District Foundation Committee 2022-2023

By PDG Belinda Yeung, JP, Rotary Club of Hong Kong Harbour

The Rotary Foundation helps Rotary members to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace by improving health, providing quality education, improving the environment, and alleviating poverty.

The Rotary Foundation enables Rotarians to invest in people by creating sustainable, measurable and long term economic improvements in their communities and livelihoods by :
1. Building the capacity of entrepreneurs, community leaders, local organizations, and community networks to support economic development in impoverished communities;

2. Developing opportunities for productive work;

3. Reducing poverty in under-served communities;

4. Supporting studies for career-minded professionals related to economic and community development.

The Rotary Foundation transforms your gifts into service projects that change lives both close to home and around the world.

Since it was founded more than 100 years ago, the Foundation has spent more than $4 billion on life-changing, sustainable projects.

With your help, we can make lives better in your community and around the world.

END POLIO WALK (HONG KONG)

This year’s End Polio Now Walk was held on October 22, 2022.

The purpose of the End Polio Now Walk is to bring awareness to polio eradication. The current PolioPlus Funds raised in this Rotary Year is US$118,885. In the month of October, Rotarians in D3450 fundraised US$59,720 (HKD 464,621) Thank you Rotarians!

Each Rotary Club was encouraged to form their own team, own time and place for the charity walk. The meeting point was at Cyberport. The End Polio Now Carnival was held in the afternoon.

A total of 66 Rotary clubs participated with an attendance of over 700 people. In this year’s End Polio Walk, Rotarians could bring their dogs, so there were 100 dogs joining the walk too. The Carnival was vibrant and filled with good cheer. There were several booths that had a variety of games, arts and handicrafts. It was a memorable day for all. See you next year!

END POLIO WALK (MACAU)

Eight Rotary clubs in Macao turn their fundraising efforts to End Polio up a notch this year, with a public-facing charity run and walk in the morning and a large-scale World’s Greatest Meal to Help End Polio charity dinner in the evening of 22 October.

The Kick—Off ceremony was officiated by Macau SAR Sports Bureau President Pun Weng Kun. In total, around 400 walkers and runners from Rotary and local communities joined, including 145 Rotarians, Rotaractors,  Interactors, Alumni and families.

“So far the Macao public has really responded well,” says President William Tang of the Rotary Club of Hou Kuong, who chairs the Organizing Committee for this year’s End Polio Now campaign.

“We’ve received 400 registrations to our Charity Run & Walk and we are happy to see the public joining Rotarians in this meaningful inclusive event. This is exactly what we were hoping to achieve. End Polio is a long-running cause championed by Rotarians everywhere. To eradicate it from the world requires more public awareness and involvement beyond Rotarians.” – President William Tang, Organising Chair, End Polio Now Campaign.

The evening fundraising program was a Halloween-themed charity dinner called “The World’s Greatest Meal to Help End Polio” (WGM) at Tromba Rija, Macau Tower.

END POLIO WALK (MONGOLIA)

DEAR FELLOW ROTARIANS! DEAR ROTARY FRIENDS!

Thank you all of you, Dear Rotarians, Rotaractors, Interactors, Rotary Friends for joining us for this important event – END POLIO WALK.

We, all 3 generations of Mongolia Rotary family have gathered here today to support and end polio.  In Mongolia, 18 Rotary clubs, 14 Rotaract clubs and Interact clubs participated in this End Polio Walk that was held on October 22nd 2022. Here is our video recap of this wonderful meaningful event.

Our Dream to end Polio is very close, so this End Polio Walk was a special event for everyone attending. We here are passionate about supporting and donating to the Rotary Foundation.

Thank you very much again who donated and who are walking with us. Thank you RC Khuree for organising this event!

Yours in Rotary,

AG Kema .& AG Galaa

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Interview with

Rotary Endowment Fund Donor – PP Ares Leung

Interview with PP Ares Leung, Rotary Club of Peninsula South

Conducted by PP Maki Wan, Rotary Club of Golden Mile

PP Ares Leung joined Rotary in 1992 as a charter member of the Rotary Club of Peninsula South. PP Ares served as Club President in 1994-95 and 2020-21. He is a clinician cum administrator. The office of PP Ares has delivered 3 million PCR tests, 1.3 million vaccinations, and care for many isolation beds in the work against COVID-19.

PP Ares recently donated US$25,000 to the Rotary Foundation Endowment. We interviewed PP Ares to know his thoughts about Rotary and Rotary Foundation.

Question: What are you most proud of in your life?

