DG Diana's Message to Clubs this year (English)

Each member needs to contribute.

Why? Because it is your club and the identity of your club now and in the future is something that only you can determine. Rotary Clubs are not clones, each has its own unique culture and character which evolves from its membership.

I would like us to reflect on who and what we are; what can we do to make our clubs stronger and;  what we can do to make a difference in our current world.

The core values of Rotary and of Rotarians are Fellowship, Integrity, Diversity, Service and Leadership. Of all these, I suggest to you that Integrity is the most critical to Rotary, because the other core values are somewhat meaningless, from the Rotary perspective, without Integrity.

When we make the critical decision of whether or not to invite someone into Rotary, we consider whether they can afford it, whether they have decision-making capacity within their workplace, and just simply whether we like them. 
But just think about it - if our prospective member lacks Integrity, what does it matter if he or she has financial capacity or control of their time or even whether they are good company?
 
This is the great organization of which we are a part, and this is what we offer to all prospective Rotarians. Yes, we offer Fellowship, yes we offer Diversity, yes we offer Service Opportunities, and yes, we offer Leadership Development.  But above it all, we offer the prestige of joining a select group of people committed to high ethical standards.

So we can be proud of who we are, we can be proud of what we do and the Rotary Clubs District 7020 should be proud of where they are today after more than 50 years of Building their Communities.
 
What is it that makes Rotary unique?

It is certainly not the fact that we have a network of clubs around the globe, nor is it because we undertake service projects to help those in need. It is not the fact that our members are leaders in their business or community.

What makes us unique is our holding fast to high ethical values in an age when these values are challenged and sometimes considered outdated. So our unique selling point is that we select the very best from our communities.

We also consider our diversity.  We build no barriers based on religion, politics, ethnicity, gender or age, and we strive to include all vocations within our geographic boundaries. This is who and what we are
This, fellow Rotarians, is what makes us special and it is why we have so much to offer our members.

If we can continue to protect ourselves by maintaining this one single standard of placing Integrity before all other considerations, how can we fail to have strong, vibrant clubs?  The core value of Fellowship can be built on the commonality of Integrity.  A Diverse membership will still be bound by the common bond of Integrity.  A person of Integrity will respond to the call of Service-Above-Self and we will be assured of continued Ethical Leadership. This is who and what we are and what will make our clubs Bigger, Better and Bolder.

We are a band of men and women who have earned the right to consider themselves elite, not because we are superior, but because we only select the best fruit from the tree.

Our reputation of high ethical standards, and of keeping our promises, has led us to where we are today. We have pledged to eradicate Polio from the face of the earth, and we are very, very close to doing so. We will continue to provide the precious drops of vaccine during our National Immunization Days.  We will continue to negotiate with such groups as the Taliban to achieve Days of Tranquility so that the immunization continues in war-torn countries.

And because we have made this promise to the world, and because we are trusted, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation joined us on the journey, not by contributing funds towards the vaccines directly, or making a donation to the World Health Organisation or to UNICEF, but by challenging Rotary to join the Gates Foundation to match the funds and to give us the funds - simply trusting our promise  – knowing we would keep our commitment to raise the $200 million. This is who and what we are and of this we can be proud.

For over 50 years, our clubs have played a leading role in contributing to The Rotary Foundation. Your donations have made it possible for us to give greater assistance to communities throughout the District through the Rotary Foundation SHARE system. Many have received an education, learned to read, have clean water and live with more dignity because of your personal contributions. You can be justly proud of your record of Foundation giving and on behalf of those whom you have benefitted, I thank you.

RI President Elect Kalyan Banarjee described Rotary as having “The strength of a government and the fellowship of a next door neighbour,” The network of 1.2 million people working toward the same goal gives us, as Rotarians, phenomenal “firepower.” It is what enables us to promise that we will eliminate polio from the face of the earth.  It is also what enables us to make a significant difference in the lives of others half way around the world. It is what enables us to have an idea as one individual and to turn it into a worldwide project. And it is the power of this individual Rotarian I would like to talk about.

The Power of One

How can we each, as one individual Rotarian, make a significant impact?  When we join any group, it is inevitable that we each have different expectations. However, what make Rotary different is that each member is someone who has already been identified as having leadership qualities and, as such, will likely have ideas of their own. So, if you are one of those members who is not excited or inspired by the current activities of the club, if there are no projects which “push your buttons,” go ahead and suggest one.  Inspire the club to follow your dream of Building Communities and Bridging Continents. What better way to rise to President Ray’s call of making this club Bigger Better and Bolder….. to lead your club to greatness - and to use your Power of One.

There are many examples of people who have Made their Dreams Real by using the Power of One,  together with the strength that Rotary provides.

In the late 1970’s, two Rotarian doctors in the Philippines applied for a matching grant to organize an immunization event in their community. This Power of One idea eventually in 1985 became the Polio Plus campaign, which, over the past 25 years, has saved more than 2 billion children from becoming victims of the disease!

In Haiti, Rotarian Guy Theodore started cross-breeding goats to produce larger progeny so that the families in the town would be able to make more money when they sold the meat at the market. The families were given a pregnant goat and the first female kid was returned to the stock as payment. This became known as the Big Kid Project and has been supported by Rotary clubs in the USA and in Europe. What Guy did was use his Power on One, and then use Rotarians to help promote and support his idea.

Many of us tend to think that these Rotarians are out of the ordinary, one of a kind but as the expression goes.  No.  Rotarians are just ordinary people given the opportunity to do extraordinary things…and many of them are closer to home than we think.

Rotary gives us an opportunity to set new goals, to reach even greater heights, and to use your “Power of One." As I said earlier, what better way to rise to President Ray’s call of making your club Bigger Better and Bolder than to use the “Power of One”?

What will yours be?

Whatever it is, whatever you each contribute, I wish to thank you for all that you already do and wish your club the best for this new Rotary year. I will help and support you in any way I can.   Thank you.