My fellow Rotarians,

The idea of the family of Rotary is a simple one, and one that we
celebrate every December during Family Month. Every Rotarian is part of
the Rotary family – but our family is much larger than just our 1.2
million members. The family of Rotary includes every one of the men,
women, and children who are involved in our work: the spouses and
children of our members, our Rotary Foundation program participants and
alumni, and all of those who are part of our programs, in the tens of
thousands of Rotary communities around the world.

The youngest generation of the Rotary family is composed of our Rotaract
clubs and Interact clubs, the participants in our Rotary Youth
Leadership Awards program, our Ambassadorial Scholars, and our more than
8,000 Rotary Youth Exchange students every year. As in any family, our
youth are our brightest promise for the future. Of course, it is my
sincere wish that many of these young people go on to become Rotarians
in good time. But Rotary is a part of them even today – and they are
a part of us.

My wife, June, and I have been married for over 40 years, and I have
been a Rotarian for nearly as long. Although women were not eligible for
Rotary club membership at that time, June has been a part of the Rotary
family from the day I first entered the Rotary Club of Grangemouth.
There is no question that my Rotary service has demanded a great deal of
both of us since then – but there can be no question that we have
both reaped more than we have sown.

I believe that Rotary club membership can and should enhance our home
lives and family interactions. As we work to attract more and younger
qualified members, we would do well to remember that today's young
professionals are often balancing work and family responsibilities.
Adding in a commitment to Rotary service should complement, never
compete with, those responsibilities. By scheduling meetings outside of
the workday, planning activities that involve family members, and
welcoming family members whenever possible, we help to ensure that every
Rotary family will feel a true part of the greater Rotary family.

Every club should strive to achieve a balanced interaction between
Rotarians and their families – and the family of Rotary. Only by
working together, as a family, can we ensure that the Rotary of today
grows into an even stronger Rotary of tomorrow.

John Kenny
President, Rotary International

Message from the chair


December 2009
Foundation supports a strong Rotary family


This year marks my 50th as a Rotarian. I cannot recall whether, on the day I
first joined a Rotary club, I gave any thought to what my involvement with
Rotary might be in 2009-10. I am sure I never expected that Rotary would have
become so much a part of the Estess household that it would feel to all of us
like family.

I often talk about how The Rotary Foundation supports the entire family of
Rotary. Rotary is like a family in so many ways – in the ways we lift each other
up, help each other grow, and accomplish things together that we never could
alone.

Through Rotary, with the help of our Foundation, we can take on challenges that
no one else has the ability, or the inclination, or the organizational resources
to tackle. We in Rotary share what we have in a way that no one else does – with
love, with kindness, and with simple generosity. And that is why, when I was
traveling with my wife, Mary, during Rotary's centennial year, she so often said
to me, "The finest people in the world must be Rotarians."

What we have both seen in the last 50 years, over and over again, has been a
pure and overwhelming desire to be of assistance – a desire that, thanks to the
Foundation, is backed with financial and practical resources. Rotarians work to
address needs that seem so large or so intractable that no one else will even
try – or sometimes so insignificant that no one else will bother. In our Rotary
family, we rise to these challenges because we know we can – with the strength
of our Foundation behind us.

Glenn E. Estess Sr.
Foundation Trustee Chair

The virtue of small change By John Conroy    E veryone remembers the
horrifying December 2004 tsunami. But what few people know – because
almost no media reported this fact – is that nearly half of total
relief donations worldwide, $2.78 billion, came from ordinary U.S.
citizens. Celebrities and big corporations got press, but not these
individual small donors, most of whom gave less than $50.
Wendy Smith describes this unprecedented burst of generosity in Give a
Little: How Your Small Donations Can Transform Our World , published
this month. Smith, who profiled a bridge-building project funded by The
Rotary Foundation, adds that giving a lot of money does not guarantee
success. "What matters," she says, "is the outcome."

Rotarians know this firsthand, whether they are among the
Foundation's top donors, bequeathing multimillion-dollar fortunes,
or the many club members who steadily contribute smaller amounts every
year.

We surveyed the landscape of recent projects funded by the Foundation
and came up with these eight ways to change the world on the cheap. All
of them fall into at least one of the six areas of focus outlined in the
Future Vision Plan. And all have price-to-impact ratios that would
delight any executive. For the cost of a candy bar, you can save a child
from HIV infection. Give up a couple of lattes, and you can restore
someone's eyesight. And your next dinner at a restaurant? Buy some
chickens instead – you could feed a family and provide enough income
to send the children to school.

Rapid HIV test: 70 cents

The remote border towns of China's Yunnan Province are a virtual
petri dish for HIV, with a thriving sex trade, cheap heroin from the
neighboring Golden Triangle, plenty of migrant workers to spread the
virus, and a lack of education about safe sex practices. (In 2003, about
6 percent of Chinese villagers knew that condoms could protect against
AIDS.) Yunnan is also a place of mythic beauty; it inspired the legend
of Shangri-La.

The Rotary clubs of Shanghai and Fremont, Calif., USA, teamed up with
pioneering virologist David Ho in 2006 to prevent mother-to-child
transmission of the virus in Yunnan, which accounts for a third of
China's reported AIDS cases – by far the highest of all
provinces. Ho, named Time magazine's Person of the Year in 1996 for
inventing the cocktail of drugs so successful in treating AIDS patients,
is also credited with helping to convince the Chinese government to
confront the AIDS epidemic with a huge commitment of resources.

In rural Yunnan, an HIV-positive pregnant woman has 33 percent chance of
passing on the virus in utero, during delivery, and while
breast-feeding. A 70-cent test, funded by a Matching Grant from The
Rotary Foundation, lowered the risk to less than 2 percent among those
tested. The rapid HIV test allows for early detection so the mother can
be treated, preventing transmission and saving two lives.

Armed with Foundation funds, the Rotarians and Ho's China AIDS
Initiative launched a massive drive to perform rapid HIV tests on 30,000
newlywed and pregnant women.

The China AIDS Initiative, a public-private partnership, is coordinated
by the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center in New York, where Ho is chief
executive officer. Ho recruited basketball stars Magic Johnson (Ho's
retroviral drugs are keeping him alive) and Yao Ming to publicize the
drive. "A photo of Yao showing Magic how to eat with chopsticks
– that carried a message that HIV is not transmitted casually,"
says Fremont club member Lena Zee.

The Rotarians and the initiative also organized 270 educational events
for the public, reaching 120,000 people, and trained 1,800 health
workers.

More than 160 of the women in Yunnan tested positive. China AIDS
Initiative clinics treated the women and provided drug therapy to
prevent HIV transmission. Of the children born to the women, only two
had the virus. "The rate is on par with standards achieved in
developed Western nations," Zee says. Recently, a second Matching
Grant funded another drive. Only one child tested positive.

Mosquito net: $5

"Give me $10-$20," Terry Youlton says, "and we can save a
family."

Youlton, 73, is directing the delivery of 110,000 mosquito nets to
boarding schools across Tanzania. "There are over 16 million cases
of malaria a year in Tanzania," he observes. "And 100,000 people
die. Most susceptible are pregnant women and small children."

Youlton's club, the Rotary Club of Ridgetown, Ont., Canada, and the
Rotary Club of Moshi, Tanzania, with 18 Canadian districts, secured a
Matching Grant from the Foundation and another grant from the Canadian
government. The Rotarians purchased the nets through the Against Malaria
Foundation, which guarantees that they're distributed where
promised. On the group's Web site, donors can track the nets through
photos and videos. "This was the kind of proof I wanted for
Rotary," Youlton says.

The Against Malaria Foundation provides long-lasting insecticidal nets.
The mosquitoes are drawn by the odor of the sleeping person and killed
on contact with the nets. Even with holes, a treated net remains 90 to
95 percent effective for about five years. The insecticide also is safe
for all: A mosquito is a million times smaller than an infant.

Population Services International, a global health nonprofit based in
Washington, D.C., will install the nets. "It's a hot and dirty
job," Youlton says. "I know, because I've been there and
done that. You're climbing around on the top of double and triple
bunks. They're doing it all for free."

Cataract surgery: $25

When Pennsylvania Rotarian Robert Walton talks to Rotary clubs, he
doesn't plead for thousands of dollars. Instead, he asks, "How
many eyes do you want to restore?"

