Rotary Log for Meeting of March 30, 2017
By Richard Seery
Photos by Jim Rini
A Passage to India
President James shared images from his recent Rotary trip to India where he participated in National Immunization Day (NID.) The effort was hosted by several rotary clubs there. The NID in India is scheduled quarterly to address immunizing children under age five.
James narrated his experience of what it is like traveling around India. First, the 11 ½ hour time difference! His flight to Paris at night was comforting, but the next leg to India during the morning drained his energy. Upon arriving in New Delhi the air pollution was overwhelming. A major contributing factor is cheap diesel fuel for cars. As an aside, the street life was very crowded. Numerous bicycles transporting goods along with motorized rickshaws competed with cars along narrow streets. Sacred cows were allowed to roam everywhere along garbage-plagued streets.
Most notable were the large mosques where women had to wear appropriate attire and no shoes. Prayer services occurred five time a day. One Sikh temple in Delhi prepared more than 30,000 meals daily. Besides the temples, his pictures captured the extent of a most common problem, stealing electricity from the grid. Like spider webs, hacked electrical power lines, do-it-yourself wiring, crisscrossed everywhere.
The junket, as James called his trip, took him to Old Delhi, Kolkata, Dahnbad, and Giridih. Local Rotary Clubs led tours of their community service programs. A flagship project, funded by the Dahnbad RC, was a school for special children who were deaf, or blind or disabled. Only $150 supports the cost of one child for one year. In Giridih, Rotary organized under one roof vocational training, sewing lessons, cataract surgery and dialysis programs.
A visit to the shrine of Mother Teresa contrasted the extent of poverty and religious architecture. Her lifetime of giving focused on establishing hospice centers so the poor would have the right to die in dignity.
Overall, these missions prove to be life changing and memorable for all.
Guests / Hosts for this week’s meeting
Alison Petersen / James Petersen
Kim Crisp / Lynn McLaren
Brian Birner / Ed Mallon
Maddie Warren / Aileen Dugan
Matt Randall / Ryan Carter
50/50 Raffle
The payoff was $62 won by Donna Lewallen PLUS the bonus of $375! In the spirit of giving, Donna donated the Bonus to the CLUB. Thanks Donna!!!
Respectfully submitted, Richard Seery
