Club news & notes:
Address by Past Rotary World President Bill Boyd – A large gathering of local Rotarians, wives, partners and guests enjoyed a relaxed but inspirational address by Bill, a well known identity to many of us and an “old boy” of the City. Drawing on his personal experiences of a few of the many thousands of projects undertaken by Rotary Foundation in many parts of the world, Bill illustrated with some heartwarming stories the indomitable spirit of individuals and communities in the face of adversity and how the support of the Foundation has contributed to positive outcomes. The Foundation has a 90 year old history as a not-for-profit corporation supported solely by voluntary contributions from Rotarians and friends of the Foundation who share its vision of a better world. The mission of The Rotary Foundation is to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education, and the alleviation of poverty.
Bill will become the Chairman of the Foundation next year and is looking to continue the work in hand to make funding contributions more relevant with “getting to the source of the problems” being the driving force. Outcomes of the Future Vision pilot that District 9940 is participating in will also be part of the visionary process to ensure that the revamped Foundation is in the right shape to go forward in the future. The District simplified Grants scheme with the partnership support of a Publisher as envisaged by the Future Vision initiative has already played a part in the distribution of over 63,000 dictionaries to low decile school children in NZ. Bill stresses the need for every Rotarian to continue making voluntary contributions to enable the work of the Foundation towards fulfilling its mission. He also believes that every Rotarian should take ownership of the Foundation and to view with pride the outstanding contribution our organisation makes towards a better world. A timely reminder to all Rotarians from a person who has dedicated a large slice of his life to “Service Above Self” and has reached the pinnacle of our worldwide Organisation. Future partnerships - The Rotary Foundation Trustees have reached an agreement with Oikocredit International a Netherlands-based cooperative financial institution that promotes socially responsible investing, to form the first strategic partnership under the Foundation’s Future Vision Plan.
