16 JUNE 2020 -  PRESIDENT-NOMINEE RESIGNATION FORCES CHANGE
​                             IN ROTARY INTERNATIONALS 2020-21 PRESIDENT!
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​Holger Knaack, a member of the Rotary Club of Herzogtum Lauenburg-Mölln, Germany, has been selected to serve as president of Rotary International in 2020-21.
The Nominating Committee’s decision follows the resignation last month of President-nominee Sushil Gupta due to health reasons. 
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To build a stronger membership, Knaack says Rotary must focus on increasing the number of female members and transitioning Rotaractors into Rotarians.  
Knaack believes that the People of Action campaign offers new public awareness possibilities for Rotary. “This campaign conveys our global image while still respecting differences in regions and cultures,” he says.
A Rotary member since 1992, Knaack has served Rotary as treasurer, director, moderator, member and chair of several committees, representative for the Council on Legislation, zone coordinator, training leader, and district governor.
He is an endowment/major gifts adviser and co-chair of the Host Organization Committee for the 2019 Rotary International Convention in Hamburg.
Knaack is the CEO of Knaack KG, a real estate company. He was previously a partner and general manager of Knaack Enterprises, a 125-year-old family business.
He is a founding member of the Civic Foundation of the City of Ratzeburg and served as president of the Golf-Club Gut Grambek. Knaack is also the founder and chair of the Karl Adam Foundation.
Knaack and his wife, Susanne, are Major Donors to The Rotary Foundation and members of the Bequest Society.

10 JUNE 2020 - WINDSOR & ETON ROTARY HAVE DONE IT AGAIN... 
                           COMING TO THE RESCUE OF  THE ‘DRIVEN FORWARD’ CHARITY!

The charity was set up by Ms Tia Stephens - The original concept was to provide a support and community centre for all who needed assistance. The type of help offered being training courses, use of computers, refreshments and organised day trips to places of interest. 
Unfortunately the arrival of the Coronavirus and subsequent ‘lockdown’ meant a temporary rethink and refocus.  Tia commented "I saw the serious need in providing ‘canteen’ facilities for key workers in the community including fire persons, police, home carers, nurses, paramedics, community wardens,  shop workers,  street cleaners etc. We serve basic foods...chilli con carne, hot dogs with onions, vegetable soup, toasted cheese sandwiches , sandwiches...and of course Tea and coffee, of course all to take away, and social distancing has been priority arranged too!"
Commenting on the charity Rotarian Guy Barlow, chair of the Rotary club’s community service committee said "We are very pleased to support this local charity, Ti​a’s enthusiasm and flexibility to adapt to an urgent need are to be applauded.” 
The charity will revert to its original plan in supporting local people as soon as circumstances allow.
Rotary are world renowned for their amazing haste where there are world situations of need,  members of this famous local Rotary club have shown great understanding and assistance too during this Pandemic -  fast coming to the rescue locally over past weeks to add more charities to their help list, especially when so many people were in real need. 

At the clubs weekly Zoom based meeting on 1 June the inbound President Adrian Benge - In his Presidents year 2020/2021 told club members that his two chosen personal charities would be SSAFA (The Armed Forces Charity) and Help Musicians (Musicians in Crisis, Health, work and education).
Adrian commented that it did not take him too long to select them as they are both very close to his heart,  particularly as ''his boss" also had very great regard for both of them too!  Adrian is a dedicated Flute player in an amateur orchestra (and a very good one it is too!)  as well as his weekly visits to the Windsor Castle where he ensures the horses are kept well saddled, particularly the ones for Her Majesty!  
When asked if he had any ideas as to how he can create fund-raising for the two charities ....commented "I'm already working on this, so watch this space for when I am fully in the Windsor & Eton Rotary Saddle...and one of those charity events, if I can pull it off, will be particularly spectacular!"  (The club members await with bated breath for his future announcement of this!)

The Prince Philip Trust Fund was set up with the sole aim of supporting and financially helping local Windsor & Maidenhead needy charities and similar causes. The Trust ​has quickly added further financial support to the Windsor Foodshare scheme.
W&E Rotary Club has over past years developed a close working relationship with this highly respected Trust in assisting them with special events to create financial aid that will then go forward through the Trust in support of needy causes in our local area.
The Coronavirus created for Windsor Foodshare a desperately urgent need for even greater food supplies (see below), due to many more people coming forward needing help.   The Trust Fund speedily came to the rescue with a £2,000 donation which met the similar Windsor & Eton Rotary Clubs prior contribution, thus doubling the amount to an impressive I've £4,000!
Ralph Cooper, President of the Rotary Club commented "We are truly proud to be able to assist this important Trust Fund and thank them for their valued donation, the club looks forward to creating further future events in support of the The Prince Philip Trust" 

It's at times like these that the Windsor & Eton Rotary Club members are at their best!   The coronavirus has put extreme pressure on Charities - and one that the club is closely associated with was in serious need - the Windsor Foodshare.
The charity was desperate for both 'people' to help in collecting the weekly food, kindly donated by customers of Tesco, Dedworth Road, Windsor -  but also money crucially needed to buy further quantities of the most basic of food items.
The 'hands' to collect was no problem as clubs members made themselves available to pick-up and deliver the foods each week.  The need for the money was soon also tackled by the club with the members giving part of their (at this time unspent) meetings lunch money towards the needs of the charity.  At today's date the club's total donations being an impressive £1,650!
Windor Foodshare works extremely ethically and carefully  to ensure the food goes only to local people in genuine desperate need of it.  All of them having been ratified as in such need by the Borough Council, Police, Social Services, Doctors and others.  It is pleasing to report that the  Windsor Foodshare are now working, assisted by lots of volunteers, at a fast pace. Importantly, they now have the food needs to help so many despairing people to not go hungry.  Club President, Ralph Cooper commented  "I'm so pleased our members have been able to speedily assist this important local community charity,  of course we (the club) will  ensure our continued  support in the weeks and months ahead.

Ms Jacqueline Chen is studying for a MSc in Global Health and Epidemiology at the University of Oxford with support from Rotary Foundation (sponsored via a Global Grant).
Jacqueline is hosted by Windsor & Eton Rotary Club and last night was the guest speaker, together with Annie Welden (also a Rotary Scholar), at the dinner event organised by our club and our sister club, Windsor St George.
Her presentation highlighted the need for a robust healthcare system focused on continuous improvement in any country (including those well developed such as UK or USA) with particular focus on adopting new technologies.

An Introduction to the Rotary Scholarship Programme
This is one of the world’s largest privately sponsored international scholarship programmes. It started in 1947 with the aim of furthering international understanding and goodwill, and over 70 years later it continues to be a great success.
The current scholarship model started in 2013. Rotary Scholarships are funded by Global Grants and are for overseas graduate study under one of Rotary’s six Areas of Focus for one to four years. More Rotary Scholars come to study in the UK than in any other country. Over the last few years, there have been an average of approximately 180 Rotary Scholars each year. In this current academic year there are around 240 Rotary Scholars.
During their studies abroad, Rotary Foundation Scholars are hosted by a club local to their place of study. They have opportunities to take part in club activities, meet the other Rotary scholars hosted in the district and to visit other clubs to speak about their studies and career aspirations.
We are extremely fortunate to have a large number of Scholars visiting our District each year. The majority study at the University of Oxford, but we also have some at the four other universities within our District: Oxford Brookes, Reading, New Bucks and Brunel Universities.

More success for Trevelyan School on Friday night as they not only hosted a mighty fine event but their Intermediate team also won through to the District Finals in Reading on 27th February.

Ten teams from Wycombe, Ascot, Sunningdale and Windsor took Youth Speaks to the next level. All teams did themselves proud and brought their “A” game.  In the Intermediate section, “Money can buy happiness” was convincingly debated by Fiona Winters and Anushka Sagar, ably chaired by George Burden. Matilda Kemp & Ruth Mendy joined them for the photo to celebrate the team win with Windsor & Eton Rotary Club’s President Ralph Cooper whose daughter happens to be Head Teacher at Trevelyan, so he was beyond proud.
 
Wycombe Abbey won the senior competition with their debate “Can I Change the World?”. Chair Alyssa Conradie, Proposer Felicite Baroudel, Opposer Chloe Davis offered very convincing arguments from both sides just taking the top spot from Windsor Girls.
 
Youth Speaks is the most rewarding competition for not just the competitors ;)  We would like to congratulate all teams who took part, as follows:
 
Intermediate Teams

• Trevelyan School A "Money can buy happiness". Chair George Burden, Proposer Fiona Winters, Opposer Anushka Sagar                    
• Trevelyan School B "Home schooling is better than a traditional education". Chair Edward Shekiluwa, Proposer Matilda Kemp, Opposer Ruth Mendy
• Licensed Victuallers School "This house believes that Extinction Rebellion is a necessity in today's world". Chair Max Kelly, Proposer Harrison Thomas Opposer Angelina Yu
• Charters School "This house believes that freedom of speech should be abolished". Chair Ollie Millington, Proposer Fin Harris, Opposer Daniel Fussey
• Wycombe Abbey "Should torture be used in interrogation?". Chair Frida Douek, Proposer Neda Aryan, Opposer Layomi Odusanya

 
Intermediate judges Joanna Olamer-Scott, Clem Virgo, Dr John Eckhart (chair).
 
Senior Teams 

•  Windsor Girls School A "Mobile phones have a positive impact on today's society". Chair Olatz Bulson-Roman, Proposer Scarlett O'Shaughnessy, Opposer Lydia Sampson                      
• Windsor Girls School B "Abortion does not deserve to be morally condemned". Chair Polina Vekchina, Proposer Ariela Veizaj, Opposer Rachel East
• Charters School "This house believes that technology will save the world". Chair Isla Gilmour, Proposer Rose Tocher, Opposer Tia Dalton Short
• The Marist School "Are zoos an ethical place for animals?". Chair Helena Hughes, Proposer Maira Rizvi, Opposer Evie Gazet
• Wycombe Abbey "Can I change the world?". Chair Alyssa Conradie, Proposer Felicite Baroudel, Opposer Chloe Davis

 
Senior judges Veronica Stabbins, Brian Lee and Roger Clark (chair).
 
Thank you.
Jon Davey, Youth Chair, Windsor & Eton Rotary

What a jam-packed and fun club meeting we had yesterday, not only did we hear from Zoe Ovens about the amazing work that Berkshire-based charity Daisy's Dream does but we also had visitors from Maidenhead Bridge Rotary and Howdens Rotary Club; as well as investing our new Vice President Adrian Benge!

About Daisy's Dream
 
Established in 1996, Daisy’s Dream is a professional support service which responds to the needs of children and families affected by life threatening illness or bereavement. They work predominantly in Berkshire and the surrounding areas, with a pilot project running in East Cheshire.  Originally set up to meet the needs of children who had been bereaved, over recent years they have expanded our service to encompass families where there has been a serious illness diagnosis.
 
Zoe explained that they offer a flexible service which is tailored to meet the individual needs of each child and their family. This may include:

• Telephone support and advice for parents/carers/professionals
• Group events
• Home and school visits for the child or young person
• Training for associated professionals
• One-to-one counselling

 
The death or serious illness of someone close can have a devastating effect on a child or young person. With the right support and information however, children and young people can be helped to understand what has happened and learn to move forward in a positive way.  Research shows that, without the opportunity to express and explore their grief, bereaved children and young people may be at risk of future health, social and educational difficulties and disadvantages. This is in addition to the impact of the bereavement on their emotional health and well-being.
 
Zoe explained that every 22 minutes a child looses a parent in the UK and that services are so stretched children affected aren’t getting the support they need, hence why Daisy’s Dream is filling that gap.  The charity supported a total of 702 children last year, with 90% of those cases being referred to the charity via schools.  It costs £400,000 to run the charity each year and this money is all raised through groups, corporate sponsorship and grant applications, they do not receive any government funding.
 
Therefore they are looking for help in the following ways

• Ideas for new fundraising events
• New volunteers to help run fundraising events and talk to potential funders
• Help to raise their profile to reach more children and families affected by grief

 
Finally Zoe explained why the charity is called Daisy’s Dream… everyone believes this is the name of the Founders daughter, when in fact the daughter was asked what to call the charity and she decided to name it after the family pet.. Daisy the Labrador!  Now when you see their mascot out and about you’ll know why its Daisy the Dog!
 
Find out more about the charity here: www.daisysdream.org.uk

I love organising the Rotary Youth Speaks Competition every year because it allows our young people to shine.

This year Trevelyan Middle School & St Edward’s Royal Free Ecumenical Middle School fought for the Intermediate prize and Windsor Girls fought for the Senior prize amongst themselves in the prestigious Jafar Hall at Eton College. What a story to tell at dinner parties in years to come.
 
Teachers are very busy people with lots of demands on their time so they need to have a real passion for Youth Speaks to give it the time and commitment required. Thankfully, this year the new English teacher at Windsor Boys came and watched the competition and said she would bring boys teams next year… hurrah, they are engaging again… would love to see Dedworth Middle School join in if anyone reading this has any influence?
 
The topics for this year’s debate were:

• Money can buy you happiness
• Home schooling is better than traditional education
• Social media is a force for good
• Mobiles phone have a positive impact on today’s society
• Abortion does not deserve to be morally condemned

 
All the students gave an amazing account of themselves, sharing their thoughts on their chosen topics with passion and belief normally only seen on TV when a CEO is fighting their corner.
 
Richard Allen of the Green Room led our Intermediate judges and gave each team a clear summary of their performance, enthusing all to keep debating.  The Intermediate winners spoke on “Money can’t buy happiness” with George Burden as Chair, Fiona Winters Proposing the topic and Anushka Sagar Opposing.  Edward Shekiluwa, chair of the other team, won the Best Speaker prize with his very engaging performance using his god given smile to light up the room.
 
David Knowles-Leak chaired the senior judges and underlined the importance of taking part being character building and that all local schools should join in. The younger team from Windsor Girls won again this year on the topic of “Mobile phones have a positive impact on today’s society”. Chaired by Olatz Bulson-Roman, Proposed by Scarlett O’Shaughnessy and Opposed by Lydia Sampson we all turned our phones to silent mode so we hear the debate ;) Scarlett won Best Speaker and so walked away with oodles of Amazon vouchers so she can buy more books, videos and mobile apps!
 
Because of circumstance, 2 teams from each category are going forward to the next round to be held in February where they will be competing against teams from Ascot, with the winners going through to the District Finals in March in Marlow.
 
As Chair of the Youth Committee I am exploring an idea of how I can take the energy from this competition and bottling it for the wider community to help young people find their voice.
 
Thank you.
Jon Davey
Chair of Youth Committee

Windsor and Eton Rotary Club, Community and Vocational Committee are pleased to support DASH for the second successive year.

As a charity, DASH works within a framework that acknowledges the gendered nature of domestic abuse and addresses root cause issues of violence against women, which are embedded in the historical and cultural unequal status of women in society. Weaved within all their practical work is a commitment to help each victim explore and understand their experiences and the effects upon them and their children, build upon identified skills and strengths with a view to build their resilience, confidence and self esteem.

