On Thursday, July 11th, 153 Rotarians and guests gathered together for the District Awards and Governor's Installation Dinner which was held in Alliance at The Courtney's Banquet Center.

 

In honor of Past Rotary International President, Barry Rassin, the attendees dressed in flamingo color and beach attire.  

 

Our District was pleased to have Rotary International Directors Floyd Lancia and Stephanie Urchick as our guests for the evening.

 

The following awards were presented at this event:

 

Rotary’s crown jewel has been The Community Service since 1907, and yet 100 years later this avenue of service hardly gets highlighted to the extent it deserves to be! When first Rotary Club of Chicago was established in 1905, the club printed a brochure to promote its objectives to get more members to join the club, the brochure read:     

 

First Objective: Promotion of business interests of its members, and         

 

Second Objective: Promotion of good fellowship and other Desiderata ordinarily incident to other social clubs.

 

Mr. Frederick Tweed was the club member of Chicago club since 1905 with a classification, “Glass Ornament Manufacturer”. He was trying to get his Patent Attorney Don Carter to join the club, and of course gave him the brochure to attract him to join the club.

 

Don read through the objectives but was not impressed. He sneered, “D-e-s-i-d-e-r-a-t-a? This is a classic word in lawyer’s dictionary. The two objectives are Too Insular Motives for me to join the club”. He also said, “Such a club has great possibility if it could Do Something of Some Benefit to at least Some People besides its own members”.

 

Club members loved the idea, Don Carter, a patent attorney joined the club and within a month added third objective to the brochure:

                                                                                                                 Third: The advancement of the best interest of Chicago and spreading the spirit of civic pride and loyalty among its citizens.

 

This was the birth of The Community Service of Rotary, and the concept of serving the community became crown jewel of Rotary since 1907. The members were extremely excited about it and it certainly helped improve the membership and the spread of Rotary.

 

The first act of generosity by Chicago club took place in 1907. One club member told the story of a preacher whom he knew, who lived 30 miles from Chicago and had lost his horse. Being unable to purchase a new one he could not make his rounds of the country churches. Club voted unanimously and donated money to the preacher to buy a new horse. The club members were thrilled with their generous act.

 

In the same year, in one business meeting Paul Harris became aware of a discussions that Public Comfort Stations are very much in need. In early 1900s women had to use toilet facilities at the department stores and men used rest rooms in taverns. They would offer some money for the use of these toilets. Paul was convinced that public comfort stations are very much in need, and he went to work. Members were excited of the opportunity to undertake another act of generosity but formidable opposition came from Chicago Association of Brewers as well as that of department stores. The battle went on for 2 years. Influential members of the club had to get the support from other organization in town, one member won $ 20,000.00 worth grant to construct the comfort stations. These rest rooms served the men and women of Chicago for decades to come.

 

We Rotarians of district 6650, which was district 7 in years 1900s, that encompassed whole of Ohio, should be very proud of our community service projects in the past as well as at present. And we still have the responsibility to pass on a healthy district in the hands of future younger Rotarians.

 

Every Rotary member is important as he/she brings strength to the club. Strength with more hands to work, more brains to get new ideas and more resources from their expertise! More exciting Community Service projects, better will be the membership.

 

Tsunami waves destroyed large part of Fukushima region of Japan along with its nuclear plant.

Our district was one of the 2 0r 3 districts from USA helped within a month by doing Matching grant of $ 60,000.

We partnered with 2 neighboring district of Fukushima in Japan.

Our district and 2 Japanese districts contributed $ 10K of DDF of each which was matched by $30K from Rotary Foundation's World Fund.

The total grant was for $ 60,000 which helped Japanese Rotarians to supply relief materials to the thousands who were living in make believe large tents.

Japanese Rotarians and communities were SO GRATEFUL!

See the large trucks carrying relief materials, blankets, pillows, canned soups and canned rice.

 

 

 

 

We are part of Rotary International, committed to serve the communities and help our Rotary friends in other parts of the world who are unable to undertake the project due to inadequate funds or expertise and sources. To be their partner in service is an important obligation, and we might make it a pleasant one as capable partners in this part of the world.

 

In the past most of the humanitarian work done in the so call developing countries or underprivileged parts of the world needed more support from the Rotary Foundation. But things changed with globalization and advance in information technology, so that The Rotary Foundation could make some adjustments and any part of the Rotary world can undertake a project with support from the foundation including USA.

 

Most important thing to succeed is to have good Rotary partners on both sides of the isle. The Rotary Foundation is a good vehicle of support, and in addition to this support, it safeguards the money of the Rotarians going towards these projects. After all DDF as well as World fund is our contributions. Foundation trustees see to it that, that contribution is used wisely and gets us best returns in terms of Humanitarian service.

 

With changing structure of the Rotary Foundation we can undertake larger International projects in our communities.

Establishing Military Family Center in Louisville is one recent example.

 

The Rotary club of Plain Twp is undertaking another large project in Canton to supply educational and therapy materials to GiGi’s Playhouse, that works with the Down’s syndrome children and their families from their birth till they become independent adults assimilating in our communities with some economic independence. The Rotarians from India in district 3131 are our partners in service. Soon the grant will be accepted by the Rotary Foundation.

 

Our district providing Clean water to schools in India

 

Wooster Rotarian handing over school uniforms to the girls in Kenya
 

Rotarians in Lima ready to distribute water filters to the people for their individual homes
R.C. of North Canton International project

 

Vocational school for mentally and physically challenged youth.
The girl is sowing paper bags from Newspaper as plastic bags are not allowed to be used.
International project of Dover club.

 

Wooster Rotarian working with school kids in Kenya to make sweet dish.
 

Indian Rotarian trying to cheer a child with cancer. Our district was on board.