Rotary International
Convention Proceedings
Lisbon, Portugal
23-26 June 2013
Contents
Ed Futa ...................................................................................................................... 4
Chair
2013 Lisbon Convention Committee
Mark Daniel Maloney................................................................................................. 5
Chair
2014 Sydney Convention Committee
Kenneth M. Schuppert Jr. ......................................................................................... 10
Vice President
Rotary International
Sakuji Tanaka........................................................................................................... 11
President
Rotary International
John Hewko ............................................................................................................. 17
General Secretary
Rotary International
William B. “Bill” Boyd............................................................................................... 21
[see query, p. 21]
Emmanuel Jal........................................................................................................... 22
Musician; Founder
Gua Africa
Wilfrid J. Wilkinson .................................................................................................. 27
Chair
Rotary Foundation Trustees
Dr. Harminder Singh Dua .......................................................................................... 29
Recipient
Rotary Foundation Global Alumni Service to Humanity Award
Jorge Aufranc........................................................................................................... 31
Past District Governor
District 4250
Mirna Perez ............................................................................................................. 33
Director
Centro Educativo de Niñas Próximos Pasos
Luis V. Giay .............................................................................................................. 34
Chair
Future Vision Committee
Dong Kurn Lee ......................................................................................................... 35
Chair-elect
Rotary Foundation Trustees
Archie Panjabi.......................................................................................................... 37
Rotary Polio Ambassador
John F. Germ............................................................................................................ 40
Vice Chair
International Polio Plus Committee
Rotary International
Election of Officers ................................................................................................... 43
Rotary International
Gary C.K. Huang ....................................................................................................... 46
President-nominee
Rotary International
Craig Kielburger ....................................................................................................... 54
Co-founder
Free The Children and Me to We
Sakuji Tanaka........................................................................................................... 60
President
Rotary International
Luis V. Giay .............................................................................................................. 64
Chair
Rotary Global Peace Forums
Monty Audenart ...................................................................................................... 65
Aide to the President-elect
Rotary International
Ron Burton .............................................................................................................. 67
President-elect
Rotary International
Sakuji Tanaka........................................................................................................... 70
President
Rotary International
2013 INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION
OPENING PLENARY SESSION
Sunday, 23 June 2013
10:00-12:00
MC: Ed Futa, 2013 Convention Committee Chair, RI
<RI Voiceover>
It first appeared in the 1830s in the port districts like Alfama, Mouraia, and Bairro Alto of Lisbon. Fado is
a form of music characterized by mournful tunes and lyrics, often about the sea and the life of the poor.
Please welcome Raquel Tavares.
<Raquel Tavares enters stage right and performs for 10-15 minutes.>
<Applause.>
<Bird Video>
Rotary is an integrating force in a world where forces of disintegration are all too prevalent; Rotary is a
microcosm of a world at peace, a model which nations will do well to follow. — Paul Harris
Peace
Through
Service
<RI Voiceover>
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 104th Annual Rotary International Convention! From the Rotary
Club of East Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, please welcome the 2013 Lisbon Convention Committee chair, Ed
Futa.
<Futa enters stage left and goes to lectern.>
<Applause>
<Futa>
Good morning, Rotarians and friends. It is my distinct pleasure to welcome you to the opening plenary
session of the 104th Annual Rotary International Convention. I hereby call this session to order.
<Futa taps bell.>
Our first guest is the Portuguese minister of solidarity and social security, Pedro Mota Soares. He is a
senior associate lawyer at the law firm Nobre Guedes, Mota Soares e Associados. He has been assistant
lecturer in political science, constitutional law, and EU law at the Faculty of Law, Lusófona Humanities
and Technologies University. He has also taught public international law, health law, and bioethics.
Elected a member of Parliament during the 10th parliamentary term, he has served as coordinator of
the Committee on Labour, Social Security and Public Administration, vice chairman of the Committee on
Ethics, Society and Culture and member of the Constitutional Review Occasional Committee and of the
Working Party on Parliamentary Reform and as coordinator on the Parliamentary Committee on Health
and Drug Addiction and member of the Parliamentary Committee on Labour and Social Security. Mr.
Soares has been very involved with programs involving youth organization, including serving as vice
chairman of the European Young Conservatives. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Pedro Mota
Soares.
<Soares enters stage right and goes to the lectern.>
<Applause>
<Soares>
Unscripted.
<Applause>
<Futa enters stage left and goes to lectern.>
<Futa>
And now, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome, from the Rotary Club of Decatur, Alabama, USA, the
2014 Sydney Convention Committee chair, and my friend, Mark Daniel Maloney.
<Maloney enters stage right and goes to the lectern.>
<Applause>
<Maloney>
Fellow Rotarians and members of the family of Rotary, good morning and welcome! To showcase the
diversity of Rotary, we present the flags of the more than 225 countries and geographical areas where
Rotary exists. Each of these flags stands not only for national pride, but also for peace, honor, truth,
justice, and freedom.
To the citizen of a nation, there is no more stirring sight than the fluttering flag of one’s own country.
And yet, here at this Rotary International Convention, we bring together almost 190 flags from the
countries and geographical areas that comprise Rotary.
Each year, the flag ceremony signals the beginning of the Rotary Convention. This ceremony celebrates
the service of Rotarians working together in communities across the globe. In the spirit of goodwill and
understanding, we reach across oceans and continents and beyond national borders to implement
projects that promote peace through service. These flags represent and remind us of our inspiring unity
in diversity.
This year, the flags of the Rotary nations will be carried by the sopistas of Tuna Academica from Lusíada,
University of Lisbon.
<Flag bearers enter; bearers pause as their flag is called, handing off the flag and then exiting the
stage.>
Now, it is my honor to present to you the flags of our Rotary world, beginning with
Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
Andorra
Angola
Antarctica
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Australia, also representing Norfolk Island
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Benin
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Brunei
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cambodia
Cameroon
Canada
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Chad
Chile
People’s Republic of China, also representing Hong Kong and Macau
Colombia
Comoro Islands
Congo
Costa Rica
Côte d’Ivoire
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Democratic Republic of Congo
Denmark, also representing Faroe Islands and Greenland
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia
Ethiopia
Fiji
Finland, also representing Åland Islands
France, also representing French Guiana, French Polynesia, French West Indies, Mayotte, New
Caledonia, Reunion, Saint Martin, and Saint Pierre & Miquelon
Gabon
Gambia
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Grenada
Guatemala
Guinea
Guinea Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Republic of Kiribati
Republic of Korea
Republic of Kosovo
Kyrgyzstan
People’s Democratic Republic of Lao
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia, Former Yugoslav Republic
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Mali
Malta
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mexico
Micronesia
Moldova
Monaco
Mongolia
Montenegro
Morocco
Mozambique
Namibia
Republic of Nauru
Nepal
Netherlands, also representing Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, and Sint Maarten
New Zealand, also representing Cook Islands
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
Norway
Pakistan
Republic of Palau
Palestine
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
The Philippines
Poland
Romania
Russia
Rwanda
Samoa
San Marino
São Tomé e Príncipe
Senegal
Serbia
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
South Africa
South Sudan
Spain
Sri Lanka
St. Kitts-Nevis
St. Lucia
St. Vincent & The Grenadines
Sudan
Suriname
Swaziland
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand
Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste
Togo
Tonga
Trinidad & Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
The United Kingdom, also representing, Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands,
Channel Islands Guernsey, Channel Islands Jersey, England, Gibraltar, Isle of Man, Montserrat, Northern
Ireland, Scotland, Turks and Caicos Islands, and Wales
The United States of America, also representing, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Marianas, Puerto
Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands
Uruguay
Vanuatu
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
Zambia
Zimbabwe
<Maloney>
Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to announce the expansion of Rotary International during the last
year, which will allow us to extend friendship, fellowship, and service opportunities to a new country. It
is my great honor to present the flag of Republic of Maldives.
