Austin Rotaractors donate to TRF
Diwali is a time for celebration and also a great time to raise funds for good causes,” says Deepika Sharma, president, RAC Austin Institute, RID 3070, who spearheaded a fundraising programme that raised ₹23,000 “for a club project and to donate to TRF”.
The inspiration to give to TRF came from DG Upinder Singh Ghai. “He informed us that 90.8 per cent of the donations go straight to supporting service projects. Our donations no matter how big or small, he pointed out, are used to train future peacemakers, support clean water, and strengthen local economies.”
The Rotaractors, armed with with paintbrushes, acrylic and glitter, painted close to 500 diyas which were put out for sale by Rotary clubs in Jalandhar, Punjab. “We sourced the lamps from local vendors at a reasonable price, painted them artistically and gift wrapped them,” says Deepika. Some of the diyas were home delivered by the Rotaractors while a few were picked up by people who visited the stall at the Austin Airhostess Training Institute, Jalandhar. Before the Diwali holidays began the diyas were all sold out and “we raised ₹23,000 and were thrilled!”
A cheque of $101 (₹7,500) was handed over to DG Ghai as a donation to TRF and the remaining money was used to buy warm clothes for underprivileged families. “We are proud to have given to the Foundation. It may not be much if you look at it from a Rotarian’s perspective. But for us Rotaractors, this is remarkable and is the first step towards the journey of giving to the Foundation,” she smiles.
