Meet your Governors

Need to educate new Rotarians

Rotary must hold training and orientation sessions for new members to educate them about “our global activities, so that they are involved in our service projects. It will increase our membership, and we must focus on public image building too,” says Arun Mongia.

Confident of achieving a 15 per cent membership growth, he says, “we will add 600 new Rotarians and eight new clubs (three already formed), to bring the count to 4,500-plus and 116 respectively.” Five dialysis centres (GG: $100,000), attached either to hospitals or charity groups, are being set up; Around 10–12 toilet blocks are renovated, five new ones under construction (GG: $35,000), along with safe drinking water facilities, in government schools; and nutrition kits (CSR: $30,000) are given to 200 TB patients.

Through a mix of CSR grants and donations, 2,000 desk-benches are being distributed to 35 government and private schools. “We have given 1,000 pink bicycles to rural girl students; and another 1,100 cycles will be given soon; and tricycles will be given to 250 physically-challenged,” he explains. Through district grants ($20,000) 20 computer labs and 20 skilling centres will be set up in remote villages; and another $10,000 will be used for building 20 medical equipment banks in clubs to lend critical medical tools to poor patients. For TRF, his target is $1 million. He joined Rotary in 2000, attracted by its fellowship and networking.

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CSR grants for diverse projects

Be different, and make a difference in others’ lives. This is the driving motto of Vivek Garg; “as Rotarians our priority must be to improve the lives of the less privileged,” he says.

With 149 clubs and 4,000 Rotarians in his district, he is confident of netting 10 per cent membership growth and opening three new clubs, taking the count to 155 by June 30.

Digital classroom boards are being installed through a CSR grant of ₹28 lakh from Karan Latex. “We will set up eight computer labs (CSR: ₹40 lakh); take up two Happy Schools (CSR: ₹50 lakh); and flag-off an ambulance (CSR: ₹40 lakh) in the coming months. Also, we will receive CSR grants of ₹1.5 crore for other projects that are being worked out,” explains Garg. His team is planning a global grant project for environment care. Around 75 blood donation camps have collected 2,500 units of blood; “and we will complete the year with over 100 such camps.”

On July 1, 100 medical camps screened 1,00,000 patients and “we will hold 200 health camps by June 30,” he smiles. Under Project Beti Shikshit Mata ­V­andit, 2,500 girl students will get lunch boxes, school bags and stationery, while their mothers will be given sarees. His target for TRF-giving is $100,000. He joined Rotary in 2007, after “I was moved seeing the amputees, who crawled to the camp, walking out with artificial limbs sporting a big smile.”

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Aiming for 100% TRF-giving clubs

Aiming for a 15 per cent growth in membership, “I will charter 10 Rotary and 10 Rotaract clubs, besides forming 25 Interact clubs in schools,” says Manjit Singh Arora. At present, there are 105 clubs with 3,500-plus Rotarians in the district.

He has lined up a slew of big ticket projects: a neo-natal ambulance (GG: $39,000) will be flagged-off; CT simulator (GG: $180,000) will be installed at a cancer hospital in Jabalpur; a cancer detection van (GG: ₹80 lakh) is under process; and an eye hospital (GG: ₹75-80 lakh) will come up at Jharsuguda, Odisha, He has planned two cervical vaccination programmes — around 5–7 inoculation camps (GG: $45,000) for 1,500 girls; followed by a CSR project ($21,000) at three rural schools benefiting 600 students.

Arora has set $500,000 for TRF-giving. He is motivating clubs to make them 100 per cent TRF-giving clubs. A Major Donor, Level-II, “I will graduate to the next level soon,” says Arora who joined Rotary in 1993. He hopes to induct one AKS member, and an existing AKS member is poised to go to the next level.

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Empowering women Rotarians

Inducting more women into Rotary is one of his top priorities, as he says, “we can empower women by encouraging them to initiate projects and giving them creative freedom.” Out of 500 new members being added this year, 150 will be women; and among the 25 new clubs, 20 were already chartered. Four among them were all-women’s club. At present, there are 290 women Rotarians out of 2,800 members in 125 clubs.

A Rotary eye hospital (GG: $100,000) is being built in Sunam; and a digital x-ray unit (GG: $30,000) was installed by RC Mansa Royal at a government hospital. Ricela Group is providing a CSR grant of $50,000 to RC Dhuri for it to sponsor the school fees of 4,000 students in Classes 9–12.

His home club is running Dr Gagandeep Rotary Public School in which at least 200 projects are held annually. Kansal aims to collect $280,000 for TRF. He was an Interactor in 1989, joined Rotaract in 1992, was a DRR in 1999-2000;
and joined Rotary as charter president of RC Sunam Golden in 2002. “Initially, I was drawn to Rotary as it was a great platform for fellowship and networking,” he smiles.