Rotary
International President Ron Burton's August 2013 Message
Engage Rotary, Change Lives
Dear fellow Rotarians,
TRI President's monthly message, August 2013
Our goal in 2013-14 is to Engage Rotary, Change
Lives . All of us know that Rotary has incredible potential to do
good work. It's time to recognize how much more we could be doing
and start working on new ways to turn that potential into reality.
We're going to do this by engaging Rotarians – by getting
them involved, by getting them inspired, and by making sure that
all Rotarians know just what a gift they have in Rotary.
We're going to make sure that the work we
do in Rotary is solid, effective, and sustainable. And we're going
to make sure that Rotary itself will last – by committing
to our goal of 1.3 million Rotarians in our clubs by the year 2015.
That goal is a little different from membership
goals we've had in the past. The goal isn't just bringing in new
members. The goal is growing Rotary. The goal is making Rotary bigger,
not just with more members, but with more involved, engaged, motivated
members who will be the ones to lead us into our future.
Each of us has our own reason for joining
Rotary – but I believe we all want to make a difference. We
all want to be doing something meaningful. That is absolutely essential
for us to remember when we talk about membership.
We're not asking just anyone to join Rotary.
We're looking to attract busy, successful, motivated people who
care. We're asking them to take their valuable time and give it
to Rotary. So if they say yes, and they come and join our club,
then we'd better be showing them that their time in Rotary is well
spent.
We have to make sure that every Rotarian,
in every club, has a meaningful job – one that makes a real
difference to the club and the community. Because when you're doing
something meaningful in Rotary, Rotary is meaningful to you.
In Rotary, we all have something to give.
At every stage of our lives and our careers, Rotary has something
for all of us – a way to let us do more, be more, and give
more. Rotary gives our lives more meaning, more purpose, and greater
satisfaction. And the more we give through Rotary, the more Rotary
gives back to us in return.
Ron D. Burton
President, Rotary International
Rotary
International Foundation Chair D. K. Lee's August 2013Message
Trustee Chair's message, August 2013
Polio's End Game
In Korea, we have a proverb that means, "After
hardships comes happiness," and it is an encouragement to work
hard in the face of adversity.
Polio eradication is long, hard work, but
when we have finished this job, we will have achieved something
wonderful – and lasting.
Since PolioPlus was launched, we have immunized
over two billion children and have seen a 99 percent decrease in
polio cases. These past few years, we have made enormous progress.
But this last effort – the home stretch
– is the hardest. It costs approximately US$1 billion every
year to maintain our fight against polio. Even once we see no new
cases of polio, we are committed to supporting eradication until
the world is certified polio-free – a full three years after
the last case is recorded. We're getting closer, but we are not
there yet.
Until that historic moment, we must continue
the fight with everything we have. We have to keep up the momentum,
keep up the energy, and keep up the awareness. Every Rotarian needs
to understand what polio is and why we are committed to its eradication.
The answer is simple: If we were to stop our fight against polio
now, we would lose everything we have worked for over so many years.
Very soon, we would see a resurgence of polio to the levels some
of us remember from 30 years ago, when more than 1,000 children
were paralyzed every day. Polio would again be epidemic –
and we would have lost the opportunity of a lifetime.
This is something we cannot and will not consider.
We are in it until the end – and the end is truly This Close.
Polio is a global health emergency not because the end is so distant
– but because it is in sight.
Dong Kurn (D.K.) Lee
Trustee Chair, Rotary International
================
The New Rotary Year - Changes you should know about
For three years, 100 districts have been testing
Future Vision, a pilot of The Rotary Foundation's new grant system,
which was designed to increase Rotary's effectiveness during the
next century of service.
As the new Rotary year dawns, the future has
begun. All districts begin using the simplified grant structure
1 July. Districts have already been completing the qualification
process and qualifying their clubs. A number of clubs and districts
have begun preparing and submitting grant applications.
There will be three types of grants: global,
district, and packaged. You can learn about all three types, and
get more details about the application process, on Rotary's grant
microsite .
Also on 1 July, new leaders will take office
at the club, district, and international levels.
Ron D. Burton, of the Rotary Club of Norman,
Oklahoma, USA, will become Rotary's 103rd president and will encourage
Rotarians to Engage Rotary, Change Lives . Read a profile of Burton
from The Rotarian and download his convention speech.
Anne L. Matthews, a member of the Rotary Club
of Columbia East, South Carolina, USA, will become the first woman
to serve as vice president. Matthews, a former director of South
Carolina's Department of Education, is president of Matthews and
Associates, an educational consulting firm. Read her biography.
Dong Kurn Lee, of the Rotary Club of Seoul
Hangang, Korea, will take over as Rotary Foundation trustee chair.
Read his biography and download his convention speech.
Other changes for 2013-14:
* Rotarians will be allowed to form satellite
clubs, whose members meet at a different time and location from
their parent clubs. The change, approved by the Council on Legislation
in April, is intended to make it easier for members to develop the
core for a new club.
* Districts will be able to form an unlimited
number of e-clubs. The Council removed a limit of two e-clubs per
district. The change is designed to bring in new members and appeal
to young professionals, who may be less able to meet in person weekly.
* The name of Rotary's fifth Avenue of Service
will change from "New Generations Service" to "Youth
Service." This change was also approved by the Council. In
2010, this avenue of service joined Club Service, Vocational Service,
Community Service, and International Service.
* The dues Rotary clubs pay Rotary International
will increase US$1 to $53 per member.
* A redesigned Rotary website will be launched
in late summer.
The RI Board of Directors will seat nine new
directors 1 July, along with 2013-14 President-elect Gary C.K. Huang,
of the Rotary Club of Taipei, Taiwan. The new directors for 2013-14
are Celia Elena Cruz de Giay, of the Rotary Club of Arrecifes, Buenos
Aires, Argentina; Mary Beth Growney Selene, of the Rotary Club of
Madison West Towne-Middleton, Wisconsin, USA; Seiji Kita, of the
Rotary Club of Urawa East, Saitama, Japan; Holger Knaack, of the
Rotary Club of Herzogtum Lauenburg-Mölln, Germany; Larry A.
Lunsford, of the Rotary Club of Kansas City-Plaza, Missouri, USA;
P.T. Prabhakar, of the Rotary Club of Madras Central, Tamil Nadu,
India; Sangkoo Yun, of the Rotary Club of Sae Hanyang, Seoul, Korea;
Steven A. Snyder, of the Rotary Club of Auburn, California, USA;
and Michael F. Webb, of the Rotary Club of Mendip, Somerset, England.
The Rotary Foundation Board of Trustees will
seat new members Monty J. Audenart, of the Rotary Club of Red Deer
East, Alberta, Canada; Noel A. Bajat, of the Rotary Club of Abbeville,
Louisiana, USA; and Kalyan Banerjee, of the Rotary Club of Vapi,
Maharashtra, India. John Kenny, of the Rotary Club of Grangemouth,
Scotland, will serve as chair-elect, and Michael K. McGovern, of
the Rotary Club of South Portland-Cape Elizabeth, Maine, USA, as
vice-chair.
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