<Applause>
<Maloney>
And now my friends, the flag of our host country. Please stand and join me in welcoming the flag of
Portugal. The national anthem of Portugal.
<When the national anthem of Portugal is completed, the flag bearer exits the stage.>
<Maloney>
Please remain standing to welcome the flag of the homeland of our Rotary International president,
Sakuji Tanaka. My Rotary friends, the flag of Japan. And now the national anthem of Japan.
<Spotlight on the Japanese flag. When the national anthem is completed, the flag bearer exits the
stage.>
<Maloney>
Finally, ladies and gentlemen, please give your warmest welcome to the one flag that unites us all, the
flag of Rotary International.
<Maloney>
The Tuna Academica is a group of university students in their traditional dress, who play guitar and sing
serenades in the tradition of 13th-century Portugal. Tuna Academica has won many awards, inspiring
nostalgia both in Portugal and throughout the world. And now, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome
back to the stage Tuna Academica.
<RI Voiceover>
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome from the Rotary Club of Decatur, Alabama, USA, Rotary
International Vice President Kenneth M. Schuppert Jr. and Lynn.
<Applause>
<The Schupperts enter stage left and go to lectern.>
<Schuppert>
Lynn and I have known Sakuji and Kyoko Tanaka for almost 10 years, and it has been my privilege and
honor to serve as the vice president of Rotary International under and with this truly delightful couple.
One of our first encounters with the Tanakas was for a friend catfish and barbecue lunch at the
Greenbrier Restaurant in a small rural cotton farming community in Alabama. This early encounter with
Sakuji-San was so fitting when one considers the humble background from which our president has
come.
Sakuji was born in 1939 in rural Japan, where he was one of eight children. He says he learned to eat
quickly if he wanted to get anything to eat at all. At approximately age 14, Sakuji-San realized that in
order for him to become educated and better himself, he needed to leave his family and move to Tokyo,
which he did on his own, leaving his family behind. While in Tokyo, Sakuji-San lived in hostels, working
by day and studying by night to get an education. One of his jobs was working for the Tanaka family
wholesale paper business in Tokyo. Due to Sakuji’s hard work, dedication, and commitment, he was
adopted by the Tanakas, who are not his birth parents. He has always felt lucky to have an extra set of
parents and grandparents. At age 26, Sakuji-San became the president of Tanaka Company, Ltd., a
leading Japanese wholesale paper business, which he built up substantially during his 32 years as
president. In 1995, the company went public and later merged with other leading wholesalers in Japan.
As a young boy, Sakuji-San saw airplanes and dreamed of flying some day and traveling around the
world. Mr. President, watch what you dream for! For the past several years, Sakuji-San has been flying
around the world almost every day. The realization of this dream began when Sakuji-San joined the
Rotary Club of Yashio, Japan, in 1975. Since his Rotary beginning, Sakuji has served Rotary in just about
every Rotary leadership role, including Rotary International director, trustee of The Rotary Foundation,
chair of the 2009 Birmingham Convention, and a member of numerous Rotary committees, including the
Future Vision and polio eradication committees. It is no wonder why Kyoko, his wife of 50 years this
year, sometimes asks him if he has any job other than Rotary.
When Sakuji-san sees a need, he is willing to help address that need and will pitch in and do whatever it
takes to satisfy that need. In his hometown of Yashio, he helped start a Rotary Club project to pick up
litter and clean the streets, which has grown into a community-wide effort. This past December, when
we were together in Pasadena, California, for the Tournament of Roses Parade, helping decorate the
Rotary International float, Sakuji found a broom and helped clean up around the float prior to the
judging. No job is too big or too small for Sakuji.
Sakuji-San and Kyoko are strong supporters of our Foundation and are Major Donors, Benefactors, Arch
Klumph Society Members, and have endowed a Rotary Peace Fellowship. When Sakuji chose his theme
this year of Peace Through Service, he expressed the importance of peace at home, at work, in the
community, and throughout the world. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming the 2012-13
president and first lady of Rotary International, Sakuji Tanaka and his wife, Kyoko, and family.
<Entire family enters stage right, with President Tanaka closest to the podium.>
<Lynn hands Kyoko a bouquet of flowers.>
<Schuppert>
The Tanakas have three children and seven grandchildren. I would like to introduce you to the extended
Tanaka family: Sayoko Katashima is the eldest Tanaka child. Sayoko is married to Akihiko Katashima.
They have three daughters: the eldest daughter, Nao, is 18; the middle daughter, Risa, is 15; and the
youngest daughter, Kae, is 13. Sayoko and her family reside in Soka, Saitama, Japan, not far from Sakuji
and Kyoko.
<Family steps forward. Lynn hands out the flowers.>
<Applause. Family steps back.>
Hidehiro Tanaka is the middle Tanaka child. Hidehiro is married to Makiko Tanaka. They have two sons:
the older, Kohki, is 9, and the younger, Yuto, is 5. Hidehiro and his family reside in Fukuoka in the south
of Japan.
<Family steps forward. Lynn hands out the flowers.><Applause. Family steps back.>
Etsuko Tanaka is the youngest Tanaka child. Etsuko is married to David Law. They have two daughters:
the older, Rio, is 2, and the younger, Rui, is 10 months old. Etsuko and her family reside in London,
England.
<Family steps forward. Lynn hands out the flowers.>
Let’s give another round of applause to the Tanaka family!
<Applause. Tanaka family exits stage right. Lynn exits stage left.>
World travel was not Sakuji’s only boyhood dream. In junior high school, Sakuji wrote a composition
about wanting to be a prime minister someday. But he did not mean a government prime minister. No,
his definition of a prime minister was someone who did the best possible job no matter what the job
might be. This year, that job is president of Rotary International. And I can attest that Sakuji Tanaka is a
very good prime minister of Rotary, leading Rotarians around the world with strength, intelligence, and
his wonderful sense of humor. It has truly been my great honor and privilege to work with and serve
under my good friend, Sakuji-San, and I am extremely proud to present to you once again our 2012-2013
Peace Through Service Rotary International president, the first Rotary International president from
Japan in over 30 years, Sakuji Tanaka.
<Applause. Tanaka enters stage right to podium.>
<Tanaka>
Good morning! It is a great pleasure to welcome you all to Lisbon, and to this 104th Rotary International
Convention. In the days to come, Lisbon will be a harbor for peace — as we celebrate together this
wonderful year of Peace Through Service. For me, this convention is a dream come true. It is part of my
dream of a more peaceful world — a dream that began on an August day in 1945.
