DRIVE THE CHANGE
If the Rotary Foundation is the love of Rotarians, then the purpose of this Institute is achieved.
The Rotary Foundation is little understood by the general public and even by many Rotarians! This Institute should have changed all that.
People who know nothing about philanthropy assume that it is easy. Philanthropy cannot be casual. It must be purposeful. It must connect. That is the basic philosophy of The Rotary Foundation.
The Rotary Foundation involves both dreams and plans. You have to be inspired to do a project across the seas and oceans.
You have to be sensitive to the needs of the people you have never seen or may never see in your lifetime.
Nevertheless they are human beings like you. It is just that you were more fortunate in being born or working in America.
Charity begins at home with you. When I say this I mean it begins with your feelings. It has to do with your dream of a peaceful world. This will make you part of this large world.
Suddenly you will find it smaller than you thought. You were able to reach someone in South East Asia or Africa or in some remote island in the South China Sea. You become a citizen of the world when you support causes outside your daily life. You do good to others and in that process you benefit immensely.
The act of supporting your Rotary Foundation is a gift you give yourself. You are entitled to personal satisfaction for your financial contribution. The recognitions given by The Rotary Foundation does just that.
People who donate regularly to The Rotary Foundation or have enrolled themselves as Arch Klumph Society Members give because they see it as their sustaining connection to the cause of Rotary.
It is what makes their work worth doing. The meaning of their wealth is realised when it produces visible results of improvement in other people’s life. Giving is fun, it is joyful. It will make your life feel worthwhile in ways few other actions can.
Say you are around fifty or sixty years of age. You have made enough money to last your lifetime and probably your children’s. Probably you are worth millions of dollars. Or, maybe you are just self sufficient with some extra savings in the bank.
You make a decent income. In any case, you want to be connected to a cause that is bigger than yourself. Where will you look for that connection?
If you were not in Rotary, you might have to take the advice of friends or find out from various sources about the ways you can connect to humanity.
But with The Rotary Foundation, you have a readymade plan for every single dollar you like to donate and what more… you can be a part of that activity and monitor how your money is spent. This is what made Mr. Bill Gates donate US $355 million to The Rotary Foundation for the polio eradication cause.
Many philanthropists do not know whether to address the consequences or causes of a calamity.
The Rotary Foundation responds by jumping in to save each person and races further upstream to help others from being affected in future.
Locating the root cause of human suffering and eliminating it is the work of The Rotary Foundation. It is harder but yields lasting results.
Small changes can make powerful differences in this world. You are the change agent. Make that change you desire.