In being part of an international organization made up of 1.2 million members and 34,000 community-based service clubs, it sometimes feels like the more you learn about Rotary, the more there is to know. There are so many facets and programs within Rotary that I am always discovering new and exciting aspects of the organization and the good work they, or should I say “we”, are doing.
Today I had the pleasure of being invited to speak at a Rotary Inner Wheel Club. Before 1989, membership in Rotary was not open to women, so they formed an alternative and met in Inner Wheel Clubs. Membership is open to wives, sisters, mothers, and daughters of Rotary and Rotaract members. Even though women are now allowed to join Rotary, Inner Wheel Clubs are still very active and some women are members of both a Rotary Club and an Inner Wheel Club.
This afternoon I presented to the Inner Wheel Club of Kuala Lumpur. It was an honor to stand in front of a group of such strong and active women. I have only interacted with a few Inner Wheel women before, but they tend to be a very fun bunch. After the meeting, this group in particular, was practicing some dance moves for a performance they are going to give at the Inner Wheel District Conference in late March J
In attendance at the meeting was one of the clubs honorary members, Tengku Puteri Puan Sri Datin Seri Norzehan, also known as the Princess of Selangor. She is sister to the Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafud-din Idris Shah. It was an privilege to meet her and hear about all her charity work, including that with the Make-A-Wish Foundation in which she recently gave a seven year old little girl a very wonderful gift, she made her “princess for a day”. The girl was even able to visit the palace and have lunch and a tea party.
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| The Princess and I |
On another note, I thought I’d share Malaysian Rotarians love for….cake. Yup, that’s right, not only have I definitely not lost weight since coming to Malaysia because of the traditional food delights of the country, but in addition it seems that at every single Rotary meeting I attend, there always seems to be a cake at the end. This is mostly because Rotary Clubs are very good at recognizing and celebrating the birthdays and anniversaries of their members’. In between those celebrations (usually the first meeting of the month), there are other anniversaries to celebrate such as the date the club was chartered, and significant Rotary Foundation dates. So all this adds up to lots and lots of cakes and calories. Believe me, they never let you escape without at least one piece of cake in your tummy. Oh well, hopefully those calories will evaporate into the Himalayas on my upcoming trek to the Mt. Everest Base Camp!
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| It was particularly refreshing to visit the Inner Wheel Club after presenting to a group of all males the night before at a joint meeting of RC Subang and RC USJ. Can you pick me out? Look for the earrings, haha. With short hair and a blazer I blend in! |
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| Rotarians and their cake! |
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| Inner Wheel ladies and their cake! |
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| A cake that we ended up with after a Rotary meeting. It took us a while to finish it :) |
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