Trustee Chair’s Message – April 2017
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- April 1, 2017
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In communities worldwide, Rotarians are finding creative ways to celebrate The Rotary Foundation centennial and showcase our Foundation’s century-long commitment to doing good in the world.
Rotarians have arranged for a commemorative postage stamp to be issued in Pakistan, sponsored a cruise on the Danube River with some proceeds going to our Foundation, and sold bottles of wine with “100 Years Doing Good in the World” printed on the label in Vancouver, B.C.
And, of course, there have been scores of centennial dinners. In Arch Klumph’s hometown of Cleveland, Rotarians gathered to celebrate the centennial and honor the father of The Rotary Foundation with a banquet and concert by the Cleveland Orchestra. In addition to raising more than $2.1 million for our Foundation, the event paid tribute to Klumph’s virtuosity as a flutist.
Some Rotarians are honoring the Foundation by sponsoring global grant projects. They are fighting dengue fever in Indonesia, providing sanitation facilities in Colombia, and promoting early detection of breast cancer in Turkey.
Rotaractors and Interactors have answered the call to perform 100 acts of good this year in honor of the centennial. They are donating blood, visiting the elderly, and volunteering at food pantries, to name just a few of the activities this challenge has inspired.
By celebrating this milestone, we are sharing our success stories with the world. In 2016, cable news channel CNBC named The Rotary Foundation one of the “Top 10 Charities Changing the World,” citing our PolioPlus program as well as our financial health, accountability, and transparency of reporting. In addition, the Association of Fundraising Professionals named The Rotary Foundation the World’s Outstanding Foundation for 2016.
Our centennial year is not over yet. You still have time to plan a special event, make a centennial contribution, and add more acts of good. In June, I hope you will join me for the biggest centennial celebration of the year at the Rotary International Convention in Atlanta.
Kalyan Banerjee
Trustee Chair 2016-17
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