Then he tells them that for $6.75 – when combined with contributions
from Rotarians in Karachi, Pakistan, and Matching Grants from the
Foundation – each person in the audience could save someone from
blindness.

Cataracts, the clouding of the eye lens, have many causes, among them
aging, diabetes, hypertension, eye trauma, and long-term exposure to
ultraviolet light. According to the World Health Organization,
age-related cataracts account for nearly half of the world's
blindness, and as people live longer, the numbers are rising.

In the United States, cataract surgery to replace the existing
crystalline lens with an intraocular lens (IOL) costs about $3,000. Two
small Rotary clubs – Spring Township Centennial, Pa., and Karachi
South, Pakistan – found a group to do it for $25 at a
state-of-the-art hospital in Karachi. With a Matching Grant, they funded
IOL implants for 2,000 impoverished patients, teaming up with the Layton
Rahmatulla Benevolent Trust, a nonprofit operating 16 eye care hospitals
in Pakistan.

Concentrated language encounter: $8.56

Where conventional literacy techniques have failed, hundreds of
thousands of children and adults have learned to read through the
concentrated language encounter (CLE) method.

Schools in more than 30 countries have adopted the approach, developed
by Rotarian Richard Walker more than 30 years ago, and the literacy
booklets have been translated into a multitude of languages, among them
Afrikaans, Arabic, Bangla, and Turkish.

And it's cheap. The basic supplies are paper, cardboard, crayons,
and twine, to create books that the classes write together. The Rotary
clubs of Pasig North, Philippines, and Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, recently
completed a two-year CLE program for four elementary schools in Pasig
City, Philippines.

With $10,000 raised by the two clubs and a Matching Grant of equal size
from The Rotary Foundation, the program reached 2,337 students, at a
cost of $8.56 each. And that's just the first class: The grant also
funded training for 51 teachers.

Vitamin A: 2 cents

Consider this the next time you walk past a penny on the ground: The
leading cause of preventable blindness in children, vitamin A
deficiency, can be eliminated for 2 cents a dose. Up to half a million
children a year lose their sight because they lack the vitamin, abundant
in the diet of children in developed nations. (Eggs, fortified milk and
cereal, carrots, and spinach are all good sources.) Children with
vitamin A deficiency are also more likely die from common childhood
illnesses such as diarrhea and measles.

Administering 200,000 IU (international units) of the vitamin for two
days cuts blindness and mortality rates. Matching Grants have funded
many vitamin A drives. Supplements also are often delivered with polio
vaccines during National Immunization Days, averting 1.5 million
childhood deaths since 1998.

Bio-sand filter: $32

The numbers are astonishing: One in three people worldwide lacks access
to clean water, 3.5 million people die each year from drinking it, and
one child dies every 15 seconds from waterborne illnesses. Recently,
19,000 bio-sand filters – simple, cost-effective tools for purifying
water – were installed in homes in the Dominican Republic, funded by
30 Foundation Matching Grants to clubs in Canada, the Dominican
Republic, and the United States.

The HydrAid bio-sand filter removes all parasites and 95 percent of
bacteria and viruses. It uses gravity as a power source, has no moving
parts, and lasts for at least 10 years. Made of plastic, it weighs just
8 pounds. For $32, you can buy yourself two bottles of water a day for
about two weeks, or you can buy one bio-sand filter and deliver pure
water for a decade to an entire family.

Polio vaccine: 60 cents

Unless you joined Rotary yesterday, you've heard this before: Drops
of the oral polio vaccine in the hands of Rotarians have changed the
world. But we're not done yet. Without dusting off your passport,
you could help eradicate the disease from the four nations where the
wild poliovirus persists. And it's a bargain: 60 cents will protect
a child from polio for life. Since the PolioPlus program was launched in
1985, Rotarians have contributed more than $800 million to the cause and
immunized two billion children.

Flock of chickens: $20

The Rotary Foundation has awarded many grants over the years to clubs
that team up with Heifer International, providing farm animals to
impoverished families. The stipulation: Recipients must pass on the good
fortune, by way of animal offspring. With a Matching Grant, the Rotary
clubs of Kololo-Kampala, Uganda, and Hayle, England, recently provided
22 Ugandan families with heifers for $500 apiece. About 58 gallons of
milk are now flowing each day into the local economy.

If that's too pricey, Heifer International also can provide a
starter flock of 10 to 50 chicks for $20. The birds can thrive on small
plots and survive on table scraps and insects, making them ideal for
impoverished communities.

A good hen can lay 200 eggs a year. Ray White, Heifer International
spokesman, says that with 25 roosters and 25 hens, a family starts
eating a lot better. "Suddenly there's protein in the diet,"
he says, "and if there is space for a garden, the homegrown
vegetables do better with the application of the manure."

Source: The Rotarian -- November 2009  / Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary

With a flock this size, White says, a family can bring both eggs and
meat to market and still increase the overall number by allowing some
eggs to hatch. A family in Burkina Faso, for example, could triple its
annual income, sometimes in a matter of months. "Now they can afford
the $3 to send a child to school for a year. They can afford what they
call `iron sheets' for the roof, so the home is dry for the
first time. They can afford a little medical care, and a little goes a
long way when children are dying of measles, dysentery, and malaria.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

When the Berlin Wall fell, Rotary was there Adapted from an article by
Matthias Schütt

On a November 1989 evening, hundreds of Rotarians participating in an
International Institute packed the foyer of the Hilton in West Berlin.
They anxiously waited for taxis to take them to a host hospitality
event, but none arrived.
Finally, a hotel employee walked to a microphone and made an
announcement, as organizer Peter Lorenz, of the Rotary Club of
Berlin-Spree, recounts:

"He said, `We have to ask for your patience because the taxis we
called can't make it to the hotel. As you will see, thousands of
visitors from the eastern part of the city are on the streets, blocking
access to the hotel. We have been waiting for these guests for 28 years,
and we ask you to wait with us. The [Brandenburg] gate and wall are
open.'"

The fall of the Berlin Wall 20 years ago this month marked the beginning
of monumental political changes in Europe, but also the start of a new
era in Rotary. The event is largely seen today as the launching pad for
the rebirth of Rotary across Eastern Europe.

German Rotarians, stunned by the events of 9 November, rejoiced in the
prospect of a reunified Germany and what it would mean to Rotary. They
also wasted no time in getting involved, even as the wall itself was
coming down. Members of the Rotary Club of Berlin-Tiergarten welcomed
visitors coming through the wall from East Berlin with tea and coffee.
The Rotarians also donated street maps of West Berlin, which the
visitors needed because their East German maps didn't indicate any
West Berlin streets. "The coffee went cold, but the maps went in a
flash," recalls Berlin-Tiergarten club member Jürgen Thormann.

In the weeks and months that followed, West German Rotarians developed
strategies for reestablishing clubs that had once existed in the eastern
part of the country, in cities such as Chemnitz, Dresden, and Leipzig.

District governors from the Austrian and German districts discussed
plans for expanding Rotary into East Germany and neighboring countries,
including Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Yugoslavia. Clubs and districts
also began conducting seminars with communities in East Germany, many of
which helped establish twin city programs or led to Rotary club projects
that are still ongoing, 20 years later.

Even though the concept of service clubs was foreign to an entire
generation in what had been East Germany, within a year after the German
reunification, 49 new clubs were chartered there.

In March 1990, Hugh Archer, who was RI president at the time and
attended the International Institute in West Berlin when the wall came
down, traveled to the Kremlin to discuss the concept of service
organizations with Soviet officials. Three months later, the Rotary Club
of Moscow was chartered.

By the autumn of 1995, the reunified Germany had 91 new clubs, and the
Rotary movement was rapidly expanding into Eastern Europe.

Source: Rotary International News  / Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Message from the chair


November 2009
Make an impact with a gift to the Foundation


My wife, Mary, and I have three children and eight grandchildren. Looking back
on many happy years of raising a family, I recall most clearly the days that
stood out in some way from the others. I remember the day my son had his tonsils
out -- and ate a cheeseburger the same night! I remember the weddings, the
graduations, and the births of each child.

