DISTRICT GOVERNOR MESSAGE FOR APRIL, 2016

Posted by Jacquie Gibson

on Apr 05, 2016

DG FELIX MESSAGE FOR APRIL 2016

Dear fellow Rotarians,

Greetings! Each day I am reminded of what a privilege and an obligation it is to serveas a Rotarian. WE MUST NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE IMPACT THAT OUR SERVICE HAS ON INDIVIDUALS AND IN OUR COMMUNITIES.

In April, we put focus on matters of Maternal and Child Health. The World Health Organization reports that last year, about 830 women died due to complications of pregnancy and child birth each day. Each day, every day! The report noted that "most could have been prevented." (Source: http://www.who.int/gho/maternal_health/en/) As Rotarians, we do not look at such statistics and turn away. The health of mothers, babies and children is an important public health goal for our region. We know that our communities' quality of life, infant mortality rate, the health of the work force, the toll on health care systems and the well-being of the family are all impacted by the nature of care available to pregnant women and mothers of young babies. As Rotarians, we can render service through the projects we do by providing medical equipment, facilitating medical care and distributing necessary food and supplies to mothers, infants and children, as examples. We can also play a role by our advocacy of these issues and by funding scholarships for health care workers. I am proud of the work that our clubs do in District 7020 to ensure the future health of their communities.

In April, the Council of Legislation will meet in Chicago. We must be proud of belonging to an organization that routinely revisits its operating rules and takes into account the views of its members. The structure and support of Rotary International as a charitable body is second to none. I encourage you to look out for the report of the Council at the end of its session since this will guide our way forward in the upcoming year.

April is also the month that your Club Presidents will turn in their District reports on the strides made during the 2015-2016 Rotary year, thus far. At the beginning of the year, I challenged us all to make this a successful and significant one for our District. While Rotarians never serve with a reward as the goal, it is fitting that dedicated service is acknowledged. The aim of the District Governor's Award programme was to not only provide the opportunity to recognize successful clubs and the significant work that they do, it also served to challenge and inspire us to continue to provide Service throughout the District. This programme provides a working platform and a self-check and test for clubs. The criteria were aligned with Rotary International's Strategic Plan and, if the suggestions were followed, District 7020 would have built stronger clubs and delivered better service. Your District team eagerly awaits the submission of the reports which are due on April 15, 2016. Club Presidents must fill out and sign the form which must then be verified and signed by the Assistant Governor. The form should be scanned and sent to the relevant District team.

In the meantime, your District Conference team is working to pull off an awesome District Conference that will be full of the WOW factor. One of the WOW factors is the Hollywood-style award ceremony that will take place on Friday, May 6, 2016. Make sure that you are there to celebrate with your club and the Rotary family from around this great District. Conference is a time for us to come together with like-minded people, renew acquaintances, celebrate service and be hosted by our own. It is also a time to renew our service pledge and get motivated for the year to come. RI President K. Ravi Ravindran and I hope to see all of you in Nassau, The Bahamas, during the week of May 2 - 7, 2016. Ensure that you make the most of the RI President's visit by ordering his book on our Conference site and having him sign it.

If you have not already done so, register for Conference 2016 at www.7020.org.Registration is still open and new events and information are being added.

My Rotary family, until I see you at our District Conference next month, continue to Be a Gift to the World as you move from Success to Significance. ‪#‎rotary ‪#‎unleashtheawesome7020

Felix N. Stubbs