Recent Happenings

At a recent club meeting, Val Leivers gave us a talk about her life, in particular, concentrating upon her voluntary work in India. Val, a former Deputy Head Teacher, started undertaking projects in India after retiring. In 2010, she became the first female Rotary District Governor in the Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, and Staffordshire district, ending a 65-year run of male leaders. She’s the only female Rotarian in Great Britain & Ireland to receive both Rotary International’s highest accolades, the “Service Above Self” award and the “Rotary Foundation’s Distinguished Service Award.” Now, she dedicates herself to voluntary work in India, transforming schools and empowering girls. She raised £1.2 million and improved conditions in India, mainly in Hyderabad, and at the Sri Sai Vidyarthi School. Val aims to help girls pass year 10 and provides sewing machines and tailoring skills to make communities self-sufficient. She showed us a short film featuring the school with testimonies from the principal and girls. Sponsoring a child to attend school for a year costs only £55.00. Val's talk highlighted the many valuable hours she has been undertaking this work.