RI President 2022-23 Jennifer
Jones
Rotary Club of Windsor-Roseland
Ontario, Canada
================
Dear Fellow Rotarians, Rotaractors, and friends,
Being asked to Imagine Rotary can seem like a big, heady
exercise, but the most important element of it is something quite
small, even personal.
Not too long ago, Rotary members were expected to perform our acts
of service quietly. I understood and appreciated the thought behind
that — humility is a wonderful trait, and we should continue
to nurture it in other ways.
But keeping Rotary to ourselves has a cost. and by sharing our Rotary
moments, we are being generous with others and giving them an opportunity
to understand the impact of Rotary.
It brings to mind that wonderful aphorism: “People will forget
what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will
never forget how you made them feel.”
So how do we make people feel Rotary? The best way is to share our
Rotary moments. We have all had them — when the ordinary collides
with intention to create something extraordinary.
Some people have those Rotary moments the first time they go to
a meeting. For others, it can take years, before seeing the joy
in the eyes of someone we serve. Or perhaps in hearing from another
member something that hit close to home.
As Nick and I share this journey, we are amazed at the work you
are performing and the lives that are transforming. Throughout the
year, I’m going to share with you the sights and the stories
that made those tours meaningful for us.
I hope you can do the same in your corner of Rotary. It can be something
you share in meetings or on social media. For the most savvy and
ambitious, it could be an event you publicize with local media.
Even sharing your stories with friends has impact.
Jennifer Jones
President 2022-23
Trustee Chair's Message - November
2022
Ian H.S.
Riseley
Trustee Chair 2022-23
Sandringham, Victoria, Australia,
Trustee chair's
message
November 2022
Many of you will recall my challenge to Rotary clubs
when I was RI president in 2017-18: to plant one tree
per member to help the environment. Thanks to you,
we estimate over 4 million trees went into the ground
in Rotary’s name — quite a forest indeed.
This month, as we celebrate The Rotary Foundation,
let’s remember that each Foundation project
is much like planting a tree. With each sapling of
hope, health, and peace we plant through the Foundation,
we make an investment in the future that will one
day grow into something even greater.
Such a tree was planted by Rotary in Sri Lanka, where
more than 2,000 children born annually with a congenital
heart defect can now get a corrective surgery that
allows them to survive to adulthood. Local Rotarians
identified the need to make the surgery more available
and effective, and rallied 17 Rotary districts around
the world to contribute District Designated Funds.
After the Foundation matched those funds, a total
global grant of $365,000 was used to create the first
human heart-valve tissue bank in Sri Lanka, with the
government providing the building, staffing, and supplies
to ensure its sustainability.
Visiting this life-saving facility in 2017 was an
unforgettable experience for me. But I have seen countless
other great “trees” planted across our
seven areas of focus. We planted PolioPlus in 1985
and it has grown into one of the greatest public health
initiatives in history, helping reduce cases of wild
poliovirus by 99.9 percent. Seven Rotary Peace Centers
around the world have also taken root and are now
bearing fruit as scores of peacebuilders and community
leaders go forth with the skills to make the world
more safe and secure.
Charity Navigator, an independent agency, has given
The Rotary Foundation its highest ranking for more
than a decade. Why? Our overhead expense level is
much lower than most similar organizations —
91 percent of gifts to the Foundation go to programs
and operations. Not only are we efficient stewards,
but Rotary’s requirement of a community-needs
assessment for global grants helps ensure the sustainability
of our projects over the long term. And the Foundation
is a charity you can trust because it is run by your
fellow Rotarians.
However, only about 38 percent of members actively
support our own organization’s great charity.
We can and should do better. Just as I challenged
you to plant trees as president, as Foundation trustee
chair I would like to challenge each club to make
a giving plan for our Rotary Foundation this year.
Imagine our impact — Rotary’s great forest
of hope and peace that will flourish — and please
give today.
http://www.endpolio.org/donate.
Ian H.S. Riseley
Trustee Chair 2022-23
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