domingo, 1 de noviembre de 2009

RI President Message

November 2009

My fellow Rotarians:

The playwright George Bernard Shaw once wrote, “Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire; you will what you imagine; and at last you create what you will.”

There is no shortage in this world of people able to imagine a better future. But in Rotary, we do not just imagine that future -- we will it, and we work to create it. This we do through our two great strengths: our Rotary clubs and our Rotary Foundation.

Over the years, I have been privileged to witness firsthand the fruits of the outstanding work carried out by Rotarians all over the world, supported by the programs of our Foundation. One thing that impresses me is how these programs focus not on short-term satisfaction or reward for the giver. The best Rotary programs and projects focus on building for the future – and making lives better for generations.

Two decades ago, we Rotarians made a promise: to make life better for the entire world, forever, by eliminating polio. It has always been an ambitious goal, but it has always been a realistic one. And now, thanks to our Rotary Foundation, we are closer than ever to reaching it.

It is my hope that with the help of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Rotary’s US$200 Million Challenge, there will soon come a time when we will be able to say that we have made polio a thing of the past. For if we fail now, we will fail all those who have gone before us, and every child to whom we made a promise. If we fail, we risk our own good name, and the good name of all the Rotarians who came before us.

We will not fail. We can and we must succeed.

I know that each one of you recognizes that The Future of Rotary Is in Your Hands – and that the future of our Foundation is as well.

John Kenny
President
Rotary International

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