RI PRESIDENT'S SEPTEMBER MESSAGE
________________________________________________________

Dear fellow Rotarians,

In Rotary, we know that planning ahead and planning wisely are the
keys to successful service. This is why I urge all of you to plan
ahead – and plan wisely – by registering now for the 2009 RI
Convention in Birmingham, England.

If you have been to a convention before, you already know how
wonderful this annual event can be. And if you have never been to a
Rotary convention, Birmingham is the perfect place to start.

Like Rotary, Birmingham is a mix of the old and the new. With a
pedestrian-friendly downtown area and excellent public
transportation, the city offers diverse neighborhoods, historical
interests, great dining, and ample shopping. And Britain's extensive
rail network makes it easy to get to many sites in less than an hour.
The excitement of London, the natural beauty of Wales, and all the
charms of the English countryside are close enough for a daytrip and
engaging enough for a post convention vacation.

With its own airport and rapid rail links to London, Birmingham is an
easy destination from anywhere in the world. And once you're in
Birmingham, your stay will be more than worth the trip. There, you
will join thousands of Rotarians from dozens of countries as you
celebrate a year in which we have worked together to Make Dreams Real
for the world's children.

It is impossible to describe the energy and excitement of a Rotary
convention. It is the highlight of the Rotary year and an event that
I look forward to from the end of each convention until the beginning
of the next. I know I will see old friends and make new ones, learn
about Rotary projects throughout the world, and find new ways that my
club can put Service Above Self.

Each convention is different, but each one promises the same
friendship, fellowship, and inspiration. Each one is unique, and each
one is memorable. Each one is an opportunity that will not come again.

I strongly believe that every Rotarian should experience a Rotary
convention at least once. It will forever change how you see Rotary.
And after you leave, you'll find that you are already planning for
the next convention. Young and I look forward to seeing you in
Birmingham for the 100th convention of Rotary International.

Dong Kurn (D.K.) Lee
President, Rotary International



TRF CHAIR'S SEPTEMBER MESSAGE
________________________________________________________

Dear family of Rotary,

The Rotary Foundation Future Vision Plan is an exciting initiative that
promises to bring our Foundation new success and greater recognition.
This visionary yet practical plan responds to Rotarians' assertions
that our Foundation is too bureaucratic, that we need to simplify our
efforts and align our programs.

The new grant structure does just that. Two kinds of grants will be
available. Rotary Foundation District Grants will give clubs and
districts more flexibility in carrying out projects locally and abroad.
Rotary Foundation Global Grants will offer the opportunity to implement
projects with more significant and sustainable outcomes, often in
collaboration with other prominent organizations, and will support
larger projects in one of six areas of focus that align directly with
the Foundation's mission: peace and conflict prevention/resolution,
disease prevention and treatment, water and sanitation, maternal and
child health, basic education and literacy, and economic and community
development.

In the past, Rotarians have asked why our Foundation is not better known
in the world, why our good work has sometimes gone unrecognized. That
situation changed dramatically when we began to focus on polio
eradication and became part of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.
By concentrating our efforts and working with the World Health
Organization, UNICEF, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, Rotary became known as a leading nongovernmental
organization in international public health. Our Future Vision Plan
builds on that success by focusing Foundation resources on areas of
significant Rotarian interest and past involvement.

Learn more about the Future Vision Plan
http://www.rotary.org/futurevision including how your district can
apply to participate in the pilot that begins in July 2010.

Jonathan Majiyagbe
Foundation Trustee Chair

Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary



NEW COUNTRY ADDED TO ROTARY MAP
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By Ryan Hyland

On 11 August, RI General Secretary Ed Futa, on behalf of the
RI Board, approved a charter for the Rotary Club of Kiritimati,
Line Islands, Republic of Kiribati, adding another nation to the more
than 200 countries and geographical areas on the Rotary map.

"Rotary will have an important and positive impact on improving the
lives of people in Kiritimati (formerly Christmas Island)," says club
president Ruta Uatioa. "Rotary represents leadership, something
we are excited to adopt here."

The 35-member club, along with guest Rotarians from District 9920
and the United States, held its first official club meeting on
23 August, the kickoff to the weeklong festivities. Participating in
the activities were members of the Rotary Club of Commerce City,
Colorado, USA, who led multiple World Community Service (WCS)
projects on Kiritimati and were instrumental in introducing
Rotary to the islands.

George Maybee, a member of the Commerce City club, has
vacationed with his wife, Sharon, on the island for years. During a
trip in 2006, Maybee became convinced his club should get involved
with helping people there.

The club then joined efforts with Past District 9220 Governor
Warwick Pleass, who was already working with RI to get a club
chartered in Kiribati. Maybee and members from the Rotary Club
of Suva East, Fiji, made several trips to Kiritimati to help a
provisional club.

"The future is bright; Rotary can surely look forward to a glowing
success with the Kiritimati club, as well as an additional club in Kiribati,"
says Maybee. "I'm very much looking forward to seeing the Kiribati
flag at the RI Convention in Birmingham."

