ACTS REFLECT OUR THOUGHTS
We are the essence of what we think. As we think, so do we do.
If we think kindly about others, our acts will reflect those inner thoughts. If we espouse the principles of decency, honesty and justice, our conduct and business dealings will radiate far more effectively than advertising the Rotary concept of the brotherhood of man. For the principles of the brotherhood of man imply a bond of unity, fellowship and goodwill. The antitheses is bitterness, hate, ravage, to which no Rotarian can lay claim.
“Rotary” does not make a Rotarian. The member, in the first place, must believe in the principles of Rotary, not after he has been approved for membership, but long before he has been accorded the privilege of becoming a member. It is the Rotarian, the individual member who makes Rotary the dynamic vehicle for community service, locally, nationally and globally.
It has been said that the labourer is worthy of his hire. Truly it may be said that “SERVICE ABOVE SELF” is its own reward.
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FROM MARK DANIEL MALONEY
President Rotary International
Rotary is built on connection. When Paul Harris came to Chicago as a young lawyer, he formed Rotary for one compelling reason which was to help him connect to others in a new city. More than a century later, we have at our disposal countless ways to form friendships and networks most of which Paul Harris never dreamed. Yet Rotary’s ability to connect us remains unique and unrivalled.
Through its distinct mission and structure, Rotary International provides a way to connect to our communities, to network professionally, and to build strong and lasting relationships. Our membership connects us to a global community through our countless projects and programs, our leadership in polio eradication and our work with and through the UN. Our service connects us to people who share our values, who want to take action for a better world.
As a new decade begins, we are shaping Rotary’s future. In 2019-20 Rotary will implement its new strategic plan, respond to the innovation of the Council oooon Legislation, and serve in our revitalized areas of focus. But the real work of shaping Rotary’s future lies in our clubs, where our organization must do the most to adapt to today’s changing realities.
While the club remains the core of the Rotary experience, we are now far more creative and flexible in deciding what a club can be, how it can meet and even what can be considered a Rotary meeting. We need to be organized, strategic and innovative in how we approach membership, forging wider and deeper connections to our communities and forming new club models to attract and engage more and more diverse members.
Rotary is indeed a family. Yet too often, the structure of membership or the demands of leadership seem to place Rotary out of reach for today’s younger professionals. Rotary can and should be an experience that complements our families instead of competing with them. When our Rotary clubs are warm welcoming places where service and family go hand in hand, we give family-oriented young professionals the opportunity to embrace Rotary service with model positive civic engagement. And when we make the expectations of Rotary offices realistic and manageable for busy professionals, we develop the skills and networks of a new generation of Rotarians who will become Rotary leaders.
In 2019-20 it will be our challenge to strengthen the many ways ROTARY CONNECTS THE WORLD.
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