Members of the Rotary Club of San Antonio, Texas, sort items for a food drive in a school parking lot. By Nathan Rizzo, Rotary Club of San Antonio, Texas, USA I have been a member of my club for two years, but it was in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic that I learned what…
Kisa mentors on a climb of Mount Kilimanjaro with Curt Harris in 2018. By Curt Harris, past governor, Rotary District 5450 Although I joined Rotary in 1997, it wasn’t until I had the opportunity to travel to Tanzania to climb Mount Kilimanjaro as a Rotary-sponsored fundraiser three years later that I really felt I had…
Participants in the art and wine event show off their creations. By Tasmain Warren, Rotaract Club of Manhattan New York City, New York, USA Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, our Rotaract club realized the need to stay connected more than ever. We switched to an online platform and started brainstorming ways that we could fight…
Cristal Montañéz has been working with Rise Against Hunger to provide meals for Venezuelan refugees in Colombia. By Quentin Wodon, Rotary Club of Washington Global, USA Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are among the most vulnerable people on earth. The latest UNHCR report released ahead of World Refugee Day in June estimates that 79.5…
By Celia Giay, chair of the 2020 Rotary International Convention and a past RI vice president When RI President Mark Maloney invited me to be the chair of the 2020 Rotary International Convention two and a half years ago, I accepted the honor, aware of the responsibility of being the first woman Rotarian to serve…
A member of the Rotary Club of Camp Aguinaldo, Philippines, delivers a packet of food. By Elizabeth P. Directo, Rotary Club of Camp Aguinaldo, Philippines Knowing that many people have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic, incoming club presidents in our district (3780) were looking for a way to spread a little bit…
Bob Tomlinson By Bob Tomlinson, president of the Rotary Club of Kirkintilloch, Scotland The COVID-19 pandemic is horrifying. The lives lost are not just statistics. Each death is a life cut short and a family and friends left grieving. This reality is something we must never forget. Our way of life has been profoundly challenged.…
Lindsay Griswold participates in a dance as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Kenya in 2006. Lindsay Griswold as a Peace Corps volunteer in 2006. By Lindsay Griswold, Senior Specialist for Youth Exchange and Youth Protection I grew up in a home that was not peaceful. So, I think peace is something I have always unconsciously…
The Rotary Club of Novosibirsk-Initiative, Russia, assembled masks for medical workers as a virtual project. By Ekaterina Tashlykova, secretary, and Julia Fedeneva, president-elect, Rotary Club of Novosibirsk-Initiative, Russia The COVID-19 pandemic has changed many aspects of our self-awareness. Virtual meetings are now common, but what about doing service projects? Can these be virtual too? As…
Flood victims in Kerala, India, receive job training under a global grant by the Rotary Club of Kalamassery. The $100,000 grant project benefited 500 families. N. Bhaskaran Pillai used examples like this one to encourage members to give to The Rotary Foundation. By N.Bhaskaran Pillai, Rotary Club of Kalamassery, India When I became treasurer of…