By Rotary International

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By Geraldine Nicol, Governor of District 9350 (Angola, Namibia, and South Africa)

Despite raging wildfires on its outskirts, which at times came within yards of the city, the City of Cape Town, South Africa, proudly carried on with its planned cycle race earlier this year. The Cape Town Cycle Tour is organized and managed by Rotary clubs in District 9350 in partnership with local riding clubs of the Pedal Power Association. About 37,000 cyclists from around the world registered for what is the world’s largest timed cycle race in its 38th year.

The cycle race had been in major jeopardy, as the mountains of the beautiful Cape Peninsula had suffered from devastating fires in the 10 days preceding the race. Although the wildfires forced the race to be reduced from 103 kilometers to 47 kilometers, and the route to be altered to keep roads open for fire engines, everyone got into the spirit of the event.

Amazingly, 34,000 cyclists, their supportive family members, and huge crowds of onlookers all showed up on race day. There was a wonderful camaraderie between cyclists as Rotarians and members of Pedal Power cleverly decided to dedicate the race to the firefighters …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog

By Rotary International

Rotary Youth Leadership Awards participants take part in an outdoor challenge course designed to teach leadership and problem-solving. Photo courtesy District 7780

By Sheila Rollins, governor of District 7780, parts of Maine and New Hampshire, USA

Changeover ceremonies, in which Rotary leaders transition to their new positions, are often formal events. I knew I wanted our district’s ceremony to be different. I wanted an event that would positively reflect the ideals of Rotary, that would be family-oriented and cost-conscious, and that would not take place in a hotel ballroom. I considered combining the district changeover with a service project, but I decided to create something even more unique: I planned the changeover to coincide with our annual Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA).

Our RYLA takes place each June at Camp Hinds, a Boy Scout camp on a lake in southern Maine, which has a full Challenging Outdoor Personal Experience (COPE) course. The course activities —including group initiative games, trust events, and low-ropes and high-ropes courses — are designed to teach participants leadership and problem-solving skills.

I also thought combining the changeover with RYLA would encourage more Rotary members to visit this amazing youth leadership program we run. Before long, a Changeover at Camp, complete …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog

By Rotary International

Jane Goodall joins the Rotarian Action Group for Endangered Species’ “Say No!” campaign to promote animal conservation. Photo courtesy of RAGES

By Philip Merritt, vice chair of the Rotarian Action Group for Endangered Species and a member of the Rotary Club of Mabalacat Clark, Pampanga, Philippines

About three years ago, Rotary member John Glassford sent a message to the Rotarians on the Internet (ROTI) Fellowship’s discussion list asking if anyone had any ideas on how we could help stop the poaching of elephants. I responded: “Why don’t we start a Rotarian Action Group (RAG)?”, and from that point forward, it was a long journey to finally get the Rotarian Action Group for Endangered Species (RAGES) recognized by the RI Board in January.

The action group’s purpose is to mobilize Rotary members, spouses, Rotaractors, Interactors, and Rotary alumni to take action to preserve and protect endangered species and the communities that depend on them. The group is working with the Rotary Club of Coolamon, New South Wales, Australia, and Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots program on an education program to conserve elephants in the Oloimugi Maasai village in Kenya.

In a way, it is not surprising that this came to fruition, …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog

By Rotary International

By Evan Burrell, a member of the Rotary Club of Turramurra, New South Wales, Australia, and a regular contributor to this blog

It’s another new Rotary year, and with it come more decisions, responsibilities, and — more important — some inspiration.

A new Rotary year is a great time to make a fresh start. So how do you get off to a good start? That’s a question many Rotary members ask themselves when 1 July rolls around. Some dive straight in and make a big SPLASH! Others ease into it a little more gently.

If you can identify with some of these New Year’s resolutions, you should be good to go for 2015-16.

Keeping your club in shape

People often make New Year’s resolutions to live a better life. They might want to eat more healthfully or exercise more often to shed a few extra pounds.

You can make resolutions for your club for the same reason — to help it stay in tip-top shape for the coming year.

So ask yourself some important questions. Has your club grown? How did your fundraising efforts compare with those of the previous year? Is your club PR getting better? Are you meeting your club goals in Rotary …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog

By Rotary International

By Kiran Singh Sirah, a 2011-13 Rotary Peace Fellow and president of the International Storytelling Center in Jonesborough, Tennessee, USA.

I recently had a chance to reconnect with my fellow Rotary Peace Fellows at a Rotary Peace Symposium in São Paulo. I was in the company of many talented friends and colleagues, including representatives from organizations like the World Bank and the United Nations, as well as global peace consultants and specialists in health, government, peace, security, and education. It was an incredible group of some 80 interdisciplinary peace advocates and Rotary members from all over the world.

Of course, I approached our conversations through the lens of story. I was there not just as a Rotary Peace Fellow but also as a representative of storytelling and the International Storytelling Center (ISC). (I even led a workshop on using storytelling as a tool in collaborations.) As I moved around the conference, talking with other Rotary members, I shared ISC’s vision of building a better world through storytelling. But as a folklorist, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to collect stories, too. What I found was that everyone had a story to tell about what originally inspired them to work for peace.

Cafe …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog