2015-2016 Rotary Year Begins 1 July!
Adapted from "PRESIDENT-ELECT URGES ROTARY MEMBERS TO ‘BE A GIFT TO THE WORLD" at https://www.rotary.org/myrotary/en/news-media/news-features/president-elect-urges-rotary-members-be-gift-world at
Using their talents, expertise, and leadership, Rotary members worldwide are asked to be gifts to the world this upcoming 2015-16 Rotary year.
Highlighting Rotary's biggest challenge, the eradication of polio, Ravindran said, "A future without polio is a gift that we have promised to the children of the world. And indeed it is a gift that we will give."
Ravindran, a member of the Rotary Club of Colombo, Sri Lanka, used Rotary's successes in the fight to eradicate the disease as an illustration of the impact Rotary members can have in the world. When Rotary set a goal of eradicating polio 25 years ago, it was endemic in 125 countries, and more than 1,000 children were becoming paralyzed each day. Today, polio remains endemic in just three countries, Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan. And in all of 2014, only 333 cases were reported.
Ravindran discussed some of Rotary's other challenges, including membership.
"We have to find a way to bring back the fundamentals that built our organization: the emphasis on high ethical standards in all aspects of our lives, and the classification system that encourages a diversity of expertise in each club," he said. "Too often these ideas are viewed as little more than inconvenient obstacles to increasing our membership. But they have been essential to Rotary's success, and we ignore them at our own peril."
Let's lead the charge to be a gift to our club, our community, our district, and to the world!