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Rotary One |
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| ROTARY/One members and guests were
honored to meet Rotary International President, Senior Advocate of
Nigeria and Rotary Chairman of the African Regional Polio Plus Committee
Jonathan Majiyagbe. President Jon presided over the ‘changing of the guard’ from ROTARY/One President Don Olson to President-elect Richard (Dick) McKay. President Jon noted that this change is an easy one, and occurs at this time of year in more than 30,000 Rotary clubs worldwide. Conversely, he noted that it is tumultuous to change leaders in a country. President Dick explained that RI will be circulating five centennial bells to reflect the tradition of Rotary. McKay said that the bell used for the July 1 ceremonies will travel to the first one hundred clubs and return to the Rotary Club of Chicago in time for the centennial RI convention in June, 2005. The Club presented President Jon with a framed gift of the July, 1908 Illinois Rotary incorporation, and a check in the amount of $1000 in the memory of Mrs. Ade Majiyagbe, who died last month. “A visit to ROTARY/One Club of Chicago is like a baptism to start my year in office,” said the new president of Rotary International. We gather with like-minded people and we honor our natural impulse to lend a hand to our brothers in need. Throughout the world we see that hunger, poverty and disease lead to despair and anger, which in turn breed violence, he said. As Rotarians in the new Rotary year, we will reach out to those who are hungry, poor and in poor health, to help our brothers and sisters in need. We come in peace to foster peace, together as a family in simple fellowship, and recognize that together we can do more than we can as individuals. Recently, seventy scholars began studies at prestigious universities due to the Rotary World Peace Scholar program. Rotarians have dreamed about this goal for years, and now it is a reality. Rotarians have exceeded our recent $80 million goal for PolioPlus, and we expect the total eradication of polio by the Rotary centennial. But we will do more to lend a hand. For the upcoming centennial, each club is asked to perform a centennial project, to do something new and to achieve increased membership by the year 2005. “ROTARY/One will be at the spotlight of the centennial,” President Jon added. “We are as committed to the sense of urgency as ‘raging floodwaters,’” and with each person’s involvement, one hand can become many! Lend a hand is indeed this year’s Rotary theme! --- Barbara Brunka, RC of Chicago #1 |
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