Stories

Second Blood Drive on 21 April

Heritage E-Club and its sponsored Snart Rotaract Club are sponsoring their second Bllo Drive. on Sunday 21 April 2024. It will be held at the Smart Medical Care Center in Jamaica, NY from 10 am to 2:30 pm.

Registration is required to secure your slot for the drive. Please register by clicking on this link or scanning the QR code on the flyer on the left.

A Blood Collection Drive is crucial for saving lives for several reasons:

Emergency Situations: In times of emergencies such as accidents, natural disasters, or medical emergencies like surgeries, blood transfusions can be life-saving. Having an adequate supply of blood readily available ensures that patients receive the critical care they need without delay.
Medical Treatments: Many medical conditions, such as cancer, blood disorders, and chronic illnesses, require regular blood transfusions as part of their treatment. Without access to a sufficient blood supply, patients may face complications or setbacks in their recovery process.
Diverse Patient Needs: Different patients require specific blood types and components based on their medical conditions and compatibility. By regularly hosting blood drives, organizations can ensure a diverse and comprehensive blood inventory that meets the needs of a wide range of patients.
Unforeseen Circumstances: Blood supply can quickly deplete due to unforeseen circumstances such as sudden spikes in demand, seasonal fluctuations, or public health crises. Hosting regular blood drives helps maintain a consistent and reliable blood inventory to address such situations promptly.
Community Support: Blood drives serve as a tangible way for communities to come together and support one another. By donating blood, individuals can directly contribute to saving lives within their community and beyond, fostering a sense of solidarity and goodwill.
Public Health Preparedness: Adequate blood supply is an essential component of public health preparedness. By proactively hosting blood collection drives, organizations contribute to strengthening the healthcare system's resilience and ability to respond effectively to health crises and emergencies.

Overall, blood collection drives play a pivotal role in ensuring access to safe and timely blood transfusions for patients in need, ultimately saving countless lives and improving health outcomes for individuals and communities alike.

President Maksud Chowdhury Selected to head District in 2026-27

DG Rev. Dr. J. Loren Russell has announced that Dr. Maksud Chowdhury, President of the Rotary E-Club of Heritage, NY has been selected by the District Nominating Committee to be the District Governor for 2026-27. Dr. Chowdhury will immediately become the District Governor Nominee Designee (DGND). On 1 July this year, he will become the District Governor Nominee (DGN), transitioning to District Governor-Elect (DGE) on 1 July 2025. He will officially take over as District Governor on 1 July 2026, succeeding Garrett Capobianco.

Dr. Chowdhury is a pediatrician by profession and was awarded "President of the Year" at the District Conference last year for his leadership in growing membership in his club from 20 to 36, sponsoring a community-based new Rotaract Club, and as well as forming a new Satellite Club. His wife, Dr. Shamim Begum is the President-Elect of their Club, and his two adult children are also Rotarians. Here is a link to Dr. Chowdhury's bio.

Dr. Chowdhury becomes the 4th District Governor of our DSistrict who is of South Asian origin and the second Bangladeshi-American to be selected for this position.

DG Loren also confirmed the selection by the Nominating Committee of Peter De Nicola of the White Plains Club, as District Treasurer for the Rotary years 2024-25 and 2025-26. He congratulated both DGND Maksud and Treasurer-Elect Peter on their selection.

Heritage Club sponsors a new Satellite Club

The Rotary E-Club of Heritage NY has been at the forefront again by boosting the standing of our D7230 as the leader in membership growth. In October, our newest Club, the Rotary Satellite Club of Heritage Health was chartered with 8 new members. Its focus is on health initiatives. This is the 3rd active Satellite Club in our District. Together with the new full Club, and the 8 new members in the Hope Rotary Club, The Disrict has added 37 new members to our District rolls since 1 July.

Rotary has had satellite clubs since 2013. At first, satellite clubs were for people who wanted to join Rotary but didn’t have a large enough group to start a club. Unlike regular Rotary clubs, which require 20 members to start, a satellite club can form with just eight members. Satellite clubs also give community members and Rotarians the chance to make a positive difference in a club environment that often differs from their local Rotary club.

Like all Rotary clubs, satellite clubs hold regular meetings, have bylaws and a board, and get involved in community service projects. A local Rotary club sponsors the Satellite club and provides advice and support. Satellite club members are Rotarians. Officially, they are members of the sponsor club.

Club holds Blood Drive and CPR Training

It was an amazing Saturday, packed with not one, not two, but three impactful activities. The Rotary E-Club of Heritage, NY, the Smart Rotaract Club - our newest Rotaract Club, organized the day in partnership with the Pediatric Education Development Society International (PEDSI). The morning began with a workshop for International Medical Graduates and medical students who are preparing to get into US Residency Programs. Nearly 30 attendees benefitted from this training workshop.

While this program was in progress, a mobile blood collection van from the New York Blood Center pulled up outside the Smart Medical Center in Jamaica, Queens, and began preparations for collecting blood from donors who had signed up earlier. By the end of the day, some 45 people had donated blood including Heritage Club President, Dr. Maksud Chowdhury, Smart Rotaract President Dr. Rummanu Yeasin, and Sunshine Club member Ashfaque Salim..

Present during the course of the day were District Governor-Elect Syed Alirahi, representing the DG, Vice-Governor PDG Mahbub Ahmad and Area 5 AG Bina Ahmad who also represented our sister Sunshine Club as it's Charter President.. Also, present were the Area Governor for Area 9 Abit Ragbeer, Treasurer and Past President of the Westchester Rotary Club, Shazia Alirahi, and the President of the Hicksville South Rotary Club (District 7255) Mizan Rahman.

The day was far from over as just after a quick pizza and chicken fingers lunch provided by the Heritage Club, the CPR Training program began, led by American Heart Association-certified CPR Instructors. Some 30 young people took part and were awarded certificates of completion.

President Maksud, thanked the Rotary leaders for attending and demonstrating the District's support for his Club and the young Rotaractors.. He introduced DGE Syed who talked about Rotary being a family and thanked the young people for taking this training. Vice-Governor PDG Mahbub applauded the Rotaractors and young people for giving up their Saturday to learn to be of service to others. He said the willingness to be of service comes from the heart and just by being here today, they have proven that they all have hearts for service. In her short remarks, AG Bina particularly thanked the Rotaractors who, within months of their establishment, had already established a new standard of Rotaractor's service to the community.

Here are a few pictures.

Club Provides CPR Training & Information Session on Vaping

The Heritage NY E-Club is the first new Club formed in the district in 2019, after a number of decades of no new Clubs. Since then, it has flourished, now having 38 members and has won the Presidential citation in its first two years.

Last Sunday, 4 December, the Club, in collaboration with Pediatric Education Development Society International (PEDSI), organized an amazing program – providing certified CPR training to nearly 20 young kids and some adults, coupled with informative sessions on Vaping and the importance of exercise. In addition, two senior Psychiatrists were on hand explaining to both, the parents and the children, the importance of communication and understanding particularly in view of the generational and cultural gap.

