Rotary
International President Sakuji Tanaka's January
2013 Message
RI President's Message
- January 2013
Dear fellow Rotarians,
I am a Japanese businessman, and I wear a
suit almost every day. The Rotary pin is always on my lapel. It
is there because I am proud to be a Rotarian. Anywhere I go, people
will see the pin and know who I am. Other Rotarians will see it
and know that I am a friend, and people who are not Rotarians will
see it as well. I want to be sure that all of them also understand
the meaning of this pin.
This is why I am asking all of you to wear
your Rotary pin and to raise awareness of what the pin means. I
believe having that pin on your lapel changes you. It makes you
think more before you speak and before you act. It makes you remember,
all the time, that you are a Rotarian – and that as Rotarians,
we are here to help.
All of us should be ready to talk about Rotary.
When someone asks you about that pin, you should be ready to answer
them. What is Rotary? What does Rotary do? These are questions that
each of us should always be prepared to answer. We cannot go to
prospective members and ask them to join Rotary only because we
want more members. We have to show them that Rotary is a wonderful
organization, and that they will be happier because they belong
to a Rotary club.
When we ask people to join Rotary, we are
doing this to help them as well. I think all of us are grateful
to the person who asked us to join. I know that my life is much
happier, and has been much more productive, because of Rotary. It
is clear to me that the day I joined the Rotary Club of Yashio was
a day when I took my first step down a different path in life –
a path of greater connection, greater satisfaction, and a deeper
sense of fulfillment and peace.
This is a feeling that I want to share with
others. And I know that one way to do that is through bringing in
new members. But we must also do it by raising awareness of Rotary
and Rotary's work, by focusing on our public image and wearing our
Rotary pins every day.
Sakuji Tanaka
President, Rotary International
"Peace Through Service"
TRF Chairman PRIP Wilf Wilkinson's
January 2012 Message
Trustee chair's message
- January 2013
A Year of Momentous
Change :
As we begin another calendar year, I’d
like to offer my best wishes to all Rotarians for 2013, the 108th
year of Rotary’s existence. This will be a year of momentous
change for our Foundation. Our new grant model will be implemented
worldwide six months from now, bringing changes to every district.
We are looking to you to make sure those changes will be a success.
One of the fundamental premises of district
grants under the Future Vision Plan is that Rotarians at the district
level can determine what they can accomplish, whether in their own
communities or abroad, more effectively than the Foundation can
from a central office in Evanston. The new grant model puts responsibility
for decision making, and for wise and careful use of substantial
Foundation resources, into the hands of Rotarians at this level.
Our success will be supported by our investment
of time and money in our International Assembly, the annual training
for district governors-elect that takes place later this month in
San Diego. This year’s event will include a great deal of
information and education about Future Vision.
As a result, when your district leaders return
home, you will find them specially trained to lead Rotary and its
Foundation to a successful conclusion to the 2012-13 year. We’ll
create a solid basis for an even stronger Foundation in 2013-14,
helping us as Rotarians with Doing Good in the World.
Wilfrid J. Wilkinson
Foundation Trustee Chair
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