Winning District Foundation Awards

The District Foundation lunch (see earlier web page), is the opportunity to celebrate those clubs which have done the most to support The Rotary Foundation and its End Polio Now campaign.  As we reported last month, the Rotary Club of Billericay was presented with the Certificate for winning the End Polio Now - Countdown to History award for the club in our District which had made the greatest donations to End Polio Now in 2024-25. 

At our club meeting on March 23, we were surprised and delighted to welcome District Foundation Chairman Steve Wallbank along to the meeting in his official capacity.  This was a surprise visit driven by the fact that we are also the proud recipients of three further awards.  In an innovation this year, it had been decided that, rather than present all the awards at the Foundation Lunch, it would be better if they could be presented to the clubs who won them in front of all its members at a regular club meeting.  So Steve had come along today to present us personally with our awards.

He remarked that “your club has already received your award at the Foundation Lunch, for the highest level of donations to End Polio Now of any club in the District (see above).  Following the recent Foundation lunch I’m very pleased to be able to visit you in person today and present some awards to recognise your Club’s commitment to Rotary Foundation”.
These awards are:

• Every Rotarian Every Year (EREY).  A banner given to our Rotary Club of Billericay because every member of the club continues to donate over $25 to The Rotary Foundation Every Year.  Every member actually donates $100 or more every year.
• One Hundred Percent Club.  A banner given to our Rotary Club of Billericay because every member of the club is qualified as a “Sustaining Member” of The Rotary Foundation by donating $100 or more to it this last year.
• Buck’s Bucket - a prestigious award of the wine bucket and a bottle of Prosecco, donated by the late PDG Ken Buck to be awarded to the District 1240 Rotary Club which had the highest percentage of sustaining members in the District.

Steve finished by saying “Thank you for your ongoing support for Rotary Foundation and long may it continue”.

But the end of the meal wasn’t the end for Steve.  It was time for our raffle in aid of  “Mary’s Meals”, the prize for which is a bottle of wine.  Steve was our winner but, following club tradition, he graciously presented it to our speaker in recognition of the invaluable work he and his organisation did in our community.