But when I talk to my children about what they remember of their own childhoods,
the answers are so surprising. They remember events that Mary and I have long
forgotten -- the simple moments that happened as part of normal life yet still
created profound memories. These are the moments that define who we are. What we
see, what we hear, and what we experience as we grow older shape the person we
become. Everything we do as parents has an impact, whether we realize it at the
time or not.

As Rotarians, we have a similar responsibility to consider the consequences of
our every action. We cannot predict how significant our words and decisions will
be. But we do know that everything we say and do has an impact. Our
responsibility is to ensure that the cumulative effect is a positive one.

When we give to our Rotary Foundation, we know that the result will be positive.
When I served as RI president, I saw the truth of this in so many ways. The
poorest parts of the world are the places where the local clubs have the fewest
resources. By giving to our Foundation, we bring help to the places where Rotary
is needed the most -- and fulfill the Foundation's mission of Doing Good in the
World.

Glenn E. Estess Sr.
Foundation Trustee Chair

Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary

RI President's November 09 Message

My fellow Rotarians:

The playwright George Bernard Shaw once wrote, "Imagination is the beginning of
creation. You imagine what you desire; you will what you imagine; and at last
you create what you will."

There is no shortage in this world of people able to imagine a better future.
But in Rotary, we do not just imagine that future -- we will it, and we work to
create it. This we do through our two great strengths: our Rotary clubs and our
Rotary Foundation.

Over the years, I have been privileged to witness firsthand the fruits of the
outstanding work carried out by Rotarians all over the world, supported by the
programs of our Foundation. One thing that impresses me is how these programs
focus not on short-term satisfaction or reward for the giver. The best Rotary
programs and projects focus on building for the future – and making lives better
for generations.

Two decades ago, we Rotarians made a promise: to make life better for the entire
world, forever, by eliminating polio. It has always been an ambitious goal, but
it has always been a realistic one. And now, thanks to our Rotary Foundation, we
are closer than ever to reaching it.

It is my hope that with the help of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and
Rotary's US$200 Million Challenge, there will soon come a time when we will be
able to say that we have made polio a thing of the past. For if we fail now, we
will fail all those who have gone before us, and every child to whom we made a
promise. If we fail, we risk our own good name, and the good name of all the
Rotarians who came before us.

We will not fail. We can and we must succeed.

I know that each one of you recognizes that The Future of Rotary Is in Your
Hands – and that the future of our Foundation is as well.

John Kenny
President, Rotary International

Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary

New coats for children
By Ryan Hyland

As another U.S. winter approaches, Rotarian Richard Sanford and his
Pennsylvania-based nonprofit organization, Operation Warm, are gearing up to
provide low-income children with the proper apparel to survive the bitter cold.

In 1998, Sanford, a member of the Rotary Club of Longwood, read a local
newspaper article about children suffering in cold weather while waiting for
their school bus because they lacked winter coats.

Angered but also inspired, he decided to take action, launching Operation Warm,
which works with manufacturers to provide high-quality unused coats to
underprivileged children across the United States.

"I couldn't understand how something like this could happen. It broke my heart
to see kids freeze because they didn't have warm-enough coats," recalls Sanford,
the organization's CEO and chair.

Through funds donated by private and corporate partners, Operation Warm
collaborates with manufacturers to develop sizes and styles for boys and girls,
then distributes the coats to needy children.

For the organization's first project in 1998, Sanford purchased 58 coats with
his own money from a department store. He and members of his Rotary club
distributed the coats to children in a low-income Philadelphia neighborhood.
Since then, Operation Warm has provided more than 500,000 new coats to children
in 26 states.

Rotary continues to play a crucial role in expanding the fundraising for and
distribution of coats, says Sanford. About 60 clubs in the United States have
worked directly with Operation Warm, providing more than 25,000 new coats to
children.

"Rotary has been phenomenal in our success," says Sanford. "This project truly
represents what Rotary is all about: assisting the disadvantaged in our
communities."

Kim Fremont Fortunato, president of the organization and a member of the Rotary
Club of Wilmington, Delaware, says the quality of the coats is a key difference
between Operation Warm and many other coat drives.

"Most of the children we help have never owned a new coat," says Fortunato. "We
believe it improves their self-esteem. But most important, the coats we
distribute will keep kids warm."

Sanford says the organization has found many willing partners because people can
relate to the children's plight.

  "All around us there are poor children in this country who need assistance," he
says. "It's our responsibility to help those who can't help themselves. Seeing
the kids' smiles and excitement when they put on their new coats is an
incredible experience. This is an enormously powerful project."

Source: Rotary International News / Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary

Dolly Parton to speak at 2010 convention

Dolly Parton will speak at the morning plenary session on 23 June to promote
reading among preschool children. Photo courtesy of The Dollywood Foundation
Country music legend and philanthropist Dolly Parton will be a keynote speaker
during the 2010 RI Convention in Montréal, Québec, Canada, 20-23 June.

Parton will speak at the morning plenary session on 23 June to promote reading
among preschool children. She and the Dollywood Foundation's Imagination Library
teamed up with Rotary International in March to help provide age-appropriate
books each month to children from birth until age five. Read more.

Parton will speak to Rotarians about the importance of early childhood reading
and how the collaboration with Rotary International has augmented the success of
the Imagination Library.

The singer developed a personal love of books while growing up in rural
Tennessee, USA, where she saw firsthand the toll that illiteracy can take on
families.

"I am thrilled about our partnership with Rotary International," she said in
March. "Rotarians love kids as much as I do, so I truly believe we can do
something extraordinary together to help even more children love to read and
succeed."

Since its launch in 1996, the Imagination Library has provided more than 23
million books to preschoolers.

Source:Rotary International News / Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary

Medical mission to Congo Republic touches 1,600 lives
By Arnold R. Grahl

The 70-year-old woman, paralyzed from the waist down, looked frail and desperate
as she appealed to the visiting doctors from India for help.

Her vision limited by cataracts for more than 20 years, the woman explained how
she had been repeatedly passed over for care, and how she had become a burden to
her family and others, recalls Rajendra K. Saboo, 1991-92 RI president and
1996-97 Rotary Foundation trustee chair, who helped organize the medical mission
to the Republic of the Congo.

The woman's cataracts were removed and an intraocular lens implanted. Saboo,
providing some extra help in the operating room, lifted the woman off the table
to return her to her wheelchair.

"You could see the gleam in her eyes and on her face. She had a very calm and
serene expression," says Saboo. "She turned back and told the doctor thank you.

"There have been moments like that in each of my visits," he continues,
recalling previous medical missions. "These are the moments when I feel far more
satisfied than when I was sitting in the top office of [RI World Headquarters]."

The mission to Brazzaville, Congo Republic, in August included a team of 15
doctors from District 3080 (India), including three ophthalmic surgeons, three
gynecologists, three anesthetists, two dental surgeons, two general surgeons, an
orthopedic surgeon, and a public health expert. Saboo, District Governor Chetan
Aggarwal, and four other nonmedical volunteers assisted.

The mission was funded in part by a Rotary Foundation Matching Grant. The
medical team spent 11 to 12 hours a day for 10 days at two hospitals treating
about 1,600 patients, who were prescreened by volunteers from District 9150,
which covers 10 countries in Central Africa and served as the host partner. The
team also donated two incubators and 500 mosquito nets.

"The experience can never be described in words. The joyful faces, the grateful
eyes, and the gratifying gestures are probably the best gift one could ever
receive."
-Gulshan ThakralSaboo has organized a number of medical missions to various
countries since 1998, including Ethiopia, Madagascar, Malawi, Nigeria,
Swaziland, and Uganda. He said he has envisioned a mission to central Africa for
a longtime, but because of a variety of obstacles, an opening emerged only
recently.

Even with much need in his own country, Saboo says these medical missions are
vitally important.

"We are not only treating patients, but we carry on the transfer of knowledge,"
he says. "The doctors work side by side with local doctors, imparting experience
and knowledge.

"We do not live in our own needs," he continues. "I am not only looking out for
my own country -- that I must do. But I must look even beyond that. In the
process, we are building bridges of international friendship and understanding."

Gulshan Thakral, a dental surgeon and past governor of District 3080, says the
mission has enriched his life.

"The experience can never be described in words," he says. "The joyful faces,
the grateful eyes, and the gratifying gestures are probably the best gift one
could ever receive. It has added yet another dimension in my approach to the
suffering of fellow human beings on this earth."