In all, the event that began at 9 am was attended by 35 students, parents as well as District officials and Club members. DG Marty welcomed everyone and at the end of the 90-minute-long CPR training, handed over the certificates to the attendees. One woman, pushing back tears, said, “Some years ago, my husband died right in front of me. I could not help because I did not know how to. If I had known CPR then, I could have helped him. Now I can help others in need”.

Following a short coffee and snack break, the program resumed, this time with a Zoom component adding to the number of attendees. Pulmonologist Dr. Naeema Chowdhury, from Philadelphia discussed the dangers of vaping and how the vapors damage the lungs. She explained that in the US, unlike in Europe, vaping pods are unregulated and are freely available to anyone, including children. Big tobacco companies, trying to make up for revenues lost due to the strict regulation on tobacco products, are now targeting young people with child-friendly flavors of vaping products. The ingredients in these products, not being regulated, also contain lead and other deleterious substances, some of which are highly addictive. The students and parents actively participated in the ensuing discussion. “I never knew vaping products are so harmful,” said one surprised student.

Dr. Ryan Chowdhury joining the Zoom session from Washington, DC explained the importance of exercise. He said any movement of the body is beneficial. He suggested swimming, biking, running or even walking to keep the body muscles functional and healthy.

In the final segment, two Psychiatrists, Dr. Munibur R. Khan Chief Psychiatrist, Creedmoor Psychiatric Center, and Dr. Quazi Rahman, Child Psychiatry, Medical Director, NYC Child Center spoke about the difficulties of parent-child relationships due to generational and cultural gaps.

DG Marty also presented the pins and certificates to three new Paul Harris Fellows of the Heritage Club, President Dr. Maksud Chowdhury, First Lady Dr. Shamim Begum and Vice-President Dr. Nasrin Khan. Also present at the event from the district, were Executive Secretary PDG Mahbub Ahmad, District Rotary Foundation Chair PDG Mary Shackleton and Area Governor Bina Ahmad.

Molloy University Honors President Zaki with Lifetime Achievement Award

Club Past President S. Zaki Hossain was honored by Molloy University with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the First Molloy University Gala on Friday, 4 November at Garden City Hotel. The Gala also raised more than $400,000 for student scholarships.

Accepting the Award President Zaki said Education is key to success. "If you want to earn, you have to learn", he said. President Zaki has been a trustee of the University. Molloy officials said, "A mechanical engineer who found success in the coffee industry manufacturing "K-Cups" has donated $2 million to Molloy University.

Zaki told the crowd that after he emigrated to the United States from Bangladesh, he increasingly felt the importance of applying education to the “real field.” His gift will help do exactly that, officials said, as Molloy increases programs that train people already working in their fields to keep up with the latest advances. The programs will also help shape undergraduate curricula to help meet the current needs of various industries including the health sector and businesses, said James P. Lentini, Molloy’s president.

Past President Zaki, the founder, and CEO of Pintail Coffee got his start in the coffee industry with the development of some of the first manufacturing technology for small coffee cartridges known as "K-Cups," He ended up using proceeds from this technology for charitable work through Pintail. The Farmingdale-based business donates 100% of its profits to hunger-relief organizations. A Muslim whose wife is chair of the board of the Long Island Muslim Society — a mosque in East Meadow founded by Bangladeshi immigrants — President Zaki said his donations to a Catholic university were an example of interfaith cooperation.

“I am a human being first,” he said. “I like to work with humanity. God created all of us. If I can make God’s creation happy, I will be happy.”

To show support for President Zaki, also attending the Gala were Membership Chair - his wife, Rahat, PDG Mahbub, AG Bina, VPs Nasrin, and Shahper, Past President Nurul Alam, members Nausheen and Nazmul Khan. Also present were Sunshine Club members Tarin and Lubna Anwar.

It was a wonderful ceremony with a sumptuous dinner at the Garden City Hotel. Congratulations to President Zaki.

Club Begins District Grant Project with Interactive Sessions Raising Awareness in Support of Women and Children

Our District Grant-funded project "Support for Women and Children" is very much underway with two sessions already completed. The objective of this project is to bring awareness among the women and young children who are potential targets of abuse and then to empower them. It will consist of lectures, workshops, therapy, and individual discussion sessions.

Conceived of and developed by Club Vice-President Dr. Nasrin Khan, the project was written up by past President Dr. Nazrul Islam and the Club Board approved it for presentation to the District Grants Committee for a Grant. The budget is $4,000.00 to cover the costs of speakers, lecture materials, and technological logistics. The Club is contributing $2,000.00 from its members, with the District approving the matching grant.

Following approval by the district and the Rotary Foundation, the first session under the Grant was held on 15 October at the East Meadow Library with Dr. Anca Amighi as the main speaker. The second session was held on 5 November at the Hicksville Library with Rehab Coach Leyla Messcha as the main speaker. Both sessions were well attended. Club President Dr. Maksud Chowdhury opened the sessions while Dr. Nasrin provided the introductions and led the discussions afterward. Both interactive sessions focused on "Communications Improvements in Asian American Family dynamics" District AG Bina attended the first session.

Abuse and isolation can lead to not only threats to the women's physical safety but also psychological disorders. Similarly, children in immigrant families face different challenges at home and outside which may impact their mental health severely. Members of minority groups are the worst sufferers who cannot seek assistance due to hesitation and lack of finance. These sessions aim to address these issues and raise awareness

At both sessions, President Maksud presented certificates of appreciation to the speakers. Membership Chair Rahat Hossain handed over gifts to the Speakers. Light Refreshments were served, and a raffle was held

Club begins 2022 with Winter supplies Distribution

As Rotarians we are always looking for ways to make a difference in our community or communities around the world. Rotary is all about helping people in need - Service Above Self.

Our Club began the new year amidst the seemingly never-ending pandemic We cannot be bystanders while we see needs all around us. So we partnered up with a like-minded sister organization to help out our neighbors who are in need. The Heritage E-Club of New York. in collaboration with Long Island Muslim Society (LIMS) raised funds and purchased winter supplies - blankets and like items for distribution in a very needy neighborhood of Jamaica, New York. Care was taken to enure that the recipients were in real need and had not received winter supplies previously.

Thanks to new member Raihan Rahman and his mother Club Rotarian Mursheda Rahman, who together coordinated the project. Club members Rahat Hossain and Past President Zaki Hossain among others, contributed to this worthwhile project. Donned in bright yellow vests emblazoned with the Rotary logo, volunteers loaded a minivan a carted the supplies to the distribution point, where the handed out the supplies.

See More Pictures

Club Donates Laptops to School to Aid Remote Learning

As one of our major projects of the year, our Club has donated 12 laptops to a school to help students there with remote learning. The nearly $5,000 project was funded in part by a District grant, while the club component of $2,500 was donated by Club member Mohammed Saleh.

The pandemic has closed down schools in our region and many have moved to online classes. While this has helped some students continue their education, many students from low-income families have been left out because they do not have access to computers and internet connections required for remote education. Therefore there is a great need to provide these young learners with the resources necessary for them to keep up with their more fortunate fellow students. Therefore the Club decided to undertake this project to help address at least a part of the need.

