Rotary members Fred Bemenderfer and James Thomas help volunteer and school secretary Sandra Pugh deliver boxes of meals to families in need at a local elementary school. By Alex Johnson, Rotary Club of Plano West, Texas, USA, and Rotary Coordinator Zone 25B & 29 As I stepped into my role as president of the Plano…
Furniture awaits a buyer in the Rotary Club of Boothbay Harbor barn. By Marty Peak Helman, Rotary Foundation Trustee and member of the Rotary Club of Boothbay Harbor, Maine, USA During the pandemic, the Boothbay Harbor Rotary Club found a way to double the proceeds of its largest fundraiser AND use it to engage current…
Members of the Rotary Club of Norfolk, Virginia, organize donated books for a preschool library they created. By Sally Kirby Hartman, past president of the Rotary Club of Norfolk, Virginia, USA Until 2007, my Rotary knowledge consisted of spotting “Rotary Meets Here” signs on the edges of small towns. Then two Rotary Club of Norfolk…
Smera Chandan, left, celebrating the new year with her host family. Editor’s note: This post was written in two parts, the first during the author’s Rotary Youth Exchange year and the second after she returned from her exchange. By Smera Chandan My name is Smera Chandan and I am 16 years old. I am sitting…
By Seoha Lee, RI Senior Communications Strategist Rotary International President R. Gordon R. McInally is calling for Rotary members to “Create Hope in the World” by working for peace and mental wellbeing. The 2023-24 presidential theme is accompanied by a logo that consists of three dynamic shapes with color gradients of dark blue to purple,…
Rotaract allowed Pietro Oliveira da Silva to discover more freedom, meet new people, and step out of a personal comfort zone. By Pietro Oliveira da Silva, Vice President and Project Director of the Rotaract Club of Guaramirim, Brazil; and Director of Diversity and Inclusion, District 4652 Our first years of life are often defined by…
Blake Cowan (from left), Nathan Wilson, and Tom Smith by the Wave Warrior. By Tom Smith and Blake Cowan, Rotary Club of Tsawwassen, British Columbia, Canada On a sunny day last September, Blake and I left our stresses behind and paddled Wave Warrior, a 39-foot-long ocean-going, fiberglass canoe designed by members of our local Indigenous…
By Tom Gump, aide to 2024-25 RI President Stephanie Urchick and a member of Rotary International’s Membership Growth Committee Tom Gump My favorite month of the year is August because that is when Rotary focuses on membership. As a membership organization, we recognize that our members are our biggest asset. When Rotary membership is strong,…
Rotary Club of Washington Global members, along with family, serve at the Shepherd’s Table for those experiencing homelessness. Author Mike McCabe is fourth from the right. By Michael McCabe, a member of the Rotary Club of Washington Global and Peace Corps Director of the Inter-America and Pacific Region In 2022, I had a conversation with…
By Michel P. Jazzar, past governor of District 2452 (Lebanon) I will always remember 14 May 1973 for two reasons. First, NASA launched Skylab. And second, a very instrumental meeting took place that would shape my future in Rotary. On that day, I met with the late Dr. Wahib Nini, a past district governor, who…