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www.whyiam.org …a service of
Rotary Global History
"We live in the present, we dream of the future,
but we learn from the past."
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www.rghfforum.org
Why I Am A Rotarian
MARCH 20,
2006
 I
was looking for an organization, which would allow me to combine
my professional activities with a desire to serve my community,
which had been instilled in me by my father from a very young
age.
When a man I came to
know as the district commissioner for the Trenton, Ontario,
Canada, Boy Scouts contacted me; I could not refuse to meet him.
Accompanying my
proposer was another Rotarian who went to the same church that
my family and I attended.
Something they said
to my wife, Joan, and me struck a chord. Associating with the
business leaders of Trenton, a town where we had lived for less
than two years, was very appealing.
Small towns are
great for raising a family, but getting to know people socially
was something both Joan and I wanted.
Knowledge of
Rotary's programmes, first locally and then internationally,
captured my imagination and allowed me to progress from being a
new member to an involved Rotarian.
Experiencing an international convention in Toronto, Ontario,
Canada, in
1964, fanned the flames for service and showed me the true
inter-nationality of Rotary.
During the odd
peaceful moment, Joan and I often think of the towns and cities
we wouldn't have visited, the speakers and world leaders we
wouldn't have heard, the truly great international projects that
we wouldn't have seen, and the friends that we wouldn't have
known
if I
had not been asked
to join Rotary in
November of 1962.
Wilfrid J.
"Wilf" Wilkinson
RI President 2007-08
Director and Vice-President,
Rotary
International, 1992-94.
Trustee, TRF of RI, 1997-2001.
Member of the
Rotary Club of Trenton,
Ontario, Canada
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