Source: Rotary International News / Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary

Indian businessman to lead Rotary as its 101st president

Contact: Howard Chang at 847-866-3408 or howard.chang@...

Banerjee will target polio eradication as his top priority

(EVANSTON, Illinois, USA, October 27, 2009) – Kalyan Banerjee, a businessman
from Gujarat, India, will become president of Rotary International
www.rotary.org - one of the largest humanitarian service organizations in the
world – on 1 July 2011. As president, Banerjee will lead a global network of 1.2
million business and professional leaders from more than 200 countries and
geographical regions who, through volunteer service, help meet the needs of
communities worldwide.

Banerjee, a member of Rotary since 1972, and the international organization's
third president from India said, "I am honored to lead Rotary as its 101 st
president." Banerjee added that Rotary's strengths include its ability to
attract leaders from different vocations around the world, as well as its role
in promoting peace. "My goal is for Rotary to become the preferred organization
for today's generation to join and participate in, to make the world better,
safer and happier," he said.

As president, Banerjee will oversee Rotary's top priority of eradicating polio,
a crippling and potentially fatal disease that still threatens children in
Africa and Asia – including India. Since 1985, Rotary club members worldwide
have contributed more than US$800 million and countless volunteer hours to the
effort, and Rotary is now working to raise an additional $200 million to fulfill
its commitment for a $355 million challenge grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation. Great progress has been made, and the incidence of paralytic polio
infection has plunged worldwide from 350,000 cases in 1988 to fewer than 2,000
in 2008.

As one of the four remaining polio endemic countries, which also include
Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan, India's fight against polio remains strong
with the volunteer and financial support of more than $106 million from Rotary.
In addition, Rotary's sustained political, bureaucratic and religious advocacy
efforts at national, state and district levels have made a discernible impact on
the program in India. As the past chair of the Southeast Asia Regional PolioPlus
Committee and member of Rotary's International PolioPlus Committee, Banerjee
spearheaded many of Rotary's novel initiatives, which have given a new push to
the polio eradication program in India.  To learn more about polio eradication,
visit www.rotary.org/endpolio or www.polioeradication.org .

Rotary also sponsors the largest privately funded international scholarship
program in the world. Since 1947, Rotary has contributed roughly $500 million to
fund a year of study abroad for 38,000 students from 100 countries. These
cultural ambassadors use the skills and knowledge they acquire through their
time abroad to advance the cause of international understanding, goodwill, and
peace. Rotary also sponsors seven Rotary Centers for International Studies in
peace and conflict resolution at eight leading universities in six different
countries.

Banerjee is a director of United Phosphorus Limited, the largest Indian
agrochemical manufacturer, and the chair of United Phosphorus (Bangladesh)
Limited. He is a member of the Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers and the
American Chemical Society, a past president of Vapi Industries Association, and
former chair of the Gujarat chapter of the Confederation of Indian Industry. He
earned a degree in chemical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology,
Kharagpur. Banerjee and his wife, Binota, have two children and four
grandchildren.

Source: Rotary International News / Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary

Highlights of actions taken by the RI Board of Directors


The fourth and final meeting of the 2008-09 RI Board of Directors was held on
12–17 June 2009 in Dublin, Ireland. The first meeting of the 2009-10 RI Board
was held on 25 June 2009 in Birmingham, England. At these meetings the Board
reviewed reports from 15 committees and recorded 93 decisions.

June 2009 Board Meeting Highlights
Club and district matters

The Board regrouped clubs in District 3270 into two new districts effective 1
July 2010: District 3271 (Pakistan—provinces of Sindh and Baluchistan) and
District 3272 (Pakistan—provinces of Punjab NWFP including capital area of
Islamabad, and the country of Afghanistan). The Board agreed that the Rotary
clubs in Kosovo and former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (in District 2481)
shall be non-districted, effective 1 July 2011.

The Board adopted a new membership slogan for use in enhancing RI's focus on
membership growth and retention: "Each Rotarian: Reach One, Keep One."

RI administration and finances

In discussing RI's strategic plan, the Board agreed to adopt a quantifiable
global membership goal in support of the association's priority to expand
membership globally, and asked the Membership Development and Retention
Committee to consider membership benchmarks for review at the Board's November
2009 meeting.

In preparation for the 2010 Council on Legislation, the Board requested
conveners of Rotary institutes to schedule a separate half-day session for
Council representatives and alternates to discuss the operation and procedures
of the Council. The substance of Council proposals are to be discussed in
institute plenary sessions.

The Board designated the conveners, dates, and meeting places for RI director
nominating committees that will meet in September 2009 to select
directors-nominee for election at the 2010 RI (Montreal) Convention. Directors
will be selected from 2009-10 zones 4, 6A, 10A, 13, 22, 26, 29, and 30.

The Board amended its policy regarding the reimbursement of spouse expenses as
follows: Any spouse whose attendance at a meeting, event or other activity is
fully or partially funded by RI shall fulfill the duties and obligations for
that meeting, event or activity as established in the RI constitutional
documents, the Rotary Code of Policies, or official program for the meeting,
event or activity. Funded travelers who fail to fulfill these duties and
responsibilities will not be reimbursed for their expenses and shall return to
RI all amounts paid to them or on their behalf by RI in connection with the
travel.

RI programs, communications and awards

The Board extended the duration of the "New Generations Exchange" part of the
Youth Exchange program to up to three months.

The Board amended its policy regarding international travel by youth to prohibit
individual Rotarians, clubs, or districts from undertaking an alternative youth
exchange program structure that circumvents current RI youth protection
policies.  These policies will now apply to all minors attending the
International Assembly, RI Convention host organizing committee activities, and
to all official RI and TRF meetings.

Rotarian Action Groups must now first seek authorization from the RI Board
before requesting cooperation of districts, clubs, or Rotarians for any purpose.
The Board also placed a moratorium on reviewing new Rotarian Action Groups
applications until its January 2010 meeting.

The Board noted that RI has received cash and District Designated Funds of
US$81.8 million toward the total challenge of raising US$200 million to match
US$355 million in polio eradication challenge grants received from the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation.

International meetings

The Board tentatively selected São Paulo, Brazil as the site for the 2015 RI
Convention.

July 2009 Board Meeting Highlights
The Board welcomed the appointment of Eric E. Lacoste Adamson as 2009-10 RI
vice-president, Michael Colasurdo, Sr. as 2009-10 treasurer, and elected José
Alfredo Sepúlveda as chair of its executive committee.

The Board formally ratified President Kenny's appointment of  Gustavo Gross C.,
Lynn A. Hammond, Ashok M. Mahajan, and Wilfrid J. Wilkinson as Rotary Foundation
trustees.

On recommendation of President Kenny, the Board established the 2009-10 RI
committees and resource groups, and approved their terms of reference.

The Board agreed that zones 2, 8, 11, 15, 19, 21, 24, and 33 shall select
committees in 2009-10 to nominate RI directors for election at the 2011 RI
convention.

The Board confirmed the 2009-10 RI budget with revenues of US$87.9 million and
expenses of US$87.3 million.

The Board approved The Rotary Foundation's 2009-10 budget of US$67.3 million for
all Foundation programs, with expenditures coming from unrestricted Annual
Programs Fund contributions.

Source: Rotary International / Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary

Australian club promotes Rotary on the air
By Peter Schmidtke

An eastern Australian Rotary club has taken to the airwaves weekly to spread the
word about Rotary in its community.

The Rotary and Community Service radio show is a product of the Rotary Club of
Canterbury, Victoria, and has aired on Whitehorse Boroondara Community Radio,
serving Melbourne's eastern suburbs, since 2006. The two-hour music and talk
program, produced by club president Brian Bloomer, includes an interview each
week with Rotarians about their service projects, how they improve people's
lives, and how the public can get involved.

Bloomer served as the sole interviewer for the talk segment until earlier this
year, when he became president of the Canterbury club. Now he shares the task
with fellow club members David Proud and Neil Williams and Rotaractor Andy Reed,
who each present one show per month.

Bloomer says he loves talking with Rotarians and members of the Rotary family
who are passionate about their service. "Some of the best have been GSE [Group
Study Exchange] interviews -- teams coming to Australia and Aussie teams
returning from their trip."

