Rotary
International President Sakuji Tanaka's April 2013
Message
Dear fellow Rotarians,
Rotary is an international organization, and
when I travel for Rotary, I usually speak in English. But it has
been a long time since my last English exam, and when I am working
in Evanston, I always have a Japanese interpreter. It is important
to understand every word of the meetings, and it is important as
well that the staff understand what I am saying.
It was a new experience for me to speak Japanese
to a group, and then hear my words spoken in English. Even now,
I find it interesting. I hear new ways of expressing myself in English,
and I also have a small glimpse of what it must be like not to speak
Japanese.
But perhaps the most interesting moment came
early on in my year as president-elect, when I was in a meeting
with Rotary staff members. To be sure that we could communicate
well, I had with me a Japanese interpreter. I spoke in Japanese,
and she interpreted what I said into English. We had a pleasant
and productive meeting.
After it was over, one member of the staff
came up to me and asked, “There is one word I heard you use
many times in Japanese. I would like to know what it means. What
is the word ichiban?” I told her that ichiban in Japanese
does not convey any philosophy or complicated thought. It simply
means to be the best.
But it made me think. Of all the words I had used in Japanese, of
all the words she had heard over and over, this was the word she
had heard the most. I did not realize I had used it so often. But
for me, that one word, ichiban, is essential to how I feel about
my job as a Rotarian, and as president of RI.
For me, Rotary service means being ichiban.
It means doing your best, and being the best you can be. It means
working as hard as you can – not for yourself, but for others.
It means achieving as much as you can, to make other people’s
lives better.
In the dictionary, ichiban means “best.”
But in Rotary, “best” means something different. It
means bringing Service Above Self into all of your thinking. It
means looking at your own effort, not in terms of what it costs
you, but in terms of what it can give. In this way, we are inspired
to do so much more. It is our job to see to it that our Rotary service
is ichiban – so that we do the most we can to build Peace
Through Service.
Sakuji Tanaka
President, Rotary International
"Peace Through Service"
Trustee Chairman PRIP Wilf Wilkinson's
April 2013 Message
When I was RI president, I said Rotary is a love story
in which people come together in fellowship, and which results
in doing good in the world. During my years in Rotary, I have
witnessed over and over again how communities and individuals
benefit because of Rotary activities. These activities, to a great
extent, result from exchanges about community needs identified
during club meetings.
The month of April is a perfect example of what Rotarians
and Rotary clubs can do to help make a better world. This month
we celebrate National Volunteer Week, the International Day of
Mine Awareness, World Health Day, and Earth Day, and each of these
recognitions ties in with one of our six areas of focus. This
tells me that every Rotary club member has a part to play as an
effective volunteer in these important observances.
Furthermore, we owe it to our community and the world
to tell our story, to make the world aware of our efforts. One
way to achieve this is by supporting your Rotary regional magazine,
particularly in April, which is also Magazine Month.
So how does all this relate to our Rotary Foundation?
Well, very few initiatives don’t require funding. Your Foundation
is often able to help, whether it’s with a district grant
or a much larger global grant. Your contributions to the Foundation
provide a potential source of funding that can help a club’s
members do good in the world.
My goal this year is to announce at the international
convention in Lisbon, Portugal, that it is estimated that every
Rotarian gave something in the 2012-13 year.
Can I count on you?
Wilfrid J. Wilkinson
Foundation Trustee Chair
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