June 28 to July 4th, 2015
New’s and Views from our E-Club members and District 5370
Hello Rotarians!
We have come to the end of another Rotary year and the beginning of a promising summer! Please click on the link below to access your newsletter.
There is much to celebrate in our Rotary District as is evidenced in our final newsletter by the statistics shared with us and the stories of our clubs' Community and International projects.
There is much to be grateful for when we see all the good work done, the countless Rotarian hours spent and the selfless efforts of many to make life better for others. What wonderful opportunities are available to us when we open our hearts, our time and our energies to the possibilities.
Thank you to Jerome Martin for his many selfless hours working on our newsletter. Thank you to Lu Ziola for her work putting it all together.
I wish all of you a very wonderful, relaxing and happy summer!
Sincerely,
Rene Cavanagh
Rotary District 5370 Administration
Please click HERE for the Newsletter
News from District 6330
K.R. Ravindran becomes the first Sri Lankan to head Rotary
Ravindran urges Rotary’s 1.2 million members to give the gifts of time, talent, and knowledge to improve lives in communities across the globe
EVANSTON, Ill., USA (25 June, 2015) — K.R. “Ravi” Ravindran, a business leader from Colombo, Sri Lanka, takes office on 1 July as the 105th president of Rotary International – a global network of 1.2 million volunteers dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges.
Ravindran, a member of the Rotary Club of Colombo, says a top priority will be to strengthen clubs by attracting men and women committed to improving communities worldwide through volunteer service.
From supporting local food pantries to providing clean water in remote villages, Rotary clubs join forces to carry out impactful and sustainable projects at home and abroad. And Rotary members often are both first-responders and re-builders when major disasters strike, because Rotary clubs are present in every corner of the world.
Following the earthquake that hit Nepal earlier this year, Rotary members were among the first to respond. “Medical teams arrived from Singapore and India. Solar lanterns, ShelterBoxes, tarpaulins and tents, water filters and medicines followed,” said Ravindran. “And hundreds of thousands of dollars have been raised to help rebuild the lives of the millions who have lost their homes. When the camera crews leave, when the eye of the world looks elsewhere, Rotary will continue to remain.”
After the devastation of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, Ravindran led Rotary’s recovery efforts by helping to raise US$12 million to rebuild 22 schools, enabling nearly 15,000 children to resume their studies. “The tsunami could take away schools, homes, possessions, and even loved-ones, but it would never be allowed to take away the spirit of children,” said Ravindran.
As president, Ravindran will oversee Rotary’s top humanitarian goal of eradicating the paralyzing infectious disease polio. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative, formed in 1988, is a public-private partnership led by Rotary, the World Health Organization, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and governments of the world. Rotary’s focus is advocacy, fundraising, volunteer recruitment and awareness-building. Rotary club members worldwide have contributed more than US $1.4 billion and countless volunteer hours to the polio eradication effort.
Today, there are only three countries that have never stopped transmission of the wild poliovirus: Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan. Less than 370 polio cases were confirmed worldwide in 2014, which is a reduction of more than 99.9 percent since the 1980s, when the world saw about 1,000 cases per day.
As Sri Lanka’s chair of Rotary’s polio eradication efforts, Ravindran led efforts to eradicate polio from Sri Lanka. His country became one of the first in Asia to become polio-free in Asia. The PolioPlus task force which he headed consisted of representatives from Rotary, UNICEF and the Sri Lankan government. The partnership successfully negotiated a ceasefire with the northern militants to allow polio immunizations to continue during scheduled National Immunization Days.
Ravindran is founder and CEO of Printcare PLC, a publicly listed company and global leader in the tea packaging industry. He also serves on the board of several other companies and charitable trusts. He is the founding president of the Sri Lanka Anti-Narcotics Association, the largest antinarcotics organization in Sri Lanka.
A Rotarian since 1974, Ravindran has served Rotary as a director and treasurer of Rotary International and as a trustee of The Rotary Foundation. He has been awarded The Rotary Foundation’s Citation for Meritorious Service and Distinguished Service Award and the Service Award for a Polio-Free World.
Ravindran urges Rotary’s 1.2 million members to give the gifts of time, talent, and knowledge to improve lives in communities across the globe
EVANSTON, Ill., USA (25 June, 2015) — K.R. “Ravi” Ravindran, a business leader from Colombo, Sri Lanka, takes office on 1 July as the 105th president of Rotary International – a global network of 1.2 million volunteers dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges.
