How district leaders empower Rotary clubs

By Yasir Maqbool, president of the Rotary Club of Lahore Sharqi (East), Pakistan

At Rotary, our success stems in no small part from the dedication and commitment of our leadership. Rotary clubs are led by club presidents, who undergo extensive training and then commit to go beyond their leadership year to achieve their clubs’ goals in keeping with the objectives of Rotary. Club presidents receive critical support and guidance from district leaders, who themselves receive extensive training in preparation for helping clubs achieve those goals.

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First-time convention goers share their excitement

By Etelka Lehoczky

As a newcomer to Rotary navigating the 2023 Rotary International Convention in Melbourne, Australia, I feel a special affinity for other first-time attendees. I was excited to see that there would be a whole session just for first-timers the day before the convention kicked off. I wasn’t sure what I expected, but I got quite a surprise when I entered the huge auditorium where the session was held. The place was packed! I was surrounded by hundreds of fellow newbies.

After the session, I talked to a few of the attendees about their countries, their clubs, and why they’ve decided to make Melbourne their first-ever Rotary convention.

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Club experience – the key to member satisfaction

Jessie Harman

By Jessie Harman, 2021-23 Rotary International Director

The results of the 2022 Rotary International All-Member Survey are clear – the number one driver of member satisfaction is club experience.  Just over 78,000 members responded to the online survey conducted by RI’s Research and Evaluation team.

A recently published report on the survey also spelled out the aspects of club experience that mattered most to members – “meeting enjoyment” and “confidence in club leadership,” followed closely by “satisfaction with club service,” “satisfaction with finding friends,” and “comfort with other club members.”

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Rotary saves lives with STOP THE BLEED®

Registered nurse Juliet Altenburg with Penn State Health Trauma Program Staff at a STOP THE BLEED® class. From left: RNs Justin Heimrich, Sunny Goodyear, Altenburg, and Amy Bollinger

By Juliet Altenburg, governor of District 7390 (Pennsylvania, USA), a member of the Rotary Club of Mechanicsburg-North, and executive director of the Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation

A 10-year-old boy was riding his bicycle down a hill with his friends in 2021 – something he had done many times before – when his fun morning turned tragic. As he entered an intersection, he collided with a car he didn’t see coming. In an instant, he broke both of his arms and had uncontrolled bleeding that could have killed him within four minutes. 

Fortunately, the accident happened near a police station where officers quickly called 911. As a team of emergency medical responders headed to the scene, the officers applied tourniquets to each of the boy’s extremities. The EMS team examined the boy and transported him to a local pediatric trauma center, which quickly diagnosed his injuries and surgically corrected them. Weeks later, he was discharged to his family and assigned a team of rehabilitation specialists.

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From Australia to the Netherlands, Rotary youth programs have shaped me

Taylor Randall with the pins she’s gathered from Rotary events.

By Taylor Randall

My journey with Rotary actually began before I was born.

I’m the fourth generation of my family to be connected with the Rotary Club of Nerang, Queensland, Australia. My great-grandfather was charter president, my grandfather was a charter member and past president, and my mum – the first woman invited to join the club in 2000 – became the club’s first female president in 2007.

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