Rotary
International Kalyan Banerjee's September 2011 Message
My dear brothers and
sisters in Rotary,
We have a color for
the 2011-12 Rotary year, and that color is green. Why green? Because
green is the color of spring, of new life, of bright leaves bursting
forth from spreading branches. And there is no doubt that it is
time to “green” Rotary – to lift our deepening
pallor of gray and replace it with brighter shades of green.
Overall, in Rotary,
only 11 percent of our members are under the age of 40, while 68
percent are over 50 and 39 percent are over 60. It’s not too
hard to see where this will lead us in 10, 20, and 30 years down
the line, if we don’t do something about it now. It is not
enough to simply bring in new members. We need to bring in younger
members, who will breathe new life and new vigor into our organization.
How can we be more attractive
to younger members, who are so different in so many ways from the
young professionals of a generation or two ago? We have to come
to them where they are – and for most young people, where
they are is on the Internet, on Facebook, on Twitter and e-mail,
and on their smartphones. A club that doesn’t have a presence
on the Internet simply doesn’t exist as far as they are concerned.
A club’s website is its public face – and it has to
be a good one.
More than anything,
I believe we need to bring back the idea of the family of Rotary.
We need to look at all of Rotary as one family: Rotarians, their
families, and also Rotaractors, Interactors, Youth Exchange students
and alumni, Foundation alumni, and so on. And we need to consider
retention as an idea that applies not just to Rotarians, but to
the entire family of Rotary.
Too often, we look outward
to find new members, and we do not see our own young generation,
waiting to be called upon. We must look to them to find the capable
and enthusiastic new members who will be the club presidents, the
district governors, and the RI senior leaders of tomorrow.
We owe it to our Rotary family – past, present, and future
– to make sure that our generation of Rotarians is not the
last. We must, in a very real sense, reach within – to embrace
our Rotary family, so that we can better embrace all of humanity.
Kalyan Banerjee
Reach Within to Embrace
Humanity
President, Rotary International, 2011-12
TRF Chairman Bill Boyd's September
2011 Message
What will be your legacy?
Years ago, during a
visit to New York City , I saw a T-shirt that said, "He who
dies with the most wins." It seemed funny at the time, but
we all read the stories of people who judge their success by their
wealth. The problem is that material possessions often do not bring
happiness, for there is always someone who has more.
Most of us, however,
want our life to be measured by what we have done. Many Rotarians
have expressed their appreciation of fellow Rotarians' service by
promising a contribution to our Rotary Foundation that will live
on after them. The earnings from their gifts go to our Annual Programs
Fund year after year. What better legacy to the world?
By earlier this year,
we had almost 8,000 commitments to the Bequest Society. These represented
an expected value of about US$338 million, a significant share of
the almost $700 million in assets and expectancies in our Permanent
Fund.
The first Australian
RI president, Angus S. Mitchell (1948-49), foretold the creation
of the Permanent Fund in 1992, in a speech that ended with this
story from the Talmud: Choni Hama'agel saw an old man planting a
carob tree and asked when he thought the tree would bear fruit.
"After 70 years" was the reply. "What!" said
Choni. "Do you expect to live 70 years and eat the fruit of
your labor?" "I did not find the world desolate when I
entered it," said the old man. "And as my fathers planted
for me before I was born, so I plant for those who will come after
me."
We each have that same
opportunity by making a bequest to our Rotary Foundation.
Bill Boyd
Foundation Trustee Chair, 2011-12
Source: Rotary International
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