Anil and Tulsi Maharjan on a project site in Nepal.

By Tulsi R. Maharjan, a past district governor and member of the Rotary Club of Branchburg, New Jersey, USA
For this father and son combination, Rotary is about much more than belonging to a humanitarian organization. It’s about making a difference in the world.

When you’re a part of Rotary, you’re really making a difference, both locally and internationally. When you think about all the wonderful things Rotary has accomplished, who wouldn’t want to be part of one of the most successful humanitarian organizations in history.

I recently took the helm as president of the Branchburg Rotary Club for the sixth time.  I am a charter member of the club, which started in 1988. This time around, I am honored to have my son serving in the same Rotary club.

Previously, Anil has been a member of an E-Club in our district, but this year he decided to join my club. He is a CPA and graduate of Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and works for MarketSmith as Director of Innovation. He believes in Rotary’s service projects and all the impact they are making around the world with various Rotary Foundation grants.

Father and son working on the Asha Rays of Hope project.

It has been fun working on projects together. We have been involved with the Asha Project in Nepal to provide scholarships, microcredit and home building for the earthquake victims since the major earthquake in 2015. We have already completed three humanitarian missions to Nepal together and are planning a fourth in early February.

Now, it’s additionally nice to bounce ideas off of one another as part of the same club. Branchburg Rotary has just received a $95,000 grant to implement a microcredit project in Nepal and we are working on a second computer grant.

My son’s interest in Rotary was sparked by listening to me talking about various local and international projects during the past 29 years. “We’re pretty good at raising money and giving money away to different organizations,” he says. “But I really like the hands-on service projects, where you can see you’re making a difference.”

I would say one of the best things I ever did in my life was join the Rotary Club of Branchburg, because our members are just the most generous members I’ve ever known.