Rotary
International Ray Klinginsmith's Aug. 2010 Message
August 2010
My fellow Rotarians,
Building Communities
– Bridging Continents
Several Rotarians have
asked me how I chose the RI theme for my presidential year, so let
me explain. After reviewing all the past themes, I decided to search
for a few words that would fulfill two objectives – to give
outsiders a glimpse of our purpose, and at the same time to make
Rotarians proud of their membership.
I searched for words
to describe the passion, the creativity, and the generosity of Rotarians.
And as I sought the right words, I kept in mind that Rotary is a
spirit of service as well as an organization of Rotary clubs, and
that we need to share our core values of service, fellowship, diversity,
integrity, and leadership with other people and organizations. I
considered many words and phrases. The four words I finally selected
to convey Rotary's current mission and highlight our achievements
describe what Rotarians do best, which is Building Communities –
Bridging Continents.
I hope you agree those
four words aptly reflect who we are and what we do as Rotarians.
We are a unique organization and certainly one of the best in the
world. We build the spirit and resources of our local communities
in an important way, and we are a prominent player on the world
stage with PolioPlus and our international service projects.
Rotary has changed the
world, and Rotarians will continue to change it in a positive way.
The formula is simple: For us to succeed, all we need to do is to
focus our best efforts on doing what Rotarians are passionate about
and what Rotarians are the best in the world at doing, which is
Building Communities – Bridging Continents.
Ray
Klinginsmith
Building Communities
/ Bridging Continents
President, Rotary International, 2010-11
TRF Chairman's
August 2010 Message
The Rotary
Foundation's Strength depends on membership, extension, and contributions
It is interesting to
note that three countries – India, Japan, and the United States
– alone account for 46 percent of the Rotary population worldwide.
Together with Korea and Taiwan, they are among the largest contributors
to The Rotary Foundation.
This is, of course,
of greatest importance to The Rotary Foundation, as the possibility
for it to support various programs is totally dependent on contributions
from Rotarians, clubs, and districts. I am happy that in spite of
the world financial crisis, Rotarians have been very generous and
supported their own Rotary Foundation. This is something that we
shall never forget – The Rotary Foundation belongs to the
Rotarians.
Unfortunately, the membership
numbers have been very static for quite a number of years. Controlling
retention is one way to make membership increase or, at least, not
decrease.
Another is extension.
For instance, I feel it is time to seriously study the possibility
of re-entering Cuba and again investigate the possibilities of expanding
into China on a larger scale. I am sure this can happen if we really
try. If we do not, it will never happen. These are just a couple
of examples – there are many more.
Consequently we can
note how membership, extension, and contributions all are linked
together, and it is every Rotarian's responsibility and honor to
work toward these goals as we are Building Communities – Bridging
Continents through Service Above Self.
Carl-Wilhelm_Stenhammar
Foundation Trustee Chair, 2010-11
Source: Rotary International
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