Rotary Club of Pattaya to Foundation event in Bangkok
Rotary Club of Pattaya took part in the big 4-district event in the Intercontinental Hotel in Bangkok March 10 celebrating The Rotary Foundation.
Around 200 Rotarians from all of Thailand had the pleasure to welcome former Rotary International (RI) president Mark Daniel Maloney as keynote speaker.
A Rotarian since 1980 from Decatur in Alabama, USA, Maloney has served as an RI director, Foundation trustee and vice chair, and aide to 2003-04 RI President Jonathan Majiyagbe. He also has participated in the Council on Legislation as chair, vice chair, parliamentarian, and trainer. Maloney was RI president 2019-2020.
He was accompanied by his wife Gay Maloney who is a member and past president of the Rotary Club of Decatur Daybreak. Both Mark and Gay are Paul Harris Fellows and Bequest Society members.
Mark gave an update of the decades long Rotary focus on eradicating polio. On a global scale polio is now 99,9 eradicated, only existing in parts of Pakistan and a few pockets in Western Africa.
Among current large projects he mentioned a malaria-free Zambia in a project together with Bill Gates Foundation and a large scale water project in India.
Every year Rotary Foundation sets a goal for fundraising. In the 2024-2025 year it is 500 million US$ (16,8 billion Thai Baht). As of March 2025, the foundation is 98 million US$ (3,3 billion Bath) from the target.
During the meeting the districts presented some of their larger going projects. Among the most important were:
District 3330
(105 clubs – 2.356 members)
A malaria project and a center for dialysis.
District 3340:
(63 clubs – 1.309 members)
A stroke recovery and rehabilitation system.
District 3350:
(131 clubs – 3.158 members)
Projects for new farming systems that embrace food security, water management and income optimizing.
District 3360:
(66 clubs – 1.285 members)
Recycling of stumps from the rice-fields, and providing solar-cells and clean water projects for various schools.
The evening wrapped up with recognition of people who personally have donated substantial amounts to the Rotary Foundation. That included two members of The Arch Klumph Society who during their lifetime have donated at least $250.000. There was also one member of The Bequest Society donating $10.000 and a lot of Poul Harris fellows donations of $1.000
