By Rotary International

Nigerian Rotarians and polio survivors raise awareness for polio eradication in Port Harcourt in advance of last year’s World Polio Day.

By Brett Davis Sr., Rotary Club of Kennebunk, Maine, USA

My adventure started when our club president presented the opportunity to travel to Port Harcourt, Nigeria, to attend the West Africa Project Fair and participate in polio eradication efforts. I took advantage of this opportunity and what a tremendous trip it was!

Brett Davis Sr. (left) with another member of the team.

The first of many wonderful experiences during the trip involved a 5 kilometer walk to raise awareness of polio on World Polio Day. We joined Rotarians and polio survivors in the heart of Port Harcourt. Many of the polio survivors were using their hands to propel their respective skate-board like transportation devices along the roadway. I was inspired as they chanted “End Polio Now,” and “Kick Polio out of Nigeria.” I was humbled to be in Nigeria – one of three countries still battling polio, and to be walking side by side with a hundred or so courageous survivors of this terrible disease. It strengthened my resolve and gave me a renewed conviction to do my part to End …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog

By Rotary International

Kate Roff

By Kate Roff, a former Rotary Youth Exchange student

Being lost in the middle of the bustling, hazy, city of Bangkok, Thailand, is not ideal for a 17-year-old Australian girl. But, it was a moment that changed my life.

I was on Rotary Youth Exchange and despite excellent instructions from my caring host-family; I had no idea how the intricate bus system worked, and hadn’t mastered the language yet to ask. After boarding the wrong bus for the third time, a young student calmly stood up, took me by the arm and walked me miles down the road to the right stop. She spoke little English, but waited patiently until my bus arrived and told the driver my destination. It must have added a full hour to her day, and she wanted nothing in return – just to help a stranger.

A bustling, hazy, street scene in Bangkok, Thailand. Photo by Joe Powers

I was shocked. I had never encountered such kindness. That was one of many moments I was humbled by the generosity of the Thai people during my exchange year, and something that I hold up as proof of genuine compassion in the world.

Peace News provides alternative news stories …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog

By Rotary International

Cynde Covington administers drops of the polio vaccine during a previous visit in India.

By Cynde Covington, Rotary Club of Southpoint, Jacksonville, Florida, USA, and Zone 34 team leader

This is our fourth National Immunization Day (NID) trip to India and our third leading the NID Team from Rotary International Zone 34. I have fallen in love with this magnificent, beautiful country and the people who live there.

Cynde Covington holds a child awaiting to be immunized against polio.

It is overwhelming when you arrive for the first time and your senses are assaulted by all the different sights, sounds, and smells. But as you begin to explore and really get to know India and the people who live there, you will soon come to know the “Hospitality of the Heart” of this country as I have.

In 2009 on our first NID, polio was still endemic in India, and in fact had more than half of the cases of polio in the world at the time. People said we would never eliminate polio in India. But this is a country that was committed to the cause and the Rotarians and health care workers in India were dedicated to making sure that polio would not …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog

By Rotary International

Emily Koerner with her father (left) and the past president of the Central Ocean Rotary club (right).

By Emily Koerner, a former Interactor, native of Toms River, New Jersey, and student at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania, USA

I often wonder what other people think about when they hear the word “Rotarian.”

Since I was about 10 years old, I attended many service events with my dad (a member and past president of the Central Ocean Rotary Club in Toms River, New Jersey). The members welcomed me with open arms, laughs, and, of course, a ton of work to be done.

I learned about camaraderie and good work ethic at a young age. I also learned not every family was like my own. Not everyone has my abilities, my health, or my amazing parents. Not everyone has food at their table, a steady job, or a home. But together, the Rotarians work hard to extend a helping hand to anyone struggling to lift them up.

For me, Rotarian is a synonym for family.

