Rotary
International President Ron Burton's October 2013 Message
Dear fellow Rotarians,
RI President's monthly message, October 2013
In Rotary, October is the month we set aside
to remind ourselves of our second Avenue of Service: vocational
service. While some Rotarians call this the "forgotten"
area of service, I would disagree: In fact, vocational service is
the avenue through which we serve so often, we don't always recognize
it as service.
Vocational service has its roots in the second object of Rotary,
which encourages all Rotarians to hold high ethical standards in
our business affairs and our professions, to recognize all useful
occupations as worthy of respect, and to dignify work as an opportunity
to serve society.
In short, the idea of vocational service is
that our jobs, in themselves, are a way of serving society. Whether
we are serving customers, teaching students, or treating patients,
whether we're involved in commerce, research, the media, or any
one of countless other fields – we take pride in doing our
work with competence and integrity. Every occupation fills a need,
and by doing our work well, we are contributing to our communities
and our society.
The role of vocational service in the club
is important, even if it isn't always prominent. By maintaining
high standards individually, we earn a reputation that we share
collectively. By valuing all occupations equally and by maintaining
a classification system in our clubs, we ensure that our clubs reflect
our communities – and can serve them well. A Rotary club of
all lawyers wouldn't be capable of nearly as much as one that also
had teachers, engineers, business owners, and dentists; in Rotary,
our diversity is our strength. That diversity is an advantage not
only to our service but to our members: It gives us all a valuable
way to find the connections and opportunities that help us in our
own careers.
That aspect of membership is as old as Rotary.
Paul Harris himself wrote often of the business advantages of Rotary
membership, believing, as I do, that being a Rotarian means a person
holds a certain set of values that will make him or her a good person
to do business with. Today, with the world more connected than ever,
Rotary membership is an honor that we should be proud to share
Ron D. Burton
President, Rotary International
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Rotary
International Foundation Chair D. K. Lee's October 2013 Message
Polio Eradication Update
Trustee Chair's Message - October 2013
On 24 October, we mark World Polio Day. It
is a time to reflect on the progress we've made and to strengthen
our determination for the work ahead.
It's important to realize how far we've come.
We have reduced the number of polio cases by over 99 percent, from
more than 350,000 a year in the 1980s to 223 in 2012. But now for
the road ahead: Polio is still endemic in Afghanistan, Nigeria,
and Pakistan. Difficult terrain, civil unrest, remote settlements,
and poor sanitation are just some of the obstacles to immunization.
That's why we, and our partners in the Global Polio Eradication
Initiative, are determined to finish our work.
With the announcement of the extended fundraising
partnership between Rotary International and the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation at the 2013 RI Convention in Lisbon, Portugal,
we have the chance to introduce millions of new dollars into the
campaign. The value of this extended partnership is more than $500
million, and through it, your contributions toward polio eradication
will work twice as hard.
It's more important than ever that we all
take action. Talk to your government leaders, share your polio stories
on your social networks, and encourage others in your community
to join us in supporting this historic effort. When Rotarians combine
their passion for service with our strong global network, we are
unstoppable. With the backing of the Gates Foundation and you, the
Rotarians around the world, we can change the face of public health
forever.
Dong Kurn (D.K.) Lee
Trustee Chair, Rotary International
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