Rotary is held together through its membership. Rotarians make Rotary what it is: a vibrant community of service and fellowship. That is why it is so vital to keep Rotary membership alive and thriving. Members give each day with their service, and we build our clubs every week in our fellowship. It is important to leave a legacy of what Rotarians do each day in our giving of all our precious resources, time, fellowship, and money. When we give to Rotary and to the Rotary Foundation we ensure that what we have built goes on. Aside from our giving, the best way to ensure that Rotary continues on for future generations is through our membership. I have already written in my first newsletter as your District Governor about the importance of membership, particularly new, young, enthusiastic members.
If Rotary is to continue to make our world a kinder, cleaner, safer, more equitable place, then we must continue to bring new folks into the Rotary family. That’s why I will repeat my call to action that I began my DG year with; I encourage and urge you to bring one new member to your club each year AND if you can bring two! As we continue on our Rotary journeys we must encourage new people to learn from us, take our best practices, and input their own ideas into our clubs so that Rotary keeps going, keeps getting better, and keeps helping people all over the world. If we each bring a friend, colleague, son or daughter to our club and they join, we can easily reach our goal of 1,000 new members. Our power lies in our people!
A second call to action is to encourage every member and every club to find ways that are specific to your local community to find new members and new younger members. Create and cultivate community events that show case Rotary’s values, and showcase the clubs that host them. Let’s show our communities how much we do, and how much fun we have while doing good! Rotary is truly something to aspire to, so let’s show ourselves off to the communities that benefit directly from our service and fellowship each and every day.
I am personally honored and proud to be a Rotarian. It is my pride in what we accomplish each day that drives me to want to bring more people into the Rotary family. I know, too, that my fellow Rotarians are proud to be a part of this great global organization, so how do you show your pride? Wear your pins proudly? Don your Rotary garb and hit the streets touting what we do! Share the joy that is Rotary near and far! This year we raised an incredible $1.2 billion dollars at the International convention in Atlanta; what an incredible achievement, and that is only the beginning of what this Rotary year holds! Let’s keep our momentum, keep true to the values that drive Rotary: service, truth, integrity, and fellowship, and let’s keep giving, helping and serving our communities.
In the words of late President-elect of Rotary International Sam Owori who passed unexpectedly on July 13 due to complication from surgery, “Rotary has become a way of life for me - with the intrinsic value and core belief in mutual responsibility and concern for one another as a cornerstone, I feel immense satisfaction knowing that through Rotary I have helped someone live better.”
You have every reason to be very proud to be a Rotarian.
In Service,
Your DG, Abbas