Message From President Yurdakul

Dear Fellows and Friends,

After a very busy Rotary year, the time has come and my year of presidency has started already...

On behalf of the all club members, I would like to thank our Immediate Past President Stewart once again for taking the responsibility of the Club President in year 2011/12 and taking us through the challenging year very successfully.

Last year, as a result of a great team effort, we have restructured our club, increased our membership, regained our charitable status, become a socially active club, established contact with the theatre community and created a theatre fundraising event together with our Rotaract Club.

Developing Rotaract relations is one of my top priorities this year. We will be running multiple projects/activities with our Rotaract club including ROTARYACT, Rotary Next Step and Swimarathon. Our connection with this lively club has recently increased significantly. I hope more of our members will take part in their activities this year and make our connection even stronger. I would also love to hear our members referring the clubs as Our Rotary/Our Rotaract Club more often. It is a usual practice in many other countries for members calling connected Rotary/Rotaract clubs as their own club. I think it is time for us to adopt this concept.

One thing we need to work on as Rotary Club of Westminster East is creating new fundraising ideas. We have a target set in our budget to support Pimlico Puffins, Soho Lunch Club and to participate at the International Smiling Children Festival. It is now time to raise funds and achieve our aims.

Another thing is increasing our membership.  Our member should seek potential and suitable members in their friend circles. We are currently attracting potential members as a result of our activities and the support we receive from our Rotaract Club. However, we all need to take actions and contribute Membership Committee’s efforts. I am confident that with the positive energy we have, we will be able to achieve even greater things this year and in the years ahead.

We will welcome and discuss any ideas proposed by our members or friends, we will not hesitate to take actions and we will continue to make “impossible” things possible! By being a socially active, friendly club, with the ideas/projects we have, we will continue to shine in our district and elsewhere...

This year’s RI theme is “Peace through Service”. I cannot think of any other organisation that can deliver this better than Rotary. I would like to share something with you that I have recently read (please find it below). I think it explains it all...

I wish all of you a great Rotary Year, full of fellowship and happiness.

May God help us to succeed in our work and service!

Yours in Rotary,

Yurdakul Celebi

President 2012-2013

Rotary Club of Westminster East

Peace Through ServiceTheme of Rotary International 2012-2013

President Sakuji Tanaka

Every time we bring water to those without,

Every time we provide an opportunity for literacy,

Every time we give another child polio drops,

Every time we do what Rotarians do,

We are creating the basic conditions needed for Peace.

Peace is not just the absence of war, it is also feeling safe,

Having enough food to feed your family,

Having an opportunity to get an education,

Being able to thrive without being handicapped by avoidable diseases.

Peace captures in one word, in one focus, the concept of

"Service Above Self" and centers each and every Rotarian on

Peace Through Service

WELCOME PEACEMAKERS