Every year, our club donates Christmas hampers to families in need. Working with the management of our associated Auckland primary schools, Leabank and Kinsford, we provide food hampers containing a variety of food intended to bring cheers to struggling families over the festive season. School managers identify the most appropriate recipients who take home frozen food, dry goods, vegetables and a few sweet treats for the kids. Bini Homavazir arranged the operation and Vinod Sareen assisted with delivering the parcels. Particular thanks are due to Robert Mills from Howick Countdown, who helped assemble the packages, arranged for packaging and ensured the process was seamless. It was a great help and a very kind gesture.
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Spreading hope with holiday cheer
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Steven Naudé
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2024-12-15 11:00:00Z |
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Charades, carol singing, good food and laughter.... the Rotary Club of Somerville Inc celebrated the spirit of the season at a Christmas party hosted this evening by Rotarian Simran Khangura at her lovely home. We've achieved a lot this year. We energetically raised funds with the help of Dave Hawke and made donations to our associated primary schools, Hospice, Women's Refuge, and Ronald MacDonald House. We visited the O Wairoa Marae, participated in a regional food bank campaign, and donated generously to Rotary's international projects. We supported future leaders at our associated School, ELim College, to run their Interact Club in their school and sponsored two future stars to attend the National Science and Technology Forum at the University of Auckland in January 2025. We welcomed two new members and a friend. We hosted an international speaker and learnt valuable lessons about protecting vulnerable women, vulnerable ecosystems and the environment in general. Much has been done; much remains to be done. Here's wishing everyone a Merry Christmas as the Rotary Club of Somerville wraps up for the year.
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Celebrating the end of a very busy year
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Steven Naudé
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2024-12-15 11:00:00Z |
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We welcomed a new friend to our club. Zahoor Ur Rahman and his charming wife Afshan joined the club as supporters. Zahoor has already become involved in the club's work and has assisted with distribution of goods. We look forward to his participation, his sense of humour and his singing voice!
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Welcoming a new friend
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Steven Naudé
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2024-12-15 11:00:00Z |
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 There's no stopping someone with a desire to give. Our newest member, Navaz Karbhari, responded to a request for help from Ronald Macdonald House, a charity that we have supported for some years. She reached out to her network and gathered food products by the trolley-full. The club augmented this with its own donations. We presented our gifts to Lindsay at RMDH. Representing our club was Bini Homavazir, who is the head of fundraising and events, accompanied by aspirant member Zahoor Ur Rahman. It is impressive to see the dedication of someone who has not yet joined the Club but is eager to get involved.
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Big Smiles at Ronald Macdonald House
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Steven Naudé
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2024-11-26 11:00:00Z |
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One of the long-standing projects of Somerville Rotary is providing wraps and caps for newborn babies. These are delivered to birthing centres across the Auckland region. The initiative, started by Leoni Dunne and continued by her husband Rob, has inspired members and friends of the club. Various knitting and crocheting drives have taken place in our quest to produce 200 caps. Ishrit Khangura is the latest contributor. She described herself as a novice crocheting enthusiast, but judging by her creations, she's a pro! Can you contribute to our cause?
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Caps keep coming for babies
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Steven Naudé
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2024-11-26 11:00:00Z |
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Our club was privileged to spend an evening at the O Wairoa Marae, where we were welcomed and treated to a meal. The visit, arranged by Bini Homavazir and Taini Drummond, was an initiative to establish connections with representatives of the local community to establish how the club could contribute to meaningful projects that were relevant to local needs. Following a karakia in the wharenui there was an opportunity for each of those present to explain their origins and share their stories. The tangata whenua and the Rotary Club each performed a wiata before the conclusion of the ceremony. We then moved to a different area for snacks and good conversations. We are delighted to have made a strong and enduring connection with the marae.
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Making friends at the O Wairoa Marae
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Steven Naudé
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2024-11-25 11:00:00Z |
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We were charmed by Dr Dhananjay Keskar from the Rotary Club of Poona Midtown in Maharashtra, India. Dhananjay has had a storied career in various executive corporate roles in India, Nigeria and Mauritius. He shared his journey with us including insights into the way clubs operate in various parts of the world. His talk was both fascinating and entertaining, accompanied by videos of Mauritius. The evening was very well supported by other Rotary Clubs, particularly Half Moon Bay, Papatoetoe and Howick. The local host was Somerville's honorary member, Dr Philly Karani, who was previously the District Governor of District 3131, in which Poona is situated.
