Dear Fellow Rotarians,
In life, sometimes the experiences that matter the most are the briefest. They pass in a blink of an eye; a few days, a few hours, a few moments. They are the experiences that illuminate the landscape of our memory, shining brightly even years later. They are the moments in which we see, suddenly, something we had not seen; we understand something we had not understood; we forge a connection we had not expected.
For me, this has been a Rotary year like no other. I have been around Rotary for over 16 years, having traveled around the world, traversing countries and continents. I have been to places I had never seen before. As I prepared for my year as your District Governor, my calendar was full of visits to clubs not only around the district, but around the world. I had Russia, Germany and Taiwan on my calendar. But then things changed… this has been a Rotary year like no other.
I have still traveled this year… just in a different manner… a different conveyance. I have traveled virtually into your homes, offices, and meeting locations. I have actually expanded my international reach this past year – visiting Rotary meetings on four continents and 7 different countries. I can share without hesitation that the Rotary I have seen is strong, vibrant and full of energy! On February 23, we will mark 116 years since the founding of Rotary. It is incredible to think about how much has changed, in our world… in our organization, since the first Rotary club met in Chicago with Paul Harris as its president.
Some things are easy to compare between now and 1905. Technology and medicine? Certainly. Society? Not so easy but certainly “different.” When one looks at a map of the world from 1905 and a map of the world today, we can see many things that are different. What we can’t do is compare what is with what might have been. There is no way to compare our world as it exists now with the world as it would have been without Rotary.
This year, like the 115 that preceeded it, has seen Rotary rise to its many challenges. We’ve answered conflicts with peace, and poverty with education. We’ve responded to a lack of basic health care with projects large and small, from equipping clinics in tiny villages to eradicating polio across the globe.