I was born in Japan in the year 1939. As a child, I understood that my country was at war. But when I
think back to those days, the war did not affect us very much. I was one of eight children. We were poor,
and we lived in a remote village. For us, life went on as it always had. I did not see soldiers. I heard about
the war, but as a child, I did not think about it. I did not think it had anything to do with me.
The day the war became real to me was the day it was over. I remember listening to the radio with my
family when Emperor Hirohito announced the surrender. I was six years old. We all stood and listened to
his voice. The emperor had never spoken on the radio before, and we did not know what to think. The
language he used was very formal. I was very young, and I did not understand what he said. But at the
end of his speech, another voice came on the radio. It said that Japan had surrendered and the war was
over. The speech was broadcast at noon. I remember that the rest of the day was very quiet. People did
not talk much. The adults did not say anything to the children. We did not know yet about Hiroshima
and Nagasaki. I understood only that something very big had happened.
The moment was a defining one for all of Japan. Until that day, the country had been working together
to win the war. Now, we would work together to rebuild. And we would work together to build a new
identity for Japan: one that was committed to peace.
When I joined the Rotary Club of Yashio, Japan, many years later, Japan was a different place. Instead of
armies and airplanes, we had schools, roads, and hospitals. Life was better for everyone. Like everyone
else in Japan, I had seen for myself the importance of peace. But this was not why I joined Rotary. At the
time, I did not think that Rotary service was connected to peace. This was something that changed when
I learned about the idea of Service Above Self. Of course, Rotary service builds peace in many ways.
When we help to meet basic human needs, we take away the reasons for conflict. We end wars before
they begin. We care for the people who are fighting to survive — so that they do not have to fight. We
build peace as well through our international service. We build connections between people, and
between nations. We reach out to people who are so different from ourselves — and we see how much
we are really the same.
In this Rotary year, I have seen many ways that we build Peace Through Service. Every Rotarian
understands this theme in their own way. But for me, the words of our theme speak to the peace that I
have found through my own Rotary service: by learning to put Service Above Self.
I have always been an ambitious person. When I went into business, I wanted to have the biggest and
the best business with the most customers and the best reputation. I worked very hard, and I
succeeded. But until I became a Rotarian, I did not think much about why I worked. Through Rotary, I
realized that I was working to make other people’s lives better. I wanted to serve my customers, not
only for my own profit, but so that they would be happier from my work, and my employees would also
have better lives. Now, I see my business in a very different way. And I see Rotary service as an idea that
is not limited to my Rotary club.
Everything we do, for other people, helps to make the world a better place. Whether we are selling a
good product, or feeding children, or building a well for clean water, or ending polio — all of these
things help other people. All of them help us to build connections, and to care for others. When we
think about our work in this way, it changes everything we do. It changes the way we approach our
work, and the way we treat other people. It helps us turn our thoughts away from ourselves and toward
the good of others. And this is how we build peace.
Every Rotary club around the world is an opportunity. It is an opportunity for the men and women of a
community to share what they have. They share their time, their skills, their knowledge, and their
resources. The idea that together, we can achieve, is the fundamental idea of Rotary. We can do more
together than we can do alone. Together, we are powerful. And through Rotary, we have the power to
change the world — now, and into the future. We have the ability to build the world we dream of: one
that is healthier, happier, and with hope for better things to come.
Almost two hundred years ago, British statesman Edmund Burke said, “All that is necessary for evil to
triumph is for good men to do nothing.” History showed that he was correct. But it is equally true that
when good people step forward, to do good — then good will triumph. Rotary is a way for good people
to step forward and work for a better world. It enables the men and women who care to act on their
feelings. And it is a way for all of us, around the world, to transcend race, religion, nation, and politics —
to come together, to give help to the people who need it.
As Rotary president, I have had the privilege of seeing so much of this work. And it has made me
prouder than ever to call myself a Rotarian. Among the highlights of this Rotary year were the three
peace forums we held in Berlin, Honolulu, and Hiroshima. Every one of these events had great
significance for me. In Berlin, I saw the way that Germany, like Japan, built a peaceful future on a past of
war. And in Honolulu and Hiroshima, I saw how even the deepest wounds can be healed by time and a
shared commitment to peace.
I sometimes wonder what my grandparents would think if they saw Japan today — or the life that I now
live. So many things have changed, since that day in August 1945, when we listened together to the
radio. I do not think that they could have imagined that one day, no child in Japan would be hungry.
Every child in Japan would go to school. And everyone in Japan would have clean water, good health
care, and the chance for a happy life. I am sure they would never have believed that all of this would
happen in a Japan that had no national army — in a world where Japanese people are known for
traveling not with armies, but with cameras.
And I cannot imagine what they would have thought if they had seen the peace forum in Honolulu —
where I was welcomed, through Rotary, as a friend. During the dark days of that long war, no one knew
what the future would bring. But looking back at the terrible lessons of those years, I believe that we can
say we learned them well. Here in Lisbon, at this Rotary convention, we have the chance to experience
the world as it could be: with people from every continent, united to make their world a better place.
Here, we see how little our differences matter. Here, we focus on what is truly important: what we can
do to help others live better and happier lives. My friends, I wish you all a wonderful convention. I am
very proud to be here today, with so many of you, celebrating this year of Peace Through Service
together. Thank you.
<Applause. Futa enters stage left and greets Tanaka. Tanaka exits stage left while Futa goes to lectern.>
<Futa>
Ladies and gentlemen, we traditionally close our session with the ringing of the bell, however, today, to
honor this harbor of peace we would like to raise the flags, which represent all the countries of our
Rotary families. Please join me at this time and celebrate Peace Through Service.
<Futa exits stage left>
<RI Voiceover>
Ladies and gentlemen, Rotary International is pleased to welcome the record-breaking classical
crossover quartet with a repertoire that showcases their distinctive individual gifts, which when they
perform as a group they create musical magic. Please welcome Il Divo.
<Il Divo>
<Il Divo performs for 45 minutes>
Song Sequence:
1. My Heart Will Go On
2. Regresa A Mi
3. Caruso
4. Somewhere
5. Unchained Melody
6. Don’t Cry for Me Argentina
7. Por Que Tu Maimes Encore
8. My Way
9. Can’t Help Falling in Love
10. Time to Say Goodbye
<Applause.>
<RI Voiceover>
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for attending the opening session of the 104th Annual Rotary
International Convention. Please exit the hall and enjoy your stay in Lisbon. We look forward to seeing
you tomorrow.
2013 INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION
SECOND PLENARY SESSION
Monday, 24 June 2013
10:00-12:00
MC: Ed Futa, 2013 Convention Committee Chair, RI
<RI Voiceover>
Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats. The program is about to begin.
<Lisbon video>
<Peace PSA transcript> (approximately 30 seconds)
We all want the same thing. Peace. And Rotary clubs . . . are making it happen. Through international
scholarships for young people to promote peace and understanding around the world. Rotary. Humanity
in motion.
