New member inducted as Peace Pole becomes a symbol of bringing people together through service
Sunshine NY Rotary formally welcomed the 2026-27 Rotary year with an outdoor Club Installation on Sunday, August 9, at Eisenhower Park, bringing together Club members, families and District leaders for an afternoon centered on fellowship, membership and Rotary’s commitment to peace and service.
Joining the celebration were District Governor Dr. Maksud Chowdhury; First Lady and District Conference Chair Dr. Shamim Begum; Deputy Governor for Membership PDG Syed Alirahi; and Area Governor Shazia Alirahi. Sunshine’s Charter President Bina Ahmad, who also serves as District Executive Secretary, was present along with Deputy Governor for Areas and Sunshine member PDG Mahbub Ahmad, Club Executive Secretary Ashfaque Salim, Treasurer Muhammad Yeasin Arafat, other members and their families.
In his remarks, DG Maksud outlined his vision for the year, identifying membership as a major District priority. But his message went beyond simply adding names to membership rolls. He emphasized the importance of engaging members, giving them meaningful opportunities to participate and creating a Rotary experience that encourages people to stay involved.
That emphasis reflects Rotary International’s broader approach to membership. Rotary increasingly stresses that growth begins with creating a sense of belonging, engaging members in meaningful service and giving prospective members opportunities to experience Rotary firsthand.
DG Maksud also discussed plans to make the District Conference experience more accessible across District 7230 by dividing it among three geographic areas. He said the first gathering is planned for Staten Island on November 7, followed by a Bronx or Westchester gathering in early February and a third conference experience aboard a cruise to Bermuda in April.
From Community Volunteer to Rotarian
One of the most meaningful moments of the afternoon was the induction of Sunshine’s newest member, Abina Kabir.
Abina’s journey into Rotary illustrates exactly how engagement can lead to membership. She first became involved through Sunshine’s Rotary Community Corps (RCC) and participated in Club service projects. Through those experiences, she saw Rotary not simply as an organization that holds meetings, but as a community of people working together to help others. She subsequently decided to take the next step and become a Rotarian.
An RCC is a group of non-Rotarians who work in partnership with Rotary clubs on community service. They provide an important way for people to experience service alongside Rotarians without initially becoming club members — and can help clubs broaden their community connections and develop future leaders.
DG Maksud formally inducted Abina into the Club, after which First Lady Shamim presented and pinned her Rotary membership pin.
Deputy Governor for Membership PDG Syed Alirahi congratulated Abina and spoke about the importance of engaging new members early in their Rotary journey. He encouraged her to take advantage of District 7230’s New Member Grant, which provides $250 toward a small service project conceived and led by a new member with the support of the Club. The program is designed to give new Rotarians an immediate opportunity to turn their ideas into service.
A Peace Pole — and a Place to Gather
The afternoon’s membership message was given an additional dimension when PDG Mahbub displayed a Peace Pole bearing the simple but powerful words:
“May Peace Prevail on Earth.”
The Peace Pole movement grew from the vision of Japanese peace advocate Masahisa Goi. Today, the Peace Pole Project estimates that more than 200,000 Peace Poles stand on every continent, carrying the same universal message of peace, often displayed in several languages.
For Rotary, the symbolism is especially appropriate. Peacebuilding and conflict prevention is one of Rotary’s principal areas of focus, and Rotary emphasizes that peace is built when people come together locally, develop understanding and take action to address the conditions that divide communities.
But PDG Mahbub suggested that a Peace Pole can represent something more for Rotary.
A Peace Pole is not merely something to look at. It is something around which people can gather.
And when Rotary gathers people around something they care about — peace, clean water, children, hunger, health, education or simply improving their neighborhood — we have an opportunity to show them what Rotary really is.
They first discover a cause.
Then they participate in service.
Through service they develop relationships.
Those relationships create engagement and belonging.
And, as Abina’s own Rotary journey demonstrated that afternoon, engagement can ultimately lead to membership.
Perhaps there could have been no more appropriate way to conclude the installation.
Under the shade of a tree in Eisenhower Park, Rotarians, family members and friends gathered for fellowship and refreshments — around a Peace Pole.
A simple monument carrying a message to the world had become a gathering place for a Rotary club.
And perhaps that is the larger message for the year ahead: when Rotary gives people a meaningful reason to gather, opportunities for service, friendship — and membership — naturally follow.