DGs visit brings a message of inspiration

District Governor Rebecca MacPherson gave a very passionate and inspirational speech on her official visit to the Rotary Club of Ladner. Here are the highlights.

1. This year RI President Tanaka has chosen our theme to be “Peace Through Service”. We hear the word peace every day. We hear it in the news, we use it in conversation, and we talk about it a great deal in Rotary. But most of us spend very little time thinking about what peace is, and what that word means.
2. On its simplest level, peace can be defined by what it is not. It is a state of no war, no violence, and no fear. It means that you are not in danger of hunger or persecution or suffering or poverty.
3. But we can also define peace by what it is, and by what it can be. Peace can mean freedom of thought and of speech, freedom of opinion and of choice. In January while at International Assembly in San Diego I meet DGE’s from all over the world and while talking I came to realize that we have many freedoms in North America that many places in the Rotary World do not have.
4. It can mean security, confidence in the future: a life and home in a stable society.
5. On a more abstract level, peace can mean a sense of happiness, of inner serenity, of calm.
6. There is no peace for a father who cannot feed or cloth his children, a young mother who is alone and is filled with despair or a young person who cannot read or write and does not have the opportunity to attend school. There is no peace for a child who hates going to school every day because they will be bullied. There is no peace for a young man who feels he has no choice but to join the local gang
7. No matter how we use or understand the word peace, Rotary can help us to achieve it.
8. Rotary helps us to meet the basic needs of others: to provide health care, sanitation, food, and education when and where it is most needed. Through our service we can help with programs that teach about bullying and we can offer alternative places for that young man to go.
9. Through our service, we learn that the problems that may seem large to us are really very small.
10. We learn empathy for others. We come closer to people who seem very different from us. And we begin to understand how alike we really are. By helping others, even in the simplest of ways, can help to build peace.
    
    As Rotarians we may not be able prevent wars but we can bring peace to the lives of others. When we in Rotary work for peace, we don’t do it by negotiating treaties or demonstrating in the streets. Instead, we build peace by example – by working together, whatever our nationality or background, and putting others’ needs above our own.

Membership

As I look around your community, look at your website and talk to your board I see many signs of your club’s activities and know that you have been actively involved in making our world a better place. 

Could you do more?  Maybe!  Could you do more with more members? Yes! 

For Rotary clubs to be able to continue the good work that they do they must bring in new members.  But we need to remember when we are looking at individuals who we think would be a good Rotarian they must have the time and means necessary to belong to your club. 

When we talk about building membership, we need to recognize that welcoming a new member into a Rotary club is only the beginning of our task. To turn a new club member into a committed Rotarian, much more is necessary - and the first step is helping that new member to learn what Rotary is.  Make sure that the new member has someone to mentor them and help them learn about Rotary – both inside and outside your club. 

Then it is important to get them involved.

 It is up to each of you, not just your club president or your board, to make new members feel welcome and to invite them to be an active part of Rotary.  And not only new members but all members.

Every Rotarian in every club should know that he or she is not only needed but relied upon and you as a member can make them feel that way. Every Rotarian should have a job within the club - a role to play. After all, why are we in Rotary? We are here to make a difference.

Remember that if you asked someone 5 years, even 2 years ago, if they were interested and they said no or not right then maybe now is the right time.  Sister Story

Does your family and co-workers know about Rotary or do they just know that each week you go to some kind of meeting? 

I think one of the best ways we could increase our membership is to tell our Rotary Story.  Tell about having to tell my story at International Assembly.

What is your Rotary Story. 

When asked what Rotary is we usually say something like “it is an organization of 1.2 million professional and business people around the world that believe in Service above self. 

Would it be more interesting to say that Rotary is an organization that has been instrumental in changing the lives of thousands of children around the world by preventing the spread of Polio.

I challenge you to think about Rotary means to you and why you are a Rotarian and share that story with others.  If you are excited about Rotary others will want to join you.