<Doing Good in Japan Video Transcript> (approximately 4 minutes)
Japan
March 11, 2011
A 9.0 magnitude earthquake triggered a 23-foot-tall tsunami
Killing thousands of people
Devastating communities
Uprooting more than 100,000 children
Nearly 8,000 schools were damaged or destroyed
Otsuchi City lost five schools
Two survived
They took in the displaced students
The children needed hope and they loved to sing
So The Rotary Foundation provided Otsuchi schools with new pianos
Doing Good in Japan
Doing Good in the World
Make your gift today
www.rotary.org/contribute
<RI Voiceover>
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the 2013 Lisbon Convention Committee Chair, Ed Futa.
<Applause>
<Futa enters stage right and goes to lectern.>
<Futa>
Good morning! I hope that you enjoyed the opening plenary session yesterday. It is my pleasure to
officially call the second plenary session to order.
<Futa taps bell.>
The Rotary Bookstore is offering several promotions available only at the convention. You can save
$10USD or €7 when you order all six collections of the Rotary Video Magazine. Each collection includes
as many as 10 videos featuring some of Rotary’s most compelling projects from around the world. It’s a
great addition to your next club meeting. A few copies of A Visual Journey, Rotary’s beautiful
photography book, are still available at the Rotary Bookstore. The book nearly sold out in Bangkok but
we saved a few for Portugal. It’s only $20 or €15. And if you spend $20 or €15 at the bookstore, you’ll
receive this free areas of focus canvas bag. It’s a practical way to remember the work we’re doing in our
six areas of focus. The Rotary Bookstore is also giving away a canvas bag full of Rotary resources to three
lucky winners. Stop by the bookstore located in the Resource Center in the House of Friendship to enter
the drawing, which will take place after the convention. Winners will be notified by email. The Resource
Booth has a variety of useful items for your club and you can get your membership sticker and show
how proud you are to be a Rotarian.
Our next guest is a Portuguese lawyer and was former mayor of Lisbon, and the18th president of
Portugual from 1996 to 2006. He was a two-term president and served as high representative for the
Alliance of Civilizations. President Jorge Sampaio has dedicated himself to resolving global conflicts and
addressing some of mankind’s most pressing global challenges, including interfaith strife, migration,
media freedom, and human security. Please welcome President Jorge Sampaio.
<President Sampaio enters stage right and goes to lectern.>
<Sampaio>
Unscripted text.
<Applause. During applause, Sampaio exits and Futa enters.>
<Futa>
And now ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming the president of Rotary International,
Sakuji Tanaka and Kyoko.
<Applause>
<The Tanakas enter stage right and go to lectern.>
<Tanaka>
Good morning. I would like acknowledge a group of dedicated Rotarians who have worked with me in
the past year to develop many of the policies that will help Rotary remain as the best service
organization in the world. Ladies and gentlemen, the Board of Directors.
<The Directors and spouses enter stage right and line up. When their name is called they step forward,
wave, and step back.>
<Group 1 enters stage right.>
From Oklahoma, USA, President-elect Ron Burton and Jetta
From Alabama, USA, Vice President Kenneth Schuppert and Lynn
From California, USA, Treasurer Ken Boyd and Susan
From São Paulo, Brazil. José Antonio Antiório and Ana Lúcia
From Falun, Sweden, Ann-Britt Åsebol
From New York, USA, John Best and Kathy
From New South Wales, Australia, John Boag and Dianna
From Haryana, India, Yash Pal Das and Manju
From Marseille, France, Jacques di Costanzo and Jeanne
From West Yorkshire, England, Allan Jagger and Rose
From Weesp, Netherlands, Paul Knyff and Rita
From Kanagawa, Japan, Takeshi Matsumiya and Shigeko
From South Carolina, USA, Anne Matthews
From Calcutta India, Shekhar Mehta and Rashi
<Group 2 enters, and Group 1 steps back.>
From Jeonranam, Republic of Korea, Juin Park and Soon Ja
From Ramat-Hasharon, Israel, Gideon Peiper and Chen
From Texas, USA, Andy Smallwood and Anita
From Ontario, Canada, Bryn Styles and Randy
And from Kyiv, Ukraine, General Secretary of Rotary International, John Hewko and Marga
<Applause>
<Tanaka>
And the incoming Directors are:
From Taipei, Taiwan, recently nominated president for 2014-15 Gary Huang and Corinna.
From Buenos Aires, Argentina, Celia Elena Cruz de Giay and Luis
From Wisconsin, USA, Mary Beth Growney Selene
From Saitama, Japan, Seiji Kita and Nobuko
From Mölln, Germany, Holger Knaack and Susanne
From Missouri, USA, Larry Lunsford and Jill
From Tamil Nadu, India, P.T. Prabhakar and Nalini
From California, USA, Steven Snyder and Sharron
From Somerset, England, Mike Webb and Alison
And from Seoul, Korea, Sangkoo Yun and Eun Sun
<Applause. Futa enters stage left while the Tanakas along with the Board of Directors and their spouses
exit stage left.>
<Futa>
Our next speaker is here to give a brief update on the secretariat. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me
in welcoming back to the stage the general secretary of Rotary International, John Hewko.
<Applause>
<Hewko enters stage right and goes to the lectern. Futa greets Hewko at the lectern and exits stage
left.>
<Hewko>
Bom dia a todos! É ótimo estar aqui em Lisboa, nesta cidade incrível e nesta incrível Convenção do
Rotary! Good morning, everyone! It’s great to be here in Lisbon, in this amazing city and at this amazing
Rotary convention. As Rotarians, all of you here already know why an International Convention is so
special. It’s a chance to see old friends, find new ideas, and learn more about Rotary. It’s a chance to
connect to every corner of the Rotary world, and really feel how truly international Rotary is. Most of all,
a convention is a chance to be inspired — by everything that Rotary does, in so many places, and in so
many ways.
For those of us working in the secretariat at One Rotary Center in Evanston, and at Rotary’s seven
international offices, the inspiration we find at convention carries a special satisfaction. Every day, the
Rotary International staff goes to work absolutely committed to helping Rotarians serve as well and as
effectively as possible. Everything we do, we do with all our heart — knowing that our work is
supporting your work; and that your work is changing the world. So today, here in Lisbon, I’d like to take
a few minutes to tell you a little bit about what we at RI headquarters have been doing over the last
Rotary year.
One of the top secretariat priorities of the 2012-13 Rotary year has, of course, been preparing for full
rollout of the new grants structure of the Rotary Foundation that we’ve been calling Future Vision.
We’re very excited about this change, and proud that this past April Rotary received a silver Edison
award recognizing the Foundation’s innovative and effective new model. As of July 1, that model will be
the way our Foundation does business, and we in Evanston have been working hard making sure that
everything is ready.
Some of you have already spent time exploring the new Rotary Grants area of Rotary.org. If you’re ready
to apply for a district, global, or packaged grant, or you need to manage or report on an ongoing grant,
all of that can now be done online. You can also go to the site to participate in webinars on grant
management, learn more about policies and procedures, and find out just about anything you want to
know about the new grant system.
