A part of Our History of
Rotary in Asia
Prepared by the district and not verified
by Rotary Global History
As of April 30, 1997
As of June 30, 1994, District 3650 boasted 86 clubs and 3,827
membership. However, on July 1st, 1994, the district was divided and
it retained 43 clubs and 2,014 members having Seoul North of
Han-river as its jurisdiction.
45 new clubs were sponsored during the past years and 1996-97
year begin for the district with 88 clubs and 3,696 members. The
year 1996-97 has begun with a special emphasis on membership
expansion as the main agenda.
Our district has donated to the Rotary Foundation a large sum of
money via P.H.F's and Benefactors. The Rotary Korea Scholarship and
Cultural Foundation has also received increasing contributions
toward its scholarship funds.
Our district has been Exchanging Youth with district 2750 in
Tokyo for the 3rd year to promote better understanding of each
other. And through District Rotaract Conference, Interact Conference
and Exchanges of the Interact clubs, we are sustaining our effort to
serve our youths. In the Community Service front, we are continuing
with Free Operations for the Blind People who otherwise can not
afford the operation and with various support programs for the
handicapped. And Youth Drug Abuse Prevention Counseling Program is
another example of our concern for the community.
Our district has hosted a G.S.E. team from District 6270 of
Wisconsin, U.S.A.. There were 10 clubs hosting them showing our
history, cultural heritage, way of life and meeting corresponding
professionals and seeing their work places in Korea. And our
district G.S.E. team is visiting District 6270.
It also is a great honor to have a director-elect(1997-99) of
Rotary International, Hee Byung Chae from our district and we are
very proud to have three Past R.I. directors Young Hui Kim, Chae
Kyung Oh, In Sang Song from the district.
And there are fourteen Past District Governors who are always
willing to lend their advise and participate in every program that
our District is sponsoring.
R.I. District 3650 has been running free eyesight recovery
operations project in cooperation with eight major hospitals in
Seoul. To mark the 600 years of founding of Seoul as the national
capital, it has been operating on 600 eyes of low-income blind
citizens of Seoul. As of April 30, 1997, District 3650 has provided
150 Million won (about US$169,500) in eye operation costs and
already 500 people have benefited from this effort. The project is
expected to be completed in May-June 1997.
R.I. District 3650 has excercised a constant effort to build a
society where the disabled can live comfortably. In the autumn of
1993 and 1995, District 3650 hosted 'WALK-A-THON WITH THE
HANDICAPPED' in an effort to communicate the belief that the
physically disabled are neighbors too.
Every year, as well, District 3650 raises money to give financial
support to disabled individuals or groups that advocate them. As
part of its assistance for the disabled for 1996-97, District 3650
sent 12 Million won (about US$ 14,560) worth of medical equipment in
November to Kyonam House of Hope, an institution for the mentally
disabled. In February 1997, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of
Paul Harris, the founder of Rotary, District 3650 offered three
automated wheelchairs (worth 9.3 Million won) to Eun Kwang won, a
social welfare institution. R.I. district 3650 will continue to give
a lot of interest and support to assist the disabled.
R.I. district 3650 established a committee on teenage substance
abuse prevention since 1994-95 and have run telephone consulting
services headed by Dr. Jin Kyung Jang for teenagers concerned with
substance abuse.
The service answers telephone calls 24 hours a day from teenagers
suffering from addiction and their concerned family members. The
service provides professional advice and refers callers to clinics
that offer the treatment required and finally provides education on
the damages of substance abuse and ways to deal with it.
Regularly, the service holds seminars to publish cases and seek
better ways to tackle the problem.