Another of Bloomer's favorite subjects is his club's regular medical trips to
the Philippines. In 2007, the club sponsored three university students who
helped screen patients for vision and hearing problems. Bloomer interviewed club
members about the project and chatted with the students in an episode available
in the show's archives.

He freely admits that he is not a radio professional. Before taking to the
airwaves, Bloomer took courses offered by Australia's national broadcasting
association. He also filled in several times on other radio programs before
approaching the station about creating his own show.

Bloomer prepares well in advance of each broadcast, developing a written script
and scheduling topics far enough ahead of time so guests will be ready to give a
good interview. He says he keeps the show interesting by asking his subjects
open-ended questions and selecting music that will appeal to his audience.

"Having a team that can provide a commitment to the station" has also been
vital, he says.

Listeners can stream live broadcasts on Fridays, 6-8 p.m. Australian Eastern
Time (GMT +10), at www.3wbc.org.au.
Learn more about the program and download podcasts from the Canterbury club's
Web site.
Look for more tips from Bloomer on using radio to promote your Rotary club in
the January issue of Rotary World.

Source: Rotary International News / Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary

Child mortality rate drops worldwide

By Ryan Hyland and Diana Schoberg

A UNICEF study released in September shows a drop in child mortality worldwide.
Rotary Images/Alyce Henson Improved antimalaria measures and simple health
practices have contributed to the decline of child deaths worldwide, according
to a report released by UNICEF in September.

The study showed that an estimated 8.8 million children under five died in 2008
compared with 12.5 million in 1990, a drop of 28 percent and the lowest since
recordkeeping began in 1960, UNICEF says.

"These new figures underscore the importance of the work that Rotary does," says
2008-09 RI President Dong Kurn Lee, who chose to focus on child mortality during
his term. "The great majority of child deaths are preventable, and most of them
can be prevented with relatively inexpensive interventions -- something as
simple as a water filter, antibiotics, or a trained birth attendant."

The UNICEF report attributed the drop in child mortality largely to health
interventions such as immunizations, vitamin A supplements, improved prevention
of mother-to-child HIV/AIDS transmission, and the use of antimalaria mosquito
nets.

Although all regions of the world have made progress, millions of children still
die each year, with 40 percent of those deaths occurring in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo, India, and Nigeria, according to the report.

Lee's emphasis on reducing child mortality inspired clubs and districts to
initiate new projects and come together for two international conferences
devoted to the issue.

In 2008, more than half of all World Community Service health projects focused
on reducing child mortality, involving medical clinics, health care training,
and nutrition, according to Rotary International's ProjectLINK database.

Here are a few examples of innovative Rotary club projects that are addressing
child mortality:

Rotary clubs in Great Britain, Ireland, and Tanzania collaborated to form
Rotarians Eliminating Malaria in Tanzania. The group used two Matching Grants
and one Health, Hunger and Humanity Grant to provide more than 200,000 mosquito
nets to communities in and around Arusha.
To help improve maternal health, members of the Rotary clubs of Bagé-Minuano,
Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, and Jackson Hole Supper, Wyoming, USA, are
establishing a center to collect and redistribute breast milk at a hospital in a
low-income area of Bagé.
The Rotary Club of New Manila Heights, Quezon City, Philippines, launched a
project in 2007 to treat 90 children under the age of 10 for tuberculosis.
Headed by a Rotarian physician, the effort provides medicine and distributes
food to the children.
"It's important to recognize the progress we've made, and how we've made that
progress," Lee says. "But we also need to acknowledge that there is still a
great deal left to be done in the area of child mortality -- and that there is a
very great deal that we as Rotarians can and should be doing."

Source: Rotary International News / Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary

Rotary-UN Day approaches
About 1,300 people -- including Rotarians, Rotary youth program
participants, United Nations leaders, and special guests -- are expected
to attend Rotary-UN Day in New York City on 7 November.
This year's event, with the theme "Rotary and the United Nations: The
World Is in Your Hands," will feature panel discussions on water,
literacy, health, and youth. Speakers will include senior staff from
UNICEF, the UN Global Compact, the UN Department of Public Information's
Nongovernmental Organizations Section, and other groups.

RI President John Kenny and Rotary Foundation Trustee Chair Glenn E.
Estess Sr. will make remarks, and key Rotarians will highlight model
volunteer projects.

"Rotary-UN Day is a wonderful opportunity for Rotarians and guests to
come together at UN headquarters to hear speakers from the UN and from
Rotary," says Brad Jenkins, primary RI representative to the UN in New
York. "The day is designed to inspire and educate all participants as
well as provide insight into the relationship between Rotary and the
UN."

The program will also include a youth panel for Interactors,
Rotaractors, and Rotary Youth Exchange students. Speakers will present a
10-minute description of a hands-on international club project.

Sophia Hameed, a New York University student and former Interactor, will
talk about her experiences as a youth program participant, including her
February trip to India as a National Immunization Day volunteer.

Source: Rotary International News / Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary



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Philippines to host first project fair

District 3830 (Philippines) will host the first Project Fair Philippines in
Makati on 26 November.

The project fair, with the theme "Road Mapping for a Better Life," aims to
provide a forum for Rotarians worldwide to meet face-to-face and discuss service
projects in need of funding, volunteers, or donated goods. The fair will include
a projects exhibition, roundtable discussions, guest speakers, and a cultural
program.

All Philippine clubs are invited to register projects, and all Rotarians are
welcome to attend.

Source: Rotary International News / Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary

October 2009

My fellow Rotarians:

There are many service organizations in the world today, but none so old or so
successful as Rotary. There are many reasons for that, and Vocational Service is
one of them. This year, I wish you to place a special emphasis on Vocational
Service, which is sometimes the forgotten Avenue of Service in Rotary.

High ethical standards in business and personal life are still as important
today as they were in 1905. Indeed, many of the problems our world is facing
today have been caused by the failure to observe such standards in business
affairs.

Vocational Service, in Rotary, means that we are committed to honest business
and unassailable ethics, and that we are equally committed to using our
vocational skills and advantages to help others. The idea is simple enough – but
it is unique to Rotary.

Many service organizations are open to anyone who wishes to join. That has never
been the case in Rotary. Rotarians only seek out as members those who are
qualified – those who have the character, the ability, and the resolve to make a
real contribution to their club.

I have long believed that the bedrock of Rotary is our commitment to ethical
behavior. It has been putting what's right above what's convenient – and Service
Above Self – that has made Rotary different from the rest. That is why we must
always remember that whatever we do, we are each the public face of Rotary. We
are each the standard-bearers of our organization. What one member does, for
good or for ill, reflects on all of us.

So much of what we've achieved as an organization has come about because of the
trust the world has in Rotary and in Rotarians. That trust has been a major part
of our success in polio eradication – the fact that we are known in every
community, and known to be people of goodwill and good hearts.

If we wish to see our organization grow and prosper, we must keep Vocational
Service front and center in our minds and actions. We must seek out skilled and
determined men and women of character. We must do what is right, even when it is
inconvenient. And we must always, always, put Service Above Self.

John Kenny
President, Rotary International

Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary

Past RI Treasurer Friedmann dies

Fernando O. Friedmann, who served as 1985-86 RI treasurer, died on 20 September.

A Rotarian since 1954, Friedmann, of Santiago, Chile, was a member of the Rotary
Club of Las Condes. In addition to serving as RI treasurer, he was an RI
director in 1984-86 and a district governor in 1977-78. He also served as a
committee and task force member and chair.

Friedmann was the owner of a transport representative company and president,
director, and adviser to several industrial companies. He also served as
director of several banking and insurance firms. He was awarded a silver medal
for distinguished community service.

He is survived by his wife, Monica Lehmann, three daughters, and 11
grandchildren.

Condolences may be sent to the family at Av. Hernando de Aguirre 555,
Providencia, Santiago, Chile.

Source: Rotary International News / Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary

Message from the chair


October 2009

With polio, our determination must not waver


On 24 October, we mark World Polio Day. It is a time to reflect on the progress
we have made and to strengthen our resolve for the work ahead. It is a time to
raise awareness of our efforts to eradicate polio, and to help meet Rotary's
US$200 Million Challenge.

