Bonding through music
With the aim to develop bonding among district Rotaractors and create awareness about Rotaract in the commcuity, RAC MMK College, RID 3141, hosted a one-day fellowship event called Zillion Stories at the De’ Monte Park, Bandra, in April. “It was basically a youth festival in which we had over 1,200 footfalls. We had put around 30 food stalls in the morning at the venue, followed by a light music concert in the evening. As it was open to the public, we put up banners and posters to create awareness about Rotaract to people of different age groups at the event which served as a bridge between us and the society,” says Leander Fonseca, club secretary.
A popular youth club at the Smt Mithibai Motiram Kundnani (MMK) College, Bandra, that offers UG, PG courses in commerce and economic streams, “we are a three-year old organisation with 55 members. Project Aasha is being done a few days ahead of Children’s Day, for which we identify a slum area or an underdeveloped locality in Mumbai and distribute sparingly-used clothes, books, stationery, toys and blankets to the families. This year, we visited a government primary school at Kasara Ghat, a city suburb, and distributed all the useful items to 60 children,” he explains. Further, they donated groceries to the institute for preparing noon meal for their students.
An ORS (oral rehydration solution) camp was held in partnership with RAC Medicrew at the K B Bhabha Hospital. The Rotaractors distributed ORS sachets to over 50 patients and their attendants, and “told them the importance of being hydrated, especially during illness, to sustain their well-being.” At the second edition of Raktdaan, around 85 units of blood was collected and donated to the Breach Candy Hospital.
The club has a graded membership with three sets of fee packages. In the first package, out of ₹650 per head, ₹400 goes to RI dues, ₹100 to the district fund and the rest, ₹150 is used for service projects. For the ₹900 package, while the amounts are same for RI and district dues, ₹400 is set aside for projects that includes ₹200 for club t-shirt; and in the top segment, out of ₹1,500 per head, 1,000 is used for projects including ₹200 for t-shirt. “We hold a club meeting for all members and a board meeting for 12 office-bearers in a month. At the board meet, we usually have brainstorming sessions to chalk out future programmes,” says Fonseca. Recalling his two-year Rotaract journey, the student of BMS (Bachelor of Management Studies) says, “this is nothing short of a wonderful experience for me. I have gained in leadership and management skills, and have the confidence now to take up new challenges in life.”
Their parent Rotary, RC Mumbai Iconic extends monetary support as well as guidance in securing resources for Rotaract projects, events and fundraisers. Explaining her objectives, club president Shweta Chaube says, “I had a set of goals at the start of the Rotary new year which I had accomplished with the support of my board members.”
