Editor’s Note: Jeremy Opperman is a member of Rotary’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion taskforce and a regular contributor to this blog on issues related to disability inclusion. By Jeremy Opperman, Rotary Club of Newlands, Cape Town, South Africa I had just finished keying in my pin number on the card reader at the supermarket checkout…
By Bernd Meidel, District 1950 Public Image Chair (Germany) Bernd Meidel It’s important that Rotary and Rotaract clubs tell their stories in ways that help communities understand what Rotary does and why our work matters so as to inspire others to get involved. Appointing a club public image chair can increase your success at making…
Carolyn Schrader works with local Rotary members in Zimbabwe on an economic development project. By Carolyn Schrader, Rotary Club of Denver Mile High, Colorado, USA When I first joined Rotary, I was encouraged by another member to join in sponsoring a $14,000 AIDS awareness grant in Harare, Zimbabwe. I helped raise funds and worked with…
By Tom Gump, immediate past governor of District 5950 and a member and past president of the Rotary Club of Edina / Morningside, Minnesota, USA Rotary’s recently launched Membership Society for New Member Sponsors has created a high level of enthusiasm for bringing new members into our organization and forming new and innovative Rotary and…
By Abdullah Al Fahad, immediate past president, Rotaract Club of Dhaka Orchid, Bangladesh Esara is a seven-year-old girl who lives in the Habiganj district of Bangladesh with her mother. She lost her father three years ago when he was killed in a traffic accident. They live on the income of her mother, who barely makes…
By Damien Walker, Director of Public Image and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Salisbury City Rotaract Club (Australia) As the public image director for the Rotaract Club of Salisbury City in Australia, my job is to tell my club’s story. I share how we are a dynamic club that provides the entire Rotaract experience without the…
By Elizabeth Usovicz, Rotary International director for Zones 30&31, USA Elizabeth Usovicz October 11 is International Day of the Girl Child. Along with the United Nations, today is a day for Rotary members to support and celebrate the girls of our world by participating in Rotary International’s Empowering Girls initiative. As the leader of a…
By Rotary staff A friendship exchange. Your club members have generously volunteered to host Rotarians from a district in another country as part of their Rotary Friendship Exchange program. Your club’s Rotary Friendship Exchange committee wishes to require all host families and visiting families to complete a background check as a precautionary measure of security. Other club…
Jeremy Opperman Editor’s Note: In September 2020, Rotary formed a task force charged with assessing the current status of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in Rotary and shaping a comprehensive action plan to help us further value and live those principles throughout the organization. This is the fourth in a series of blog posts from…
Jayne Hulbert and her husband, Gene, get ready for the District 5150 Road Rally to End Polio in 2020. By Jayne Hulbert, past governor and Rotary Foundation chair, District 5150 The eradication of polio is personal to me. My sister and my husband’s father both were victims of this dreaded disease when they were only…