For over ten years, I’ve attended lunch meetings and listened to their guest speakers and their discussions about the future for the club. We’ve painted houses, planted dune grass, auctioned gift baskets, …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog

By Rotary International

By Ryan Hyland, Rotary editorial staff

RI President-elect Ian H.S. Riseley urged incoming district leaders to seek gender and age parity and protect the environment in announcing the 2017-18 presidential theme Rotary: Making a Difference. “We know that we can do more together than we could ever do alone. I ask you to keep that spirit of teamwork and cooperation always in your minds and to take it back with you to your districts.”

We caught up with incoming district governors after the theme was announced to get their thoughts, and see how they planned to make a difference in their leadership year.

Harriette F. Verwey, Rotary Club of Leiden-AM, the Netherlands, (District 1600): “This is a theme I can work with. We all can make a real difference in the world. The gender and age issues are things I can do a lot with. It gives me fire.
We are going to work more intensely with Rotaract and alumni to help them understand our experience and the work we do.”

Suresh Mathew, Rotary Club of Trivandrum Central, India, (District 3211): “It’s a beautiful theme. Making a difference is what Rotary is meant for. I appreciated that he said our work needs to be sustainable …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog

By Rotary International

Fernando Pinto Nercelles

By Fernando Pinto Nercelles

When I learned about the changes approved by the 2016 Council on Legislation that allowed Rotaractors to join a Rotary club while maintaining their Rotaract membership, I immediately saw an opportunity and knew that I had to take it. Why?

It’s quite simple, I feel dual membership is one of the most effective ways devised to achieve the best of both worlds. Rotary and Rotaract combined is an approach that definitively and once and for all, leaves behind the prejudices of age, maturity, money, prospects of service, and friendship.

This challenge put in front of us gives us the unique opportunity to get the best of Rotaract and Rotary. Dual membership in Rotaract and Rotary allows us to build more dynamic clubs with greater scope of perspective, more debate, more ideas, and more and better service in more communities. I think we should not forget the most important part of Rotary—Service Above Self. I am grateful to my friends of the Rotaract Club of Vitacura, Chile for teaching me that.

Rotaractors bring new energy and motivation to everything we do and develop dynamic friendships and professional networks with everyone we meet. And now, …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog

By Rotary International

Rotary members and Rotaractors took part in World Polio Day activities as part of the West Africa Project Fair.

By Shapreka Clarke, president of the Rotaract Club of Eleuthera, The Bahamas

After an 18-hour flight from The Bahamas, I finally arrived in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, on 19 October to participate in the 11th West Africa Project Fair. As I stepped off the plane onto African soil for the first time, I did not know the adventure that was ahead of me, the lasting friendships I would make or how my life would forever be changed. That first moment getting off the plane, I remember being very excited and a little nervous.

Through the sponsorship of the Rotary Club of Rancho Cotati in California, I was able to embark on this journey with 34 fellow Rotarians and Rotaractors from the United States and The Bahamas. The West Africa Project Fair, the primary purpose of our trip, gave our group an opportunity to discover the various projects Rotarians across Africa are undertaking. It also allowed us to form partnerships with projects we were interested in supporting.

While at the fair, I presented with Rotaractors and Rotarians from the Bahamas, California, and Yenagoa, Nigeria, about our …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog

By Rotary International

The Choluteca bridge is a suspension bridge in Honduras built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers between 1935 and 1937.

By Neal Beard, a member of the Rotary Club of Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, USA

For the past eleven years, I have traveled to Honduras with many other Rotarians to help on numerous Rotary humanitarian projects in the southwestern part of Honduras near the Pacific Ocean and in the mountains along the Nicaraguan border.

A homestead in southwestern Honduras.

The journey there takes me from Lawrenceburg via Nashville and Atlanta to Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and then down a long mountain road that connects with the Pan-American Highway that crosses this bridge. The journey is not as important as what lies on the other side of the bridge. On the other side lies my destination and that is where the adventure begins.

The United States Army Corps of Engineers built this bridge between 1935 and 1937. It is one of the few replicas of the Golden Gate Bridge that still exists, and it controls the flow of traffic from Guatemala to Panamá.

It serves as a metaphor for our work in Honduras, where we try to be a bridge between the advances and prosperity that we enjoy in the …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog