Securing an Arch C. Klumph Society gift

By Joshua Hassan, past regional Rotary Foundation coordinator, Zone 20A English

In early February, RRFC Joshua Hassan worked with fellow Rotarians and community connections to obtain an Arch C. Klumph Society gift from former Nigerian Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. Mr. Abubaker is an honorary member of the Rotary club of Yola in District 9125 and has been involved with Rotary for the past 20 years.

Joshua reports that Mr. Abubaker is a very busy man and was difficult to reach.  He is a keen player in oil and gas, and the maritime industry and he owns a TV and radio facility. An avid supporter of higher education, he has devoted a lot of time and  resources to founding the American University of Nigeria (AUN), now in its fifth year.  Additionally, he is very passionate about the fight against polio, recently speaking about next steps at the District 9125 conference. A devout Muslim Mr. Abubakar is always preaching peace and peaceful co-existence between the diverse citizens across Nigeria and the world. He is the first in Africa to have an endowed gift for Peace and Conflict resolution.

Joshua and District Governor Obadan greatly admire Mr. Abubaker’s work and were determined to get him to be an AKS member. Over the course of two months, they worked closely with Prof Maggie Ensign, President of AUN-Yola, a close friend of Mr. Abubaker. Together they kept her abreast of Rotary Foundation materials, phone calls, and answered many of her queries.  This attention to detail and focus on personal connections eventually secured an endowed gift of US$250,000 for peace and conflict resolution and an additional US$250,000 gift for polio eradication.

Past Rotary International President Jonathan B. Majiyagbe inducts Mr. Abubaker into the Arch C. Klumph society in February 2013.

The members of the Arch C. Klumph Society are among the Rotary Foundation’s top leaders and innovators.  Donors whose cumulative gifts total US$250,000 qualify for the Arch C. Klumph Society. Learn more about the Arch C. Klumph Society and individual giving opportunities through the Rotary Foundation on the Rotary website.

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RPIC Pablo Ruiz Amo featured on Rotary Voices blog

Rotary Public Image Coordinator Pablo Ruiz, a member of the Rotary Club of Jerez de la Frontera, Spain was recently featured on the Rotary voices blog.  Pablo writes:

“As a Rotary Public Image coordinator, I have the responsibility to do whatever I can to increase the public’s awareness of Rotary and what we stand for. The goal is of course to  increase membership.

In Spain and Portugal, we have just under 8,000 Rotarians, and our resources are certainly limited. When we saw that Korean Rotarians were leading all countries in the number of photos uploaded to the World’s Biggest Commercial, we were inspired to action. We knew we had to come up with a strategy to increase our participation.”

Read the full post, “Spain rises to the top of World’s Biggest Commercial”.

Be a Rotary Champion

Members of the Zone 20A RRFC and RPIC teams participated in a two day training program where they planned the upcoming year.

By Joe Otin, Rotary public image coordinator, Zone 20A English

At the regional training seminar for the RRFC & RPIC teams in Zone 20A held in Nairobi, RPIC Joe Otin shared the branding research material developed by Siegel+Gale and provided to all coordinators prior to the Strengthening Rotary webinar series. As this was a group of Rotarians serving at the regional level, Joe was apprehensive about the data because he was sure that this was information that they had seen before, or were at least aware of.

Joe was excited by the positive reaction of attendees to the research information. For them, the most striking part of the presentation was the charts illustrating the disparity of why people join Rotary and why they stay in Rotary. One of the Past District Governors said that volunteers may have sensed this before, but the research created clarity and thereby provided everyone with an opportunity to effectively address the issues in their regions.

Since charity starts at home, each of the attendees committed to being Rotary champions and strengthening Rotary starting first with their own clubs and going on to support districts and clubs in their region. They believe that if this data is shared with all club presidents, there will be stronger, more vibrant clubs throughout the zone.

Learn more about the Strengthening Rotary initiative by watching the recent webinar on the Regional Coordinators Vimeo page.

RC Mary Berge featured on Rotary Voices blog

Rotary Coordinator Mary Berge, a  member of the Rotary Club of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, USA was recently featured on the Rotary voices blog.  Mary writes:

“Did you know that people are more interested in the “why” than the “how?”

This applies strongly to Rotary membership. It’s far less interesting how you became a Rotarian than why you became, and why you remain, a Rotarian.

I became a Rotarian because of my innate character to give. I am, by nature, altruistic and I believe in doing the right thing (even when no one is looking). In a nut shell, I feel good when I’m helping others. I remain in Rotary because I feel good when I’m helping others.”

Read the full post, “The happier we are, the better we serve”.