PP Ares:
I am a lucky man. Although I had worked very hard in life (everyone is diligent), my work is generally recognized.

I was an innovator of minimally invasive operations when I was young & medical administration on my maturation. I built institutions and I lead professional teams. I am not very rich but I am not poor either. I am the only private ob-gyn doctor allowed to lead our professional college as President so far. I also defeated an attempt by an international mutual fund to treat HK doctors unreasonably.

At age 62, I have 2 enviable children, one is a specialist doctor and another is a professional teacher, and my wife and I have 4 adorable grandchildren. Yet, the biggest source of pride is my wife, who has accompanied me unfailingly since she was a girl.

Question: What do you love about being a Rotarian? What is the most rewarding aspect of being a Rotarian?

PP Ares:
Rotary is a place where we have fellowship across walks of life, without material, professional or any other domain to have conflict. Rotarians do not wear their usual workplace armor and may show good virtues in all sorts of service.

Question: What inspired you to give your first donation to Rotary? How does giving to The Rotary Foundation enhance your experience with Rotary?

PP Ares:

If I remembered it right, I donated as a matter of willingness since I was rather new in Rotary. Although I did not commit to the annual donation formally, the pace galloped up.

I did start a tradition in my club that the Club President donates a PHF to a club member, and all club members donate a small amount to enter a lottery for that PHF. In this way, our club donates another PHF each year (therefore at least 2 PHF from our club each year). As a Rotarian, one of the treasured virtues is to give.  It feels good to share what we have, with the needy.  And we are just too sure that the money is spent sensibly by the Rotary Foundation.

Question:  What inspired you to become a Major Donor Level 3?

PP Ares:

The Level 1 donor status came naturally when I accumulated donations.

The Level 2 was attained to support PDG Peter Pang, who is my dear buddy at work. 

I reached Level 3 in support of PDG YC Ho. People may not know, but around 1997, 2 best friends YC and I worked nights after nights, operations after operations together. He is a urologist and surgeon, and I am an ob-gyn.

Question: What inspired you to donate to the Rotary Endowment Fund, what’s important to you?

PP Ares:

I read up about mechanisms of recognition from TRF when I was Club President for the second time.

This recognition seemed not very widely understood by Rotarians of HK.

In fact, I did not know of anyone doing it. To many people, it is a significant donation (US$ 25,000 upwards). So it is not to be taken lightly. Yet, it is not as big a hit as attaining a Level 3 or 4 Major Donor status. So it is not usually considered. What is more, the donor does not really ‘control’ something of the fund at the entry-level (I remember that something more is reported to the donor when it is 150,000 or 250,000 US dollars). So it seemed worthwhile to try doing something along the line, instead of jumping from Level 3 to Level 4 Major Donor status in 1 go.

Then I wanted to test how flexible TRF accepts the naming. So I discussed with my dear wife and we considered naming a fund under my 3 grandchildren, Kardia, Shema, and Elyon (4, 3 and 2 years old respectively). When they grow up, hopefully they will see a personal demonstration that giving is a blessing. It is a demonstration of the caring virtue of our family, hopefully more convincing than words such as ‘we have to share’ or ‘we love others’. I have told PDG Belinda that I may donate another fund when my daughter delivers her second baby, or go a more usually understandable way in name of my brain baby: my flagship clinical practice.

Question: What impact do you hope your donation will have on society or future generations?

PP Ares:

I hope that my donation goes into support of peace. In this world full of conflicts, peace may be the most important for my grandchildren.

Question: When you think about The Rotary Foundation’s future, what are you most excited about?

PP Ares:

Rotary is a great organization and a major source of support for humanity. Soon (hopefully) poliomyelitis will be history, with a big contribution from TRF, and Rotarians deserve to be proud of it. With Covid battering the world, donations are difficult to solicit. TRF will shine, and meet the need of many people.

Question: Do you have any advice/messages to share?

PP Ares:

I am a lucky person, to be recognized in life, to be able to give, and to be a Rotarian.

I have done a small bit to donate the endowment fund. I hope it stimulates consideration from fellow Rotarians on the way to donate. For example, a Level 1 Major Donor may donate an endowment and surpass Level 2. A very successful Rotarian may donate a fund in honor of the parents, anniversary of the engagement (I usually celebrate the engagement more than the wedding, because that is the first point of commitment), or Nth anniversary of his flagship business.  I have demonstrated that TRF is really flexible in accepting causes and names.

Thank you so much PP Ares for your heart to serve. You are a truly living Service Above Self! Thank you for supporting Rotary Foundation

Mark Your Diary

26 November 2022 – District Rotary Foundation Seminar