Dear Friends,
I am very much inspired by the 26-27 vision of the Rotary: CREATE LASTING IMPACT and developing our coming year activities based on this vision.
What does it mean? As 26-27 Rotary International President Olayinka BABILOLA says “We should not concentrate only on the results, but also keep in mind the repercussions”
Based on exchanges with the club members I would like to CREATE LASTING IMPACT by:
- Building future, and the future of any organization lays with its Youth. And even if youth are sometimes turbulent and impatient, our role in this club is to help, support and coach youth.
We are extremely lucky to have close to us the most dynamic Rotaract, the only Interact and most of the Scholars in Switzerland. This year we will have a much more integrated action program with Rotaract by the coordination of local projects, and even to have one local project together. An international project is also in preparation. We will also consolidate and develop the concept of Interact. This is first important step in Youth engagement. We will continue to welcome the Scholars, an important role that helps to give to the club its international image.
- The International dimension of our club is, of course, also defined by its International Projects and Global Grants. This year I will also give attention to the reinstatement of this priority. Our club should start not less than 3 global grants and support Global Grants initiated by our partners clubs; some being represented here today. Two projects have already been prepared and will be going through the preparation of the IPC committee: “The Jewel Inside Us” and “Empowering Lebanon’s Fire Fighters & Civil Protection Centers”. Once those projects have been approved, I’m asking all of us to help to successfully implement them and CREATE LASTING IMPACT.
The founding of the Rotary International initiative regrouping the international clubs of continental Europe will be formalized in October 2026 with our club being a founding member.
I am
intending to participate in two projects with the Geneva International Organizations, in the first half of 2027 we would like to organize at UN a day for Neutrality and Post-Conflict Economic Recovery in today’s world, specifically between Ukraine and Russia. The other project we will totally support is the World Polio Day on 22nd October.
- CREATE LASTING IMPACT is also done via the local projects. Bateau Geneve has been selected to be our core local project. Fondation Otium, will be our second focus for this year. A third project together with Rotaract is under construction.
But we will not limit ourselves to those projects. A “Club Service” first objective is to service the society. To CREATE LASTING IMPACT, I will encourage our members to go out of the club to support actions, not only our actions but also the ones organized by clubs around us. We plan to participate two times in the Samedi du Partage and back in Race For Gifts. And many others.
- Fundraising is by many aspects one of the essential bases for CREATING LASTING IMPACT. There are already two planned actions, other activities are under discussion. I hope that we will also explore additional ways to raise funds. It is important for me to increase the income base of the club to be able to bring more help to society and CREATE more LASTING IMPACT.
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I am also committed to bringing back better Governance, in terms of legal and financial processes and transparency for our members. This is why I have chosen to have a small and efficient board this year, composed of 7 members.
I look forward to a great summer with social gatherings on Thursday nights. Our formal meetings will re-start again by the end of August.
With my best regards
Louis Coomans
President 2026-27
Thrusday 2.7.2026