The 12 Chromebooks are for students at Longwood School District but will remain the property of the School District. Each student assigned one of these devices will use it for the School year and return it to the School at the end of the academic year. At the beginning of the next year, another batch of students meeting the criteria will be assigned these devices. The Longwood School District was identified as the Project target District because it is a diverse District of 9,200 students with 52% in the free lunch program, and many sub-continent-origin students. These Chromebooks will be given to students in K-4 grades whose parents' annual household income is less than $30,000. These Chromebooks were selected by the Scholl District to match the existing inventory of remote learning devices and have 5-year full replacement coverage. So in the 5-year lifecycle, they will have benefitted 60 students. The Project was completed within about three months.

Dr. Sam Ahmed Director of Special Programs and Data Reporting of the School District coordinated the project on behalf of the School District. Dr. Ahmed made a presentation at a meeting of the Club in February. He said 350 students still do not have any remote learning capability because they do not have any computers.

Club's Ongoing "COVID Relief Project Hope"

Since the onset of the pandemic, our Club has undertaken a number of COVID relief projects. As part of "Project Hope-1" Club Members have been helping a widow and her two young sons in the Bronx meet their ongoing subsistence needs. Three Club members pooled their resources and began providing monthly assistance to the family for food and essentials. These members have pledged to continue their contribution for the near future. They are looking into ways to assist the family in creating a sustainable revenue stream so they do not become continually reliant on this assistance.

And a few days ago at the onset of Ramadan, the Club initiated "Project Hope-2" to assist a new immigrant mother of three young children when her husband passed away very recently from COVID. Club members rallied to her rescue by providing immediate assistance for day-to-day needs. Other Club members are assisting the family in applying for any government relief she and her children may be entitled to.

Job loss, business closures, and food insecurity are bearing down on immigrant communities, creating untenable pressure inside households that are often crowded with more than one family and facing pressures to keep up with rent payments, utility bills, and basic needs. At the same time, parents who lack English language skills and the technology needed for remote learning are struggling to find the time and space to help their children complete assignments. And many immigrant students are tasked with caring for younger siblings or relatives while their parents go to work on the front lines of the pandemic

Multiple organizations report that as much as 75 percent of their clients are going hungry. Yet despite the mass-scale unemployment hitting the area’s immigrants, they have been almost entirely shut out of federal cash relief. Several of the nonprofit organizations surveyed said 95 to 100 percent of their immigrant clients have not received or are ineligible for the IRS stimulus checks.

Meanwhile, the pandemic has laid bare existing struggles with language and technology access for the city’s immigrants, which created barriers in access to care such as telemedicine and crisis hotlines. Those issues extend to families who have undertaken remote learning for their children. For undocumented immigrants, the city’s lowest earners despite high participation in the labor force, unemployment can be uniquely devastating, extending to tolls on physical and mental health.

Our projects aim not only to assist one or more families but also to create engagement among our members so they feel energized to come out and provide any assistance they can. These are our Rotarians in Action, providing Service Above Self. If any member is interested in joining in this project, please contact Rahat Hossain (Membership Engagement Chair).

Club Member Dr. Nasrin Khan presents online Seminar on Emotional Resilience

Club Member Dr. Nasrin Khan presented an online Seminar on Emotional Resilience - in the second online seminar organized by our Club. At the outset of the hour-long seminar, also simultaneously available via our Facebook Page, Dr. Khan was introduced by Club President S. Zaki Hossain. Dr. Khan is a Medical Specialist at Creedmore Psychiatric Center and completed her residency. at Brookdale University Hospital in Internal Medicine. Dr. Khan has long experience in Mental Health and rehabilitation, conflicts in personal relationships, and management of professional challenges.

Dr. Khan began by sharing a PowerPoint presentation and afterward responded to viewers' questions. She says she is a life coach and describes coaching as bringing "awareness in people especially in people of our culture. There is a misconception among people that life coach is for people with mental illness but not really. Life coach actually works with everyone. The coach is not the therapist, but is just a person who will make the relationship with the client and will make her or him comfortable to explore the strategies to reach his or her goal"

Dr. Khan emphasizes that "goals can be different for different clients. Someone might want to improve their health, someone their business, while others might want to improve their relationship either with romantic partners or with children or other relatives and friends. A major part of coaching is active listening. Coaches are trained to listen, observe and customize their approach to individual client needs. Life coaching is a powerful human relationship in which trained coaches assist people to design their future rather than get over their past." Through a typically long-term relationship, Dr. Khan says, "coaches aid clients in creating visions and goals for all aspects of their lives as well as multiple strategies to support achieving those goals. Coaches recognize the brilliance of each client and their personal power to discover their own solutions when provided with support, accountability, and unconditional positive regard". According to Dr. Khan, there are different phases of coaching. That’s why it is a long-term course. The first and most important part of coaching is listening. Active listening means the client has to feel heard.

Dr. Khan made it clear that coaching is not therapy so it’s not for mental patients. In fact, she says, "We all need to have a coach in different aspects of life". She saiys people should not feel embarrassed to reach out to her. She can assist people in reaching their goals and have peace and happiness in life which they are dreaming of their whole lives Here is how to contact her: nasrincoaching@gmail.com Read a recent article she wrote in WBH Journal

Club to provide COVID Vaccine Registration Assistance

It was reported at the Club meeting on 10 February that many citizens in our community are struggling with registration and scheduling for the COVID vaccine. Therefore, the Club has decided to provide assistance to citizens, especially seniors, with registration for the COVID vaccine.

We are collecting the following information about those in need of the COVID vaccine provided that they are willing to take the next available vaccine appointment at a nearby facility:

1. Name:

2. Date of Birth:

3. Mailing Address:

4. Phone (Cell):

5. E-mail Address:

Please forward the information to our incoming Club Secretary, Adeeb Hakim (adeeb.hakim@gmail.com). who will coordinate among the Club Members for registration and scheduling purposes. While we cannot assure that all requests can be attended to and can be fulfilled, we are providing this as a service to our community..

Winter Blanket Distribution: Club's International Project

Winter always brings hard times to many people in many people in many countries that Rotary works in. This winter, in particular, many people are in greater need because of the pandemic. What we can do together is much greater than what we can do alone. Encouraged by that spirit, we partnered with a sister Club in Rotary District 3282 (Bangladesh) - the Rotary Club of Sylhet to arrange distribution of winter blankets for those who have no other way to fend off the cold weather,

Thanks to a donation from our Club President Syed Zaki Hossain, we pooled resources with the Rotary Club of Sylhet to arrange for the distribution of blankets. On a cold winter day on 17 January 2021, this joint project was carried out by the host Club.

Club Participates in Rotary's Million Mask Giveaway

Our Club participated in Rotary's "Million Mask Challenge", sponsored by Rotary International and The Rossi Foundation. On 14 January, a 26-foot truck, emblazoned on all sides with the Million Mask Challenge Tour message, brought 300,000 face masks to our Rotary District stopping at 3 distribution points - White Plains, Harlem and Staten Island. Our Club was allocated 6,000 surgical masks and 1,000 children's masks.

