Indian philanthropist Gives $1m to Wipe Out Polio
Posted by Tony Gilmore
During a ceremony on 21 April at Rotary International headquarters in Evanston, Illinois, USA, Arch C. Klumph Society inductee Rajashree Birla gave a brief speech. The Rotary senior leaders in the audience expected her to talk about her US$300,000 contribution to The Rotary Foundation , which endows an Ambassadorial Scholarship and supports SHARE . Instead, Birla, of Mumbai, India, focused mostly on polio eradication.
As she concluded, the soft-spoken Birla then made an announcement that took everyone by surprise: She is committing an additional $1 million to Rotary's US$100 Million Challenge for polio eradication.
"You took our breath away," said an elated Bob Scott, trustee chair of The Rotary Foundation, after a standing ovation for Birla.
Birla's late husband, Aditya Birla, led his family's business to become one of India's largest. Today, Aditya and Rajashree's son, Kumar Mangalam Birla, heads the Aditya Birla Group (ABG), a Fortune 500 company with 40 plants employing 100,000 workers in 20 countries.
Integral to the Birla business philosophy is a longstanding commitment to accountability, not only to shareholders and employees but also to the local communities in which the business operates. Birla continues the family legacy of giving back to society through her leadership in the Aditya Birla Centre for Community Initiatives and Rural Development, which focuses on sustainable development in the communities around ABG plants.
"You took our breath away," said an elated Bob Scott, trustee chair of The Rotary Foundation, after a standing ovation for Birla.
Birla's late husband, Aditya Birla, led his family's business to become one of India's largest. Today, Aditya and Rajashree's son, Kumar Mangalam Birla, heads the Aditya Birla Group (ABG), a Fortune 500 company with 40 plants employing 100,000 workers in 20 countries.
Integral to the Birla business philosophy is a longstanding commitment to accountability, not only to shareholders and employees but also to the local communities in which the business operates. Birla continues the family legacy of giving back to society through her leadership in the Aditya Birla Centre for Community Initiatives and Rural Development, which focuses on sustainable development in the communities around ABG plants.