When you visit Rotary.org to learn more about our Foundation, I hope you’ll take the time to explore
one of the most fun, and most inspiring, new features on the site: Rotary Showcase. It’s the quickest and
easiest way to see just what your fellow Rotarians are doing in their clubs and districts. Whether they’re
donating books to earthquake damaged libraries in Japan, restoring a school in Panama, or building a
pedestrian footbridge in India so people aren’t stranded when monsoon season arrives — you can see it
all on Rotary Showcase. My only word of warning to you is that you should make sure you don’t have
anywhere you need to be the first time you visit Showcase; once you get started, it can be hard to stop.
We’ve been asking Rotarians what they want in a Web site, and we’ve listened to the answers. And I’m
proud to announce that in August you’ll find an entirely new experience at Rotary.org, with a fully
redesigned site based on what you’ve told us you need and use.
The new Rotary.org will be divided into two separate sites: one for Rotarians and one for the general
public. On the member site, you’ll find a much more personalized experience, connecting you quickly
and easily to your fellow Rotarians and to the service that interests you. We’ve made the site easier to
navigate, so that you spend less time searching, and more time serving. There will be opportunities for
members-only social business, and new ways for you to plan and carry out innovative international
projects. I hope you will stop by and visit, and let us know what you think.
As general secretary, one of my goals has been ensuring that Rotary’s work is recognized — especially
our role in the eradication of polio. Today, I am happy to report that Rotary is receiving the international
recognition we deserve. In the past year, Rotary has been the subject of feature stories on the BBC and
in The Economist magazine and in many other media outlets. A few months ago, TIME magazine’s
international edition ran a cover story on polio eradication, with Rotary prominently featured as a leader
in the eradication effort. Now that we truly are this close to eradicating polio, our public image is more
important than ever — because the more our good work is known, the more prepared we’ll be when
polio is eradicated for whatever lies ahead. And each of you — the Rotarians of the world — can help
raise Rotary’s visibility even more by lending your own voice to the polio eradication effort.
Rotary has created a new website, endpolionow.org, which tells the story of our 25-plus-year effort to
end this disease and gives people the opportunity to support the effort. I encourage everyone here to
visit endpolionow.org, and share it over your social media networks. Tell your social media friends and
followers to do the same. Right now, Rotary’s social media platforms have about 200,000 friends, fans,
and followers altogether — which is good — but we should have at least 1.2 million, don’t you agree?
We are winning the war against polio because Rotarians are both idealistic and realistic. And because we
are realists, we also are aware that Rotary does face significant challenges, and we are committed to
addressing those challenges in ways that ensure that Rotary will continue to meet the needs of its
communities, while also meeting the needs of individual Rotarians.
One of the main issues we intend to tackle head on is, of course, membership. Your RI Board has made
membership a priority, formally endorsing a membership goal of 1.3 million Rotarians by 30 June 2015.
It is absolutely achievable, but not if we continue to approach the issue of membership in the same ways
we always have. We won’t reach our goal just by bringing in as many new members as we can. We’ll
only get there by looking hard at the reasons why we haven’t been growing — why so many members
join and then leave, why young members so often leave Rotary once they have families — and how we
can make Rotary a place where the entire family of Rotary is welcome and has a role to play. No one
could ever attend a Rotary convention and fail to be moved by the scope of what Rotary does. But as
much as Rotary achieves, we all know that we could be doing even more.
It is our job at Rotary headquarters to enable every Rotarian, everywhere in the world, to serve as
effectively, and ambitiously, as possible — so that your service will only be limited by how high you are
willing to aim. I thank you all for the privilege of serving as your general secretary for another Rotary
year, and wish you all the best for a fantastic convention, and a wonderful new year, of inspired Rotary
service. Muito obrigado. Thank you.
<Applause. Hewko exits stage left as Futa enters and goes to lectern.>
<Futa>
Thank you, General Secretary Hewko.
And now, please welcome back to the stage President Sakuji Tanaka and Kyoko.
<Applause>
<The Tanakas enter stage left and go to the lectern.>
<Tanaka>
The following group of outstanding leaders served in the highest office of this organization. Please help
me acknowledge the contributions of the past presidents of Rotary International.
<The past presidents and spouses enter stage right and line up. When their name is called they step
forward, wave, and step back.>
Rotarians — United in Service — Dedicated to Peace was our theme in 1987-88. Please welcome, from
the United States of America, Charles C. Keller and Carol.
In 1991-92, Rotarians were challenged to Look Beyond Yourself. From India, please welcome Rajendra K.
Saboo and Usha.
To Build the Future with Action and Vision was our call to service in 1996- 97. From Argentina, please
welcome Luis Vicente Giay and Celia.
Show Rotary Cares for your Community, for our world, for its people united Rotarians in 1997-98. Please
welcome, from Australia, Glen W. Kinross.
In 1999-2000, our forward-looking theme was Act with Consistency, Credibility, Continuity. From Italy,
please welcome Carlo Ravizza and Rossana.
In 2000-2001, Rotarians were challenged to Create Awareness — Take Action. Please welcome, from
México, Frank J. Devlyn and Gloria Rita.
In 2001-02, we proudly proclaimed, Mankind Is Our Business. From the United States of America, please
welcome Richard D. King and Cherie.
In 2002-03, we received the call to Sow the Seeds of Love. Please welcome, from Thailand, Bhichai
Rattakul.
2003-2004 was the year Rotarians around the world were asked to Lend a Hand. From Nigeria, please
welcome Jonathan B. Majiyagbe and Ayo.
In 2005-2006, we were challenged to put Service Above Self. Please welcome from Sweden, CarlWilhelm Stenhammar and Monica.
In 2006-2007, Rotarians were urged to Lead the Way. Please welcome, from New Zealand, William B.
“Bill” Boyd and Lorna.
In 2007-2008, Rotarians were reminded that Rotary Shares. Please welcome, from Canada, Wilfrid J.
Wilkinson.
In 2008-2009, we were inspired to Make Dreams Real. From the Republic of Korea, please welcome
Dong Kurn Lee and Young Ja.
In 2009-2010, we were reminded The Future of Rotary Is in Your Hands. From Scotland, please welcome
John Kenny and June.
In 2010-2011, Rotarians were asked to Building Communities — Bridging Continents. Please welcome
from the United States of America, Ray Klinginsmith.
And last year, in 2011-2012, Rotarians were encouraged to Reach Within to Embrace Humanity. Please
welcome from India, Kalyan Banerjee and Binota.
Ladies and gentleman, please give another round of applause for the past Rotary International
presidents and their spouses.
<Applause. Past presidents and the Tanakas exit stage right as Futa enters stage left.>
<Futa>
And now here to discuss a very important topic with us, “branding,” please join me in welcoming one of
my dear friends, from the Rotary Club of Pakuranga, Auckland, New Zealand, Past RI President and 201213 Rotary Foundation Trustee Chair Bill Boyd.
<Boyd enters stage right and goes to tall stool. Futa exits stage left.>
<Boyd>
You will know that children and grandchildren ask lots of questions, and we sometimes feel that their
most used word is why. Parents would probably prefer it to be please or thank you but it is often why.
Within Rotary we decided it was necessary for us to ask questions of ourselves. Why was Rotary not
growing in some major parts of the world? Why were other organizations not supporting the wonderful
work of our Foundation? We employed consultants to work with Rotarians to answer questions like
What are our real strengths? How do we communicate with non-Rotarians? What makes us different?
