 Why
Am I A Rotarian?
By Wilfredo (Fred) Doctor, Rotary Club of
Mooloolaba, D9600, Zone 8, Australia
I am a Rotarian
because in 1968 a friend of mine, David M. Sablan, invited me to
be a charter member of the Rotary Club of Saipan in the Northern
Mariana Islands. With the exception of David, all the charter
members were rookie Rotarians, so at the first few meetings of
the provisional Club, it was inculcated upon us that joining
Rotary would open opportunities for new friends and fellowship,
and opportunities to touch the lives of thousands of people from
various parts of the world.
Having been a Rotarian for
many years now, I have come to realize that Rotary is a
tremendous stimulus to self-improvement. I spend an average of
two hours a day reading Rotary material, so I can now have
meaningful discussions about Rotary and its programs. I also
realize that Rotarians do maintain good relationships with
people around them because they are accustomed to applying the
Rotary Four-Way Test to their thoughts, words or deeds.
Today, when I ponder on why I am a Rotarian, I immediately think
of club meetings, fellowship, dinners and lunches,
classification talks, fireside chats, mentoring,
Pride-of-Workmanship awards, motivational speeches, social
events, fundraising, club assemblies, district conferences, The
4-Way Test, The Rotary Foundation of R.I., PolioPlus, RAM,
ROMAC, D-I-K, RYPEN, RYLA, NYSF, GSE/VTT, RYE, FAIM/WCS,
Ambassadorial Scholars, Peace Fellows, Friendship Exchange,
ShelterBoxes, clean water, artificial limbs, operation cleft and
many more Rotary programs and projects all over the world.
So why am I a Rotarian? I am a Rotarian because I do
enjoy being a member of the world's first and most prestigious
service organization which, from the night of its founding 106
years ago, enhanced the lives of so many people, including mine. |