- Rotary International News -- 11 September 2008



THE GSE EXPERIENCE
________________________________________________________

By PP Shyamashree Sen

Where do I begin? The Group Study Exchange has been such a
once-in – a - lifetime experience!

To go back to where and when it all began, I appeared for an
interview for about 45 minutes in the dining room of PP Tapan Gooptu,
who was the District Chairman for GSE last year. Fortunately, I was
selected to lead the Team of young professionals who were to go to
North Eastern Pennsylvania (RID 7410) the following summer. I did
not meet this team till we began our orientations. PDG Ravi Sehgal,
PP Aandhi Shah, PP Ajay Agarwal and two past GSE Team members
Mr. Krishnendu Banik and Rtn Sohini Roychowdhury gave us good
advice on what to do and what not to do during the trip. We
attended a Press Conference at the Calcutta Press Club organized
by Rtn Subhojit Roy and visited two clubs, RC Belur and RC Central
Calcutta prior to our departure from the country. It was RC Belur
and PDG Ravi Sehgal who hosted a farewell party for us on the
eve of our journey.


Apr 19
We left Kolkata on 19th April '08 with a lot of worries and
apprehensions. Our training sessions had more or less armed us
with the knowledge of what to expect once we were in USA as a
GSE Team…or so we thought!! Our experience was much, much
beyond all our expectations. I was the only one who had any
experience of GSE since time and again I have had the pleasure
of hosting GSE team members and leaders at our home.

In one month we made lasting friendships and bonded so much with
our hosts that today they are family to us. Fred and Mary Attick are
like my own relatives as are Sharon and Mike Johnson, Warren
Schlosser and Diane, Carol Masters, Frank and Susan Innes, Dr
Richard Black and Rob and Sally Sedwin. It is really surprising how
three or four days in each of these peoples' houses brought us so
close to each other! This is the magic of The Rotary Foundation's
Group Study Exchange Program.

The Group Study Exchange program has given me the chance to
enrich both academically and culturally and the chance to promote
international goodwill throughout the global community. A GSE can
be an exceptional educational experience for both the visiting GSE
team and local Rotarians and this I learnt on our trip to
RI District 7410.


The first thing that struck me on arriving at the immigration and
customs at Newark airport was that we were here on "business".
Unlike what my compatriots told me that I was off on an
all-expenses-paid holiday to USA, I was assured that I was there
on business! As soon as we came out of the airport, we found our
hosts from RID 7410 waiting for us and were transported to the
Shawnee Inn, a golfing resort, for a night's rest.


Our hurly burly tour of the district began the next morning when
we were escorted by Rtn Rob Sedwin of RC Stroudsburg to Genetti's
where our first group of host families were awaiting our arrival along
with Rtn Ann Marie Jennings, the GSE Chair from RID 7410. For the
first time I met Mary and Fred Attick, and fell in love with them.
We spent four days with Hazleton club and were lucky to have the
opportunity to meet Lou Barletta the Mayor, a vocational visit,
a visit to CANDO (CAN DO, Inc. is a non-profit industrial/economic
development corporation in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. For more than
50 years, CANDO has been helping businesses relocate or expand,
whether they choose to build or lease the facility that will help
them become more competitive and more profitable), a fundraiser
dinner, two Rotary club meetings and the opportunity to visit
Eckley Miners' Village, Asa Packer's Mansion, St Mark's church,
a Nursing Home for senior citizens and enjoy a Thai dinner!


Apr 24 - 29
On 24th April we reached our next destination…the city of
Wilkes Barre. You will be surprised to know that I actually cried for
my former hosts when our transfers were being arranged. This time
my hosts were Mike and Sharon Johnson and I enjoyed my stay with
them in their beautiful lakeside house. Their Scottie dog Mr Mac
was my constant friend. We attended a meeting at dinner which
was held jointly by RC Dallas and Pittston and where almost every
club in the cluster was represented. So we got an opportunity to
meet representatives of all the clubs and exchanged banners with
them. It was here that I got the opportunity to shadow Joe
Butkiewicz, the managing editor of Times Leader for a whole day.
We were taken to see Philadelphia and our vehicle was driven by
none other than DGE Paul Muczenskie! We were presented with a
proclamation by Mayor Thomas Leighton and had the good fortune
of meeting Judge Lupas in his office in the city court. By 29th April,
I had participated in a Walk for Prematured Babies, done a lot of
sightseeing, visited the Barnes and Noble store, enjoyed ice creams
at Hillside farms and tasted Polish delicacies at Jone's Pancake
House and had been charmed by the way an old Powerhouse
had been turned into a restaurant.