Representatives of 27 Clubs in Westchester and the Bronx gathered at the White Plains High School as the truck rolled in to be welcomed by District Governor Mary Shackleton, Westchester County Executive, George Latimer, White Plains Mayor Tom Roach, White Plains Schools superintendent Joseph Ricca. Immediate Past District Governor, Mahbub Ahmad, and Assistant Governors, Gladys Muller (Area 1), John Ehrlich (area 2), Libby Hollahan (Area 4), Bina Ahmad (Area 5) and Sandy Wolstein (Area 6) supervised the distribution. In total, 115,000 surgical masks and 27,000 children's masks were allocated to the 27 Clubs in the White Plains stop. AG Bina Ahmad collected the masks on behalf of President Syed Hossian, while our Satellite Club Chair Papia Ashraf collected the 4,000 surgical and 200 children's masks for her Club.

This is a story of service and leadership. It’s a story of how our District and Zone responded to a crisis, rallied its resources, put boots-on-the-ground to bring disparate and far-flung communities together to spread goodwill. Most importantly, it’s a story about working together and using our collective professional backgrounds through the Rotary network to make a difference.

The masks were made available to Rotary by Rotarian Ted Rossi of the Rotary Club of East Hampton, Connecticut and the President of the Rossi Foundation. This is how Rotarian Rossi summed up his motivations for the project:

“The states are not able to deliver to smaller community organizations and nursing homes, so I realized this is perfect for Rotary. We could facilitate the supply of masks that Rotary clubs can take and distribute in small lots within their communities. What started out as a small project snowballed into something really big.”

This project reinforces how Rotary uses its professional backgrounds, diverse perspectives, and global connections to change the world for the better. We were able to secure extensive media exposure for Rotary, with the help of iHeart media, New 12, ABC News.

Charter Member Dr. Tawfiqul Bhuiya Passes Away

We are deeply saddened at the passing away of our Charter Member Dr. Tawfiqul Alam Bhuiya. He passed away on Sunday, 13 December. Dr. Bhuiya was Chief Resident and Vice-Chairman of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Long Island Jewish Medical Center. He was also a Professor at Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell.

A very gentle soul, Dr. Bhuiya would have turned 64, on 17 December. His loss is a devastating blow to the local Bangladeshi community. Our Club Members are deeply saddened at the loss of one of our Charter Members.

Our deepest condolences to his bereaved family and friends. Dr. Bhuiya's amiable presence will be missed by all. May his soul rest in peace.

Club Partners with Yonkers Rotary to Send Food Supplies for Haitian Children

An amazing partnership came together to bring food supplies to the children of Haiti. Our Club partnered with the Yonkers-East Yonkers Rotary Club to send urgently needed food supplies for children in Haiti. Club members Raaid Ahmad and Tabin Ahmad together with Honorary Member Lina Rahman and friend of Heritage Rotary Lubna Anwar provided donations of more than $850 to cover the cost of purchasing the food, supplies, barrels and shipment. Funds were also raised by the Yonkers Club and contributions from Century 21 Royal and UNM Bank help fund the project which totaled over $4,000.

Father Philippe Charles, co-ordinator of the project, together with George John of the Yonkers Club purchased the supplies. Friend of Rotary Paul Porooshasp provided his pickup truck to haul the supplies to George's office at Century 21 Royal. Assistant Governor Bina, IPDG Mahbub helped George, Paul and Philippe to unload the supplies consisting of 300 lbs of rice, 150 lbs of flour, 300 lbs of beans, 80 lbs of oatmeal, 64 lbs of pasta, 12 gallons of cooking oil, corn flakes, peanut butter, tomato paste, sardines and dry milk. Century 21 Royal agents provided 3000 masks while UNMB Mortgage donated bulk packs of noodle soup.

The next day Rotarians and other volunteers gathered at the Century 21 Royal office and packed all the supplies into 6 barrels for shipment to Haiti. The barrels will be delivered to the Rotary Club of Delmas-Centre in Port au Prince. They will be distributed through the Administrator of the Sainte Thérèse de L’Enfant Jésus’ School and Maria - one of the most reliable humanitarian groups in Haiti.

In the next few days, a 7th barrel will be assembled with clothing, school supplies for shipment to Haiti.

Thanks to this partnership the children of Haiti will have some decent food during the holiday season.

"We can work together for a better world with men and women of goodwill, those who radiate the intrinsic goodness of humankind."
-- Wangari Maathai

See a video of the project

Club Achieves Presidential Platinum Citation

Our Club has achieved the 2019-20 Rotary Presidential Citation -Platinum level - the highest Rotary honor for a Club and a very rare accomplishment for a Club that is just one year old. The award was announced by 2019-20 District Governor Mahbub Ahmad in a letter to President Zaki and all members of the Club.

The Presidential Citation is awarded to a Club that achieves a set number of preassigned goals in two categories - Unite People and Take action - like membership growth and retention, service projects, contributions to the Rotary Foundation, augmenting Rotary's public image, among others., .Those Clubs achieving the goals in these two categories then compete for Platinum, Gold, or Silver Awards depending on the number of additional goals achieved in a third Category.

Our Club is only one of three out of the 44 Clubs in our District to achieve the Platinum level. A total of 10 Clubs achieved the various levels of the Presidential Citation,

Past District Governor Mahbub congratulated President Zaki for his dynamic leadership and thanked all members of the Club for their diligent work in bringing the honor to not only their Club but also to the District. He also thanked Club Adviser Bina Ahmad for helping the Club get on its feet and to achieve the great honor.

VP Sam-Rahat is our Newest Paul Harris Fellow

Our Vice-President Sam-Rahat Muqtadir has become the Club's third Paul Harris Fellow - the first in the new Rotary Year. A Paul Harris Fellow is awarded to a Rotarian who has made a significant difference in the lives of people by donating $1,000 or more to The Rotary Foundation. VP Sam-Rahat made the contribution in July this year. Paul Harris fellows receive a Certificate and a pin to recognize their contribution. Our two earlier Paul Harris Fellows were Rotarians Raaid Ahmad and Tabin Ahmad,

A Rotarian can also become the recipient of a Paul Harris Fellow award, when another Rotarian recognizes him or her for exceptional service by donating $1,000 in cash or points, to the Rotary Foundation in the recipient's name. Last year, District Governor Mahbub Ahmad recognized 3 of our Club members for outstanding service to the Club and community. They were Secretary Dr. Nazrul Islam, Dr. Muhammad Zaman and Treasurer Mati Pal.

Congratulations, you all have made us proud.!

Club Sponsors New Satellite Club

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically altered everyone's lives and way of thinking. Even before the pandemic Rotary has been thinking ahead and planning for the Rotary of tomorrow, where Clubs will be innovative with new types of Clubs, new membership categories, new ways of meeting.

As a new club, we have responded to this need, and taken the lead to sponsor a new Satellite Club. A satellite club functions as a short-term, transitional step on the way to becoming a full, independent Rotary club. This allows interested persons to become Rotarians without meeting the requirement of having at least 20 persons to organize a separate Rotary club. The Rotary Satellite E-Club of Heritage New York - Evening was officially approved by Rotary International in June of 2020 with 8 members, and is the third satellite Club of District 7230. Following a period of organization, the new Club has begun it's regular activities.

