By Tom Gump, aide to 2024-25 Rotary International President Stephanie Urchick
It starts with our Vision Statement:
TOGETHER WE see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change across the globe in our communities and in ourselves.
It is not an accident that our Vision Statement begins with “Together we . . .” Together we are making, have made, and will continue to make a difference in the world. How?
Continue reading
By Peter Roaf, Rotary Club of Ladner, Delta, British Columbia, Canada
My first son was autistic. He was on the more severe end of the spectrum. His mother and I had to take ourselves from joy over our firstborn through denial and grief. We had to accept the harsh reality of raising a child with special needs.
John was a jolly little guy with a sense of humour, but he couldn’t talk, learn, or care for himself. As he was growing up, I wondered what he would be like – what we would be like – when he became an adult. How would we lead our lives when the time for his care as an adult arrived?
Continue reading
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.
Continue readingBy Abdullah Al Fahad, immediate past president, Rotaract Club of Dhaka Orchid, Bangladesh
Esara is a seven-year-old girl who lives in the Habiganj district of Bangladesh with her mother. She lost her father three years ago when he was killed in a traffic accident. They live on the income of her mother, who barely makes enough to put food on the table.
Continue readingBy Elizabeth Usovicz, Rotary International director for Zones 30&31, USA
October 11 is International Day of the Girl Child. Along with the United Nations, today is a day for Rotary members to support and celebrate the girls of our world by participating in Rotary International’s Empowering Girls initiative.
As the leader of a Vocational Training Team for a Rotary Foundation grant project, my team and I worked alongside teachers in Malawi to develop and deliver an after-school program in village primary schools. The program empowers children, especially girls, to stay in school.
Continue reading
Rotary Voices 