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Dear Fellow Rotarians, Rotaractors, and friends,
We all know Rotary's tremendous power to transform our communities
and ourselves. However, in every community, people have been left
out, and we have not made a strong enough effort to reach them.
The RI Board of Directors is taking action to make
Rotary more welcoming and diverse. We formed a task force to promote
diversity, equity, and inclusion to help clubs attract new members
regardless of gender, race, religion, age, or other factors. This
will help us speed up the change we all want and need. The selection
of Jennifer E. Jones as Rotary president for 2022-23 — the
first woman to lead our organization — is another step in
this direction.
At the grassroots level, clubs drive inclusion and
diversity. Alia Ali — who serves on the board of directors
at the Big West Rotaract Multidistrict Information Organization
and is a Rotary Youth Leadership Awards alumna and past president
of the Rotaract Club of Surrey-Newton, British Columbia —
offers her perspective.
I still remember the relief I felt as a RYLA participant
four years ago. I had finally found my people: people who cared
as much as I did. All over the world, Rotary has the same heart.
We serve our communities and take action where others feel paralyzed
by the size and scope of a problem.
Let's continue that spirit, especially when the conversation
is difficult. Racism, prejudice, and discrimination take on different
forms but exist in every country, in every city, and in every person.
How do we root it out?
As a diversity, equity, and inclusion consultant,
I help organizations create a culture that empowers and attracts
everyone using the power of empathy. When we feel with others as
if they were ourselves, we cannot hold prejudice in our hearts.
When every child reminds you of your own child, when every woman
or man reminds you of your mother or brother, you start seeing the
world differently.
We can apply The Four-Way Test through the lens of
empathy. Are we building goodwill and friendship with everyone in
our area, including women? Are things fair and beneficial to people
of all ages? Who has to make choices that you don't have to make?
I made a heartbreaking choice between Rotary and my religion when
a Rotary convention was held during Ramadan. I wondered: When we
ask if this is fair and beneficial to all concerned, did that not
include me as a Muslim? Would the convention ever be held over Easter?
Only by asking difficult questions can we begin the work of creating
a more inclusive and diverse Rotary.
We already connect so many people across the world.
Imagine the possibilities when we bring even more people along for
the ride. That's the future of Rotary I want to see: one where we
are unstoppable in our service, relentless in our kindness, and
intentional in the change we want to see.
Rotary has a big enough heart. If we open our door
wider, we might find a lot of interesting people with new voices
and new perspectives. We already have a variety of clubs offering
different styles, cultures, and opportunities — and those
who do not feel welcome in any particular club might be great candidates
for new clubs created on different models. It's important that we
make sure every new Rotary member is a good fit for their club. Rotary
Opens Opportunities through diversity.
HOLGER KNAACK
President 2020-21
Trustee Chair's Message - Nov.
2020
K.R. Ravindran
Rotary Club of Colombo
Western Province, Sri Lanka
Trustee chair's message
In the early 1870s, a genius toiled
in his laboratory, driven by a vision to improve life
through technology. After many failed attempts, by
1880 Thomas Edison had perfected a new light bulb
that could be produced on a mass scale.
When someone pointed out to him that
he had tried and failed 10,000 times before succeeding,
he responded that he had merely found 10,000 ways
it wouldn't work!
Just like Edison, The Rotary Foundation is driven
by a vision for a better world. And we, too, remain
determined and creative in the face of setbacks.
Earlier this year, our vital polio immunization
activities had to be temporarily paused to ensure
that the polio eradication program did not contribute
to the COVID-19 pandemic. And so we adapted: The polio-fighting
infrastructure that Rotary helped build was enlisted
to assist in the response to COVID-19 in many vulnerable
countries, as we had done before during outbreaks
of Ebola, yellow fever, and avian flu.
Thankfully, we resumed polio immunization activities
in July, having first taken all precautions to protect
frontline workers and communities.
During these challenging days, our business
— reaching out to people in distress —
is not business as usual. The way we prepare and deliver
projects and the methodology we use need to change.
And the way we communicate what we do also must change.
The success of our global grants model
is unmistakable. At its introduction in 2013-14, the
Foundation awarded 868 grants worth over $47 million.
By 2019-20, the number of approved grants had risen
to 1,350, worth over $100 million. While the number
of grants shot up by more than 50 percent, and funding
by 123 percent, corresponding Annual Fund contributions
showed only a 5 percent increase, and that's troubling.
To reach those who need us, to spread
the love that our Foundation brings, we will need
to rise to this challenge and work together to meet
our funding needs.
Mother Teresa once said that if we want
a message of love to be heard, it has to be sent out.
To keep a lamp burning, we have to keep putting oil
in it.
The Rotary Foundation offers the best
opportunity I know for us to invest in a better future
for communities around the world. Your generosity
today and throughout this year is the oil that keeps
our grants burning bright, reaching the ones who need
us most.
http://www.endpolio.org/donate.
K.R. Ravindran
Trustee Chair 2020-21
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