by PDG Carl Treleaven
Welcome to a New Rotary Year and Our New Rotary President, Stephanie Urchick!
As we usher in a new Rotary year, we are excited to welcome Stephanie Urchick from the USA as our new Rotary President. Before diving into the plans for this year, I want to take a moment to express my gratitude to the many individuals who have helped RAGCED become a bigger and more effective organization. This includes our entire Board of Directors and our Executive Committee.
Special Thanks to Our Outgoing Board Members:
- Guillaume Bourgogne from France
- Khalid Hassan from Canada
- Ulhas Kolhatkar from India
- Kudzai Nyengerai from Zimbabwe
- Ershad Ahmed from Bangladesh
- Michael Parry from the United Kingdom
Over the past year, RAGCED has transitioned into a committee-driven organization. Establishing strong committees has been crucial to our progress. I wish to thank the following individuals for their contributions:
- Margaret Williamson, Immediate Past President and Head of Administration
- Gomathy T. Manickam, Secretary and Webmaster
- Jim Louttit, Treasurer and Chapters
- Rakesh Babuji, Communications and Public Image
- Nick Frankle, Operations
- Cristina Calaguian, Education
- Biswajit Ghosh, Partnerships
- Peter Verbeeck, Foundation
- Nilam Bedi, Wally Gardiner, Juliana Corredor, Nesta Hatendi, and Robin Steele, CADRE
Individually and collectively, these individuals, along with many others, have helped make RAGCED a more effective organization over the past Rotary year.
Looking Ahead:
With all these efforts, RAGCED is now in a better position to support President Stephanie Urchick in bringing to life “The Magic of Rotary,” the Presidential theme for 2024-25. President Stephanie encourages Rotarians to integrate the Rotary Action Plan into our activities, focusing on the Four Priority Pillars of the plan:
Priority One: Increase Our Impact
Our goal is for RAGCED to make a greater impact. We plan to achieve this by expanding our range of projects and services. Initially focused on microfinance, we now include the following areas related to community economic development:
- Village savings groups
- Vocational training
- Agricultural development
- Business incubation/acceleration
- Business coaching/capacity building
- Disaster preparation/planning
- Economic empowerment
- Scholarships
- Microfinance
- Impact investing
- Support services for other Rotary Action Groups
Projects in these areas will help us increase our impact.
Priority Two: Expand Our Reach
We aim to expand our reach through our expanded program offerings and by creating local chapters around the world. Local chapters enable greater engagement beyond just reading our publications and participating in webinars. Additionally, we are exploring ways to engage more directly with District International Service Committees (DISCs) and District Rotary Foundation Committees (DRFCs), serving as a resource for Community Economic Development projects.
Priority Three: Enhance Participant Engagement
To enhance participant engagement, we are improving our monthly newsletter, offering more webinars, and expanding our resource library for community economic development projects. Making these resources readily available will help plan and execute effective projects.
Priority Four: Increase Our Ability to Adapt
Increasing our ability to adapt is essential for thriving in a rapidly changing world. We believe expanding our range of services and improving service delivery to those who seek our help is crucial.
Rotarians worldwide are actively involved in poverty alleviation. The leadership of RAGCED believes investing in individuals, their businesses, and their communities is the most effective and sustainable way to alleviate poverty. By focusing on these four pillars, RAGCED will continue to grow and make a meaningful impact.