Satellite clubs set up their own board and have their own officers. However, instead of a President, a satellite club has a Chair. Papia Ashraf is the Chair of the new Satellite Club and the District E-Club Advisor, Assistant Governor Bina Ahmad is the adviser to the Satellite Club to help it learn about Rotary and its activities. The 8 members are residents of Manhattan, Long Island, and New Jersey. and hope to increase their membership and charter their own Club within a year. Our Club is extending its full support to the new Rotarians and their nascent Club. The new Satellite Club has been assigned to the District's Area 5, which is the same as our Club. .

2019-20 Year-End Roundup

2019-20 was the first full year of our existence. The piechart on the left highlights the total incomes and expenditures/allocations of the Club during the course of this year. It does not include the annual membership dues, which were almost entirely a pass-through. We received $37,750 in contributions from Rotary, (the large section in gold) which includes the Globat Grant, the District Grant, the COVID-19 Grant. The Club itself raised $14,450 for the various projects it carried out including the Club's contribution for the Global and District Grants (the section in green) the orange slice represents the $2,500 that members donated to The Rotary Foundation.

Here is a rundown of our officially recorded activities during this year -1 July 2019 to 30 June 2020:

1. COVID-19 Project 1: The Club provided equivalent of Taka 1,30,000 to Monu Mia Sultana Girls Orphanage in Chandpur, Bangladesh, for food assistance to the 33 orphan girls in that orphanage.

2. COVID-19 Project 2: PPEs worth $1,000 were provided to St. Johns Riverside Hospital.

3. COVID-19 Project 3: District 7230 provided a $2,000 grant on behalf of the Club to the AFYA Foundation to provide essential PPEs to Hospitals and nurses in need.

4. COVID-19 Project 4: The Club provided food assistance to needy immigrant families for a total of $3,000.

5. The HeritageNY Club gave cash donation of $200 for canned food in addition to clothing, shoes and other household items valued at $500 for the Haiti Assistance Project led by the Yonkers-East Yonkers Rotary Club.

6. The Club donated coats participating in the Coat Drive launched by the Rotaract Club of Manhattan..

7. Thanksgiving Turkeys -Five 20-lb turkeys ($100) were donated to Hostos Micro-Society School in Yonkers. These were raffled off to needy families along with more turkeys from the Yonkers Club.

8. Earlier in the year, there was a H.E.L.P project done, handing out hygiene materials (toothpaste, toothbrush, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, eyeglasses, socks, and towels) to parents of the Queens Daughters Day Care Center in Yonkers. A grant of $750 from the Yonkers-East Yonkers Rotary Club helped finance the $1,000 project.

9. For Nassau University Hospital project, District Grant #3092 was approved for $2,500 as a matching grant for benches at the hospital entrance. The district has reimbursed the Club on project completion. Total project cost was $5,000.

10. Global Grant #1989638 "Quality education for poor rural children in Bangladesh through Teacher Training" was formally approved. The total project cost is $38,170, of which HeritageNY Club put up $5,250. District 7230 contributed $5,000, while 4 neighboring Districts contributed $1,000 each. The project implementation is expected to begin soon.

11. November was Rotary Foundation Month. Rotary President asked Rotarians to give a gift to the Rotary Foundation. It is a big achievement for the HeritageNY Club to have 2 Paul Harris Fellows who donated $1,000 each to The Rotary Foundation thereby earning the Fellowship. The District Governor awarded 3 Paul Harris Fellowships to 3 Club Members for their services.

12, New Member Project: The District awarded a $250 New Member Grant for a new Member Project. These funds were used to supplement the Interfaith Food Pantry where food packets were given out to those in need.

In recognition of these activities in the service of needy humanity in our local community and internationally, our Club has received the 2019-20 Rotary Presidential Citation – which is the highest honor for a Club.

District Governor Awards Paul Harris Recognition to 3 members

Outgoing District Governor Mahbub Ahmad has awarded 3 members of our Club with Paul Harris recognitions for their outstanding services to the Club and the community. A Paul Harris Fellow Award is given to a Rotarian who has contributed $1000 or in whose name, the equivalent has been given to The Rotary Foundation.

Under the leadership of President Zaki Hossain, in the first full year of operations the Club has received the Rotary Presidential Citation - the highest honor that is bestowed by the Rotary President to a Club. It is a tribute to President Hossain's leadership in not only planning and organizing the Club but also in executing the various activities whereby the goals the Club set out to achieve were fully met.

Club Secretary Dr. Nazrul Islam was awarded a Paul Harris Fellow recognition for his outstanding commitment to the ideals of Rotary and in ensuring the Club's activities and records were properly maintained. He was instrumental in ensuring that the first footsteps of the newly established Club were on a solid foundation, and in following through on the Club's first Global Grant application.

Club Treasurer Mati Pal was recognized with a Paul Harris award for his meticulous management of the funds of the new Club, for taking the time to learn and understand the financial standards and practices of Rotary and in establishing a sound financial foundation for the Club.

Club Member Dr. Mohammed Zaman was recognized with a Paul Harris award for his selfless work as an infectious diseases specialist, in being with the community at their time of need without heed to his personal safety.

These are truly People of Action and have provided Service Above Self to their community and to Rotary .

We congratulate them for their dedication and their continuous service.

Club Members Provide Month of Groceries to Bronx Families

Club Members are active, trying to help our local communities hard-hit by the pandemic. Their latest effort was providing 14 families in dire need, in the Bronx, with groceries to last them for one month. These families preferred the groceries to cash handouts. The supplies included rice, cooking oil, lentils. onions, potatoes. pasta, cereals, chicken nuggets, pita bread, salt, and snacks valued at $100 per bag.

The project was led by Club President S. Zaki Hossain, while Rahat Hossain arranged for the shopping and delivery to these families, many of which have young children or elderly members.

The project is ongoing with many more families in need who are awaiting supplies of groceries. Sharing a little bit of your blessings will help alleviate the suffering. these families are going through on a daily basis. Please donate to the Club tinyurl.com/heritageNY.

Club holds first Zoom Meeting

The Club has come of age. After meeting via Conference call since its inception, President S. Zaki Hossain and Secretary Nazrul Islam decided to take the Club to the visual medium befitting an E-Club. As such members of the Club gathered at a "Zoom" meeting in the afternoon of May 16. It was a great get-together and members were very happy to see each other face-to-face after a long time. Members attended the meeting from Westchester, Bronx, Queens, Long Island, New Jersey and Canada.

Among the business conducted, President Zaki informed members of the projects Club members have been carrying out on their own initiatives locally - especially helping with food distribution to needy people affected by the COVID-10 virus. Club Rotary Foundation Chair Nurul Alam provided an update on the pending Global Grant Application, while Treasurer Mati Pal summarized the latest financial situation.

