Author Archives: Rotary International

Rotary Peace Fellowships impact thousands

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Alejandra Rueda

By Alejandra Rueda, 2008-10 Rotary Peace Fellow, University of Berkeley

When I became a Rotary Peace Fellow in 2008, the presidential theme was Make Dreams Real. My dream was to support the Colombian countryside by improving the quality of life of farmers and, in turn, to achieve a more responsible use of nature and the ecosystem services it provides. I also wanted to help resolve the social conflict that Colombia has experienced. Or at the very least, to contribute to the development of projects that would spur economic and social recovery in areas that sorely needed it.

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Colorado Rotary members show comfort and care

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Three Rotary members stand beside an Alpaca as they visit a fourth woman in bed with terminal illness
Rotary club members (standing from left) Laurell Richey, Ashley Kasprzak, and Charlene Santala Gearing visit Kate Gordon (in bed) with Richey’s pet alpaca.

By Ashley Kasprzak, president of the Rotary Club of Longmont Twin Peaks, Colorado, USA

Rotary members in Colorado showed what it means to create a welcoming club experience of comfort and care, one of Rotary International President Jennifer Jones’ initiatives for this Rotary year.

I was a small part of an effort to help longtime Rotary member Dennis Gordon and his wife, Kate, this spring. Every spring and summer since they had married 46 years ago, Kate had planted and cultivated brightly-colored gardens. But this year, she was in bed with a terminal illness which prevented her from doing so.

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Global Citizen Festival excites passion for service in Ghana

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Rotaractors took part in the Global Citizen Festival in Ghana
Ernest Afun of the Rotary Club of Accra East and Chinazo Asunwa of the Rotary Club of Accra Legon East during the Global Citizen Festival in Accra, Ghana.

By Julian Andoh, president of the Rotaract Club of Accra-La East, Ghana

I was standing at the Black Star Square, a large public space in Accra, watching a global change movement happen right before my eyes. And the best part? It was a concert.

It all started when I was scrolling through social media and came across a flyer for a concert in Accra. I wondered what organization could get all these artists to come to Ghana to hold a concert this big. A quick Google search gave me the answer: Global Citizen, an action platform dedicated to rallying people around critical issues of climate change, poverty, and inequality.

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DEI is a difference maker

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Kumar leads discussion in front of a room full of other members
Mohan Kumar, right, leads discussion sessions in his club designed to let everyone share their ideas.

By Mohan Kumar, charter president, Rotary Club of Bangalore Prime, India

I was given the opportunity to establish a plan aimed at increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion in our club as the chair of our DEI taskforce.

We have found that when we approach millennials or women to join Rotary, they look at the level of diversity in our club. We are a four-year-old Rotary club with 34 members, seven who are women. For the current Rotary year, we also have women serving as president, secretary, and treasurer. We have just one member below the age of 40 and six members in the range of 40-49. Through this lens, we knew that we could do better and be more relevant in the communities we serve.

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Why I support The Rotary Foundation

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Thank you for giving

By Edward Hicks, a member of the Rotary Club of Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA

I first became acquainted with The Rotary Foundation and its Fellowship for Undergraduate Study Abroad in 1970, as a sophomore at the University of Oklahoma. My faculty adviser suggested I apply for the fellowship. Little did I imagine how much it would change my life. I used the fellowship to study Economics at the University of Melbourne in Australia during the 1971 academic term.

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