LCP Gerald Sergio
“No one has ever become poor by giving” – Anne Frank
In The Rotary Foundation, we give so that the foundation can give it to others in need. Our club has been an EREY club for a long period of time, some are Major Donors, Paul Harris Fellows, sustaining Paul Harris Fellows and Benefactors. By encouraging members to donate to the foundation, we are helping not only the cause of Rotary through its 7 areas of focus but also those to whom the foundation spends its precious contributions.
We Filipinos are fond of giving even if we do not have much for ourselves. Seeing people who are not well-off in life share little things that they have is more attractive than those who are wealthy but share less. Nobody gets poor by giving as it always returns a hundredfold.
The latest that our club was able to share through our district grant is a multi-purpose printer, bottles of ink and reams of bond paper which we entitled “Tulong Edukasyon”. We chose to share the grant to Ramona S. Tirona Memorial School which has almost 1,000 students who will benefit from the project. The same was blissfully accepted by the school principal, Ana Grace Mayuga Filio, who intimated her utmost appreciation to Rotary and its kind deeds.
Being a professor myself, I am inclined to focus and spend the grant on Basic Education and Literacy programs. The hardships that our learners are facing now due to the present situation is incomparable to any problem they may have. More so, the supply for their continued quality education was insufficient, hence, the need to augment from private sectors and non-government organizations.
As the famous children song says, “sharing is caring”, let us show that we care by sharing little things that we have. When we share, we are showing our human side, expressed not only by through tangible things but also through intangible ones.
Rotarians’ contributions to the foundation when combined will make a huge impact to the community. An impact showing change in their way of life, their feeling of belongingness and most importantly, making them feel that they are important and not neglected.