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RI President 2021-22 Shekhar Mehta-
July 2021
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Dear Fellow Rotarians, Rotaractors, and friends,
I wish each of you and your families a great Rotary New Year! Together,
let us make it the best year of our lives, by making it a year to grow
more and do more. Let this be a year of changemakers, and let us
begin with our membership.
That is precisely why the Each One, Bring One initiative is so important.
During this year, I urge you to dream of new ways in which Rotary
can expand its reach into your community and therefore the world.
If each member introduces one person to Rotary, our membership can
increase to 1.3 million by July 2022. So, let’s just do it!
Imagine the change we, as Rotary members, can make when there are
so many more of us! More people to care for others, more people
to Serve to Change Lives. Think of the impact we can have
through grow more, do more. More members will enable us
to embark on bigger and bolder service projects. And each of us
can also continue to serve in our own personal ways, responding
to needs in our communities.
The beauty of Rotary is that service means different things to different
people around the world. One element, however, that we can incorporate
into all of our service initiatives is empowering girls. Unfortunately,
even in this day and age, girls and young women face disproportionate
challenges all over the world. We have the power to lead the charge
for gender equality. Empowering girls and young women to have greater
access to education, better health care, more employment, and equality
in all walks of life should be embedded in every Rotary project
we launch. Girls are future leaders, so we must ensure that we help
them shape their future.
The biggest gift we are given
Is the power to touch a life,
To change, to make a difference
In the circle of life.
If we can reach out
With our hand, heart, and soul,
The magic will start to happen
As the wheel begins to roll.
Let’s turn the wheel together
So all humanity thrives,
We have the power and the magic
To Serve to Change Lives.
These are challenging times, and I compliment each of your efforts
in grappling with COVID-19. No challenge is too big for Rotarians.
The bigger the challenge, the more passionate the Rotarian. Look
at what we can do when we take on a colossal challenge such as eradicating
polio. Look at the millions of lives we improve by strengthening
access to water, sanitation, and hygiene. Look at what we do every
year to promote peace in places where it seems unimaginable. Our
basic education and literacy programs have nation-building impact.
This year, let us challenge ourselves to do more such projects and
programs that have national reach and impact. This year, let us Serve
to Change Lives.
Shekhar Mehta
President 2021-22
Trustee Chair's Message - July
2021
John F.
Germ
Trustee Chair 2021-22
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Trustee chair's
message
July is the most exciting month in Rotary, a time
for fresh starts and new beginnings. For many, it’s
an opportunity to take on new leadership roles. Rotarians
brim with optimism, about the good we can do for humanity
in the 12 months ahead.
As I write this message, I recall a quote often attributed
to Helen Keller, a renowned American activist for
people with disabilities: “The only thing worse
than being blind is having sight but no vision.”
How profound that a woman who was blind taught us
such a powerful lesson about the difference between
sight and vision. Indeed, it is one thing to see the
world as it is, but entirely another to envision it
as it could be. The Rotary Foundation is all about
envisioning possibilities — and making them
happen.
As we begin this Rotary year, I ask: what is your
vision for the next 12 months? Could a community or
region you know benefit from a grant from the Foundation?
One probably could, and, as you read these words,
many people in that community are waiting for our
help and leadership.
We are still reeling from the challenges of serving
the world during COVID-19, but we cannot let that
or anything else stop us. Many educational and health
care needs have only been exacerbated by the pandemic.
The world needs us.
Beginning 1 July, you can apply for Foundation grants
supporting Rotary’s new area of focus: the environment.
July also brings changes, such as the financial restructuring
of the World Fund, that have been implemented with
an eye toward sustainability. We are just beginning
a year when we will continue our first Programs of
Scale grant in Zambia, seek a home for our next Rotary
Peace Center, and plan and implement district and
global grants that will make positive impacts for
generations to come.
To paraphrase the ancient Chinese philosopher Laozi,
today we begin the journey of a thousand miles by
taking our first step. Let’s walk together,
looking forward, not to the past. Rotarians love a
good challenge, so here’s one for us all: let’s
challenge ourselves to think bigger this year and
enlarge our vision of what we can and will do.
Make the Foundation a part of your vision for a better
world, and you will see the world, and yourself, change.
http://www.endpolio.org/donate.
John F. Germ
Trustee Chair 2021-22
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