Rotary
International Ray Klinginsmith's July 2010 Message
July 2010
My fellow Rotarians,
Winds of Change
What an amazing world! Advances in technology are happening so quickly
that they cause constant changes in our businesses and professions.
Yet about one-third of the world’s population is still living
at a subsistence level with little change in their lives. It is
a stark contrast and a cause for concern.
Rotary has both a distinguished
heritage and a bright future. My primary task as president is to
enhance the vitality and viability of Rotary clubs and to enable
them to succeed in the midst of societal changes. This is an important
task because it is the clubs that address and alleviate the root
problems of society and thereby make the world a better place.
Wind of change was a
new and significant phrase when I was a Rotary Scholar in South
Africa in the early 1960s. It is serendipitous that the phrase that
was first publicized in my host city of Cape Town is now applicable
to Rotary as we contemplate the changes in society that dictate
some corresponding changes in our organization. The phrase is now
better known as winds of change.
We are currently enjoying
a culture of innovation at Rotary International. We have the ability
to look at all of our programs and practices to see if they can
be improved, even as we steadfastly maintain our core values. I
hope many Rotarians will take advantage of this opportunity to identify
and implement improvements in their clubs and districts as well.
Rotary lives and breathes
in our 33,000 clubs, and it is the clubs that improve lives by Building
Communities – Bridging Continents. If we succeed in helping
clubs to become Bigger, Better, and Bolder in the next year, then
it will be clear that the best days of Rotary are still ahead. We
are fortunate to be Rotarians! Together, we can make the world a
better place!
Ray Klinginsmith
Building Communities
/ Bridging Continents
President, Rotary International, 2010-11
TRF Chairman's
July 2010 Message
Using Future
Vision as a window to the future
The Future Vision Plan
pilot starts 1 July. The Rotary Foundation has invested great care
and considerable background work into this plan. Based on the findings
of two consulting firms and the responses of 10,000 Rotarians to
a comprehensive questionnaire, the Future Vision Committee and Foundation
Trustees have worked hard to move forward with the Future Vision
Plan.
The Rotary Foundation
has been very successful over the years. Yet, as the world changes,
our Foundation needs to change with it. Cooperation with other organizations
is the future, and The Rotary Foundation must not fail to get on
board. We need to sharpen our vision and expand our ambitions. Today
people do not join organizations – they join causes. We need
to take advantage of what we have learned from our polio eradication
program: We need to think big.
When we received the
substantial contributions from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,
we could handle them easily because we had built up the administration
of PolioPlus over a period of more than 20 years. But if we were
to receive grants of a similar size for other programs, it is not
clear that clubs and districts would be prepared to effectively
manage and utilize the funding, or that the Foundation’s administration,
as it stands today, could handle such gifts.
The Future Vision Plan
will move more responsibility, control, and flexibility to districts
and clubs to allow them to monitor their own funds. Never forget
that The Rotary Foundation belongs to Rotarians. When districts
and clubs take advantage of this opportunity, staff at our offices
around the world will be freed to work on other issues that will
further enhance the future of the Foundation.
Carl-Wilhelm_Stenhammar
Foundation Trustee Chair, 2010-11
Source: Rotary International
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