They support all those within our community affected by Domestic Abuse by delivering a range of specialist services that will break the cycle of abuse enabling individuals and families to thrive.
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As a Rotary Club we have supported them on numerous occasions and were pleased to present them with a selection of books to deliver to people being supported in time for Christmas. The books purchased will cover a variety of children’s age groups and also parents who are equally in need of support. The picture shows just a selection of the books which have been donated.

Some years ago, a new acquaintance asked me what should have been a simple question: “What is Rotary?” I opened my mouth to reply and then stopped short with the realisation that I simply did not know where to begin. The problem wasn’t that I didn’t know what Rotary was. The problem was that Rotary was — and is — too large and complex to easily define. We are a member-based organisation, a club-based organisation, and a service based organisation; we are local, regional, and international; we are community members, business people and professionals, working and retired, active in nearly every country in the world. Every one of our 1.2 million members has a unique set of goals, experiences, and priorities; every one of us has a unique understanding of Rotary.
 
To me, Rotary is defined not by who we are, but by what we do — by the potential that Rotary gives us, and the ways we realise that potential in meaningful and lasting service. Rotary has been around for a long time: 112 years. In some ways, we’ve changed tremendously, as we’ve grown, matured, and adapted to the changing needs of our members and communities. In our fundamentals, however, we remain the same: an organisation of people with the desire — and through Rotary, the ability — to make a difference in our communities, and the world. We answer the question “What is Rotary?” with our actions, by making a difference through our service.
 
As an organisation, we recognise how important it is that the world understand what Rotary is, and what we do. At the same time, we know that it is more important than ever to allow our clubs to define Rotary service for themselves. As Rotarians, we have more flexibility than ever to decide how we want our clubs to meet, work, and grow. We’re focused more than ever on making sure that Rotary reflects the people it serves, with more women and a more diverse membership. And we’re working hard to ensure that Rotary remains the world’s pre-eminent volunteer service organisation, by emphasising long-term planning, sustainable service, and continuity in leadership on every level.
 
We will answer the question “What is Rotary?” with the theme Rotary: Making a Difference. However each of us chooses to serve, we do it because we know our service makes a difference in the lives of others. Whether we are building a new playground or a new school, improving medical care or sanitation, training conflict mediators or midwives, we know that the work we do will change people’s lives — in ways large and small — for the better. Whatever motivation each of us had for joining Rotary, it is the satisfaction we find in Rotary that causes us to remain, the satisfaction of knowing that week by week, year by year, we are part of Rotary: Making a Difference.
​
Ian H.S. Riseley
President, Rotary International, 2017-18

During 2019-20, Rotary will host a series of presidential conferences around the world, focusing on Rotary’s relationship with the United Nations and the UN’s sustainable development goals that many Rotary service projects support. 

In 2020, the United Nations will celebrate the 75th anniversary of its charter and its mission of promoting peace. Rotary was one of 42 organisations the United States invited to serve as consultants to its delegation at the 1945 San Francisco conference, which led to the UN’s charter. For decades, Rotary has worked alongside the United Nations to address humanitarian issues around the world. Today, Rotary holds the highest consultative status that the UN offers to nongovernmental organisations.

“Rotary shares the United Nations’ enduring commitment to a healthier, more peaceful, and more sustainable world,” Rotary International President Maloney said. “And Rotary offers something no other organisation can match: an existing infrastructure that allows people from all over the world to connect in a spirit of service and peace and take meaningful action toward that goal.” 

Rotary and the United Nations have a shared history of working toward peace and addressing humanitarian issues around the world.

During World War II, Rotary informed and educated members about the formation of the United Nations and the importance of planning for peace. Materials such as the booklet “From Here On!” and articles in The Rotarian helped members understand the UN before it was formally established and follow its work after its charter. 

Many countries were fighting the war when the term “United Nations” was first used officially in the 1942 “Declaration by United Nations.” The 26 nations that signed it pledged to uphold the ideals expressed by the United States and the United Kingdom the previous year of the common principles “on which they based their hopes for a better future for the world.” 

