|
It is a wonderful honour for me to be your District Governor for 2008/9. |
 |
|
D K Lee, the President of Rotary International, is continuing last year's emphases of Water,
health and hunger, literacy and The Family of Rotary. He has asked us to concentrate on the
eradication of polio and reducing the unneccessary child mortality rate in the under fives.
Many of your club projects fall into these areas and I look forward to hearing your success
stories with these and existing projects over the coming months. |
|
The RIBI President, Ian Thomson of Cheltenham Club, and the RIBI Council have
agreed that, for 2008/9, we will support any cancer charities and
the
Leonard Cheshire Disability Schools 4 All
project in Uganda. |
|
Rotary Foundation is our own charity and I urge all clubs to be aware of the great work it does,
and fully support it. Full details are available on the
RIBI Website.
We are asked to raise the equivalent of $100 US per member. This can either be done by individual donations
- preferably using gift-aid - or by raising it through events. The pound is strong against the dollar at
present so it is well worth making your contributions early. |
|
We should be proud to promote our organisation's achievements locally and Internationally. We are
on the brink of eradicating polio. There are only pockets of the disease in three countries, although
the has been another flare up in Nigeria. The World Health Organisation have pledged their increased
support in these countries and like us are determined to win the fight. We must finish the task. |
| The first television pictures we see after a disaster anywhere are the unloading of Rotary
Shelter Boxes displaying the Rotary emblem. However, our biggest asset is what we do in our own
communities. Make sure evryone knows about what you have done and are doing. The more actively you
promote it the more attractive it will appear to prospective members. |
|
Last year, our Distict Governor Peter Davey and his team reversed the downward trend in membership.
With your help there was a small increase, mostly by the formation of new Clubs. This continues to
be the best way to increase membership and it does not detract from existing Clubs. |
|
We need the support of all Clubs this year as we have been challenged to form five more new ones
in the Rotary year. We must continue the upward trend again this year and, with your help, we can.
The best way to attract and welcome a possible new member is face to face with a handshake. |
I want to reintroduce a District theme from a few years ago "Fun with a Purpose", so continue to Share Rotary
and
Make Dreams Real for the children of our world. I wish every Rotarian and their
families every success and happiness for the year ahead and look forward to meeting many of you
as I visit your clubs and at conference and together we can enjoy Making Dreams Real. |