Why should others join us in Rotary? We needed consultants because we as Rotarians could not see
ourselves as other see us. We say things like, “I went to PETS on Saturday and a PDG told me about RYLA
and something new called VTTs.” You and I understand, but if you are not a Rotarian it is a foreign
language!
So what have we learned or confirmed? We now know that most people join Rotary to make an impact
on their community and for friendship and fellowship. Some join for networking and others for
international service opportunities, but after two or three years the main reasons are the same but even
stronger. Networking, for example, is absorbed into the fellowship as mixing with competent people
automatically leads into networking. Connecting is a driving force within Rotary. As an individual it is
difficult to improve our community or the world but when we join with like-minded people we can
achieve so much more. This connectivity is also important between clubs. We often talk about
international service but what we really do is community service on a global scale, and clubs who can
help reach out to connect with those in other countries who recognize the needs of their community but
do not have the resources.
We are leaders. By definition we are invited to join Rotary because we are leaders in our businesses,
professions, or community, and this leadership is real. It makes our activity effective because we bring
our skills to what we do in our communities. We know how to plan and then how to execute. We are
responsible leaders both socially and ethically and that is a description that I like. Don’t you want to be a
responsible leader both socially and ethically?
Nowadays we sometimes forget our classification principle but it gives us strength as it brings people of
different skills and experiences and viewpoints together and this enables us to see things differently.
When we meet as a club or a club committee we look at challenges and opportunities from many
different points of view and this leads to good decision making. We are combining our business and
social experience for the benefit of our communities.
There is another benefit that comes from being leaders from different backgrounds who use our
friendship to improve communities both locally and internationally. This makes us different from other
service or humanitarian organizations. We don’t claim to be better but we are different. When our
consultants looked at Rotary and its strengths they told us that we are in a category of one. We have the
strengths that our communities need but we have not always recognized them and we certainly have
not communicated them.
Our ability to lead, to connect, to use our diversity and the perseverance that has been so well
demonstrated in our fight against polio are the strengths that our communities want and need. The gold
standard for an organization like ours is a clear focus, accountability, and proven impact. That is what we
deliver. Our 108 years of service have not made us stale or irrelevant and the world needs us more than
ever. So what does this mean to you?
For Rotary to grow and make an even greater impact we need you to be a champion of Rotary. Tell your
friends and acquaintances why you became a Rotarian and what Rotary means to you. Tell them how
good you feel when you give something to your community. Then ask them to join us. For each of us our
Rotary club gives us the opportunity to change our community and when we connect with more than
34,000 clubs in their communities around the world, together we can change the world. There are so
many reasons for each of us to be proud to be a Rotarian!
<Applause., Boyd exits as Futa enters stage left and goes to lectern.>
<Futa>
Thank you, Bill.
And now it is my pleasure to welcome our next speaker. She is a 2011 Nobel Peace Prize winner and the
founder and president of the Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa. Ladies and gentlemen, Ms. Leymah
Gbowee.
<Applause>
<Gbowee enters stage right and goes to lectern. Futa greets her and exits stage left.>
<Gbowee>
Unscripted.
<Applause. Gbowee exits stage left as Futa enters and goes to lectern.>
<Futa>
Thank you, Leymah.
Our next speaker was born into the life of a child soldier in the early 1980s. Through unbelievable
struggles, he managed to survive and emerge as a recording artist, achieving worldwide acclaim for his
unique style of hip hop with its message of peace and reconciliation born out of his personal
experiences. Despite his accomplishments in music, one of his biggest passions is Gua Africa, the charity
he has founded to work with individuals, families, and communities to help them overcome the effects
of war and poverty. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming Mr. Emmanuel Jal.
<Applause>
<Jal enters stage right and goes to lectern. Futa greets Jal and then exits stage left.>
<Jal>
My Name is Emmanuel Jal. I was born in the eighties in South Sudan. My country was facing a difficult
time. The first time I witnessed war I thought the world was ending; bombs dropping, ground shaking,
people running for their lives. Even when one survives, the fear of not knowing when you will die or
what has happened to your loved ones was always tormenting. I was a child when I got used to death,
but it didn’t mean I understand it much.
We had a government that was favoring a specific ethnic group with their faith. The Africans had no
freedom at that time and the resources came from their areas. When they spoke out they got
persecuted. This led to many conflicts, and that gave birth to the formation of the SPLA rebel movement
in 1983.
The government of Sudan had a saying at that time: "If you want to catch the fish in the pond, you have
to drain the water." The “fish” was the rebels and the “water” was the people and civilians. The
government would send in helicopters and bombers to destroy the villages and our homes, and
sometimes they sent militias on horseback or soldiers too. Two and a half million people died during
that time as a direct result of the war.
This war reached the core of my family. All my aunties from my mum’s side died, including my mum. All
my uncles except two. When I was seven my father gave me out to go to school in Ethiopia. We walked
for many days. Some died of starvation; others were eaten by wild animals. Crossing rivers was
dangerous. The crocodiles and hippos attacked us. In a refugee camp in Ethiopia I went to school
temporarily, and then I got recruited to become a child soldier by some of the rebel leaders who were
staying near the camp. It was a terrifying time for me. In the camp I was seeing six-year-old children
burying their own dead and making their own prayers, and at the same time I was also being trained to
become a soldier to go on the battlefield and fight for our freedom.
The conflict in Sudan took place over 20 years. In 2005 a comprehensive peace agreement was signed,
South Sudan was given the option either to be a part of the government that had been oppressing its
own people or to form their own government. In 2011 South Sudan had the chance to have a
referendum to vote for unity with Sudan or separation from the North. As the people were going to vote
I was worried that the country may go back to war, and this is when I started the We Want Peace
campaign. I wanted to put a spotlight in a dark place so that the evil could perform less. I reached out to
my producer and cowriter Clinton Outten, to Peter Gabriel, Alicia Keys, Kofi Annan, President Jimmy
Carter, President Fernando, and many more. The voting during the referendum was a success with 98
percent of the population voting for separation.
Some of you may be wondering why should I bother, but somebody in Syria, Israel, Palestine, Iraq,
Sudan will understand what I am talking about. What is peace? Peace is justice, equality, and freedom
for all. Peace is when my belly is full. Any empty belly is a threat to peace to oneself and the
surrounding. An empty belly does not respect law. That’s why a kid would get killed for stealing bread to
eat in a market. Peace is when conflicts are managed in a mature manner so that the violence can be
prevented. When there are no good methods of managing conflicts the violence can lead to bigger
conflicts that are difficult to manage and politicians can seize an opportunity. They take the challenge
and sometimes it may lead to war if not handled properly.
I promote peace through education and the arts (music, visuals, and writing) and I promote all forms of
education and creative expression as a means for young people to express themselves. When young
people are given the access to education and the freedom to express their thoughts and feelings, the
opportunity to pick up a weapon to make your point becomes a weaker option.
I go to schools to share my experiences to enhance social and emotional learning. My charity Gua Africa
also creates educational opportunities for young refugees from South Sudan, and we are currently
building a secondary school in my home town of Leer, South Sudan. I also support two further charities,
Africa Yoga Project and My Start, which both promote physical and creative expression for young East
Africans.
