Tag Archives: England

Volunteering isn’t supposed to be fun, is it?

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Nisha Kotcha, right, with English television and radio personality Jonathon Ross.

Nisha Kotecha, right, with English television and radio personality Jonathan Ross.

By Nisha Kotecha, president of the Rotaract Club of Hampstead, Hendon and Golders Green, England

Earlier this month, I volunteered with some of my fellow Rotaract members at the Hampstead Christmas festival in the Hampstead area of London, England. We had no idea what we were going to be asked to do. It was cold, dark, rainy, and my feet were soaked within minutes of getting there.

We had organized an event for past members of our club a few days before, and I heard from some of them who had volunteered for the Live Continue reading →

Funding a million polio vaccines through social media

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World's Greatest Meal event.

World’s Greatest Meal event.

By Susanne Rea, past president of the Rotary Club of Cairns Sunrise, Queensland, Australia 

I was day dreaming on the couch one day after taking a new position as polio chair for my Rotary District, 9550 (Australia), when an idea hit me.

What if we held a social media driven event similar to the Rotary Global Swimarathon, only made it about meals and eating! The World’s Greatest Meal. I had worked with Paul Wilson on his excellent Facebook promotion of the swimming event, and was very impressed with what he and supporting Rotary members were able to accomplish for polio eradication. Continue reading →

Many reasons to attend a Rotary convention

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Paul Wilson hangs with polio survivor Ramesh Ferris during the Rotary International Convention in Lisbon, Portugal.

Paul Wilson hangs out with polio survivor Ramesh Ferris during the Rotary International Convention in Lisbon, Portugal.

By Irvin Metcalf, president of the Rotary Club of Grantham, Lincolnshire, England

Other Rotary members often ask me why I and my Rotary Club of Grantham colleague Paul Wilson attended the 2013 Rotary International Convention in Lisbon, Portugal. There were so many good reasons!

First and foremost we both wanted to see and meet other Rotary members from all around the world to find out more about Rotary and the inspirational work going on around the globe. Continue reading →

Bringing light in darkness

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Dr. Harminder Singh Dua receives the 2012-13 Rotary Foundation Global Alumni Service to Humanity Award at the Rotary International Convention in Lisbon, Portugal. Photo by Monika Lozinska/Rotary International

Dr. Harminder Singh Dua with the 2012-13 Rotary Foundation Global Alumni Service to Humanity Award at the Rotary International Convention in Lisbon, Portugal. Photo by Monika Lozinska/Rotary International

Dr. Harminder Singh Dua, an ophthalmologist in Nottingham, England, is the recipient of the 2012-13 Rotary Foundation Global Alumni Service to Humanity Award. The following is an excerpt of his acceptance speech before the Rotary convention in Lisbon, Portugal.

As a young trainee doctor in the city of Nagpur in India, all those many years ago, I had made a trip to a city called Vijaywada to be interviewed for the Group Study Exchange team selection. I was one of about 103 young men who had descended on a hotel in Vijaywada.  Each of us had been picked from amongst several others by the local Rotary clubs. Continue reading →

Purple crocuses raise money for End Polio Now

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The purple fabric crocuses raise money for polio eradication.

The purple fabric crocuses raise money for polio eradication.

By Lynn Mitchell, past governor of District 1120 (England), and Rotary Crocus campaign coordinator

Like all of you, I desperately want to see polio removed from the face of the world. Like many of you I love crocuses and my favorite color is purple. These may seem unrelated, but they’re not!

My vision was to create a beautiful fabric crocus buttonhole that could serve to publicize Rotary on Rotary Day, and at the same time, highlight the End Polio Now campaign. Continue reading →