The joy and rewards of giving and serving

 

 

Arch C. Klumph Society inductees:
1) Rajashree Birla stands next to a picture of herself with her late husband, Aditya Birla.
2) Vinay and Rashmi Kulkarni
3) A photo of Everett and Ellen Mayhood
4) Paul N. Geisel
Rotary photos/Monika Lozinska-Lee

Several Rotarians gathered to remember, honor, and celebrate a strong commitment to Rotary during the 23 April induction ceremony of the Arch C. Klumph Society . During the ceremony, one of the inductees announced an additional US$1 million contribution for Rotary's US$100 Million Challenge .

The induction ceremonies, which were held at Rotary International Headquarters in Evanston, Illinois, paid homage to three couples and one individual for their accumulative contributions of more than $250,000 to The Rotary Foundation and Rotary International. The inductees received an Arch C. Klumph Society certificate of appreciation, and their portrait was installed in the Arch C. Klumph Gallery.

Rajashree and Aditya Birla
As an honorary Rotarian of two Rotary clubs, Rajashree Birla from Mumbai, India, says she feels a strong kinship with Rotary because its humanitarian work echoes the values of the Birla family, who has a long history of philanthropy and humanitarian work through the Aditya Birla Foundation, named in memory of her husband. During her speech, Birla reinforced her family’s exceptional philanthropic legacy with a surprise announcement she would commit an additional $1 million to Rotary's US$100 Million Challenge.

Vinay and Rashmi Kulkarni
A man of many great deeds, Vinay D. Kulkarni leads by example. Rotarian Rashmi V. Kulkarni says the day her husband became governor of District 3130 he gave $250,000 to Rotary.

“As governor of my district, it is my duty to make dreams real,” says Vinay D. Kulkarni of Pune Parvati, Maharashhtra, India. “If you want to be happy, make others happy.”

Everett and Ellen Mayhood
Being in the presence of Rotarians and giving to others was near the top of Everett S. Mayhood’s list. He missed one or two Rotary club meetings and vowed never to miss another. Mayhood actively served more than 40 years as a member of the Rotary Club of Calgary, Alberta, Canada (District 5360) and the Rotary Club of Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii (District 5000).

Fellow Rotarians, family, and friends recall Mayhood as a man who had a head for business and a heart for Rotary.

“My brother loved Rotary. It was family to him,” says William Mayhood of the Hayward Sunset Rotary Club in Haywood, California. “And Ellen [Everett’s wife] loved it just as much as Everett.”

William spoke on behalf of his deceased brother and sister-in-law. 

Paul N. Geisel
Some describe Past District Governor Paul N. Geisel, of Arlington, Texas, as a walking PR instrument for Rotary. That, however, only touches on his strong belief in philanthropy.

Geisel talked about how his son’s car accident reinforced his desire to help others. After the accident, Geisel spent several weeks in the intensive care unit of a public hospital. He describes the unit as dirty, dingy, and awful. After his son died, he decided to rebuild the waiting room, put in grief counselors, and make it “a place where people could have a human experience,” says Geisel.

“The people we help are real. This is not an abstraction. That’s why I give money. Somebody real is out there, somebody whose dignity is threatened, whose life is challenged. That’s why we’re here. The continuation of all this is very important. We need to support the Foundation and make the Permanent Fund grow,” says Geisel.

Jenny Llakmani and Joseph Derr contributed to this report.