We have come a long way. We have reduced the number of polio cases by over 99
percent, from more than 350,000 a year in the 1980s to about 1,650 in 2008. We
have brought the number of endemic countries from 125 to 4. And we have
vaccinated over two billion children.

We are proud of these accomplishments, and we are closer than ever to achieving
our goal of worldwide eradication. But we must recognize that our greatest enemy
is complacency. We cannot slacken our efforts now, because as long as there is
wild poliovirus anywhere, the disease can easily spread again. The number of
cases in endemic countries is down this year, but the number of cases in
countries where polio has been reintroduced has increased significantly – a
reminder of how polio knows no borders, and how vigilant we must remain.

Polio is still endemic in Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan. Difficult
terrain, civil unrest, remote settlements, poor sanitation, and terrible poverty
are just some of the obstacles to immunization. But we, and our partners in the
Global Polio Eradication Initiative, are determined to continue our work with
persistence and creativity.

I have been inspired by the incredible strides already made this year: In one
10-day period, a total of 222,270,331 children in 22 countries were immunized
against polio. The effort and the commitment are phenomenal. This is a testament
to the resolve that has brought us this far – and that will soon bring us to our
goal of complete eradication.

Glenn E. Estess Sr.
Foundation Trustee Chair

Source: R I Website / Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary

Financial update from the RI general secretary

Dear Rotarians:

While we wait for Rotary's independent auditors to complete the audit of
Rotary's 2008-09 financial statements, preliminary results indicate that Rotary
International and The Rotary Foundation have weathered the recent financial
crisis with less damage than we had feared. RI's investment losses dropped from
over US$26 million in February to approximately $12 million for the fiscal year
ended 30 June 2009. The Rotary Foundation, which had suffered more severely in
the investment markets, also recouped some of its losses by year-end — going
from over $222 million in losses in February to $164 million for the year. These
reversals, along with 2008-09 spending reductions, enabled the Foundation
Trustees to reinstate an additional $2.3 million in Matching Grant funds for
2009-10, an action that will strengthen Rotarians' humanitarian efforts this
year.

We have seen even more encouraging news in July and August, when market upturns
further improved both RI's and the Foundation's investments. These recent gains
continue to offset the unrealized losses we recorded last fiscal year.

Some Rotarians have suggested that the Foundation consider investing the Annual
Programs Fund more conservatively. Historically, our investment strategy had
been extremely successful, enabling the Foundation to finance its administrative
and fund development expenses for more than 20 years and to direct almost $100
million of investment earnings to Children's Opportunity Grants, PolioPlus , and
Matching Grants. However, as mentioned in my 3 June letter , the current
financial situation may prevent us from funding these expenses with investment
returns for the next few years. In response to this, the Investment Advisory
Committee is reviewing the fund's investment policy statement to address the
increased risk and volatility in the financial markets, as well as the
Foundation's return and liquidity requirements. They will report their
recommendations to the Trustees at the October meeting.

In addition to a brighter investment picture, other measures are also helping to
restore Rotary's fiscal health. In June, the RI Board and the Foundation
Trustees approved austere 2009-10 budgets for RI and the Foundation that include
substantial reductions in both staff and volunteer spending. For example, RI
President John Kenny and Foundation Trustee Chair Glenn Estess are asking many
committees to meet by correspondence or video conferencing this year, a measure
that will save the organization many thousands of dollars. In addition,
recognizing the need to reduce costs while maintaining effective services to
Rotary clubs and districts, I have eliminated staff travel wherever possible and
frozen staff salaries. We are currently operating the Secretariat with fewer
staff than budgeted.

Other factors are also encouraging. Small membership increases in 2008-09 have
strengthened our dues base. In addition, contributions to the Foundation,
excluding the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Google Foundation grants,
reached record levels in 2008-09 and remain strong this year. Both of these
developments speak to the intrinsic value of Rotary International and The Rotary
Foundation as a force for good in our world. While the worst of the economic
crisis may be past, the recovery remains slow and painful. In a world marked by
high unemployment, mortgage foreclosures, and failing businesses, Rotary service
is needed now more than ever. The RI Board, Foundation Trustees, and Secretariat
staff are all working to protect the resources that help to make this vital
service possible.

Sincerely,

Ed Futa
RI General Secretary

Source: Rotary International News  / Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary

September 2009
A strong Foundation to conquer need


Mother Teresa, a longtime friend to Rotary, was once asked why she did the work
she did. There would always be so many she could not reach. Why did she pour
herself so fully into her self-appointed task, knowing that she could never come
close to meeting all the needs?

Her answer was simple. She said, "I do what I can, where I am, with what I
have."

In Rotary, we strive to do the same. We know very well that the world's needs
are endless, and that we can never attempt to meet them all. Two billion people
live in poverty. One billion people live without access to clean water, and 2.6
billion without adequate sanitation. Every day, 26,000 children die needlessly.

What can Rotary hope to do in the face of such overwhelming need?

To this I answer, we must do what we can, where we are, with what we have. We
must make the best possible use of our resources, where they can do the most
good. We must identify the needs that we can realistically meet, and invest the
care and planning to make sure that our service is successful. And we must
steward our Rotary Foundation well, so that we will be able to help the greatest
number of people possible, in the ways that make the greatest difference.

In Rotary, we see how much more we can achieve when we all work together.
Through our Foundation, we are able to pool our resources and achieve even more.
And the stronger our Rotary Foundation becomes, the greater the scope of the
tasks we will be able to undertake successfully. We will be able to do far more
good, in far more lasting ways.

So much of the good we do in Rotary happens with the support of our Rotary
Foundation. I ask each of you to continue your support – this year, and every
year – so that our good work may continue.

Glenn E. Estess Sr.
Foundation Trustee Chair

Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary

September 2009

My fellow Rotarians:

Lord Byron wrote, "The days of our youth are the days of our glory." For me,
that is the line that springs to mind whenever Rotary's youth programs are
mentioned. In Rotary, September is New Generations Month – a time to focus our
attention on our programs for youth and the role they play in shaping the
Rotarians of tomorrow.

Our youth programs – Interact, Rotaract, Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, and
Rotary Youth Exchange – are some of the most important programs of Rotary. I say
this because of the unparalleled potential they have to influence young minds
and souls toward peace, goodwill, and harmony. That potential is the greatest in
youth because the experiences of our early years never leave us; they shape who
we later become. In the words often attributed to St. Francis Xavier, "Give me a
boy until he is seven, and I will give you the man." For myself, I would give it
a bit longer than that – but there is no doubt that the experiences of our youth
have a greater formative power, and a greater ability to shape character, than
any we may have in our adulthood.

When a teenager from the United States has the chance to travel to India to
participate in a National Immunization Day, or when a student from Brazil spends
a year studying in Japan, that person will be forever changed. These young
people will have formed connections and affections that will endure. They will
never think about their own country, or the world, in the same way again. Their
perspective, their priorities, and their values will have been permanently
shaped by that experience in a way that no later experiences will have the power
to do. Your hard work ensures that these experiences continue to be possible –
that these programs continue to be available, to be well run, and to earn the
trust of the participants and their families.

The impressions of youth are strong, and they are lasting. There is never a
second chance at them. We may grow and change as we get older, and we are surely
changed by all of our experiences. But there is never another chance to build
who we are. That happens only once: in our youth.

The days of our youth truly are the days of our glory – but through Rotary's
youth programs, those days become the glory of all of Rotary.

John Kenny
President, Rotary International

Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary

Convention breakout sessions call for proposals

The RI Convention offers Rotarians many opportunities to share their successes
with an international audience. One way you may wish to do this is by
participating in breakout sessions, which are attended by thousands of Rotarians
and their guests.

If you would like to propose a breakout session for the 2010 RI Convention,
20-23 June in Montréal, Québec, Canada, submit the proposal form (PDF) by 16
November .

Proposals must include the following information:

Proposed topic and title of session
Brief description (one or two paragraphs) of session content and format
Name of the person who will serve as the primary contact for organizing the
session
Name of the proposed moderator or leader (if different from primary contact)
Names of proposed participants, if known at this time
All proposals will be reviewed by RI President John Kenny and members of the
2010 convention committee. A limited number of breakout session slots are
available, and not all proposals will be accepted.

Please send your completed proposal by the deadline of Monday, 16 November, to
Norah Webster, program development specialist in RI's International Meetings
Division. If you have any questions, contact Norah by e-mail
<norah.webster@...> or by phone at 847-866-3055.

