Posted by Elizabeth Edozie on Aug 01, 2019

 

I am happy to address you again this August to keep you updated on Rotary and our District news.

 

On the 6th of July, we had a successful Installation ceremony at the MUSON Centre, at the Marina, Lagos. I thank everyone that contributed to the success of the event. I particularly thank the President and members of my club, Rotary Club of Ogudu G.R.A, who made an unprecedented donation of one million Naira to help the District’s operations. That is the spirit, and it will help in no small way in meeting our goal to 'Connect the World'.

 

The District team has since settled down to work, and progress is being made in all the critical areas of our goals.
I have been able to conduct the official District Governor's visit to 7 clubs during the month of July. There could have been many more, but quite a few had to be postponed at the last minute when it became obvious that the clubs were not ready. A few others requested for later dates when they will be better prepared.

 

The District Governor’s visit is an essential and major part of a Rotary club’s calendar and I will implore clubs to take them seriously.   Also Assistant Governors are required to help their clubs in the preparation for the visit, especially in the production of their workbook.

 

This is 'Investiture Season', and I will try to attend as many as I can. Inevitably, there are overlaps in scheduling which makes it impossible to attend all. But I wish all United Presidents and Board members the best as they try to raise funds for their projects.

 

The 'Million Dollar Challenge', a novel way to raise funds for the Rotary Foundation, was successfully launched on the 1st of July, and the first draw, at the DG's Installation, saw the winning of a Business Class return ticket to London, worth N1.6million. The next draw will take place on the 23rd of this month, during the Multiclub Training meeting.  

 

A WORLDWIDE Business Class ticket, courtesy of Turkish airlines is up for grabs. This one is worth N2.6 million. Please obtain as many tickets as you can, by donating in multiples of $5 or N2000 to increase your chances. The online platform for donations and obtaining tickets is also on at Giveme5.com.ng.  

 

Donations made in July have been sent to the Rotary Foundation, and Rotarians will soon start seeing their RF accounts credited. Please buy for, or sell to your friends, associates and family and get credited. Get your PHF status or EREY commitment done painlessly. We are also soliciting for goods and items for subsequent raffle draws. We have eleven more draws to go.

 

I have the pleasure to announce that the teleconference facilities at the Rotary Centre are now operational. Committee members can now participate in committee meetings from the comfort of their homes and offices. This will improve Rotarians' ability to contribute to District committee activities. Bye bye to all those funny 'apologies' with excuses of traffic, 'defending classification' etc.  Join your committee meeting from anywhere in the world and contribute usefully.


August is 'Membership and New Club Development Month'.  RI President Mark Daniel Maloney has urged us to grow Rotary by forming new clubs, among others. I have the pleasure to announce that the application for the chartering of the Rotary Club of Ikeja Airport has been submitted to RI, and we expect the charter certificate to come within the next few days. We are on target for our goal of chartering 10 new clubs this Rotary year.  

 

As advised by the RI President, all club Presidents should appoint an active Membership committee of at least 5 members who will drive the membership growth of the club.  This is one of the requirements for this year’s Presidential Citation.  Please remember to report it on Rotary Central.

 

The 2016 Council on Legislation decisions have allowed, and Mark Maloney has recommended, that clubs explore new membership models to expand the range of potential members.  Examples include Junior membership, - for Rotaractors and people below the age of 30.  Family membership is for spouses and children of regular members.  

 

Corporate membership targets corporate organisations sponsoring some of their employees as members. It used to be popular in years past, when corporations see Rotary membership of their management staff as enhancing their public profile and a good place to make business connections.

 

All these new membership types can have different dues structures and attendance requirements tailored to the peculiarities of the club.  The club just needs to adjust its bylaws to suit its peculiar circumstance.  A club can even create other additional membership types as it deems fit.  Diaspora membership, Senior membership, for example, are models I have seen in other climes.  

 

A quotation from the August message of RI President Mark Daniel Maloney:

“Let us try a new approach to membership, one that is more organized and strategic. I am asking every club to form an active membership committee consisting of people of different backgrounds who will look methodically at the leadership of the community.”

“How else will we connect to grow Rotary? We will also form new types of clubs — either independent clubs or satellite clubs — with different meeting experiences and engaging service opportunities, not just where there is no Rotary, but also where Rotary is already thriving. No Rotary club in the world can possibly serve all segments of its community. Therefore, we must organize new clubs to engage the community leaders who cannot connect with our existing clubs.”

 

Let’s think outside the box, and we can enrich the Rotary experience.

The maiden Rotary Institute for zone 22 takes place from 1st to 6th of October 2019 at Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. The deadline for registration to enable visa processing is the 8th of August. You  can register online and pay online at www.rotaryinstitute2019-egypt.org. 

 

Payment in naira, and registration assistance can be obtained at the District office.    Please know that there will be no second batch. Come and enjoy the tourist haven of the holiday resort of Sharm El Sheikh in the Sinai Peninsula, while rubbing minds with the who's who in the Rotary world.

 

I want to use this opportunity to wish our Muslim brothers and sisters a happy Eid-El Kabir in advance. May the blessings of Allah fill your life with happiness, reward your sacrifice and obedience, and open all the doors of success now and always.  Barka de Sallah.

Sincere regards.