Who Is This Governor?
Deepa spoke
about her mother and father and how as a small child she learned from them that
no human being is beneath anyone else - some people just happen to be born
poor. As an Indian family they were well aware in their lives of the caste
system in India, however, she said she and her siblings regarded an elderly
couple associated with the family as "grandparents" regardless of their
standing within the caste system. This training by her parents is obviously a
good part of the reason that Deepa sees all people on the same level as
herself. No one is any better, nor any less.
Deepa has
been called "one crazy Indian woman" by some and since having surgery on her
brain for removal of a benign tumor, she says, now she adds the line, "with a
hole in her head!"
The planet
is in the hands of Rotary, Deepa said. More than two billion people in the
world earn less than two dollars a day. Six million children under five years
of age go hungry. One sixth of the world's people are illiterate and these are
mostly women. Living in extreme poverty leaves people with no hope and no
control over their lives and open to manipulation by extremist groups. Even in
the USA 691,000 children went hungry last year. We are not doing well in
literacy either. Homelessness is on the rise.
Rotary is
humanity's problem solver as it is an organization not motivated by religious
beliefs or politics. In order to provide answers to the world's problems Rotary
members must dream big. We must plan goals for the future and decide who will
do them, what will be done, and by when. President Kennedy asked for a man on the
moon by 1969 and this country achieved that goal. We must create our own "man
on the moon" desires.
President
Ray Klingingsworth's moon is "Building communities - Building continents." It
is necessary to support and strengthen our clubs, focus and increase
humanitarian services, and enhance our public image and raise awareness. Our
core directives are: Service, Fellowship, Diversity, Integrity, and Leadership.
Deepa's moon is to Inspire! Imagine the possibilities, Never give up, Serve
others, Participate in the solution, Instill values, Reach those in
need, Energize
the world toward peace.
We must
operate from our hearts. Have more hands on community high profile projects.
Wear the new Rotarian vests that state "Rotarians at Work" when we are out
doing a project. Increase our membership and be a donor club. Deepa is proud that Mike Pond and his son
will go with her to India this year on an NID project. She is proud of our work for Relay for Life
and other types of these events.
She said
that only 11% of all clubs have members under the age of 40 so we need to
recruit some younger folks. And 80% of new people leave within four years! Why?
They didn't get the value from the club.
We need to be sure to get new people involved in meaningful projects. We
need to increase our ethnic and gender diversity. Mike's moon is for 10% of
members to bring in new members. His goal is 10 new members, 10 Paul Harris
Fellows, and 10 Bequests. We are working on our club's strategic plan that was
started last year with John Weiss and will continue to be refined this year. In
order to be successful we must think outside of the box.
Deepa once
again told the story of her magnificent Rotary moment in India where she
visited an orphanage where 50 recently abandoned female infants were
living. She picked up an infant only
perhaps a few weeks old that had been left on the orphanage doorstep and was
lying on a bed still and quiet. She was
aware that a baby needs to have physical contact in its early life in order to
develop normally and all of these children were not getting this. She sat with this infant in her arms and held
it to her heart until she could begin to feel it stirring. Someone took her
picture. You cannot hear this story and see this photo without being moved.
This was Deepa's Rotary Moment. What is
yours?