================
Dear Fellow Rotarians, Rotaractors, and friends,
In January 2020, when I announced my presidentialtheme, Rotary Opens
Opportunities, and spoke of the changes that Rotary needed to embrace,
none of us had any idea how quickly change would arrive. But I am
a longtime believer in seeing challenges as opportunities. This
year, we seized new opportunities to reimagine what Rotary could
be. For years, we had discussed ways to make Rotary flexible and
adaptable, and we had tried a few experiments. This year, we all
experimented — and succeeded! Online meetings are a regular
fixture now as clubs invite guests from across the globe.
Susanne and I love to meet members of the family of
Rotary around the world, and we’ve missed seeing you in person
over the past year. But for me, it was a new way of experiencing
Rotary. We traveled the world virtually. I definitely met thousands
more of you than I would have otherwise. I never set foot in my
office in Evanston as president, yet we found new ways to get the
job done while cutting travel costs.
This is the Rotary we experienced in 2020-21: nimble,
adaptable, and creative. The
next step is not to go back to the way things were before the pandemic.
We must move forward. Let’s apply what we have learned in
order to offer new experiences and opportunities for our members,
such as online attendance as a regular option.
We need a younger, more diverse Rotary at every level
to keep our clubs strong. What diversity means is different from
region to region, but I encourage you to welcome people from all
backgrounds. Another step we can all take is to increase the number
of women and amplify their role everywhere.
I am glad that many now see Rotary and Rotaract clubs
as equals. Let’s keep going in this direction by inviting
Rotaract clubs to be a part of everything we do. Let’s not
squander any opportunity to reach young leaders, but partner with
Rotaract and invest in our many new approaches.
I am very proud of the work Rotary is doing to fight
COVID-19 by supporting vaccination campaigns through advocating
for fair distribution and combating misinformation. But we must
also continue to do everything we can to end polio. And we now have
opportunities to work in a new area of focus: the environment.
The world is a different place today from when I first
announced that Rotary Opens Opportunities. We can all be proud of
how we updated what Rotary can be this year. Let’s continue
on this path, always taking care of our clubs and of our friends
in those clubs. They are precious, and they keep Rotary alive and
thriving.
Susanne and I are thankful for all the opportunities
to serve the organization during this special year, a year of finding
new meaning in Service Above Self. We see Rotary as a community
of people who live their values by putting them into action. In
these extraordinary times, there is no doubt that we must place
increased emphasis on service. This is our opportunity to show the
world what Service Above Self means for Rotarians.
There are so many opportunities waiting for us that
will help us change the world. Let’s seize them together and
get ready to open doors to achieving greater things. And as we open
these doors to new ideas, our minds and our hearts also open. Remember
that everything we do in Rotary opens another opportunity for someone,
somewhere.
HOLGER KNAACK
President 2020-21
Trustee Chair's Message - June
2021
K.R. Ravindran
Rotary Club of Colombo
Western Province, Sri Lanka
Trustee chair's
message
“I have no fear of the future,” Winston
Churchill once said. “Let us go forward into
its mysteries, let us tear aside the veils which hide
it from our eyes, and let us move onward with confidence
and courage.”
Churchill used the phrase “let
us go forward together” in some of his most
famous speeches. He had no other choice but to look
forward as he led his war-battered nation with courage.
Each generation inherits its own share
of challenges; we are living through ours, never once
stopping in the face of this challenge. In a year
when people were unable to meet, families stayed secluded,
and businesses struggled to flourish, we still managed
to go forward together in many areas. Through Rotary
Foundation grants, clubs and districts brought creative
solutions to their pandemic-hit communities. Since
March 2020, the Foundation has awarded over $34 million
in grants to initiatives related to COVID-19.
The demand for our global grants was
high. They were so popular that we had to make adjustments
to grant funding policy that will begin 1 July in
a prudent effort to balance demand with resources,
so that more districts can participate.
This year, The Rotary Foundation took
bold steps forward, breaking new ground: The Foundation
expanded its reach with recognition of the environment
as an area of focus and awarded our first Programs
of Scale grant to a Rotarian-led program that aims
to greatly reduce malaria for severely affected communities
in Zambia.
Even though our polio immunization activities
paused for a few months in 2020 because of the pandemic,
they began to resume in midyear. We also were finally
able to celebrate a huge step forward in our journey
together to a polio-free world: the World Health Organization
(WHO) declaration that the African region is now free
of wild poliovirus.
And the Otto and Fran Walter Foundation
signed an agreement with us to fully fund the establishment
of a Rotary Peace Center in the Middle East and North
African region. This welcome development gives Rotary
the opportunity to make a tangible contribution to
an area where lasting peace has been so elusive.
Our accomplishments are a reminder that
Rotary is a great force for good everywhere and that
you are the reason we did not stop. At this writing,
we’ve raised more than $282 million, putting
us on track to reach our $410 million fundraising
goal. The great work we have done this year, and the
work we will do next year and in the years ahead,
is all thanks to your support. On behalf of The Rotary
Foundation Trustees, I thank you from the bottom of
my heart for keeping the Foundation — one of
our greatest gifts to the world — thriving.
http://www.endpolio.org/donate.
K.R. Ravindran
Trustee Chair 2020-21
Copyright © 2003-04
Rotary eClub NY1 * Updated 2020
Design & Maintenance of this site by TechnoTouch
e-Strategists
.