Officials from Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and the United States met in Moscow in 1943 and called for the creation of an international organisation to maintain peace and security. 

The next year, representatives of those countries plus China held conferences in Washington, D.C., to discuss how to go about this monumental task. Those sessions became known as the Dumbarton Oaks conference, where delegations from the four countries developed a proposal for the structure of the new organisation. 

After the conference, Rotary published “What Can Rotarians Do Following Dumbarton Oaks?” It included the proposed charter, talking points, and suggestions for discussing with club members how the United Nations would relate to Rotary’s goal of advancing international understanding. It also emphasized the importance of having a plan ready for when the war ended, rather than waiting until the fighting stopped.

​After World War I, “proposals for international cooperation failed because of lack of enlightened public opinion to support them,” it explained. Discussions among members “will help to create an informed public opinion.”

“Timely Questions on Dumbarton Oaks” followed to help Rotarians understand the complexities of the proposed charter. The flyer presented different perspectives on the security council and other aspects of the UN as topics for Rotary club programs or discussions. At the same time, governments around the world were carefully studying and reacting to the work done at Dumbarton Oaks. 

From April to June 1945, delegations from 50 nations attended the United Nations Conference on International Organisation in San Francisco (often known as the San Francisco conference). Their task was to write a charter acceptable to all of them. The delegations were assisted in this historic effort by a large number of staff, advisers, and consultants.

Rotary International was one of 42 organisations the United States invited to serve as consultants to its delegation at the San Francisco conference. Each organisation had seats for three representatives, so Rotary International’s 11 representatives served in rotation. The people officially representing Rotary included the general secretary, the editor of The Rotarian, and several past presidents. Other Rotarians from Africa, Asia, Europe, and North and South America served as members of their own nations’ delegations. Rotarians also served as consultants to their national delegations. 

Just before the meetings began, Rotary International published and distributed the “Pattern for the San Francisco Conference” pamphlet. “It is a splendid opportunity for the individual Rotarian to fulfil the objective of International Service,” the document proclaimed, “by taking part in the debate on this scheme of world government.” 

Throughout the rest of 1945, The Rotarian and other publications kept Rotary members informed about issues and developments related to the new organisation. Editorials and articles clarified issues, provided additional insights and talking points, and updated readers on what was happening and the people involved: 

• “Rotarians in the News at San Francisco,” July 1945 
• “Report from San Francisco,” July 1945
• “Rotary at the Conference,” July 1945
•  “Gateway to Peace,” August 1945
• “San Francisco Just Started It,” November 1945

After the UN was established, the 95-page booklet “From Here On!” contained the exact text of the UN Charter on one side of every two-page spread with annotations and questions designed to stimulate discussion on the other. With this layout, Rotarians could use it to learn and lead club discussions.

The Charter, it explained, would be effective only if “free citizens” worldwide were determined to give it vitality. “The Rotarian faithfully following these pages,” the booklet said, “will find himself treading the path to service.” 

In 1946, Rotary published a supplement listing the major accomplishments of the meetings held by the UN General Assembly in January and February of that year. Later articles in The Rotarian kept the United Nations and its work on the minds of members:

• “UN or World States,” June 1946 
• “What Do You Want UN to Do?” September 1948
• “Speaking of the United Nations,” March 1955
• “Appraisal at San Francisco,” September 1955 
• “How I Would Change the UN,” October 1955

Today, Rotary holds the highest consultative status offered to a nongovernmental organisation by the UN’s Economic and Social Council, which oversees many specialised UN agencies. The Rotary Representative Network maintains and furthers its relationship with several UN bodies, programs, commissions, and agencies. This network consists of Rotary International representatives to the United Nations and other organisations.

​More than 775 million people over the age of 15 are illiterate. That’s 17 percent of the world’s adult population.  ​Our goal is to strengthen the capacity of communities to support basic education and literacy, reduce gender disparity in education, and increase adult literacy. We support education for all children and literacy for children and adults.