I encourage young people to take the lead in governing their future now to become peace soldiers. A
peace soldier is anyone who is using their skills or resources available to them to make our world better
— it could be volunteering with children, donating to cancer research, rallies to protect human rights,
etc. I also partner with and support existing bigger organizations that are making a global impact,
Amnesty International, ABC Foundation, Rotary, and many more.
The worst people on earth are not those who commit atrocities but those who turn a blind eye or bury
their head in the sand. Every person in this world has a purpose while they are here breathing. When
they don’t know their purpose they can become harmful to themselves and get lost in the waves. With
education, skills, self-expression, and fulfillment, young people can lead the change to make our world
more peaceful.
<Applause. Jal exits stage left as Futa enters and goes to the lectern.>
<Futa>
Thank you, Emmanuel.
Thank you for attending today’s second plenary session. Please consult your program books for
information regarding breakout sessions and activities in the House of Friendship. I look forward to
seeing you here tomorrow for the third plenary session here in Lisbon. We are now adjourned.
<Futa taps the bell and exits stage left.>
2013 INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION
THIRD PLENARY SESSION
Tuesday, 25 June 2013
10:00-12:00
MC: Ed Futa, 2013 Convention Committee Chair, RI
<RI Voiceover>
Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats. The program is about to begin.
<Polio Ride Germany PSA video> (approximately 90 seconds)
Unscripted.
<Doing Good in Ukraine video transcript> (approximately 4 minutes)
<text on the screen>
KYIV, UKRAINE
IN WESTERN EUROPE, PEDIATRIC HEART SURGERY HAD BECOME ROUTINE BY 1985
BUT IN 1992 UKRAINIAN CHILDREN WERE STILL DYING
<DR. ILYA YEMETS>
We were in a very poor condition. We were using one monitor for three patients. It was explained to
parents that your child has no choice for life.
<text on the screen>
WITHOUT MODERN EQUIPMENT DR. YEMETS COULD NOT PERFORM HEART SURGERY.
<DR. ILYA YEMETS>
It was difficult time for me and I was thinking why, comparing with the Western children, the Ukrainian
children have no chance for surviving.
<DR. ILYA YEMETS>
So sad story with mother when she understands her child could die.
<DR. ILYA YEMETS>
We are trying to encourage the mother to be more optimistic. We are able to help.
<text on the screen>
ROTARY HELPED MAKE THE FIRST SURGERIES IN UKRAINE POSSIBLE
<DR. ILYA YEMETS>
We were born by Rotary. That was twenty years ago. That was open the door for our success.
<DR. ILYA YEMETS>
Can you imagine day three after delivery, I’m telling mother operation is done, everything is good and
she is happy.
<text on the screen>
EVERY YEAR SINCE 1992, 1,400 CHILDREN HAVE RECEIVED A CHANCE AT LIFE.
<MOTHER AND SON #1>
They told us that children with this condition usually don’t survive, but we are living and moving
forward.
<text on the screen>
EACH YEAR FORMER PATIENTS GATHER FOR A RACE. THIS YEAR 300 RAN.
<MOTHER AND SON #2>
Now children with heart disease can have full and active lives just like healthy kids.
<MOTHER #3>
They are the heroes of Ukraine! We are very grateful to them.
<text on the screen>
Doing good in Ukraine
Doing good in the world
Make your gift today
www.rotary.org/contribute
<RI Voiceover>
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the 2013 Lisbon Convention Committee Chair, Ed Futa.
<Applause>
<Futa enters center stage and goes to lectern.>
<Futa>
Good morning! I hope that you had an opportunity to enjoy one of the many attractions of this lovely
city last evening. Welcome to today’s third plenary session — we’re glad you joined us! This session is
now called to order.
<Futa taps bell.>
And now, a few announcements. If you’d like to share the inspiring speeches you’ve heard with your
club, stop by the Rotary Bookstore to order the 2013 Convention Speeches DVD Set. For $20USD or €15,
you’ll receive videos of speeches heard in the plenary sessions, and many of Rotary’s senior leaders,
including President Sakuji Tanaka and incoming president Ron Burton. In addition to receiving a
meeting’s worth of inspiring videos, you’ll also receive a free canvas bag with your DVD purchase. The
convention is a great place to create a Rotary moment. You can read some of the special Rotary
moments that made our senior leaders say “aha” in the My Rotary Moment book. Stop by the Rotary
Bookstore and pick up a copy for only $10 or €7. Stop by the resource booth to pick up “Start with
Rotary” wallet cards, and invite prospective members to your next club meeting or service project.
To begin this morning’s activities, I’d like to welcome to the stage our general secretary to present the
preliminary credential report. From the Rotary Club of Kyiv, Ukraine, please give a warm welcome to
John Hewko.
<Applause>
<Hewko enters stage left and goes to lectern, while Futa steps aside.>
<Hewko>
Thank you, Ed. Good morning. We have received and passed upon all credentials presented to us by
Rotarians claiming to be voting delegates, alternates, and proxies in this convention. Accredited officers
of Rotary International and voting delegates of Rotary clubs present are as follows:
Number of clubs in Rotary International: 34,534
Number of clubs represented at this convention: 3,771
Number of club delegates present at this convention: 1,778
Number of votes authorized to be cast by club delegates, alternates, and proxies: 3,958
Number of delegates at large: 176
Bringing the total votes in the convention to 4,134
Article IX, Section 1 of RI Bylaws provides that “Delegates and proxies representing one-tenth of the
clubs shall constitute a quorum at a convention.” It is apparent that there is present at the convention a
quorum consisting of representatives from more than one-tenth of the clubs in Rotary International. We
recommend that the Convention accept this report, together with the credentials, which have been
presented to and advised by the credentials committee. Further, we recommend that the Convention
seat as voting delegates those indicated in this report and named in such credentials. And that
concludes the Report of the Credentials Committee. Thank you.
<Applause. Futa goes to lectern and Hewko exits stage left, lining up with the rest of the Trustees.>
<Futa>
Thank you, John.
Our next presenter served as Rotary International’s president in 2007-08 and is currently chair of The
Rotary Foundation Trustees. Please welcome, from the Rotary Club of Trenton, Ontario, Canada, Wilf
Wilkinson.
<Applause>
<Futa exits as Wilkinson enters stage right and goes to lectern.>
<Wilkinson>
<Group one enters stage right and lines up on the back line.>
From the Rotary Club of Seoul Hangang, Seoul, Republic of Korea, Chair-elect D.K. Lee and Young Ja.
