Our Club - the newest Club in the District has won Rotary's highest honor.  More and more Rotarians are bringing honor and recognition to our District.  The Rotary International Board of Directors has bestowed Rotary’s highest individual award – the Service Above Self award to Assistant Governor and Sunshine Club Charter President Bina Ahmad.  We congratulate our Charter President Bina on receiving this prestigious Award and for her 13-year service as a Rotarian and many additional years as a humanitarian.
 
Rotary’s highest honor recognizes Rotarians who demonstrate Rotary’s motto, Service Above Self, by volunteering their time and talents to help others and whose service activities deliver an impact to humanity. The award is internationally competitive and is granted to no more than 150 Rotarians worldwide.  Today, no more than one individual from each district, each year can earn the prestigious honor.
 
This year’s awardee AG Bina is an active motivator - behind-the scenes workhorse. She has directly engaged in many service projects in many locations that have brought benefits to large numbers of people in need – She has teamed up with a Club in a remote area of South Asia to initiate/execute a project to build sanitary toilets for girls and young women so they could remain in school;  arranged education funds to help young girls learn life-skills and become earning members to improve family well-being, thus ensuring the welfare of many families;  generated ongoing support for an orphanage, so 30 street children (girls) are cared for through shelter, food, education, clothing; organized/participated in clothing drives, food supplies, multiple times in multiple locations; worked with area Rotary Clubs, raised funds to provide much-needed school supplies to children in need in a remote Central American country; and singlehandedly established, trained and nurtured 4 new Rotary Clubs (80 members in 2 years) that in turn are engaged in many service projects.
 
The Awards Committee felt that Bina embodies Service above Self. Recognized by the District as Rotarian of the Year for 2020-21, she is a self-starter and is always actively on the lookout for service projects.  She has given of herself not only in terms of time and money but also of empathy and a genuine inner desire to be of service, who can be relied upon to see a project to its successful conclusion. She has been seen to get emotional when speaking about some of the projects she has been engaged in.  Bina is extremely successful in motivating others and multiplying effects of her actions – evidenced by her establishment of 4 new Rotary Club in the District, bringing in a new community of members who are now going on to multiply her efforts towards service to others – an accomplishment recognized by Zone 32 with the Zone Membership Champion Award.
Bina actively promotes Club, District, and individual Rotarians’ activities in many social media outlets and is recognized as an expert in the area of promotion. Her commitment to Rotary and Rotary’s activities is demonstrated by her becoming a Major Donor to the Rotary Foundation in 2016.
 
Only district governors, immediate past district governors, RI directors, and past RI directors may honor exemplary Rotarians by nominating them to be considered for this award. Nominations are usually due in October/November of each year.
 
To be considered for the Service Above Self Award, a Rotarian or Rotaractor must have performed continuing humanitarian service in any form. This award is intended to recognize especially those who actively help others through Rotary. It is not awarded solely in recognition of one’s performance in an elected or appointed Rotary assignment, and financial contributions to The Rotary Foundation or specific projects.