My fellow Rotarians,
The month of April and May has been a very busy month for both Rotarians and Rotary clubs in our District.
END POLIO NOW Walk/RUN and SWIMARATHON events were held by RC Tanjong Pagar and RC Singapore respectively. A very grand Fund Raising Dinner was held by RC Kinabalu Sutera in Kota KInabalu where all the funds raised were donated to the EPN Fund. A Charity Event was organised by the RC of Batu Pahat where the proceeds were handed over to the EPN Fund. In June RC Tangkak Ledang also “chipped” in with an EPN Walk. RC Kuching will be holding a Charity Concert before the end of June.
RC Suntec City will be organising a Tree Planting event in Bintan Island which will be an environment related fund-raising project. As at 22 April 2018 which was also Planet Earth Day, the 9 Rotary Clubs in Kota Kinabalu have jointly planted over 13,000 mangrove saplings in two designated Wetlands. RC Kuching has also launched a mangrove planting project to plant over 1000 saplings in the Wetland.
I am indeed touched by these clubs’ active involvement in raising funds for the End Polio Now Fund and in creating awareness for the preservation of our environment.
As at May 2018 less than 20 clubs in our District have been confirmed to be eligible for the RI Presidential2018 Citation. I hope that by the end of June 2018 more clubs will update thoseprojects which they have completed including the hours spent so that more clubs will be able to qualify for the Citation.
In May 2018 we successfully held our 27th District Conference in Kota Kinabalu where several winning clubs were presented with the District “Oscar” awards for their various service projects and activities. I noted that each year the number and the standard of the entries for our District Awards have increased thereby making it very competitive and as a result winning such awardshave become more and more prestigious.
I am sure this high standard will continue in the years to come when more vibrant clubs join in to plan, undertake and complete more meaningful service projects.
I wish to sincerely record my thanks and appreciation to the District Conference Organising Chairman PP Wong Chu Lai and his very dedicated team of advisors and committee members for their sacrifices and selfless contribution and all Rotarians and their spouses for their kind attendance and support at the recent District Conference which the RI President Personal Representative PDG David Anderson said is the best he has attended.
On District membership as we approach the final month of our Rotary year, I am happy to announce, assuming strong retention rate, that our District membership will be hitting a new high of over 2,100 members. We may have another two new clubs by the end of June.
Our District contribution to the Rotary Foundation has been impressive despite a difficult economic environment and this is because our Rotarians continue to make their contribution annually although I am quite disappointed with some of our Paul Harris Society (PHS) founding members who have notkept up with their regular contribution so far. Consequently, our Annual Fund contribution to date is quite disappointing and this will affect our DDF in three years’ time.
Our End Polio Fund contribution so far has been very encouraging which helps us very much to achieve our District TRF target.
To all our generous contributors/donors to the Rotary Foundation and the End Polio Fund I like to express my sincere thanks.
I will be leading a team of over 40 Rotarians their spouses and children from our District to attend the Rotary International Convention in Toronto, Canada from the 23rd to 27th June 2108.
Meanwhile, for those who have finished their projects as well as for those who are about to complete theirs, I like to take this opportunity to wish all of you the very best in your efforts in making a differenceto the communities and people around us.
Best regards
Datuk Lee Chuen Wan
D3310 District Governor