Member Farjana Sultan requested assistance for the Orphanage she has been working with in Bangladesh. President Zaki said assistance would be forthcoming. for COVID-19 related mitigation efforts for the 30+ children and staff. Since the meeting, 5 members - Lina Rahman, Rezaul Haider, Rahat Hossain, Raaid Ahmad, and Tabin Ahmad, have come forward and pledged the equivalent of 130,000 Taka for the orphanage. The project will be carried out with the collaboration of the Rotary Club of Dhaka Phoenix. Nazrana Yasmin, who is a member of the Dhaka Phoenix Club will manage the project and provide a report at the end of the project.

Our Club Assistance to Bangladesh Orphanage

As one of our first international projects, our Club, through the collaboration of the Rotary Club of Dhaka Phoenix, provided meaningful assistanc

e to the children at an orphanage in the village of Sreepur in Chandpur district of Bangladesh. The Orphanage provides a home for nearly 30 abandoned homeless and orphan children.

For the Eid celebration of 2019, a donation from our club was used to purchase a full set of clothing and shoes for all the children. In addition, the children and staff were all treated to an Eid Feast.

In October of 2019, in order to see for themselves the orphanage and its activities, a 10-person delegation from the Rotary Club of Dhaka Phoenix visited the orphanage, Following their visit, they prepared a report on the orphanage..

Our First Global Grant Project

Rotary E-Club of Heritage New York is proud to inform its Members that, thanks to their support, in its very first year it has succeeded in submitting a proposal for a Rotary Global Grant Project. The Project on “Quality education for poor rural children in Bangladesh through Teacher Training” is expected to receive approval from the Rotary Foundation soon.

The endeavor is a joint international project, in which our Rotary Club is the International Partner and Banani Rotary Club of Dhaka is the Host Partner. The Host Partner implements the project through a local partner which has expertise in implementing similar projects, monitors the project throughout its life-cycle, and manages the financial and reporting aspects of the project. The local partner selected to implement the project is a Bangladeshi NGO in the field of education, the Volunteers Association for Bangladesh (VAB).

For the vast majority of rural poor families in Bangladesh, education is the only avenue that offers their children the opportunity for achieving competence and skills to earn a livelihood. However, one of the most critical problems faced by the rural educational institutions is the quality and quantity of teachers who are deficient in both content knowledge and pedagogy. Our Club’s Global Grant Project aims to infuse better content knowledge and advanced modern pedagogy in ill-equipped rural teachers through training. The ultimate development objective of the project will be to enhance the educational achievement and proficiency level of rural school students. The project aims to train approximately 600 teachers over a period of three years. It is expected that these trained teachers will over their teaching careers be able to have an impact on the learning of more than 400,000 students.

It is an amazing partnership that came together to bring this project to fruition. 5 Rotary Clubs – one in New York and 4 in Dhaka, 5 Rotary Districts – one in Bangladesh and 4 in New York and New Jersey all combined to raise more than half of the Project funding. The Rotary Foundation’s World Fund stepped in with the remainder - A remarkable example of how "Rotary Connects the World".

The Project will require funds of about $35,000. Starting with base amounts of funds raised by our Club as the International Partner and Banani Rotary Club as the Host Partner, the respective Districts – District 7230 in New York and District 3281 in Bangladesh -are generously pitching in with matching funds (District Designed Funds – DDF). In addition, through the intervention of District Governor Mahbub Ahmad, 4 neighboring Districts in New York and New Jersey are also contributing about $4,000. The Rotary Foundation will be providing matching funds on the basis of the contributions of the Clubs and the Districts.

The base amount from our Club is $5,250. Our Members made kind donations which made it possible to raise the requisite amount. We are particularly grateful to President Syed Zaki Hossain, Rotarians Dr. A T Rafiqur Rahman, Dr. Fazlur R Chowdhury, Nurul Alam, Mati Pal, and a few other members and well-wishers who wish to remain anonymous for their generous contributions. Our special thanks go to Past President Nurul Alam, who developed the project proposal on the basis of a model Rotary Global Grant Project in Nepal, provided to him by District Governor Mahbub Ahmad.

Shining President Shahida Naz Huda of the Banani Club ran with the proposal and was able to convince not only her Club to lead the project, but also 3 other Clubs in Dhaka to join in and her District officials to approve the project.

It is expected that following approval by the Rotary Foundation, work can begin on the project in early summer.

Club President Zaki meets with Rotary DG of Bangladesh

Club President S. Zaki Hossain met with the Rotary District 3281 (Bangladesh) District Governor Khairul Alam in Dhaka. They discussed and finalized the Club's first Global Grant project in partnership with the Rotary Club of Dhaka Banani. Also present at the meeting were Charter Members of the Club Dr. Maksud Chowdhury and Dr. Shamim Begum. The District Rotary Foundation Chair PDG Hafizullah and the Rotary Fiscal Agent in Bangladesh PDG K.M Zainul Abedin were also present.

Under the Global Grant Project, approximately 1,100 primary school teachers will be provided with training in Math, Science, and English. Students will also be provided with encouragement for learning via student Clubs. The project will cost $34,000 and will be spread over three years. Two local Clubs in Bangladesh and 3 Districts in the US are also contributing partners in the project. The project will be implemented by the NGO Volunteers Association for Bangladesh (VAB) which has had extensive experience in Teacher Training in Bangladesh.

Among other matters, also discussed at the meeting, was a follow-up Global Grant Project with the Rotary Club of Dhaka Kawran Bazar, at which the Charter President of the Club Ahmed Farooque inquired about details of the project. The proposed project envisages health monitoring of groups of Children across Bangladesh over a period of three years. Dr. Maksud Chowdhury and Dr. Waseem Hafeez presented details of their project. More follow-up discussions will be held on this matter in the coming months.

Club Joins in to Bring Thanksgiving Joy

Posted on Dec 01, 2019

At Thanksgiving we are thankful for all the blessings we have received. Yet there are also those who do not have a square meal. Our Club joined in with our sister Club - the Rotary Club of Yonkers-East Yonkers to bring a little Thanksgiving joy to some families.

For the last few years, the Yonkers East Yonkers Club has been giving turkeys to the families of children at the Hostos Micro-Society School in Yonkers. This year they were providing 13 turkeys. One of our club members provided a donation to add five more turkeys to the gift of joy. These turkeys will provide the recipient families with a Thanksgiving meal and perhaps a few more leftover meals too. On behalf of the Club, Adviser Bina Ahmad handed over the turkeys to Rotarian Barbara Hanna of the Yonkers-East Yonkers Club on Wednesday, 25 November for delivery to the School.

The Hostos Micro-Society School administration held a raffle among the families of the children who would benefit most from this gift. Our Club firmly believes in participating in projects which will benefit our local community as well as communities across the world. In the true spirit of Rotary every little bit helps. As volunteers, individually we can only do so much. But together as Rotarians, we can change our world.

Joint Ceremony Recognizes Ethnic Authors

Posted on Nov 04, 2019

Our Club President S. Zaki Hossain and Rahat Hossain organized a joint cultural evening on Sunday 3 November with the Bangladeshi Heritage to recognize ethnic authors for their recent literary publications. The ceremony was attended by more than one hundred and fifty Rotarians and non-Rotarians from our district and neighboring District 7255.

