will create opportunities for other Rotarians, including Rotaractors, to step up and take a leadership role on projects and committees. This will ensure that they remain engaged in our clubs and inspired to be Rotarians for life.
Throughout the world, Rotary is admired for its vocational service and for the time-honored values we instill in all business relationships. As we continue our work to grow Rotary, let us remember that vocational service remains a crucial selling point to potential members.
Rotary Connects the World, and by making Rotary's vocational service work known to people in more professions and at different stages of their careers, we will help grow our organization and make it stronger and more diverse.
If you are in need of a program contact Dave Tanner to obtain contact information.
Kevin McLaughlin, Rotary DMAM and McLaughlin Investment, would like to do a program on Social Security Reform. Ron has Kevin's contact info.
Greater Des Moines Age-Friendly Initiative is committed to having Central Iowa become an officially recognized Age-Friendly Region. I believe that our fellow Rotarians will be very interested in learning about the Age-Friendly Community work and how building a more Livable community will be beneficial for all who live, work and recreate in Indianola and throughout Greater Des Moines. Please contact me at 515-444-1237 or by e mail at agefriendlydsm@gmail.com to schedule a program.