Tag Archives: 2013 RI Convention

Many reasons to attend a Rotary convention

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Paul Wilson hangs with polio survivor Ramesh Ferris during the Rotary International Convention in Lisbon, Portugal.

Paul Wilson hangs out with polio survivor Ramesh Ferris during the Rotary International Convention in Lisbon, Portugal.

By Irvin Metcalf, president of the Rotary Club of Grantham, Lincolnshire, England

Other Rotary members often ask me why I and my Rotary Club of Grantham colleague Paul Wilson attended the 2013 Rotary International Convention in Lisbon, Portugal. There were so many good reasons!

First and foremost we both wanted to see and meet other Rotary members from all around the world to find out more about Rotary and the inspirational work going on around the globe. Continue reading →

Interact ignites a passion for service

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Editor’s note: Each November, Rotary celebrates the chartering of the first Interact Club during World Interact Week. Interact is Rotary’s program for youth age 12-18. The following is a post written by Adam Arents, Rotary Programs staff, earlier this year. … Continue reading →

The inspiration behind the Rotary Peace Song

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RI President Sakuji Tanaka presents an award to Ralf Trautwein, president of the Rotary Club of Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany. Monika Lozinska/Rotary International

RI President Sakuji Tanaka presents an award to Ralf Trautwein, president of the Rotary Club of Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany. Monika Lozinska/Rotary International

By Ralf Trautwein, president of the Rotary Club of Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany. In English and German.

This year’s convention in Lisbon was my first, mainly because I dislike air travel. But I had a very good reason to overcome my fear of flying this year. I was invited as a personal guest of RI President Sakuji Tanaka to present our project, the “Rotary Peace Song” during the closing plenary session. Continue reading →

Bringing light in darkness

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Dr. Harminder Singh Dua receives the 2012-13 Rotary Foundation Global Alumni Service to Humanity Award at the Rotary International Convention in Lisbon, Portugal. Photo by Monika Lozinska/Rotary International

Dr. Harminder Singh Dua with the 2012-13 Rotary Foundation Global Alumni Service to Humanity Award at the Rotary International Convention in Lisbon, Portugal. Photo by Monika Lozinska/Rotary International

Dr. Harminder Singh Dua, an ophthalmologist in Nottingham, England, is the recipient of the 2012-13 Rotary Foundation Global Alumni Service to Humanity Award. The following is an excerpt of his acceptance speech before the Rotary convention in Lisbon, Portugal.

As a young trainee doctor in the city of Nagpur in India, all those many years ago, I had made a trip to a city called Vijaywada to be interviewed for the Group Study Exchange team selection. I was one of about 103 young men who had descended on a hotel in Vijaywada.  Each of us had been picked from amongst several others by the local Rotary clubs. Continue reading →

The future of Rotary

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Rotaractors talk about what they like about Rotaract, and why it is important to the future of Rotary, during the 2013 RI Convention in Lisbon, Portugal, 23-26 June.

Chance encounters on the metro

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The chance to meet other Rotarians is a major attraction of the convention.

The chance to meet other Rotarians is a major attraction of the convention.

By Arnold R. Grahl, Rotary Editorial staff

Riding on the subway to the Atlantico Pavilion in Lisbon, Portugal, earlier in the week for the 2013 Rotary convention, I ran into a Rotarian from Nigeria, who will be governor of his district in 2014-15. I asked him about his district, his ambition for his district governor year, and how he has been enjoying the convention so far. Before I knew it, six stops had gone by, and I had arrived at Oriente station on the red  line, the nearest stop to the pavilion. Continue reading →

Million dollar donation for polio eradication

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Sir Emeka Offor

Sir Emeka Offor

Sir Emeka Offor, of Nigeria, is chairman of the Chrome Group, a leading conglomerate in oil and gas services, power, logistics and telecommunications. A Rotarian, Offor is a member of the Arch C. Klumph Society, which honors those who give at least US$250,000 to the Foundation. On Monday, Offor announced he is giving another US$1 million to the Rotary Foundation for polio eradication. We caught up with Offor after his announcement at the PolioPlus Advocacy Workshop at the 2013 Rotary Convention in Lisbon. Continue reading →

What does peace mean to you?

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By Arnold R. Grahl, Rotary Editorial staff

Everyone wants peace, notes Rotary Peace Fellow Erinma Bell, a graduate of Rotary’s Peace Center program at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand.

But the biggest challenge with wanting peace is actually getting people to understand that peace means different things to different people. Continue reading →

The power of music

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130623_powerofmusicBy Arnold R. Grahl, Rotary Editorial staff

Sitting in the Atlantico Pavilion for the opening plenary session of the Lisbon convention, I found myself powerfully moved by the music of Il Divo. The quartet — Swiss tenor Urs Buhler, Spanish baritone Carlos Marin, French pop artist Sebastien Izambard, and American tenor David Miller — served as the closing entertainment for the session.

As they belted out their rendition of “My Heart Will Go On” and “Somewhere,” I was filled with emotion. I could see the passion they were putting into their music. And it made me think about being passionate about what I do. Continue reading →

House of Friendship opens

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By Arnold R. Grahl, Rotary Editorial staff

Sandra Fidalgo, a member of the Rotary Club of Setubal, Portugal, confided she was a bit nervous before singing, “Sing with me,” an original number she wrote and composed especially for the 2013 convention in Lisbon. She needn’t have been. She performed it beautifully, and the melody and lyrics provided a moving tribute to Rotary’s big gathering in Portugal as the House of Friendship officially opened Saturday. Continue reading →