Stellar service

"In recognition and appreciation of your commitment to strengthening our nation and for making a difference through volunteer service,” Godrej Billi­moria was presented The Presi­dent’s Call to Service Award. The President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation conferred him the Award in the middle of last year. A congratulatory message from President Barak Obama thanked him for his "devotion to service and for doing all you can to shape a better tomorrow for our great nation… We need a new era of responsibility — a recognition on the part of every American that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world. These are duties that we do not grudgingly accept, but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit than giving our all to a difficult task. Your volunteer service de­monstrates the kind of commitment to your community that moves Ameri­ca a step closer to its great promise.”

Seventy-five-year-old Billimoria has been active with the Rotary movement for the last three decades and had chaired its International Committee as also its International and Humanitarian Programs Committee for his entire district. Over the years since he joined the Wilmette Rotary Club he has participated in 30-35 of their projects and has earned a pin for being a Level Four donor since his and his wife Avan’s donations range between US$ 100,000-499,000, he informs Parsi­ana. Over the years he has contributed to the completion of projects in Ghana, Philippines, South America and primarily India. To install a water purification plant in his hometown Bilimora, he initially "energized the Rotary Club of Wilmette which raised $ 12,500 for the project,” it was reported in Wilmette Life, April 16, 2009. As per the Rotary norms, the club donates an amount equivalent to the funds contributed/raised by the member. With donations coming in from many other sources, ultimately the plant was completed about four years ago at a cost of $ 207,000 and was able to supply the town with potable water for 45 minutes each day. With the balance $ 120,000 he decided to build a pipeline from a dam about four kilometers away that could provide clean drinking water for six hours a day. The cost of the pipeline being two million dollars, the deficit amount was paid by the Indian government and the Bilimora municipality.

Among the other projects that the outstanding Rotarian has been involved with are the purchase of dialysis, sonography and x-ray machines, setting up of a pathology and physical therapy laboratory, paying for inoculations and cataract operations, purchasing equipment to aid the visually handicapped, renovating and furnishing a school for intellectually gifted children, and providing low cost housing. According to the August 2011 newsletter of the Zoroastrian Association of Metropolitan Chicago, "he connected 61 different Rotary clubs” to provide cataract surgery to "more than 20,000 people with vision problems.”

His fondness for travel he uses to the advantage of the underprivileged. The Winnetka resident spends seven months in a year on the North Shore and the remaining five months in western India. He had migrated to Chicago in 1965 after completing his commerce and law graduation from Bombay. In the US he qualified as a Certified Public Accountant, receiving his certification from the University of Illinois, and did his MBA in finance from Roosevelt University. Thereafter he started his own company G. N. Billimoria Limited which was subsequently merged with McLean, Cohen and Debes where he was senior partner. His wife Dr Avan is a clinical psychologist who taught at the Chicago State University for years, retiring in 2000 as the chancellor of the University. Their daughter Jasmeen is a teacher in Iowa. Whilst earlier they were involved with the activities of the Zoroastrian Association of Metropolitan Chicago, long distances now prevent the couple from participating in community functions.