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International visitor charms Somerville
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Steven Naudé
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2024-11-25 11:00:00Z |
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Elim Interact welcomes a new leadership team for 2024/2025. Elim College has one of the most active Interact clubs of any school in Auckland. This long-established club has several well-organised and well-supported fundraising events that benefit both local and international communities. It is our club's privilege to witness the enthusiasm of the young leaders as they steer the club to another successful year.
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Elim Interact welcomes a new leadership team
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Steven Naude
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2024-08-29 12:00:00Z |
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Krishna Sharma has returned to our club as a member. Having spent many years working in Papua New Guinea, Krishsna and Shyama were invited by PP Vinod Sareen to continue the good work they had done with the club in previous years.
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Krishna returns to the fold
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Steven Naudé
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2024-08-29 12:00:00Z |
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We listened in fascination as Ana Atkinson of the Eastern Refuge Society shared horrifying statistics about the prevalence of domestic violence. New Zealand shamefully ranks as the country with the highest rate of domestic violence in the OECD. Ana outlined the fantastic work being done by the Refuge and the on-going struggle for support from various sources. Our club is proud to be a long-term donor to the Refuge.
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Supporting women in need of refuge
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Steven Naudé
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2024-08-29 12:00:00Z |
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Come and celebrate our 25th Anniversary on the 14th August with a charity fundraiser.
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25th Anniversary Fundraiser
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Kathryn Harvey
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2021-08-05 12:00:00Z |
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Will we? Won't we?..........be able to get together to have our normal Rotary changeover??
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A Covid Changeover
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Kathryn Harvey
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2020-12-19 11:00:00Z |
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Donating to Ronald McDonald House 
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RC Somerville donates to Ronald McDonald House this Christmas 2020
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Kathryn Harvey
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2020-12-19 11:00:00Z |
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Rotary Clubs of South East Auckland participate in the Howick Santa Parade 2020
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Howick Santa Parade 2020
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Kathryn Harvey
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2020-12-19 11:00:00Z |
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Special visit from D3131 Car Rally Team 2020
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2020-02-28 11:00:00Z |
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Posted by Sue Fairburn on Oct 14, 2019
Mother and Baby Pack to Tonga At our last board meeting it was agreed that our club would fund the shipment of 50 Mother and Baby packs to the isolated island of Ha’apai in Tonga. Ha’apai is an isolated island an 8 hour boat ride from the mainland of Tonga. The packs are sent via Rotary World Community Service to Rotarian Peter Poulsen in Tonga and he in turn arranges for the packs to be shipped direct to Midwife Sokopeti on the island of Ha’apai. 
The mother and baby packs are an ongoing annual project that is led by Claire Eyes, wife of PDG Alan Eyes of the Pukekohe Rotary Club. It is the follow on from a very successful 3 year Maternal and Child Health VTT project that was funded by Districts 9920 and 9070 (Canberra) and the Rotary Foundation. This project enabled 32 midwives for the Pacific Islands, including Kiribati, to undertake leadership training at the University of Canberra. Claire was the leader for this VTT project. Midwife Sokopeti was an attendee at the Canberra VTT training. Thanks to the dedication of Claire, her family, the local Pukekohe community who sponsor many of the products in the packs and our club donation the woman and babies in Tonga can enjoy the contents of the packs.
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Mother and baby packs 2019
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Sue Fairburn
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2019-10-13 11:00:00Z |
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Music has been an important part of leading an ordinary life for students at the Music School for Children With Disabilities in Honor of Paul Harris in Lublin, Poland. Founded by Rotary members, the school serves 20 students with various disabilities, including Down syndrome, autism, and visual impairments. The Rotary Club of Lublin-Centrum-Maria Curie-Sklodowska has provided funding with help from Rotary Foundation Matching Grants and the Henryk Wieniawski Musical Society, which houses the school.
After their son Mateusz was born with underdeveloped eyes, Mariusz and Joanna Kania looked for ways to help him be active. When he showed an aptitude for music, they looked for a teacher and were thrilled to find the Paul Harris music school.
