Happy holidays from Rotary Service Connections

By: the Rotary Service Connections team, RI Programs staff

The holiday season reminds us to take time and enjoy our loved ones while extending a warm smile and helping hand to neighbors with fewer resources. In addition to undertaking countless projects throughout the year, many clubs and districts organize special activities to help spread holiday cheer. From hosting food drives to serving hot meals to purchasing presents off a wish list, our Rotary family brightens this season:

In October 2013, the Rotary Club of Mumbai Lakers, India, hosted a Diwali celebration for children with special needs at the MBA Foundation Powai Centre. The children sang and danced with the Rotary members while enjoying magic tricks and a special lights show.

The Rotary Club of Amman Petra, Jordan, and the Rotaract Club of Amman West, Jordan, worked together on Packages on Wheels, a service project through which 360 packages of food were distributed to low-income families throughout the month of Ramadan (July to August 2013).

Since 2007, the Rotary Club of Metro Roxas, Philippines, partners annually with Smiles, a local non-profit organization, to send Santa Claus on visits to local hospitals, malls, schools, and public events and distribute books, toys, and school materials to families experiencing financial hardships. Read more about this project.

If your club is still looking for a project to support this holiday season, visit ideas.rotary.org, our crowdsourcing tool created to help clubs find partners for their projects. More than 35 projects are currently posted and seeking support. Here are a few examples:

The Rotary Club of Bali Lovina, Indonesia, is raising funds to rebuild a kindergarten school in a permanent location.
Two South African clubs, the Rotary Club of Johannesburg New Dawn and the Rotary Club of Morningside, are jointly hosting the annual ultra-cycle tour in April 2014. The nine day tour aims to spread awareness about Rotary’s humanitarian work while raising funds to build multipurpose sports fields at various schools around South Africa.

With heartfelt gratitude for all your contributions towards improving communities near and far, happy holidays and best wishes for a healthy, happy, and successful new year.