Rotaract Auckland Changeover – embracing the future

Article by Chris Osborne - Rotaract Auckland President

When the Rotaract Club of Auckland realised that they had the opportunity to have their first in person changeover ceremony in a long time, they talked about what they wanted people to feel after the event. The incoming President shared a vision that they wanted to showcase the club as being a serious place within the Rotary space for fellowship and service, and was no longer just the ‘kids table’. But they also wanted to engage with the community and showcase what Rotary does, and how it is more than just a sign on the side of the road.

Plans were made, tasks were allocated and people rolled up their sleeves. Barak Obama was shortlisted as the speaker, but it turns out that he had a prior engagement. Back to the drawing table, and we decided, instead of telling people, what if we just show them? So, a grand vision was formed, how many rotary projects could we get into one room to show our community how we were there for them, and that they could be a part of something greater. In what became like one of those missile countdowns from one too many Hollywood movies, we had rooms full of people on their laptops, calling, texting, emailing and even a carrier pigeon (side note, he hasn’t returned, so if you see a pigeon who responds to Percy please tell him to come home). And boy did the projects respond. We had seven projects in the room, featuring:

• Emergency response kits: We had one there for you to see what goes into one and how they get packed

• End Polio Now: We saw how rotary have reduced polio rates by 99.9%, and learnt about the Polio All transit day happening on the 5th of November
• Rotary Foundation: We learnt about how you can access grants for Rotary projects to amplify your reach and impact.
• Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children (ROMAC): We met a ROMAC scholarship recipient who told us about the impact that ROMAC had on his life, and what he has done with the opportunity.
• Interplast: We learnt about how Rotary works to provide training and surgery over in the pacific
• Rotary Youth Programs: last but not least we learnt about RYLA and RYPEN
• Give Every Child a Future: We launched our clubs annual fundraiser in conjunction with Rotaract Oceania (which has raised almost $30k to date), as well as showcasing how the Zone’s centenary project, which partners with UNICEF, is making a such an impact.

There was great representation from Rotary, with not one but two District Governors there, Allan Smith and Matt Macleod, and we were honoured to find out that people had travelled from as far as Fiji to attend. Another highlight of the evening was when DG Allan Smith and incoming President Chris Osborne presented longstanding member Becky Giblin a PHF +2, for her work in the club, Rotaract Oceania MDIO (Multi District Information Organisation) and across the Zone advancing the profile of Rotaract.

If you missed out but want to learn more about how you (or someone you know) can become involved with Rotaract the easiest option is to like our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Rotaractaklcity, or email RotaractAKL@gmail.com