HOW ROTARY MAKES HELP HAPPEN
We take action to empower educators to inspire learning at all ages. 

OUR IMPACT ON EDUCATION
The Rotary Foundation supports education through scholarships, donations, and service projects around the world. 

Rotary members make amazing things happen, like:

• Opening schools: In Afghanistan, Rotary members opened a girls’ school to break the cycle of poverty and social imbalance.
• Teaching adults to read: Rotary members in the United States partnered with ProLiteracy Detroit to recruit and train tutors after a study showed that more than half of the local adult population was functionally illiterate.
• New teaching methods: The SOUNS program in South Africa, Puerto Rico and the United States teaches educators how to improve literacy by teaching children to recognize letters by sounds instead of names.
• Making schools healthy: Rotarians are providing clean, fresh water to every public school in Lebanon so students can be healthier and get a better education.

Find out more - click here

Nearly 800 million people live on less than $1.90 a day. Rotary members are passionate about providing sustainable solutions to poverty. Our members and our foundation work to strengthen local entrepreneurs and community leaders, particularly women, in impoverished communities. We provide training and access to well-paying jobs and financial management institutions.

HOW ROTARY MAKES HELP HAPPEN
We create opportunities to help individuals and communities thrive financially and socially.

​OUR IMPACT ON LOCAL ECONOMIES
Rotary members train people to become resources for their community, offering networking activities, advice on new business development, and mathematics and financial management training.

Rotarians make amazing things happen, like:

• Breaking the cycle of poverty for women: Most of the women living in rural Guatemala do not have the collateral to get loans from regulated financial institutions. The Rotary Club of Guatemala de la Ermita helped 400 local women complete financial literacy courses so they could pool their money and fund their own microlending program.
• Skills development, business training: In Esmeraldas, Ecuador, Rotary members helped grant more than 250 microloans and train more than 270 community members in sewing, baking, plumbing, microcredit, business management, and leadership. 
• Sustainable farming: In west Cameroon, soil erosion and loss of soil fertility have significantly reduced farmers’ harvests. Rotary members gave farmers the skills they needed to improve soil fertility, control soil erosion, and market their produce. The results: increased crop yields and profits.

Find out more - click here

​Rotary International President Mark Daniel Maloney explained his vision for building a stronger Rotary, calling on leaders to expand connections to their communities and to embrace innovative membership models.

RI President-elect Mark Daniel Maloney announces the 2019-20 presidential theme, Rotary Connects the World, to incoming district governors in San Diego, California, USA. See video of his speech.

“The first emphasis is to grow Rotary — to grow our service, to grow the impact of our projects, but most importantly, to grow our membership so that we can achieve more,” Maloney said.

Maloney believes that connection is at the heart of the Rotary experience. “(Rotary) allows us to connect with each other, in deep and meaningful ways, across our differences,” Maloney said. “It connects us to people we would never otherwise have met, who are more like us than we ever could have known. It connects us to our communities, to professional opportunities, and to the people who need our help.”
Maloney also called on every Rotary and Rotaract club to identify segments of their community not represented in their club by creating a membership committee with diverse members.  

“Through Rotary, we connect to the incredible diversity of humanity on a truly unique footing, forging deep and lasting ties in pursuit of a common goal,” he added. “In this ever more divided world, Rotary connects us all.”

Maloney urged leaders to offer alternative meeting experiences and service opportunities to make it easier for busy professionals and people with many family obligations to serve in leadership roles.

“We need to foster a culture where Rotary does not compete with the family, but rather complements it,” Maloney said. “That means taking real, practical steps to change the existing culture: being realistic in our expectations, considerate in our scheduling, and welcoming of children at Rotary events on every level.”
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Maloney said many of the barriers that prevent people from serving as leaders in Rotary are based on expectations that are no longer relevant.
“It is time to adapt, to change our culture, and to convey the message that you can be a great district governor without visiting every club individually, and a great president without doing everything yourself.”