Ravindran, a member of the Rotary Club of Colombo, says a top priority will be to strengthen clubs by attracting men and women committed to improving communities worldwide through volunteer service.
From supporting local food pantries to providing clean water in remote villages, Rotary clubs join forces to carry out impactful and sustainable projects at home and abroad. And Rotary members often are both first-responders and re-builders when major disasters strike, because Rotary clubs are present in every corner of the world.
Following the earthquake that hit Nepal earlier this year, Rotary members were among the first to respond. “Medical teams arrived from Singapore and India. Solar lanterns, ShelterBoxes, tarpaulins and tents, water filters and medicines followed,” said Ravindran. “And hundreds of thousands of dollars have been raised to help rebuild the lives of the millions who have lost their homes. When the camera crews leave, when the eye of the world looks elsewhere, Rotary will continue to remain.”
After the devastation of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, Ravindran led Rotary’s recovery efforts by helping to raise US$12 million to rebuild 22 schools, enabling nearly 15,000 children to resume their studies. “The tsunami could take away schools, homes, possessions, and even loved-ones, but it would never be allowed to take away the spirit of children,” said Ravindran.
As president, Ravindran will oversee Rotary’s top humanitarian goal of eradicating the paralyzing infectious disease polio. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative, formed in 1988, is a public-private partnership led by Rotary, the World Health Organization, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and governments of the world. Rotary’s focus is advocacy, fundraising, volunteer recruitment and awareness-building. Rotary club members worldwide have contributed more than US $1.4 billion and countless volunteer hours to the polio eradication effort.
Today, there are only three countries that have never stopped transmission of the wild poliovirus: Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan. Less than 370 polio cases were confirmed worldwide in 2014, which is a reduction of more than 99.9 percent since the 1980s, when the world saw about 1,000 cases per day.
As Sri Lanka’s chair of Rotary’s polio eradication efforts, Ravindran led efforts to eradicate polio from Sri Lanka. His country became one of the first in Asia to become polio-free in Asia. The PolioPlus task force which he headed consisted of representatives from Rotary, UNICEF and the Sri Lankan government. The partnership successfully negotiated a ceasefire with the northern militants to allow polio immunizations to continue during scheduled National Immunization Days.
Ravindran is founder and CEO of Printcare PLC, a publicly listed company and global leader in the tea packaging industry. He also serves on the board of several other companies and charitable trusts. He is the founding president of the Sri Lanka Anti-Narcotics Association, the largest antinarcotics organization in Sri Lanka.
A Rotarian since 1974, Ravindran has served Rotary as a director and treasurer of Rotary International and as a trustee of The Rotary Foundation. He has been awarded The Rotary Foundation’s Citation for Meritorious Service and Distinguished Service Award and the Service Award for a Polio-Free World.
About Rotary
Rotary brings together a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges. Rotary connects 1.2 million members of more than 34,000 Rotary clubs in over 200 countries and geographical areas. Their work improves lives at both the local and international levels, from helping families in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world. For more information, visit Rotary.org. To access broadcast quality video footage and still photos go to: The Newsmarket.
E-Club Youth Services director, Chris Langley, continues to expand his program of collecting used books, and distributing them to areas and communities of need in Canada.
Recently, Chris put an ad on Craigslist, to solicit more donations. (Donations of books, folks. I know, I was a bit concerned when Chris said he was about to solicit something on Craigslist!)
To view the Ad click HERE
Great going, Chris!
E-Club member Daniele Bork was heading to Detroit to hear a concert by two of Mexico’s favorite musicians; Rodrigo y Gabriela…
(Note: If you can't view this, click on the link at the top of the bulletin-JF)
E-Club member, Lynne Ternosky, has visited several Rotary Sites in the Stratford, Ontario, and has issued a challenge to the clubs:
“What does the Rotary E-Club of Canada One do with the banners that it receives?”
Why, of course in a virtual Rotary club, the member takes a picture of the banner and e-mails it to the E-Club executive, where the image of the banner is displayed!
E-Club members Ramiro and Elly Contreras, and Bruce Kleeberger returned from trips to Europe.
Elly and Ramiro travelled to Holland, and Bruce and his wife Silvia, travelled through regions of France.
Click HERE to view Bruce's pictures
Good to have you back in Canada, guys!
Have a great week, everybody, and HAPPY CANADA DAY!
