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Dear Fellow Rotarians,
One early June, more than 30 years ago, I had a business trip scheduled
to Las Vegas. I had been a Rotarian for about six years, and I thought
of myself as an active member: I attended every meeting, I’d
served as club secretary, I knew everyone in my club. But for me,
Rotary was very much a community organization. It connected me to
Nassau and perhaps even to the Bahamas — but no farther.
I had never given much thought to Rotary beyond the
Bahamas, and it had never crossed my mind to travel to a Rotary
convention. But that spring, I realized that my trip to Las Vegas
would coincide with the Rotary International Convention and thought,
why not? I sent in my registration and paid my fees, never suspecting
that the experience would change my life.
When I walked through the doors of that convention,
I was stunned. It was one thing to know that I was part of a global
organization with over a million members around the world. It was
something else altogether to stand there in the middle of it. I
went to every general session, looked in at every booth at the House
of Friendship, and learned about projects that I hadn’t even
known you could do in Rotary. That convention didn’t just
open my eyes. It opened my mind. It inspired me to completely change
the way I saw Rotary, what Rotary could do for me, and what I could
do through Rotary. That inspiration has stayed with me ever since
— and is renewed every year, at every Rotary convention.
In June 2019, Rotarians from all over the world will
converge in Hamburg to Capture the Moment at the 110th Rotary International
Convention. Many, like me, will have been coming to conventions
for years; many others will be coming for the first time. Whether
they’re looking to connect with old friends, to find inspiration
for a new Rotary year, or simply to see what Rotary is all about,
each of them will find their own moment in Hamburg.
Hamburg is a port city that connects Germany to the
world and that has been an economic and cultural hub for centuries.
It’s a wonderful place to visit — to stroll the shores
of the city’s lake, take a boat trip on the Elbe River, dine
out, hear great music, and explore fascinating museums. It’s
also the ideal place to kick off a European vacation.
If you’re a regular convention goer, you absolutely won’t
want to miss out on the friendship and inspiration you’ll
find in Hamburg.
And if you’ve never been to a convention, please
consider this my personal invitation. Register at riconvention.org by
15 December for the best rate — and let this convention Be
the Inspiration for your Rotary journey.
Barry Rassin
President 2018-19
Trustee Chair's Message - Nov.
2018
Ron D. Burton, Trustee Chair
2018-19
Trustee chair's message
Ron D. Burton
Trustee Chair 2018-19
November 2018
Every year we celebrate November as Rotary Foundation Month.
How fortunate we are to have a world-class Foundation that
allows us to do so much good in the world. We should all
take pride in the fact that something good happens every
second of every day because of Rotarians and our Rotary
Foundation.
Remember how excited we were at the 2017 Rotary
International Convention in Atlanta, where we celebrated
the Foundation's first 100 years? The fundraising goal for
that year was $300 million, and, as you recall, we raised
$304 million to exceed that goal. It was a landmark year
for the Foundation.
In the 2017-18 Rotary year, as the Foundation
entered its second century of service, we had an even more
ambitious fundraising goal of $360 million. At the convention
in Toronto in June, outgoing Trustee Chair Paul A. Netzel
told attendees that we once again had a landmark year for
our Foundation, setting a one-year fundraising record of
$373 million.
This year our fundraising goal totals $380
million. Our goal for polio is $50 million, which will be
turned into $150 million through the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation matching grant. Add to that a $137 million
goal for the Annual Fund, $61.5 million for the Endowment
Fund, and $31.5 million for global grant cash and other
outright gifts, and our many programs will be fully funded
and Rotarians will be completely equipped and empowered
to continue making real change.
Now, it's up to you and me. We have the chance
to forge a path of ever-increasing relevance and influence
— to choose the direction and tempo of the Foundation's
second century.
I'm challenging you to increase your involvement
in our Foundation — by doing, by giving, and by inspiring.
Together we can make tomorrow even brighter than today.
We can make every month Rotary Foundation Month. So, Be
the Inspiration, build your Rotary legacy, and let's make
this yet another landmark year in our history.
Ron D. Burton
Trustee Chair 2018-19
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