Vol 20 Number 26

SELAMAT PAGI

3 March 2012

From the Editor

March Literacy Month In 1985, Rotary declared basic literacy to be a pre-condition to the development of peace. Literacy has been described as the ability to read for knowledge and write coherently and think critically about the written word. In order to develop this ability one must not only be able to recognize letters and words, but to also make inferences, draw conclusions, understand cause and effect relationships, and other higher level skills. So its not just the ability to read and write, but also to understand, use and apply what you read, and to communicate effectively in writing. Statistics show that more than 900 million people cannot read or write in any language. 98% of the worlds illiterate live in developing countries. 130 million children at the primary level are not in school. But the problem is not only confined to the developing countries, almost 4 million adults in the USA cannot read, sign their names, or perform simple addition or subtraction and 30 million workers in the USA can read only minimally. One major statistic states that there is a clear direct correlation between illiteracy and crime, poverty as well as mortality. So, on a personal level, literacy is important for survival, and it is necessary for helping our children succeed in society. Illiteracy doesnt just affect those who are illiterate it affects our whole world.
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Presidents Message
March is Literacy and Rotoract Month. Which is quite timely actually, because only last night, Thursday 1st March our club signed an MOU with the Rotary Club of Seremban. I am very pleased to report that we had 10 members / representatives from RCBKS. Thank you to IPP Poay Lim, PP Graham (Incoming Chair for REF), PP Aravind, PE Ghaurry, Mike (Vocational Chair), PP Karen, PP Dr. Kong (REF Chair), PP Dr. Yee (Founding REF Chair), First lady Gerrie & yours truly.
With President Kesh, DG Dr Ravee So how did the journey to this MOU and PP Kong begin? Do you remember back at our th second assembly October 8 2011, DG Dr. Ravee and District Secretary Dr. Paul were invited to our club. During the DGd closing statements he expressed a wish that the REF might be expanded as a worthy project to some other clubs as a ready made project. Our reaction was typically humble, I guess we were not sure if the program was ready to roll out and might other clubs be sensitive to a marketing push however delicate our approach? Well it was decided to invite 2 clubs to attend our Mentors Workshop to be held on 8th Jan. 2012. President Keshminder Singh from RC Seremban (Typically known as Kesh), joined us and was immediately engaged by the activities, the shared experience of mentors, and the speakers supporting this workshop. And so it was that Kesh, suitably enthused returned to share his experience with his club, and leading to their request that we assist them to take on this program to help teenagers in their area (A proposal unanimously approved in their club meeting). We can never wait for a Perfect Program, as it is evolving all the time, however it is clear that sometimes the timing just feels right, the planets are aligned, the energy is suddenly present and stuff seemingly just happens. So from identifying a real need in education & youth development in 2010, to building the program as an interconnected project across all avenues of service, to sharing our progress with the DG, to inviting 2 clubs to the mentoring workshop, to establishing a REF manual/ user guide, to receiving a request to work with another club, to signing the MOU, the linkage through the current chair with District, DR. Kong, the DG & District Secretary both from Seremban, and finally to the partnership that has now been ratified through MOU between RCBKS and the oldest Chartered club in Malaysia, RC Seremban.

This is a very proud moment for me, and I was truly humbled to say a few words at the ceremony. This will be one of my golden memories during my term as president and will join all the others that have been steadily accumulating this Rotary year.
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ATTENDANCE
Guests: Junie Yeoh, guest of Kong Ann Mun Yee, guest of Yoke Leong Allen Yong, SMK Bandar Utama Shafinaz, My Kasih Jeff Perera, My Kasih Volunteer mentors Lee Hooi Cheng Nancy Ong Kevin Wong Attendance: 52% Fines: $14.00

Presentation to New REF Awardees

Last week, 6 REF awardees were given their certificates by President Steve. The awardees were given financial assistance of RM150 per month. The students can spend the amount on school fees, transport to school, canteen food, tuition, school uniform, books and other education related expenses. This occasion also marked the first time the new REF pledge was read by awardees. The awardees that took the pledge were:

Announcements
- The 78th District Assembly will be held in Syuen Hotel, Ipoh from 30 March to 1 April 2012. The new Board of Directors are encouraged to register. - There will be a visit to RC Seremban on 1 March 2012. The guest speaker is PP Yoke Leong on REF. - The regular club meeting on 3 March 2012 will be held at the Royal Commonwealth Club at 7.30am. - The club will be assisting in registration for RYLA which will be organised by Rotary clubs in Group 7. Date to be confirm next week.

1. 2. 3. 4. 6.

Heng Ren Hau - SMK Subang Utama (Form 4) Jaasjit Kaur D/O Harpal Singh - SMK Bukit Bandaraya (Form 4) Letchumanan S/O Anbalagan - SMK Bandar Utama (Form 3) Esther Chong Yan Wei - SMK Damansara (Form 4) Lam Kar Mun - SMK Taman SEA (Form 4)

Reading the pledge The awardess with their parents

President's Message
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LAST WEEK'S SPEAKER

PP Paul Lam on 'China Today'
The journey is of course just starting for RC Seremban, lets help to give them the best possible chance of making it a success, and surely others will follow. To our club and the REF team, please give yourselves a big pat on the back, congratulations and may you continue to delivery on this cause. PS, I will generally avoid at all possible cost the role of Secretary, however such is my enthusiasm to get more involved in REF that I have the privilege of being SecreSecrat.Sec..im sorry I still have trouble saying this word!!! For REF next year. Gerriehelp! Yours in Rotary President Steve (Please watch out for the RYLA dates & Please make a contribution to RI in March).

From the Editor

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Words to Grow By
"Rotarians are and must be people of a certain caliber, people with the capacity to do great deeds, the sense to do them wisely and the strenght of character to do them honestly and well. - Past RI President John Kenny

Literacy is essential for eradicating poverty, reducing child mortality, curbing population growth, achieving gender equality and ensuring sustainable development, peace and democracy and so much more. Our clubs project on literacy includes the supply of reading materials to the school in Siem Reap led by PP Fang Keong, and locally, the assessment and tuition of the kids from Carey Island led by IPP Poay Lim and PP Graham. With Best Wishes Sunny Khoo, PP

Today's Programme
Rtn Peter Hill 'My Travelogue'

NEXT CHANGE
10 March(Sat) 7.30am Youth Leadership Camp briefing 17 March(Sat) 7.30am Speaker: Azlan Adnan Topic: The Enviroment and Our Collective Future 24 March(Sat) 7.30am Speaker: CP Nagalingam Topic: Journey to the Centre of the Universe - Mount Kailash

Rotary Information
D id you know that Rotary founder Paul Harris wasnt the first president of a Rotary club?
That distinction is actually held by Harriss friend Silvester Schiele, who served as the first president of the Rotary Club of Chicago. Harris deferred his club leadership duties until February 1907, when he was elected the third president of the Chicago club. Club firsts On 23 February 1905, Paul P. Harris, Gustavus Loehr, Silvester Schiele, and Hiram E. Shorey gathered in Chicago for what would become known as the first Rotary club meeting. A second club was formed in San Francisco in 1908, and soon after, clubs began to pop up across North America. On 1 August 1912, the Rotary Club of London became the first club chartered outside of North America. The Rotary Club of Dublin, Ireland, had been organized earlier, but didnt receive its charter until 1 May 1913. Presidential firsts Paul Harris was elected as first president of the National Association of Rotary Clubs (which later became Rotary International) in 1910, and is the only president to have served two terms. Other firsts: Canadian E. Leslie Pidgeon (1917-18) was the first Rotary president from outside the United States, Sydney W. Pascall (1931-32) was the first from Great Britain, and Maurice Duperrey (1937-38) was the first from continental Europe. Foundation firsts In 1929, The Rotary Foundation gave its first gift, US$500, to the International Society for Crippled Children (later Easter Seals), which was founded in 1921 by Rotarian Edgar F. Allen, of the Rotary Club of Elyria, Ohio, USA. Paul Harris Fellow recognition was established in 1957 to show appreciation for contributions, and to encourage substantial ones, to what was then the Foundations only program: Rotary Foundation Fellowships for Advanced Study, the precursor to Ambassadorial Scholarships. Today, the recognition acknowledges individuals who contribute, or who have contributions made in their name, $1,000 to The Rotary Foundation. Convention facts Edinburgh, Scotland, hosted the first convention outside North America in June 1921. Rotarys first convention in Asia was held in Tokyo in 1961. Among the recordsetting 23,366 paid and unpaid registrants was the emperor of Japan. The largest convention to date, based on the number of paid registrants, was the Rotary centennial convention, held in Chicago in 2005.