Download the session proposals form and guidelines from
http://www.rotary.org/RIdocuments/en_pdf/c10_breakout_session_proposal_en.pdf

Source: R I Website / Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary

Banerjee is choice for 2011-12 RI president  By Jennifer Lee Atkin

Kalyan Banerjee is the selection of the Nominating Committee for
President of Rotary International in 2011-12. Rotary Images
Kalyan Banerjee, a member of the Rotary Club of Vapi, Gujarat, India,
since 1972, is the selection of the Nominating Committee for President
of Rotary International in 2011-12. Banerjee will become the
president-nominee on 1 October if there are no challenging candidates.

Banerjee said he would like to see Rotary "blossom from being the
world's most recognized service organization to being the most important
NGO [nongovernmental organization] in the world.

"Rotary, it is said, has the strength of a government and the tenderness
of a parent," he added.

Banerjee is a director of United Phosphorus Limited, the largest
agrochemical manufacturer in India, and the chair of United Phosphorus
(Bangladesh) Limited. He is a member of the Indian Institute of Chemical
Engineers and the American Chemical Society, a past president of Vapi
Industries Association, and former chair of the Gujarat chapter of the
Confederation of Indian Industry. He earned a degree in chemical
engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, in 1964.

Banerjee has served Rotary as a director, Rotary Foundation trustee,
committee and task force chair, International Assembly group discussion
leader, president's representative, and district governor.

The chair of the Southeast Asia Regional PolioPlus Committee, Banerjee
has served as a member of the International PolioPlus Committee for many
years and has attended international meetings with the World Health
Organization and UNICEF in that capacity.

Banerjee is a Major Donor, Benefactor, and Bequest Society member, and
has been awarded the Foundation's Citation for Meritorious Service and
its Distinguished Service Award.

Banerjee also serves as a trustee of Rotary club-sponsored trusts that
support many educational and community development programs in India,
including a 250-bed hospital.

He noted that Rotary's strengths include its ability to attract leaders
from different vocations around the world, as well as its role in
promoting peace. "Rotary needs to become the preferred organization for
today's generation to join and participate in, to make the world better
and safer and happier," he said.

Banerjee's wife, Binota, is a social worker and Inner Wheel club member.
The couple have two children and four grandchildren.

The 2009-10 nominating committee members are: John F. Germ (chair), USA;
Lennart Arfwidsson, Sweden; Keith Barnard-Jones, England; Ronald L.
Beaubien, USA; Jacques Berthet, France; Robert O. Brickman, USA; Peter
Bundgaard, Denmark; Ron D. Burton, USA; Gerson Gonçalves, Brazil;
Jerry L. Hall, USA; Horst Heiner Hellge, Germany; Gary C.K. Huang,
Taiwan; Toshio Itabashi, Japan; Kwang Tae Kim, Korea; Peter Krön,
Austria; Donald L. Mebus, USA; Gerald A. Meigs, USA; Carlo Monticelli,
Italy; Daniel W. Mooers, USA; David D. Morgan, Wales; G. Kenneth Morgan,
USA; Samuel A. Okudzeto, Ghana; Luiz Coelho de Oliveira, Brazil;
Kazuhiko Ozawa, Japan; Noraseth Pathmanand, Thailand; Barry Rassin,
Bahamas; Ian H.S. Riseley, Australia; Robert S. Scott, Canada; Robert A.
Stuart Jr., USA; Stan Tempelaars, The Netherlands; P.C. Thomas, India;
O.P. Vaish, India; and Yoshimasa Watanabe, Japan.

Source: Rotary International News / Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

eFlash Rotary recently reported on Maasai warrior hopes to work for diplomacy.
Here is what Dr Todd Lindley has to say:

"It is about a Kenyan man, a Maasai, who came to the US for college,
obtaining a Masters degree in molecular biology, and who is about to head to
Brisbane as a Rotary World Peace Fellow. Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah has collaborated
on a children's book with Carmen Agra Deedy with illustrations by Thomas
Gonzalez.

Something about the news article moved me to go to amazon.com and buy 3
copies of the book. They arrived today. A powerful story with phenomenal
illustrations. I will need to buy more and donate one to every grade schoolin my
club's service area.

I highly recommend the book, especially if you know any children or were
one."

Source: Dr. Todd Lindley <rotary6060.tl@...> in the ROTI list / Courtesy:
eFlash_Rotary

New End Polio Now certificates for Paul Harris Fellows

As of 1 July, Paul Harris Fellow certificates will carry the End Polio Now logo
for all new Paul Harris Fellows. The special certificates will be issued for the
duration of Rotary's US$200 Million Challenge. This recognition can serve as a
keepsake once polio is eradicated worldwide.

Source: TRF / Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary

Maasai warrior hopes to work for diplomacy
By Ryan Hyland

Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah, incoming Rotary World Peace Fellow, wrote 14 Cows For
America describing his Maasai tribe's response to the 9/11 attacks in New York
City. Rotary Images/Alyce Henson   When Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah returned home to
Kenya months after witnessing the 9/11 attacks in New York City, he found that
most of his fellow Maasai, a nomadic warrior tribe, had only a vague
understanding of the events of that day.

Naiyomah, an incoming Rotary World Peace Fellow, shared firsthand accounts with
the East African tribe, using the oral tradition it has relied upon for years.
Deeply moved by his story, Maasai elders felt compelled to do something to help.

That something turned out to be a decision to send a herd of cows to the United
States as a display of sympathy and regret.

Naiyomah has collaborated with award-winning author Carmen Agra Deedy on 14 Cows
for America, an illustrated children's book about his tribe's response, which
received international attention. The book explains how cows are sacred to
Maasai and valued above all other possessions.

"The cow is a symbol of life for us," says Naiyomah "What happened that day was
devastating to me."

Although the cows were never shipped to the United States -- State Department
officials decided it would cost more than the value of the herd to import them
-- the tribe decided to keep them for the Americans, setting the cows apart and
vowing never to slaughter them.

"The story focuses on healing and solution," says Naiyomah. "I think children
can best understand that, because their hearts are so innocent. The future of a
more compassionate world starts with them."

In February, Naiyomah will attend the Rotary Center for International Studies in
peace and conflict resolution at the University of Queensland in Australia.

"Rotary International answered my prayers to belong to an organization that
embodies what I silently believe in my heart: that using compassion can help
solve problems," he says. "Rotarians are ordinary people taking extraordinary
actions to foster relations with countries around the world."

Naiyomah says he hopes the peace studies program will help him find ways to
promote peace.

The 9/11 attacks "showed me there's something very wrong with world relations,"
he says. "There is something lacking in diplomacy that I want to find out."

Naiyomah believes world leaders need to practice "compassionate diplomacy,"
valuing the lives of people over political expediency.

"Compassionate diplomacy must start by understanding and approaching conflicts
with a caring aspect," he says. "Yes, one person can make a difference in the
world. But only if they see themselves as the world, not as individuals."

Chosen as the state of Georgia's selection for the 2009 National Book Festival,
14 Cows for America goes on sale 1 August. Naiyomah says all proceeds from the
book will benefit victims of the 9/11 attacks.

Source: Rotary International News / Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary

August 2009
Message from the chair -- Fighting polio with urgency and hope


The Rotary year we have just begun will be pivotal in determining the course of
our Foundation in this, Rotary's second century of service. There are new
challenges before us – challenges that we must rise to meet in order to keep the
promises we have made. The first of those promises, of course, is to eradicate
polio. This is our number-one priority as an organization, and it will remain so
until the job is done.

Last year, more than 1,600 cases of the disease were identified around the
world. This is a great improvement from the worst days of polio epidemics, which
many of us remember from decades ago. But it is not good enough, and it will not
be good enough until the number is zero. We cannot pause or slacken our efforts.
We know all too well what happens when we do not reach every child. We saw it in
Nigeria in 2003 and have seen it again in the Horn of Africa.

In March, Rotary approved US$500,000 in emergency grants to UNICEF and the World
Health Organization to help contain the outbreak of wild poliovirus that had
spread from war-torn South Sudan into parts of Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda. This
funding allowed for increased immunization activities in the three countries
affected by the spread, and separate rounds of immunization have continued in
South Sudan to halt the source of the outbreak.