Also, in attendance was District Governor Mahbub Ahmad and First Lady Bina Ahmad. Among those discussing the publications was Heritage e-Club Past President, M. Nurul Alam who spoke about author Hamid Reza Khan’s background and the novel’s underlying theme.

Rotarian Quddus Mohammed of the Rotary Club of Hicksville (District 7255) also presented his recently published cookbook, the entire proceeds of which is being donated for providing food supplies for the hungry.

During the ceremony, District Governor Mahbub pinned new member Syeda Shahper Khan, bringing the total membership of the Club to 35.

16 HeritageNY Rotary members were in attendance and the ceremony was rounded off by a cultural show emceed by Club Secretary, Dr. Nazrul Islam, and dinner, hosted by Club President S. Zaki Hossain.

Club has its first Paul Harris Fellow

Posted on Nov 03, 2019

November is Rotary Foundation Month

. It is so appropriate that at the beginning of the month, the Club has its first Paul Harris Fellow. In less than a year of existence, this is a great step forward in helping make the world a better place for all.

A Paul Harris Fellow is a Rotarian who is recognized by The Rotary Foundation for contributing $1,000 or more to the Foundation. Club Member Raaid Ahmad has generously come forward and contributed that amount. While Raaid has made the contribution, the Club also gets credit for his contribution to The Rotary Foundation. The number of Paul Harris Fellows reached the 1 million mark in 2006.

The Rotary Foundation has consistently been rated 4-stars – the highest rating by Charity Navigator for the last 12 consecutive years. The contributions from Rotarians form the backbone of the Foundation for providing the bulk of the financing for Global Grants and District Grants. The Foundation awarded $86,677,399 in funding to 1,306 grants during the fiscal year 2018.

The recognition from the Foundation consists of a Certificate and a golden pin. For each additional donation of $1,000 the donor receives additional pins with rubies or sapphires. When the total cumulative contributions reach $10,000, the donor is recognized as a Major Donor.

Club joins Haiti support Project

Posted on Oct 29, 2019

The situation in Haiti is a serious humanitarian crisis. The country is in need to ongoing assistance of all kinds. The international community seems to have forgotten about the plight of the survivors of the devastating earthquake.

Our Club participated in a joint project with the Rotary Club of Yonkers-East-Yonkers, one of the most dynamic clubs in the District - and the home Club of our District Governor. The project aims to send urgent supplies of clothing, household items and other essentials to Haiti. One of our Club members donated $200 for purchase of canned foods and another member donated clothing, shoes, books and household items. All the items were packed in barrels by volunteers for shipment through a local Rotary Club in Haiti.

Every little bit helps. We are a new Club but we are learning how to get involved in projects within our community as well as internationally. The Club is grateful for the guidance received from our Club sponsor and our District Governor, as well as the practical assistance from the Yonkers-East Yonkers Club.

District Grant Project Approved

Posted on Oct 17, 2019

Great News!. Our Club's first District Grant-funded Community Project has just been approved. It is an important achievement for a club that is not even a year old.

Our Rotary District 7230 has 44 Clubs of which we are one. Every year, the District solicits project submissions from Clubs which will match whatever amount the Club puts up for the project - up to $2,500. Our Club President S. Zaki Hossain, and Member Rahat Hossain discussed a number of possible projects with Club Rotary Adviser Bina Ahmad and decided that a project to refurbish the main entrance of the Nassau University Hospital (NUH) had the best chance of approval from all concerned. With input from Linda Walsh, Executive Director of the NUHealth Foundation, the project was submitted via the District's electronic application system.

At the end September, the Club received notification from our District Rotary Foundation Committee Chair (DRFC) Lora Hugelmeyer, with the good news that the project had been approved. DRFC Hugelmeyer then requested the next step in the process - which is for the Club to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the District on the proper use and accounting of the funds and the execution of the project. Once the project is completed and the Club submits the receipts for the expenditures, the District will reimburse the grant money to the Club. The Club President S. Zaki Hossain, Club Rotary Foundation Chair M. Nurul Alam and Project Chair Rahat Hossain signed the MoU which was duly uploaded to the Application Center in early October. The stage is now all set for the project to begin.

This year the District approved 17 projects for a total allocation of nearly $30,000.

President Zaki installed

Posted on Aug 24, 2019

23rd August 2019. An important day for our 8-month-old Club. President S. Zaki Hossain and his team were installed by District Governor Mahbub Ahmad for a 2-year term. Among the new Club Officers were Sam Rahat-Muqtadir (CEO, Town MD) as Vice-President and Dr. Nazrul Islam as Executive Secretary. Mati Pal continues as Treasurer, as does Rahat Hossain, (CEO, Pintail Coffee) as Membership Director. Immediate Past President M. Nurul Alam is the new Club Rotary Foundation Director, while Tabin Ahmad stays on as Technology Director.

The ceremony at the offices of Modern Packaging of which President Zaki is the CEO, was attended by many members, their guests and a number of invited prospective members who expressed their willingness to join the New Club. The evenings proceedings began with the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by an invocation by Dr. Abu Rahman and the 4-way test by Mrs. Zakia Khan. Past President gave a roundup of the beginnings of the Club and the activities undertaken.

Governor Mahbub formally installed President Zaki and the new team after which President Zaki welcomed members and guests and thanked them for their enthusiastic participation. He said with the joint collaboration of all members, the Club would shine through impactful projects both locally and internationally.

In his remarks, Governor Mahbub highlighted Rotary's new strategic plan and the new vision statement. He said we are all volunteers and individually we can only do so much. But collectively Rotarians are literally changing the world. He quoted the Johns Hopkins study which concluded that Rotarians all over the world contribute volunteer time which conservatively translates to $850 million each year - which however is never reflected on any balance sheet.

The Treasurer provided a brief financial report to date and there was elaboration of projects that were completed or are in the pipeline.

The evening was rounded off by poetry recitation by VP Sam, a song by new Member Sonia Lasmin and a comic poem by Secretary Nazrul, following which.everyone had a great dinner and fellowship.

Governor Pays Official Visit

Posted on Jul 15, 2019

District Governor Mahbub Ahmad paid his first official visit to the Club on Sunday 14 July. Addressing the members, the Governor provided a brief history of Rotary and highlighted the 2019-20 Theme “Rotary Connects the World”. He shared the Rotary vision and asked members to involve their families and help grow Rotary.

He congratulated the Club on its growth this year, from its charter membership of 20 to its current 26. He also asked members to consider joining the Rotary International Aloha Convention in Honolulu 1-6 June 2020, saying it is a great opportunity for new Rotarians to learn about Rotary, share ideas with new Rotary friends from all over the world and witness the spirit of Rotary first-hand. He asked members to continue to meet in person from time to time to strengthen their bonds through fellowship

Host Rtn Masum welcomed everyone and said his place is open for any Club gatherings. He said he is interested in working with the Club along with his Foundation, to maximize benefits for people in need.

one of the newest members, Rtn Aziz Ahmed, CEO of UTC Associates, said it is important to publicize the activities of Rotary, He said we should do more to make our lives purposeful and Rotary is a wonderful institution to serve those in need. He lectures at a leadership course at the City University of New York. He felt it may be worthwhile to pursue establishing a Rotaract Club there. Rotaract clubs are for young people 19-30 years of age.