CALENDAR of EVENTS
3rd Youth Leadership Camp Date: 13 - 15 March 2012 Venue: Casa Rachado, Port Dickson 78 th District Assembly Date; 30 March - 1 April 2012 Venue: Syuen Hotel, Ipoh REF Study Techniques Workhop Date: 7 April 2012

March Celebrations
Happy Birthday Siew Hwa Jeremy Ghaurry Willa Sanjay 16 March 18 March 25 March 27 March 29 March

Happy Anniversary Sunny & Michelle 28 March

Duty Roster
3 March (Vocational Service) Sargeant-at-arms Desk Duty Introducer Thank Speaker Fines Frankie Mike Steve Siew Hwa

10 March ( Community Service) Sargeant-at-arms Desk Duty Introducer Thank Speaker Fines Sanjay Karen Aravind

Visit our website @ www. rcbks.org. my

Board of Directors 2011/12

President Steve Robinson 016-2253777 President Elect Ghaurry 23003757(O) Immediate Past President Tan Poay Lim Vice President James Cheong Honorary Secretary PP Graham Bennett 012-2918619 Honorary Treasurer Angie Ng Club Administration PP Karen Chong Service Projects The Rotary Foundation PP Jeremy Ng Membership Development Chin Teng Yoong REF Chairman PP Dr Kong Voon Sin Sargeant-at-arms PP Frances Po Bulletin Editor - Sunny Vocational Service Chair - Mike Community Service Chair -Dr Yee International Service Chair Fang Keong New Generation Chair - Susan

Around the Rotary World

Theme of the Day: Water for cities: responding to the urban challenge
The objective of World Water Day 2012 is to focus international attention on the impact on urban water systems of factors such as rapid urban population growth, industrializa-tion, conflicts natural disasters and the uncertainties caused by climate change.
Young girls fetch water at a

This years theme, Water for cities: communal water pump responding to the urban challenge, aims to spotlight and encourage governments, organizations, communities, and individuals to actively engage in addressing water quality through urban water management. International World Water Day is held annually on 22 March as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. Each year, World Water Day highlights a specific aspect of freshwater.

District 3300
District Governor Dr Raveendra 06-764 7766(O) ravee10067@gmail.com Assistant Governor Siti Subaidah 012-212 9933 sitisubaidah@rccd.org.my Rotary Clubs in Group 7 Bandar Sunway Bukit Kiara Sunrise Central Damansara Pantai Valley Tropicana Damansara

Sister Clubs
RC Bugis Junction [D 3310] Saturday, 08:00 am Hotel Inter-Continental 80 Middle Road, Singapore RC Chiangmai Thinthaingam[D 3360] Thursday, 12.00 noon International Center Chiangmai University, Thailand RC Chungli Chung Shing [D 3500] Thursday, 12.00 noon No 4, Ln 10, Gwo-Ti Street Chungli, Taiwan

Bulletin Committee
Sunny (Editor) Karen (Production) Angie (Speakers Programme)