Rotary
International John Kenny's February 2010 Message
February 2010
My fellow Rotarians,
Each of us has, at one
time or another, been asked the question, what is Rotary? There
are many ways to answer, depending on the questioner, the context,
and the time available. The shortest and simplest answer is that
Rotary is the world’s oldest service club organization. This
is, of course, an accurate but necessarily incomplete response,
for any true understanding of Rotary must include an explanation
of how we in Rotary strive through our service to achieve more than
the goal of each individual project. By working together in our
clubs, our districts, and internationally, we strive to establish
the simple foundations of a better society: friendship, trust, honesty,
and hope.
The structure of Rotary,
along with our international club projects, helps make friendly
connections between Rotarians in different countries. Our emphasis
on ethical and honest behavior works to build strong and open relationships
between people and nations. Our service projects in water, health
and hunger, and literacy help eliminate many of the practical obstacles
to peace. And our Rotary Foundation and Rotary Youth Exchange programs
go a step beyond by training the leaders of tomorrow to be active
builders of a more peaceful world.
These programs help
shape responsible citizens of better communities – people
who will have a broad and nuanced perspective, enhanced by opened
eyes and open minds. They will be indelibly marked by their experiences,
and throughout their lives – both now and in their later careers
– they will not keep the benefits of these experiences to
themselves. These are the people who will help build the kind of
future that we as Rotarians strive to create through our every action.
What is Rotary? It is
a network of people who care – people who are both realists
and optimists. We recognize the challenges before us and our own
limitations; we also recognize our abilities and our responsibility
to use them to the fullest. If we are ever to realize Paul Harris’
vision for Rotary as an organization that promotes goodwill among
nations, then, as he wrote, “the hearts of men must be so
touched and molded that mutual understanding and goodwill will take
the place of fear and hatred.” In this, World Understanding
Month, we do well to remember these words – and to remember
as well that in all of our service, we reach for the larger goal
of fellowship, understanding, and peace.
The Future of Rotary
Is in Your Hands.
John Kenny
President, Rotary
International
TRF Chairman's
February 2010 Message
Building bridges through
service
On 23 February, Rotary
will celebrate its 105th anniversary. On that day, we also mark
World Understanding and Peace Day, for in Rotary, part of our mission
is working for peace – not through military might, but through
our humanitarian work. Rotarians understand very well that the causes
of war and strife are often the same: poverty, inequality, deprivation,
and a lack of hope.
Rotary works to restore
that hope by bringing health, education, and the promise of a better
future. We do this through the locally based club and district projects
for which we are known, and through larger projects run internationally
and with the support of our Rotary Foundation – projects that
support schools, build wells, improve quality of life, and bring
us ever closer to our goal of a polio-free world.
The years that we have
been working together through PolioPlus have been years of steady
determination, of lessons learned, of confidence built. Where government
representatives and health organizations have been refused entry,
Rotary has been allowed in, because our local service and our international
reputation have earned us the trust of others. Through our work,
we have helped build bridges of cooperation between governments
and communities. With every one of those bridges, and with every
drop of polio vaccine, we come closer to the better, healthier,
and more peaceful world that we know is possible to build.
Glenn E. Estess Sr.
Foundation Trustee Chair
Source: Rotary International
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