Over 1.4 million Rotarians all over the world welcome a new Rotary Year every July. These Rotarians belong to more than 33,000 clubs worldwide, and they are grouped into over 500 districts in about 200 countries.
In the Philippines, there are over 800 Rotary clubs grouped into 10 Districts. Davao City Rotarians belong to District 3860, where 100 Rotary clubs from Visayas and Mindanao are grouped together.
This year, Rotary International District 3860 is led by District Governor Rozanne “Twinkle” C. Gamboa from the Rotary Club of Downtown Davao (RCDD). She officially took her oath of office during the handover ceremonies last June 30, 2023, at Dusit Thani Hotel, Davao City.
Twinkle, who is turning 53 in October, credits Rotary for developing the leadership skills she did not believe she possessed.
“I was a very shy and low-key Rotarian when I first joined in August 2001. It took me 15 years to find the confidence to lead my club and accept the challenge to be its President in 2016, and now on my 22nd year in Rotary, I am serving as a District Governor,” shared Twinkle, who is still amazed at her own transformation.
It was quite a journey for this reluctant leader because, under her leadership, RCDD was awarded the Most Outstanding Club in District 3860 as well as the Rotary International Significant Achievement Award. Not only that, her spouse was recognized with a Rotary International Rotarian Spouse Service Award.
Yes, her leadership begins at home because she was able to recruit her spouse, retired Police General Archie Francisco F. Gamboa, the 23rd Chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), to Rotary, In fact, General Gamboa became RCDD’s first male club president. He is now supporting his District Governor spouse as District Learning Facilitator. Their daughter, Mariane, is also a Rotarian and helps out in youth projects. Their son, Tym, an entrepreneur, is a generous donor who supports his parents’ Rotary Club and now the entire District.
Twinkle is a consistent Paul Harris Fellow, together with her spouse Archie. They are both members of the Paul Harris Society and the Arch Klump Society. Membership to these societies means you have consistently contributed significant amounts each year to The Rotary Foundation.
“I can proudly say that my growth as a Rotarian has been amazing. This confidence as a leader is a gift I have received from Rotary, and I am forever grateful to be a Rotarian,” she said.
“If there is one good example of Rotary’s transformative power — that is me, I am Exhibit A. If you knew me as a Baby Rotarian, you would not think I would be District Governor someday. Bu
t here I am now. So there is always hope,” she humbly added.
“Create Hope in the World” is the theme for Rotary Year 2023-2024. And Twinkle would like to lead her District in giving emphasis on two major things.
“First, I want us to give more to The Rotary Foundation (TRF); to put our money where our mouth is. Changing the world needs serious investments. Let us share our blessings and give back whenever we can as much as we can,” she said.
Her other priority is investing, nurturing, and inspiring the New Generation — the Interact and Rotaract, the youth counterparts of Rotarians in high schools and colleges and young professionals in communities.
“They are the future of Rotary, the key to our sustainability. Creating hope in the world cannot be done without our young people. We are not only creating hope for them, we must create hope with them,” Twinkle stressed.
If there is a person who can best lead Rotary to create hope in the world, it is a reluctant Rotarian who was transformed and found her life’s meaning through Rotary. She demonstrated that Rotarians can and do create hope for many people and many communities. She was able to do it and will show others that it can be done by anyone. She will be Rotary District 3860’s ‘Twinkle of Hope” this new Rotary Year.
