Friday, June 26, 2009

Demotion Party for Pannkaj Kummar

On June 6, the Irvine Spectrum Rotary club celebrated a wonderful year of Rotary with Pannkaj Kummar as their club's president (better known to club members as just “Kummar”). He did a great job of leading the club thorough these difficult times.

Club members had a grand time celebrating Kummar's demotion, feasting on club member Diane Braasch's delicious Indian foods and delighting on a ceremonial roast based on the popular “Slumdog Millionaire” game show…complete with incomprehensible questions and answers thought up by incoming president Gillian Bradshaw. The grand prize was a club donation in Kummar's name of 10,000 rupees to Polio Plus.

The Irvine Spectrum club continues to lead the District in per-capita giving of almost $500 per member, and is the second club in the District to achieve the coveted PH+1 status.

Club member Sean McDowell led the club’s effort to help sponsor a New Generation Club of younger folks who desire to improve their community through Rotary. They have met weekly since November and have been involved with many hands-on projects. They now have 14 members and will be chartered when they reach 20 members. Janet Wang led effort to start an Interact Club at Irvine’s Woodbridge High School.

Irvine Spectrum Rotary has grown by 4 members this year, and enjoys a weekly attendance of over 80%. The club supports a wide spectrum of community service projects such as providing dental checkups for kids entering school in Irvine; funding for research into cures for Cystic Fibrosis, Epilepsy, and Juvenile Diabetes; support for battered spouse shelters and homes for pregnant teens; the Irvine Senior Center; Working Wardrobes; RYLA and Reading by 9.

Internationally, Irvine Spectrum is participating with other District grants for fuel-efficient stoves to Central America, a school in Africa, musical instruments to Brazil and emergency equipment to Chile. This past year the club held it’s seventh and eighth international dental clinics in Ensenada, Mexico in conjunction with the Rotary Club of Ensenada Calafia.