The Rotary Club of Milano Nord Ovest was founded on 26 January 1967 as the Rotary Club of Bollate on the initiative of Franco Macchi del Sette and Gian Paolo Guidobono Cavalchini. The Bulletin of information to the members of the Rotary Club of Bollate, dated 28 January reads: “on 26 January, at 13:00, we met for the first time at the Circolo San Carlo, in Bollate, in front of the Town Hall. The place was not very good, not to say that it was very shabby… definitely not welcoming. The cold hall of the “San Carlo” where we met was for a long time the obsession of the new club… But within the bare walls of the San Carlo was hidden another aspiration: that is to cross the customs barrier and become one of the clubs of the great Milan”.
Here is the first board of directors of our club: president Franco Macchi del Sette, secretary Nelito Priano, treasurer Luigi Clivio, prefect Giovanni Merler. A total of 26 members!
In the meantime, the march towards the great city of Milan continued. The first stop was the first outpost at Brambillone, a restaurant in Via Grosseto, after Mac Mahon, in what was once Villapizzone. The second stop is dated September 25, 1969 with the publication in the bulletin: “the convivial meeting of September 25, 1969 will be held on an experimental basis at the Hotel Cavalieri in Piazza Missori …”
Finally, in November 1972, five years after the foundation, the goal is achieved, we read from the minutes of the board of 13 November 1972 “… after laborious negotiations Rotary International allowed the club to change its name to Rotary Club Milano Nord Ovest”.
With the change of name and headquarters the club takes more and more consistency and strength, the number of members increases and becomes more and more prosperous, this will allow the most prestigious and complex realization of the first years of life of the club: “The conservative restoration of the Certosa di Garegnano”.
Work was completed in record time, approved by the board on October 12, 1973, and completed on November 22, 1974, the date of the inauguration.
The activity of the club continues with the various presidents who follow one another with many important and ambitious initiatives and achievements, conceived and developed in the spirit of Rotary and mainly with three priorities: the recovery of important historical and artistic testimonies of Milan and Lombardy; the orientation of young people to a profitable insertion in the civil and productive society; the strengthening of the Rotary presence in the complex social, cultural and economic reality of Milan.
In line with these three strands, initiatives have followed one another and, in addition to the restoration of the Certosa di Garegnano, we are proud:
The initiative was so successful that not only did it pay for itself, but it also generated enough profits to finance the scholarships of the “Aldo Spirito” initiative.
Another initiative of high cultural significance promoted and carried out by our club aimed at reorganizing and filing a part (the most precious one) of the archives preserved in the Villa Pisani-Dossi in Corbetta. The filing was carried out by computer according to the regulations dictated by UNESCO for historical archives.
Our club can boast of another meritorious contribution to the preservation of Lombardy’s cultural heritage.
Important and copious is also the realization of conventions, forums, round tables and cycles of conferences:
The realization of the first conference on: “The noise, fourth pollution”, a problem that for many years has been the focus of attention of our club.
Every year the club changes its President, whose office is not an expression of power but of a spirit of service and responsibility, which no member should shirk.
The identification of the President is made by a special committee so that the proposal concerns the person who, for skills and availability, is the most appropriate at that time.
His election takes place 18 months before his appointment in order to favour his preparation for the mandate.
The president has an institutional function of representation to the community and a leadership function to his club or her club, which must be directed, inspired and involved.
He or she also has a duty to promote Rotary in the community.
The objectives of a year’s term of office are many and the president must ensure the effectiveness of his or her club summarized as follows:
2020/2021 A.R. President: Pier Francesco Fumagalli
The Board of Directors is usually formed by the Executives:
The powers of the Board of Directors are to manage and administer the association and promote its activities.
Specifically it is to:
The duties of the officers are as follows:
Per the bylaws, each club must have the following committees:
They are responsible for implementing the club’s annual goals.
In a volunteer-based organization, projects, actions, and initiatives can only be accomplished through teamwork that can grow and bond over time.
For this reason, a three-year term is suggested to ensure continuity of action.
It is essential to monitor progress and resolve critical issues together. The choice of the members of the commissions must leverage the skills with the possibility of growth of the whole team
The tasks of the various Commissions are summarized in the following table
Administration
Effective
Public Image
Projects
Rotary Foundation
Youth Action
International Action
Professional Action
Club computerization
Club Trainer
Rotarian Meetings occur at Convivial meetings.
The central part of Rotary life is, in fact, the weekly meeting, called Convivial on the days and times fixed, established by the rules of each Rotary Club and published, so as to facilitate the participation of Rotarians belonging to other RC.
The weekly club meeting is a special privilege of Rotary membership.
It provides an opportunity to meet other members, get to know visitors and new affiliates, and establish personal friendships.
Rotary clubs known for their “friendly” atmosphere usually follow a few simple habits.
Members are encouraged to change seats or sit at a different table at each meeting, possibly next to someone they don’t yet know well.
The weekly meeting is a friendly social gathering and, at the same time, a time to organize service activities.
It serves three purposes:
Rotary adopts various symbols and rituals, designed to support the values of order, respect for others. Each Member wears the “Pin”.
It represents the emblem that each member is required to display in his or her public and club life. It represents the cogwheel and may have an indication of the position held at that time.
The pin must be worn at all times, even if there are other Rotary awards or decorations.
They are solemn reminders of our belonging as citizens of Italy, Europe and as Rotarians. We refer to those values: freedom and solidarity. They are performed with the assembly standing facing the flags, displayed to the right of the President.
It was a way of noting the attendance of members and guests for the purposes of required attendance and for record keeping for management purposes. Signatures are still collected at the Rotary meeting by the Secretary or Prefect.
These are the representative insignia of the club that are displayed at the meeting or under official circumstances. The banner is always placed to the left of the president. The pennant may bear, in addition to the name of the club and the wheel, the symbol of Rotary, the graphic representation of the club’s locality.
It serves as a call to order, to composure, to attention and to listening. Every Rotary meeting begins and ends with the ringing of the bell and the assembly welcomes it in composure and silence.