Rotary Club of Bangalore hosts its first RCB Club Connect

On Wednesday, 16th July 2025, Rotary Club of Bangalore hosted its inaugural edition of “RCB Club Connect” – an initiative by International Service that resonates deeply with this year’s Rotary theme, “Unite for Good”. The objective is to celebrate global Rotary impact, foster idea exchange, and build meaningful international connections.

In this first edition, we hosted an inspiring line-up of speakers from:

• Rotary Club of Shanghai (China)
• Rotary Club of Colombo Port City (Sri Lanka)
• Rotary Club of Kensington & Chelsea (UK)
• Rotary Club of Bangalore (India)

The session was well attended by members from participating clubs & other overseas partners, including Guernesiais (UK), Auray (France), and Haute Rive (Mauritius).

Highlights from Club Presentations:

Rotary Club of Shanghai (China)

Speaker: Rtn. Tomas (President)

Established in 1919 and re-chartered in 2006, RC Shanghai today brings together 53 members from 21 regions. Rtn. Tomas highlighted impactful projects such as Gift of Life (heart surgeries for children), the Yodao Volunteers team supporting migrant workers, the KBD nutrition project, the 1 Million Trees Initiative, and the Inclusion Factory for individuals with intellectual disabilities. His presentation also covered projects like the Tanga painting school, Christmas Cheers for leukemia patients, and library establishment. Notably, RC Shanghai is the first in China to establish a Peace Building Committee.

Rotary Club of Colombo Port City (Sri Lanka)

Speaker: Rtn. Michael Jayawardana (Immediate Past President) Rtn.

Rtn. Michael reflected on a successful year marked by numerous impactful projects.

These included the “Healing Minds Matter” initiative, which provided mental health awareness programs across Sri Lanka, and the installation of the world’s first Interact Club for the blind, among others. The club received multiple awards for its community service projects, particularly in maternal and child health, basic education, and literacy. They also invited clubs to their first black-tie dinner dance at a 7-star hotel in Colombo on October 17th, with proceeds benefiting Rotary for Little Hearts, which is one of the flagship projects!

Rotary Club of Kensington & Chelsea UK)

Speaker: Rtn. Graeme Thomas (International Secretary and Executive Chairman)

Rtn. Graeme, representing the Rotary Club of Kensington and Chelsea in London, shared updates about their club’s challenges and recent projects, including support for tiger widows in Bangladesh and school materials for orphans in Morocco. The club has been working to revitalize itself by attracting younger members and adapting to changing 6:27 PMcircumstances, with ongoing fundraising efforts for the London Art Biennale — a blannual fundraiser.

Rotary Club of Bangalore (India)

Speaker: Rtn. Aria Ohri (lnternational Service Chair)

Rtn. Aria presented an overview of the club’s 91-year history, highlighting their impact with over 330 members and projects benefiting 4 million people. She detailed several key initiatives, including the Rotary Bangalore Vidyalaya School, the renovation of 118 Happy Schools, and the Home of Hope project supporting termin Ily ill and abandoned people through vocational training. She also discussed medical projects, including the Rotary TTK Blood Bank, which processes 40,000 units annually, upgradations of Primary Health Care Centres and highlighted two major Global Grants (100 Heart Surgeries & Screening of patients for Diabetic Retinopathy and Glaucoma in Rural Karnata ka). The session concluded with open discussions. Rtn. Sandeep Ohri emphasized the importance of sharing best practices and learning from each other’s experiences, particularly regarding funding and membership engagement. Other Club members discussed strategies for attracting younger members.