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Helping people with disabilities make their own music
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2015-05-01 00:00:00Z |
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 For years, Angalia Bianca had slept in abandoned buildings throughout Chicago. She stole. She did drugs. She spent time in and out of jail for forgery, theft, trespassing, and possession of narcotics. But after she landed in prison for the seventh time, something changed -- Bianca knew she wanted a better life. She just didn’t know how to make it happen.
After serving her time, Bianca sought help from a local homeless organization, A Safe Haven, and moved to its shelter in the Rogers Park neighborhood. Bianca followed the program closely -- she attended all the required meetings, passed drug tests, and volunteered at every opportunity.
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Finding Safe Haven
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2015-05-01 00:00:00Z |
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 What is it like taking a large team to Africa? It has probably been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life. In mid February, I began leading Rotary members from all over the East Coast of the United States through Ghana. I’ve tried to give the team a warm Ghanaian welcome like I’ve received on my earlier trips. A large trip is a real blessing because each person sees Ghana and our work in a different way.
A highlight for the team was greeting the chief of Sagadugu. The team got excited about buying goats and food for children in the villages where I support eight churches. It was good to see the pastors of most of the eight churches, and I had to explain that we were just passing through on our way to Bolgatanga.
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Saving lives in Ghana
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2015-05-01 00:00:00Z |
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Music has been an important part of leading an ordinary life for students at the Music School for Children With Disabilities in Honor of Paul Harris in Lublin, Poland. Founded by Rotary members, the school serves 20 students with various disabilities, including Down syndrome, autism, and visual impairments. The Rotary Club of Lublin-Centrum-Maria Curie-Sklodowska has provided funding with help from Rotary Foundation Matching Grants and the Henryk Wieniawski Musical Society, which houses the school.
After their son Mateusz was born with underdeveloped eyes, Mariusz and Joanna Kania looked for ways to help him be active. When he showed an aptitude for music, they looked for a teacher and were thrilled to find the Paul Harris music school.
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Helping people with disabilities make their own music
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2015-05-01 00:00:00Z |
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For years, Angalia Bianca had slept in abandoned buildings throughout Chicago. She stole. She did drugs. She spent time in and out of jail for forgery, theft, trespassing, and possession of narcotics. But after she landed in prison for the seventh time, something changed -- Bianca knew she wanted a better life. She just didn’t know how to make it happen.
After serving her time, Bianca sought help from a local homeless organization, A Safe Haven, and moved to its shelter in the Rogers Park neighborhood. Bianca followed the program closely -- she attended all the required meetings, passed drug tests, and volunteered at every opportunity.
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Finding Safe Haven
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2015-05-01 00:00:00Z |
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What is it like taking a large team to Africa? It has probably been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life. In mid February, I began leading Rotary members from all over the East Coast of the United States through Ghana. I’ve tried to give the team a warm Ghanaian welcome like I’ve received on my earlier trips. A large trip is a real blessing because each person sees Ghana and our work in a different way.
A highlight for the team was greeting the chief of Sagadugu. The team got excited about buying goats and food for children in the villages where I support eight churches. It was good to see the pastors of most of the eight churches, and I had to explain that we were just passing through on our way to Bolgatanga.
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Saving lives in Ghana
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2015-05-01 00:00:00Z |
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 Throughout India and around the world, Rotary clubs are celebrating a major milestone: India has gone three years without a new case of polio. The last reported case was a two-year-old girl in West Bengal on 13 January 2011. To mark this historic triumph, Rotary clubs illuminated landmarks and iconic structures throughout the country with four simple but powerful words, "India is polio free."
The three-year achievement sets the stage for polio-free certification of the entire Southeast Asia region by the World Health Organization. The Indian government also plans to convene a polio summit in February to commemorate this victory in the global effort to eradicate polio.
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India celebrates three years without polio
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2014-02-26 00:00:00Z |
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Throughout India and around the world, Rotary clubs are celebrating a major milestone: India has gone three years without a new case of polio. The last reported case was a two-year-old girl in West Bengal on 13 January 2011. To mark this historic triumph, Rotary clubs illuminated landmarks and iconic structures throughout the country with four simple but powerful words, "India is polio free."
The three-year achievement sets the stage for polio-free certification of the entire Southeast Asia region by the World Health Organization. The Indian government also plans to convene a polio summit in February to commemorate this victory in the global effort to eradicate polio.
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India celebrates three years without polio
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2014-02-26 00:00:00Z |
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