Rotary
International President Sakuji Tanaka's May 2013
Message
Dear fellow Rotarians,
RFrom the moment I was nominated as Rotary
International president, I knew I would choose a theme that would
focus on peace. This is why I planned three peace forums –
to give Rotarians an opportunity to think about peace, to talk about
peace, and to share their ideas on building peace together. The
final Rotary Global Peace Forum takes place this month in Hiroshima,
Japan.
We hear the word peace every day. But most
of us spend little time thinking about what peace is. On its simplest
level, we can define peace by what it is not. It is a state of no
war, no violence, and no fear. It means that you are not in danger
of hunger, or persecution, or the suffering of poverty.
But we can also define peace by what it is,
and by what it can be. Peace can mean freedom of thought and of
speech, freedom of opinion and of choice, and the ability for self-determination.
It can mean security, confidence in the future – a life and
home in a stable society. On a more abstract level, peace can mean
a sense of happiness, of inner serenity, of calm.
However we use the word, however we understand
peace, Rotary can help us to achieve it. Rotary helps us to meet
the basic needs of others – to provide health care, sanitation,
food, and education when and where they are most needed. It helps
to meet the inner needs as well, for friendship, connection, and
caring. And Rotary helps us to build peace in its most traditional
sense, by reducing the causes of conflict. It builds bridges of
friendship and tolerance among people and nations. It helps us to
understand one another.
However we define peace, whatever peace means
to us, we can bring it closer through service. Peace, in all of
the ways that we can understand it, is a real goal, and a realistic
goal for Rotary. Peace is not something that can only be achieved
through treaties, by governments, or through heroic struggles. It
is something that we can find, and that we can achieve – every
day, and in many simple ways.
And so I thank you for your commitment to
Peace Through Service – and to a Rotary goal of a more peaceful
world.
Sakuji Tanaka
President, Rotary International
"Peace Through Service"
Trustee Chairman PRIP Wilf Wilkinson's
May 2013 Message
In Canada, May is usually a beautiful month. Spring has
blossomed, trees and flowers are in bloom, and everyone is filled
with a renewed energy as winter finally comes to a close. The
changing of seasons can also serve as a time for action as Rotarians
bring a fresh perspective to the goals they set for the 2012-13
year.
Every Rotarian, every contribution, and every project
makes a difference every year. Through The Rotary Foundation,
we can all do our part to work toward global peace from the ground
up. Has your club worked on a humanitarian or educational project
through the Foundation? And if not – why not?
There is still time to make your contribution. There
is still time to give a community the chance to drink clean water,
a young girl the opportunity to attend school, and a mother the
access to the safe maternal care she needs. Contact your district
Rotary Foundation chair and see how you and the other Rotarians
in your club or district can participate.
I understand the impact these difficult economic times
have had on all of us, but we still need your help. Foundation
programs and projects all start with money. I hope each Rotarian
reading my message will have given something based on his or her
own situation. It doesn't take much from each individual when
you have the support of more than 1.2 million members, but that
assumes 100 percent support. If you've given, I thank you sincerely.
But if you haven't, I hope you will as together we make May a
great month for Rotary and for our Foundation.
Wilfrid J. Wilkinson
Foundation Trustee Chair
Copyright © 2003-04
Rotary eClub NY1 * Updated 2013
Design & Maintenance of this site by TechnoTouch
e-Strategists