We are optimistic that this outbreak will be contained, and remain confident in
the viability of eradication. These recent events only serve to highlight the
importance of our continued work. It is not enough merely to keep the number of
new outbreaks low. We must bring it to zero

Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary

2009-10 Nominating Committee for President

The following Rotarians will serve on the 2009-10 Nominating Committee for
President of RI.  The committee is scheduled to meet on 10-11 August 2009.

Zone 1       Toshio Itabashi (Member, Rotary Club of Ashikaga East, Tochigi,
Japan)


Zone 2       Kazuhiko Ozawa (Member, Rotary Club of Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan)

Zone 3       Yoshimasa Watanabe (Member, Rotary Club of Kojima, Okayama, Japan)

Zone 4       O.P. Vaish (Member, Rotary Club of Delhi Mid-Town, Delhi, India)

Zone 5       P.C. Thomas (Member, Rotary Club of Nilgiris West, Tamil Nadu,
India)
Zone 6       Noraseth Pathmanand (Member, Rotary Club of Bangrak, Thailand)

Zone 7       Rafael G. Hechanova (Member, Rotary Club of Makati, Rizal,
Philippines)

Zone 8       Ian H.S. Riseley (Member, Rotary Club of Sandringham, Vic.,
Australia)
Zone 9       Kwang Tae Kim (Member, Rotary Club of Seoul Gwanag, Seoul, Korea)

Zone 10     Gary C.K. Huang (Member, Rotary Club of Taipei, Taiwan)

Zone 11     MEMBER:      Jacques Berthet (Member, Rotary Club of Versailles,
Yvelines, France)

ALTERNATE:    Norbert Turco (Member, Rotary Club of Domont—Ecouen, V.-d'Oise,
France)

Zone 12     MEMBER:      Carlo Monticelli (Member, Rotary Club of Milano
Sud-Est, Italy)

ALTERNATE:    Umberto Laffi (Member, Rotary Club of Pisa, Italy)

Zone 13     Stan Tempelaars (Member, Rotary Club of Vianan-Vreeswyk, The
Netherlands)

Zone 14     Rudolf Horndler (Member, Rotary Club of Nürnberg-Fürth, Germany)

Zone 15     MEMBER:      Lennart Arfwidsson (Member, Rotary Club of Västervik,
Sweden)

ALTERNATE:    Jorma Lampén (Member, Rotary Club of Pohjois-Helsinki—Norra
Helsingfors, Finland)

Zone 16     MEMBER:      Peter Bundgaard, (Member, Rotary Club of Ry, Denmark)

ALTERNATE:    Kjell-Åke Åkesson (Member, Rotary Club of Hörby, Sweden)

Zone 17     David D. Morgan (Member, Rotary Club of Porthcawl, Mid Glam., Wales)

Zone 18     MEMBER:      Keith Barnard-Jones (Member, Rotary Club of The Island
& Royal Manor of Portland, Dorset, England)

ALTERNATE:    Anthony F. de St. Dalmas (Member, Rotary Club of Southgate,
Greater London, England)

Zone 19     Peter Krön (Member, Rotary Club of Salzburg, Austria)

Zone 20     MEMBER:      Samuel A. Okudzeto (Member, Rotary Club of Accra,
Accra, Ghana)

ALTERNATE:    Antonio M. Serrano (Member, Rotary Club of Bedfordview, South
Africa)

Zone 21     MEMBER:      Donald L. Mebus (Member, Rotary Club of Arlington,
Texas, USA)

ALTERNATE:    Luis F. Valenzuela (Member, Rotary Club of Guatemala Sur,
Guatemala)

Zone 22     Luis Coelho de Oliveira (Member, Rotary Club of Limeira-Leste, S.P.
Brazil)

Zone 23     Gerson Gonçalves (Member, Rotary Club of Londrina-Norte, Pr. Brazil)

Zone 24     Robert S. Scott (Member, Rotary Club of Cobourg, Ont., Canada)

Zone 25     Jerry L. Hall (Member, Rotary Club of Reno, NV, USA)

Zone 26     MEMBER:      Ronald L. Beaubien (Member, Rotary Club of Coronado,
CA, USA)

ALTERNATE:    Samuel L. Greene (Member, Rotary Club of Westlake Village, CA,
USA)

Zone 27     Ron D. Burton (Member, Rotary Club of Norman, OK, USA)

Zone 28     Gerald A. Meigs (Member, Rotary Club of St. Paul, MN, USA)

Zone 29     MEMBER:      Louis Piconi (Member, Rotary Club of Bethel-St. Clair,
PA, USA)

ALTERNATE:    Robert O. Brickman (Member, Rotary Club of South Haven, MI, USA)

Zone 30     MEMBER:      John F. Germ (Member, Rotary Club of Chattanooga, TN,
USA)

ALTERNATE:    Mark Daniel Maloney (Member, Rotary Club of Decatur, AL, USA)

Zone 31     Robert A. Stuart Jr. (Member, Rotary Club of Springfield, IL, USA)

Zone 32     MEMBER:      Daniel W. Mooers (Member, Rotary Club of South
Portland-Cape Elizabeth, ME, USA)

ALTERNATE:    Abraham I. Gordon (Member, Rotary Club of Bridgeport, CT, USA)

Zone 33     MEMBER:      G. Kenneth Morgan (Member, Rotary Club of Chapel Hill,
North Carolina, USA

ALTERNATE:    David M. Michaux (Member, Rotary Club of Myrtle Beach, South
Carolina, USA)

Zone 34     Barry Rassin (Member, Rotary Club of East Nassau, N.P., Bahamas)


Source:Rotary International News / Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary

President's August 09 Message

My fellow Rotarians:

I have always thought it important to bear in mind that Rotary is a voluntary
organization, composed of people who are all themselves leaders. When addressing
such an audience, I have never thought it fitting to exhort or demand. Every
Rotary club is and must be autonomous: The leadership of Rotary International
exists not to control, but to motivate and guide.

And so when we in Rotary speak about the importance of membership, I believe it
of the utmost importance to bear in mind that the primary experience of Rotary,
for the overwhelming majority of Rotarians, is of the club: of club meetings,
club projects, and fellow club members.

When Paul Harris began the first Rotary club 104 years ago, he did not initially
think of service. Instead, he had in mind a place where people of good
character, intelligence, and morals could enjoy each other's fellowship and
friendship. The service came later, as a natural outgrowth of the gathering of
such people.

Every good Rotarian, every member who shares our core values, will make a club
that much stronger, and that much more attractive for others to join.
Unfortunately, it is also the case that bringing in the wrong person can have
the opposite effect. Rotarians are and must be people of a certain caliber –
people with the capacity to do great deeds, the sense to do them wisely, and the
strength of character to do them honestly and well.

In the end, I believe that the best way to bring new members into Rotary is the
way it has been done for generations: One member invites a carefully chosen
friend, client, or colleague to a meeting and, if the match is a good one,
proposes that individual for membership. This is the way that our clubs remain
harmonious; it is the way that new clubs become old clubs, and new members
become Rotarians for life.

The membership challenges that we face today are considerable, and in many ways
new. There is no denying the difficulties posed by the current global financial
situation. But in the words of Henry Ford, "If money is your hope for
independence you will never have it. The only real security that a man will have
in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience, and ability." And as long
as we all do our jobs well, and bring in new members carefully, this is a
security we in Rotary will never lack.

John Kenny
President, Rotary International

Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary

Register for Rotary-UN Day

About 1,500 people, including Rotarians, Rotaractors, Interactors, and United
Nations leaders, will attend Rotary-UN Day in New York City on 7 November.

Organized by RI representatives to the UN, the day will feature panel
discussions on water, literacy, health, and youth. Speakers from the United
Nations, Rotary, and other nongovernmental organizations will discuss
humanitarian programs and provide insight into the more than 60-year
relationship between Rotary and the UN.

The program will also include a youth panel featuring a speaker from Interact
and Rotaract, who will each present a 10-minute description of a hands-on
international club project.

Learn more, including how to register, at www.riunday.org. All registration
forms must be submitted by 23 October. Early registration is encouraged.

E-mail Brad Jenkins, primary RI representative to the UN in New York, for
further information.

Source: Rotary International News / Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary