District Governor's Message for December 2017

 

I welcome you to the month of December, a unique month when billions of human beings celebrate the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

A month of joyful celebrations, of Thanksgiving and re-dedication to The Service of The Almighty Father.

 

In Rotary, it was the month of ‘Family of Rotary’ before it was changed to ‘Disease Prevention and Treatment’ Month about three years ago – one of the Six Areas of Focus of our service activities globally.

 

However, in appreciation of the sacrifices of our family members, Friends and Staffers who usually stand in for us while we forge ahead to serve humanity, we are dedicating this month to them. 

 

We  say thank you, with our prayers for a very Merry Christmas and a Happy, Prosperous and fulfilling 2018.

 

To demonstrate this in practical terms, we shall be having a  Family Picnic at the grounds of the Police College on Saturday, 10th December, 2017 where we expect our spouses, children, Rotaractors and other members of the Rotary Family to come and have fun with us as we round up the first half of this Rotary year. I’m aware that many clubs will have their own celebrations.

 

Talking about the First half of this Rotary year, I want to thank all Rotarians, our Corporate Sponsors, Rotaractors, Friends, Family members, acquaintances and other members of the Rotary Family for the huge successes we have achieved in all the Clubs and at the District level, over the past six months.

 

The Seminars have gone so well and hopefully impacted positively  on the knowledge of the Rotarians who were in attendance.

 

The  World Greatest Meal Event towards raising funds for Polio Eradication also went very well with more than $3,860.00 raised from donations at the event, which will be matched by The Gates Foundation in 2:1 Ratio. This is the first of its kind in the history of the District. I also hereby tender my unreserved and sincere appreciation to all those who contributed to the success of this event.  

 

RYLA 2017 was a huge success not just in terms of number of participants (353) which is the highest we have ever had in the 33 years history of this life-changing experience for the participants, a true journey to self-discovery. It was also a huge success in terms of the arrangement, the beauty of the events and the number of Rotarians who attended the Opening Ceremony, the Club visits and the Closing Ceremony.

 

I again will like to place the unparalleled appreciation of all Rotarians and the participants to PAG Busola Satuyi and all members of her Committee for a great job. We wish them all the best in their future endeavors.

 

We have however only been able to raise a total Rotary Foundation donation of $143,000 compared to the $1m we hope to raise, though we have a promise of $150,000 from a blessed, good-hearted, non-Rotarian Nigerian  and we hope that will come in soon.

 

We have increased membership by 287 making a current figure of 2,739 Rotarians in our District. Our promise is to be 3,000 by the end of this Rotary year. All of us have the responsibility to invite more people to join our fold. The field is vast, the work is huge but the labourers are few. The more the hands, the less the financial burden on each of us. The more the diversity in terms of our talents and the thoughts  that can be generated to serve humanity.

 

Finally the more the number, the more the impactful projects we can do to help our people and the Public Image also gets better which can help to attract more people too.

 

For the second half of the year, our efforts should be towards fulfilling all that we have promised to do for our various communities because that is why we exist as Rotarians. We exist to impact lives around us positively, we exist only to Make A Difference in the lives of the less- priviledged around us. We Are People of Action. 

 

Securing our goals for Membership and The Rotary Foundation must be fulfilled through the fulfillment of all pledges made during my official visits to your Clubs and the goals you set on Rotary Club Central.

 

We must also collaborate with the Incoming Administration supporting and participating in the training seminars and other programs as they unfold.

 

To the sponsors and supporters outside our fold, we thank you very much once again, for your support and pray for your replenishment in multiples.

 

To my Pacesetter Rotarians, especially my Pacesetter Presidents, I once again thank you for the show of Love, Goodwill and Support while wishing all of you more strength to fulfill as we are all showered in an outpouring of Divine Love from on High. May His Grace, Love and Mercy continue to abide with all of us and our loved ones.

 

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy, Prosperous and Fulfilling 2018.

 

Yours in Rotary Service,

Adewale Ogunbadejo
District Governor
RI District 9110
2017-2018 Rotary year