Dear fellow Rotarians, 

As we start another Rotary year, let me first thank the Rotarians who have agreed to be your stewards for another year of service to our communities. 

Launching a new Rotary year, is like launching a great ship - The sea is said to be a teacher of truth and in sailing we find the salt of reality. Rotarians and like-minded men and women of goodwill, can come to recognize that we are one people around the earth and that we can do much to bring harmony and understanding between friends who may dwell across expansive oceans or perhaps next door. 

What has been accomplished before is now Rotary history. It is our time to add to our glorious history. What is said of us in the future will be determined by you and me. 

As one who has participated in and love sports all my life, I am a great believer in teamwork. In sports, one learns early on that teamwork is absolutely essential to a team’s success. An individual star will not assure victory unless there is coordination, cooperation and a team spirit among the players. So is teamwork vital to Rotary. Rotary cannot achieve complete success without the participation and cooperation of all members of the team. 

The 2018-19 Rotary International emphasis is “BE THE INSPIRATION” and this is reinforced by our District 7020 theme of “SHARE YOUR LOVE FOR ROTARY”. We are leaning heavily on empowering our young generation. 

If we want to see another century of Rotary, we must make Rotary attractive to young people. Many young people share our beliefs. To get them involved in Rotary, we must concentrate on activities that capture their attention, so they are willing to make a commitment. It is not the responsibility of young people to come to our clubs. It is ours to invite them. 

The spirit of Rotary is not exclusive; it expands. It is not local, it is universal. It is the wish to understand and be understood, to see virtues rather than faults in others, to find what we have in common rather than what divides us. It is that unity of desire and a unity of purpose to serve society and to serve mankind...a unity in diversity that binds us Rotarians together. 

Through service, we become more tolerant of our differences and more grateful for the people in our lives. Our sense of gratitude drives us to understand others better and to see the good in everyone. 

Through our Rotary service to humanity, let us make a difference to the world around us which in itself will be an inspiration, not just to our members but to the world and communities involved. 

Dr. Patrick E. Adizua
Rotary District 7020 Governor 2018-2019 

“I have learned to give, not because I have too much, but because I have known the feeling of NOT having"

 


Rotary International
Presidential Message

President 2018-19 Barry Rassin

Barry Rassin
Rotary International President 2018-19

July 2018

One year ago, your Rotary International Board of Directors adopted a new vision statement, reflecting our aspirations for our organization and its future. It reads, “Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.”

That simple sentence distills so much of what is essential about Rotary. We unite, because we know that we are far stronger together than we could ever be alone. We take action, because we are not dreamers, but doers. We work to create lasting change that will endure long after our involvement has ended – across the globe and in our communities. And perhaps most important of all, we work to create change in ourselves – not just building a better world around us, but becoming better people ourselves.

A quotation attributed to French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry goes: “If you want to build a boat, don’t begin by collecting wood, cutting boards, or assigning tasks. Begin by awakening in the souls of your workers a longing for the vast and boundless sea.” Each of us came to Rotary because we had a longing – to have an impact, to make a difference, to be part of something larger than ourselves. That desire, that vision for a better world and our role in building it, is what drives us in Rotary. It’s what made us become members, it’s what motivates us to serve, and it’s what led me to choose our theme for this Rotary year: Be the Inspiration.

I want to see Rotary Be the Inspiration for our communities by doing work with a transformational impact. It’s time to start moving forward, by removing the barriers that are holding us back. Let’s make it easier to make adjustments in our clubs or start new clubs that suit different needs. Let’s work to strengthen Rotaract and smooth the transition from Rotaract clubs into Rotary. Let’s give all Rotarians the flexibility to serve in the ways that work best for them, so that every Rotarian finds enduring value in Rotary membership.

Truly sustainable service, the kind of service we strive for in Rotary, means looking at everything we do as part of a larger global ecology. This year, I ask all of you to Be the Inspiration for sustainable service by addressing the impact of environmental issues on our work. The environment plays a key role in all six of our areas of focus, and that role is only becoming greater as the impact of climate change unfolds. It’s time to move past seeing the environment as somehow separate from those six areas. Clean air, water, and land are essential for healthy communities – and essential for the better, healthier future we strive for.

Be the Inspiration – and together we can, and we will, inspire the world.

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