Apr 29 - May 3
We reached Scranton on 29th April and for the first time met DG Bill
Speare and PDG Gus Vlassis…two people whom it will be difficult to
forget in my lifetime. Bill, for his sense of humour and Gus, for his
kindness and commonsense. In this cluster we attended the
breakfast meeting of North Scranton, luncheon meeting of the
Abington Club and the dinner meeting of the Governor's club,
RC Mid Valley. I was thrilled to go out to lunch at the country club
with famous authors Barbara Kolucki and Suzanne Fischer Staples
and Kristie the editor of the Abingtons Journal. I also had the
pleasure of visiting Marywood University, the church, children's
library of Scranton, the Abington Public library of which my hostess
Leah was the director. I got a vocational visit to the Scranton
Times and enjoyed the Steamtown Museum as well as the Everhart
Museum not to forget the Anthracite Coal Mine tour!


May 3 - 6
Between 3rd and 6th May, we moved as far north as it was possible
to go in RID 7410 to Tyoga County, to a small town called Wellsboro
near the endless mountains. This is where the Pennsylvania Grand
Canyon is and we had a unique experience of going down 1833 feet
into it using the Turkey Path. This cluster has abstained from
participating in GSE programs for quite a while and we were honored
by their acceptance… in fact the Wellsboro club put up a great
picnic in honor of us at the garden of one of their members.
Incidentally the garden was 330acres! We were also taken to
Towanda where we attended the Rotary meeting for lunch and had
to stay with new hosts for one night. On the way we were amazed
to see that the kids in the primary school knew about our country
and could even fold their hands and say "namaste"! We were also
taken to visit the local hospital where a member was the
administrator. The icing on the cake was that one of my team
members, Sharad and I stayed with a Rotarian from Towanda
Rotary Club who took us to enjoy the fundraising dinner of the
local Lions club. I even own a Lions membership badge since that
evening. Of course, I made sure I gave a Rotary 3290 pin to
the same Lion member.


May 6 - 10
Our next stop was at a sleepy town called Tunkhannock. Before
we reached there, our host Frank Innes took Sharad and me to his
country house and suddenly we were canoeing in his lake and
breaking a beaver dam…I don't think living in Kolkata any of us have
been that close to nature! At Tunkhannock I met my next hostess
Carol Master who was the President Elect of the New Milford Area
Club and who lived by a huge lake near Kingsley. Here I came
closest to nature as I traveled through forests with deer and other
animals to reach her home. At first it felt eerie to stay all alone in
the basement and then I got used to it. I loved being so close to
nature, visiting Carol's friend's 550 acre farm, attending the New
Milford Area club's meeting, going through my host's antique store,
visiting two newspaper offices in Montrose and Forest City as well
as a publishing house in Montrose. The highlight of this cluster's
visit was the trip to the Proctor and Gamble factory, the lovely
pizza dinner, watching Ironman, going all the way to Scranton for
an Indian dinner at Amber hosted by an Indian friend of the
Tunkhannock Rotary club. We had the pleasure of meeting many
local Rotarians of neighbouring clubs at the Tunkhannock Rotary
Club's regular weekly meeting. Tom Kurosky, an active Rotarian
who had arrived at our district as a GSE team member in January
1998, was kind enough to invite me to lunch in Kingsley.
That was a great reunion!


May 10-14
My team and I arrived at Honesdale on 10th May and stayed there till
14th May. This beautiful place has a lot of natural waterfalls. My host
Warren Schlosser took me out to see a beautiful waterfall, the Dorflinger
glass museum, a fish hatchery, and the Ayurveda laboratory of the
Himalayan Institute. We enjoyed "chai" at the HI and met all the
volunteers there. I had the pleasure of meeting Bill Hawkins at
his home, as PDG Melanie Tek took me there. She also made sure
I visited Safe Haven, the place where RC Belur had donated a van
and an art gallery owned by a Rotarian. In this cluster we attended
the meetings of Honesdale and Newfoundland and visited the office
of the children's magazine Highlights and their publishing
house, Boyd's Mill Press.


May 14 -18
On 14th May we reached Stroudsburg which was our last stop.
Living out of a suitcase, washing, drying and ironing our jeans and
T shirts overnight, shopping in fits and starts we had become
seasoned travelers. We were taken to Stroudsburg Junior High and
Elementary schools, traveled to Camelback Mountain and on a rainy
day we visited New York. On 18th May we made our final
presentation at Dickson City at the District Awards.

May 19
Our trip ended on 19th May when my team members left USA and
I was dropped off at my cousin's place

GSE is truly a great program of TRF. I feel really grateful to all the
past governors and Rotarians, especially District Chair, Tapan Gooptu,
DRFC Ravi Sehgaland IPDG Anirudha Roychowdhury for selecting me to
lead the Team to RID 7410. I request all of you to participate in
GSE. Even in hosting teams, there is a pleasure. In case you can be
a part of the team, you will have a lifetime experience, a whole host
of new friends and a changed attitude towards Rotary and
all it stands for. I did!


PP Shyamashree Sen
RC Calcutta Metro City
AG Zone XVIII RID 3291
sen.shyamashree@gmail.com



Regards
________________________________________________________

Dr Dipak R Sarbadhikari
RC Calcutta, Editor Rotaweek,
Webmaster District 3291

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