As part of the gathering, the members put together bags of items for the community service project for which the Club had received a grant of $750 from the Yonkers-East Yonkers Rotary. The supplies included small size tubes of hand lotion, shampoo, conditioner, bath gel, soap, socks, small hand towels, toothpaste and toothbrush, all in a reusable colorful bag. Several kits contain a pair of reading glasses. The bags will be distributed to needy parents of young children at a day care center in Yonkers.

The fun part of the gathering was the Aloha back-yard outing. Special thanks to Rtn. Moni who took the time to cook the yummy food. Some Rotarians brought in dessert.

E-Club Advisor Bina Ahmad also joined the gathering and reminded the members that fun was very much a part of Rotary life along with doing good. She said everyone has their own passion, and together we can realize the good results of their passions by touching the lives of others.

Heritage Members participate in District Team Installation

Posted on Jun 23, 2019

The HeritageNY Rotary e-Club had the second largest contingent at the District Team Installation on Sunday 23 July, at the picturesque American Yacht Club in Rye, NY. The bright sunny day heralded not only the beginning of the new Rotary Year and a new District Leadership Team, but also the beginning of the first full year of our new fledgling club.

Incoming District Governor Mahbub Ahmad and the new District Team were formally installed by Rotary International Director Jeffry Cadorette. Nine Assistant Governors, the Governor-Elect and Governor-Nominee as well as the District Committee chairs were also installed. Incoming Governor Mahbub Ahmad in his acceptance remarks thanked all District Rotarians and his family for the strong support he has received. He said the District was here for the Clubs, and pledged to do everything possible to ensure the clubs are provided with the necessary knowledge, training and assistance they need to make them vibrant and attractive to new members. He said membership engagement and retention was perhaps the most the important goal Clubs should strive for.

Five HeritageNY members and their three guests were present, topped only by the new Governor's home Club, the Yonkers-East Yonkers Club, which had eleven attendees.

Crowning the HeritageNY group's presence was the outstanding presentation by one of the youngest Rotarians present. Raaid Ahmad, Head of Data Science and Analytics of the Blockchain Group at Facebook and the son of incoming District Governor Mahbub Ahmad and District First Lady Bina Ahmad, spoke about how Rotary can get the younger generation interested in Rotary's Service Above Self motto. He presented a new look at the 4-way Test and demonstrated how it can be made more appealing and relevant to the new generation. He said we can all be together in service without sacrificing the original core values and core principles of Rotary. He highlighted the example of MIcrosoft - how it became relevant again as the leading business entity by taking stock of the changes that had taken place in its world and rethinking and retooling its business model - all without sacrificing its original core product.

Among the 91 attendees at the ceremony, HeritageNY Rotary had Directors Abdur Razzaque Khan and Dr. Abu Rahman, members Lina Rahman, Raaid Ahmad and Tabin Ahmad. The three guests were Zakia Khan, Pushpa Rahman and Wally Rahman.

Incoming District First Lady Bina Ahmad who is also the sponsor of our e-Club, thanked everyone for attending the ceremony. She said it is important for Club members to attend District and Rotary events, because it is through these events they can get the larger picture of the extent of the service, Rotary is providing all over the world.

See the Photo Album for the ceremony.

District Officers & Leadership Seminar

Posted on May 07, 2019

Charter Ceremony is held

Posted by Tabin Ahmad on Apr 18, 2019

A colorful Charter Ceremony of the newly established Club took place on 17 April 2019. District Governor Krishnan Chittur added his signature to the Charter Document which had earlier been signed by Rotary International President Barry Rassin. He then formally handed over the Charter Document to Charter President M. Nurul Alam. Present at the ceremony, held at the Royal Palace Restaurant were District Governor-Elect Mahbub Ahmad, Rotary Advisor and incoming District First Lady Bina Ahmad, Past District Governor Matts Ingemanson, Incoming Assistant Governors Syed Alirahi and John Ehrlich. as well as President of the Yonker-East Yonkers Club Sundra Lee, and M. Mizan Rahman from the Hicksville Rotary Club.

The ceremony began with the Pledge of Allegiance followed by the Invocation and members reciting the 4-way Test. DG Krishnan Chittur inducted Charter members present and haded their Charter member kits and special Charter Member Rotary pins,

The celebration continued with a sumptuous buffet dinner and fellowship among those present.

Charter President Attends District Training

Posted on Jan 26, 2019

Charter President Nurul Alam as one of his first official duties, attended the Pre-PETS (Presidents-Elect Training Seminar) held on 26 January at J.C. Fogarty's Restaurant in Bronxville. Despite the cold weather, nearly 30 Presidents-Elect from the District attended the seminar which provided the incoming Presidents with an overview of the upcoming 2-day full training session scheduled for end-March. Past District Governor and incoming District Trainer Greg Arcaro led the training session. District Governor-Elect welcomed the Presidents-Elect and gave a preview of new initiatives that will begin from July. Among the new initiatives are incentive grants to Clubs for a new member who initiates a project within 3 months of joining, reduced allocations for District events, increased allocations for training and technology - all while holding the line on District dues at current levels.

The draft budget for the 2019-20 Rotary year was presented to the Presidents-Elect and there was a lively discussion. Past District Governor and Incoming District Rotary Foundation Chair Lora Hugelmeyer provided an overview of the District and Global Grant process and encouraged Presidents-Elect to begin formulating their project proposals for the coming year.

New Club is Chartered

Posted on Jan 22, 2019

Our new Club officially received its Charter from the President of Rotary International Barry Rassin, on 19 January 2019. Our Club is the first new Club in the District that received its Charter since 2010 - a big achievement for the District. Our Club came into being through the untiring efforts of the Rotary Advisor, Bina Ahmad - a long-time Rotarian in the Rotary Club of Yonkers-East Yonkers. She is also the incoming First Lady of the District. District Governor-Elect Mahbub Ahmad fully supported her initiative and efforts and was in tough with Rotary Headquarters in Evanston, Illinois to get the paperwork completed.

As the Club organizes itself, the Charter President is Rtn. M. Nurul Alam while Rtn. Mati Pal is the Treasurer and Dr. Fazlur R. Chowdhury is the Secretary. There are 20 Charter members. In the coming days, applications will be filed with the IRS and New York State for the required certifications. Once those are in hand, a charter ceremony will be organized. It is expected that District Governor Krishnan Chittur will formally present the Charter Certificate and induct the Officers and members into the Rotary family.

India celebrates three years without polio

Throughout India and around the world, Rotary clubs are celebrating a major milestone: India has gone three years without a new case of polio. The last reported case was a two-year-old girl in West Bengal on 13 January 2011. To mark this historic triumph, Rotary clubs illuminated landmarks and iconic structures throughout the country with four simple but powerful words, "India is polio free."

The three-year achievement sets the stage for polio-free certification of the entire Southeast Asia region by the World Health Organization. The Indian government also plans to convene a polio summit in February to commemorate this victory in the global effort to eradicate polio.

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