Rotary Theme and Goals - 2005-06

Marilyn M. Hummelstein, District Governor 2005-2006

Keynote Address, District 6150 Assembly
April 2, 2005

ASU - Beebe, Beebe, Arkansas

No, I do not speak all of these languages, but Rotary International does – these languages and many more.  The small items on the tables are gifts I received at International Assembly last month in Anaheim from the over 500 District Governors-Elect in attendance from all over the world.  I’ve brought them with me today to try to demonstrate the internationality of this great organization of which we are a part.   

Through June, we will continue to celebrate Rotary’s 100th anniversary, when the final chapter of the history book of Rotary’s first century of service will end.  Now is the time to begin preparing for the first chapter of the new history book of Rotary’s second hundred years.

I want to spend the next few minutes sharing with you some of the goals of Rotary International’s president-elect Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammer for his year.  Needless to say, these will become the basis for District 6150’s goals.

In Carl-Wilhelm’s own words, “There is a new wind blowing in Rotary, and it is called continuity! 

Gone are the days when our organization went north one year, to the west the next, followed by east and, then, maybe north again.  Our main direction must be the same for many years to come.”

For example, Past RI President Jonathan Majiyagbe, had four emphases that he asked Rotarians to make an extra effort with.  One of these was literacy and education.  In the spirit of continuity, President Glenn Estess continued this emphasis on literacy and education and we will continue to place an emphasis on this basic need during of Carl-Wilhelm’s Presidency. 

Many of your clubs have chosen to participate in the district dictionary project, have helped equip schools and libraries or have reading programs.   Nearly one-half of the world’s population is functionally illiterate and will find it virtually impossible to lift themselves out of poverty.  In our district we must continue our efforts to reach a literate world working with both children and adults.

Another continuing emphasis will be water management.  The United Nations calls the global water crisis “a threat to economic development, to poverty reduction, to the environment, and to peace and security.’’ About 40 percent of the world’s population – about 2.6 billion - lack basic sanitation, and more than 1.2 billion people don’t have clean, safe drinking water.  6,000 people in our world die every day because of water-related illnesses, most of them children.  Eighty percent of all diseases in the developing world are carried in contaminated water.  In developed regions of our world, the problems are different but no less critical, and exist in our own backyards.  Every day, communities in the developed world jeopardize their precious water resources – and their future- with pollution and poor irrigation practices.  Perhaps most damaging of all is the lack of awareness about the importance of conservation and good water management. Water management issues also affect the food supply.  The concerns of alleviating hunger and improving the health and well-being of all who are deprived of these essential resources have been added to the Water Management Emphasis.

Continuity is definitely a key word for Rotary’s future; however, there is another one that is just as important: cooperation. 

The issues of literacy, clean water, hunger and health are all of such a magnitude that we Rotarians can never reach our goal in these areas all by ourselves.  If that were possible, these problems would have been solved long ago.  Let’s seek cooperation with other entities working with the same issues that share our ideals.  As we begin our second century of service, it is increasingly clear that our partnerships with other organizations are going to become even more important to our growth and the achievement of our goals.

For evidence of this, we need look no further than PolioPlus.  By working with our partners – the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the CDC and governments throughout the world – we are overcoming obstacles.  Not one of these organizations can do it alone.

The Rotary International Board of Directors has made the decision not to begin any new global projects until our PolioPlus program has been concluded.  We will continue to work toward the global certification of the interruption of the transmission of the wild poliovirus.  This, however, does not mean that we cannot cooperate with others.

During this celebration year, most clubs have had centennial projects and gained more public exposure than ever before.  Another emphasis planned is for clubs to use this year’s opportunity as a platform in our continued effort to enhance our public image.  Every club has great stories to tell – appoint a public image committee and go out and tell it.

Membership will continue to be an issue for Rotary that is part of our continuity.  Rotary is sometimes like a big party:  without guests, there is no party.   Without Rotarians, there is no Rotary.  Membership will be a part of the Presidential Citation. 

Each club is asked to work for a net increase in membership of one, or more, Rotarians – reachable for every club.  When this is achieved, we will have total increase of more than 31,600 Rotarians worldwide. 

Make membership retention a priority.  More Rotarians are leaving us than joining us.  We have the official reasons given by Rotarians as to why they leave.  Out of every 100 men and women who leave Rotary, 13 do so through death, 6 claim to leave for health reasons, 12 by loss of classification. 30 cease to live or work in their club’s territorial limits, 17 from non attendance, and 22 (almost 25%) for other reasons.  Frequently cited under “other reasons” are weak leadership, poorly planned meetings, lack of service activities, failure to challenge members to service.  If your club has a high turnover rate, you may need to address one or more of these issues. As you are looking for new members, make sure your membership reflects the diversity of your community.

Expanding the Rotary Youth Exchange program will also receive special emphasis.  If every 17-year-old could become an exchange student, wars would cease. I challenge each club in our district to engage in the Youth Exchange program.  Later this morning, some of you will be fortunate enough to hear from two former exchange students about their experience.  You will learn that just because these young people have returned home, the program is not over.  A new phase begins.  Positive impressions are fixed in their minds, attitudes and lives.  The program lasts forever.

We must continue to support The Rotary Foundation.  This is what makes it possible for all of us to bring the miracle of Rotary to the less fortunate in the world.  The mission of our Rotary Foundation is to foster goodwill and understanding and promote peace in the world.  It is a mission worthy of the greatest service organization on earth. 

In an immediate and practical sense, it is apparent that a world half-starving will never be a world at peace, a world half-sick will never be a world at peace, a world half-illiterate will never be a world at peace and a world of prejudice and intolerance, distrust and ignorance will never be a world at peace.  There’s never been a greater need for an organization like our Rotary Foundation that is dedicated to world peace and understanding.  To not support the Foundation is to give up on our hope of peace.

Continuity continues with the 2005-06 Rotary Theme – ‘Service Above Self’ and the trademark Rotary wheel as this year’s logo.  I was surprised to know that these had never been used together for the Rotary theme and logo and how fitting it is, since the only reward Rotarians receive is the knowledge they are helping people - in many cases that they may never meet – isn’t this ‘Service Above Self?’

Together, we are entering the new century of Rotary and I look forward to working with each of you as we serve our clubs, communities, vocations and the world. 

Gracias, merci, grazie, danke, tack, arigato, thank you.