From the Rotary Club of La Jolla Golden Triangle, California, USA, Vice Chair Stephen R. Brown and Susan
From the Rotary Club of Curitiba-Leste, Paraná, Brazil, Antonio Hallage and Rose
From the Rotary Club of Loveland, Colorado, USA, Lynn A. Hammond and Norma
From the Rotary Club of Taipei Sunrise, Taiwan, Jackson S.L. Hsieh and Juliet
From the Rotary Club of Grangemouth, Scotland, Past RI President John Kenny and June
From the Rotary Club of Kirksville, Missouri, USA, Past RI President Ray Klinginsmith
From the Rotary Club of Mulund, Mumbai, India, Ashok M. Mahajan and Nayantara
From the Rotary Club of South Portland-Cape Elizabeth, Maine, USA, Michael K. McGovern
<Group 2 enters stage right and stands on the front line.>
From the Rotary Club of Kampala, Uganda, Samuel F. Owori and Norah
From the Rotary Club of Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan, Kazuhiko Ozawa
From the Rotary Club of Sandringham, Victoria, Australia, Ian H.S. Riseley and Juliet
From the Rotary Club of Barcelona Condal, Spain, Julio Sorjús and Carmen
From the Rotary Club of Canonsburg-Houston, Pennsylvania, USA, Stephanie A. Urchick
And from the Rotary Club of Kyiv, Ukraine, general secretary of Rotary International, John Hewko and
Marga
<Applause>
<Wilkinson>
Next, I would like to introduce the incoming Trustees and their spouses.
From the Rotary Club of Red Deer East, Alberta, Canada, Monty J. Audenart and Elizabeth
From the Rotary Club of Abbeville, Louisiana, USA, Noel A. Bajat and “Sis”
From the Rotary Club of Vapi, Gujarat, India, Past RI President Kalyan Banerjee and Binota
As they leave the stage, let’s give them another round of applause.
<Applause>
<Wilkinson>
Good morning! It is a tremendous joy and honor to be addressing you today on a topic that is so close to
my heart: and that is our Rotary Foundation. I came to Rotary more than half a century ago, in 1962.
Back then, our Foundation was so small that a lot of Rotarians didn’t even know we had one! We had
one program, and that was our Ambassadorial Scholars. And even though Rotary was international, back
then, most of our service was local. But a few years after I joined, things started to change. Rotarians
started thinking beyond their own clubs and districts — looking for new ways to work with other
Rotarians, to partner with clubs and districts in other countries, to really serve in new ways.
Humanitarian service, and international service, started to be a viable option in Rotary — and Rotary
began to change, and our service began to grow and expand.
The scope of our international work became far larger, and far more effective, than it ever had been
before. It happened because our Rotary Foundation made the tremendously important decision to
launch two new programs: Group Study Exchange, and Matching Grants. I think we can all look back in
our lives at moments where a single decision — one that might not have seemed so momentous at the
time — shaped everything that was to come. For me, that moment came when I decided to join Rotary.
And for our Foundation, the moment came with the decision to support Rotary service, with Foundation
grants. It was a way of leveling the field, of letting clubs in wealthier countries lend a hand to clubs in
places where there was more need. And it was a way of letting every Rotarian in the world be a part,
and feel a part, of all of Rotary’s service. But it was also something else — something I don’t think we
fully realized at the time. It was a springboard for our own ambition. It let us see just how much more
we could do — when we worked together, when we pooled our resources, when we took those
fundamental ideas of Rotary service and took them to the next level. It made us realize that in Rotary,
the only thing that really limits what we can do — is the size of our ambition, and the scope of our own
imagination.
We never looked back. Today, we’ve got a Foundation with well over $800 million dollars in net assets.
It’s well and carefully managed, and we are exceptionally scrupulous about what we do with all of that
money. And because our work is all volunteer service, a dollar that you give to the Rotary Foundation
has got some pretty long legs. It can go much farther, much more effectively, than any other dollar
you’ve ever donated.
I’ve been incredibly fortunate not just to have been a Rotarian for more than 50 years, but to have been
more and more deeply involved with Rotary in every passing year. And I will tell you honestly, that the
more I do in Rotary, the more I realize that Rotary is the closest thing on this earth to magic.
I was born a pretty ordinary kid into an ordinary, big, Canadian Catholic family. I did all right in school, I
became a chartered accountant, I married my wife, Joan, and we raised four wonderful boys. And if I
hadn’t become a Rotarian, we all would have gotten along just fine. But because I decided to join
Rotary, our lives became extraordinary. Because of Rotary, my Canadian kids met people from all over
the world. They didn’t just grow up with school and hockey — they grew up with a Rotary family, and
they grew up with Rotary service. And when they got older, they didn’t just call to say hello on a Sunday
afternoon. They called us to find out where Rotary would take us next — and the year I went up the
Khyber Pass to help immunize Afghan children against polio, they called for another reason: to say,
“Dad, we can’t tell you what to do — but where are you taking Mom?!”
As RI President, I had the chance that not many Rotarians get — to see the work of Rotary, and of our
Foundation, firsthand, all over the world. And I can tell you, it’s one thing to write a check, and know
that it’s out there doing good in the world. It’s another thing entirely to go to a mobile eye clinic, and
see a little kid walk up to a table full of glasses — to see him get handed the pair that fits him, and put
them on — and then see him look up at a tree, with a face full of wonder, and then turn to his mother to
say — “Mama, I can see the leaves.”
That one moment — and countless thousands like it — happened because fifty years ago, Rotarians
decided that it was time to think bigger. They decided that it was time to go beyond what they were
doing already — even though they could have said it was good enough. Because of their ambition, I can
look back, with all of you, at fifty incredible years of achievements through our Foundation — of lives
that we have touched, lives that we have saved, lives to which we have brought health, education, and
hope. We can look ahead, in just a few years now, to a world free of polio. All of that happened because
of the ambition of the Rotarians that came before us.
Standing here in Lisbon, I wonder what will be said, fifty years from now, about the Rotarians of today —
the ones with the vision, the wisdom, and the ambition to launch Future Vision into reality. We are
saying just what we said in Rotary, fifty years ago — that we can do better, and we will. We will accept
the challenge of making all of our work count, in the long term: with larger projects, that will have a
greater impact. We’re going to focus on sustainability in our service, so that the work we do, is work
that will last. And we will be guided in our service by our six areas of focus, so that we can concentrate
our efforts where we know we can do the most good. And we will accept the challenge of Every
Rotarian, Every Year — so that every time our Foundation does good in the world — every time a child
puts on those glasses for the first time, or learns how to read, or drinks clean water, or is made safe
from polio — you will be able to say, I helped make it happen. My friends, I thank you all for the part you
have played in making Rotary International, and our Rotary Foundation, the incredible forces for good
that they are today. And I wish you all the best in your Rotary service — in your clubs, and through our
Foundation — Doing Good in the World.
Thank you.
<Applause>
<Wilkinson>
The Rotary Foundation recognizes its most extraordinary alumni with an annual award. The Global
Alumni Service to Humanity Award celebrates Foundation alumni whose service activities and
professional achievements exemplify the Rotary ideal of Service Above Self. This award was first
presented in 1995 and has honored parliamentarians, ambassadors, educators, and humanitarians.
Recipients have served as global citizens impacting the international scene. Their service and careers
have gone beyond their local communities to touch the lives of people at the international level.
Candidates for this award are nominated by Rotary districts and the winner is annually selected by The
Rotary Foundation Trustees. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming the 2012-13 recipient
of Rotary’s Global Alumni Service to Humanity Award, Dr. Harminder Singh Dua.
<Dua enters stage right and goes to lectern; Wilkinson goes to a stool.>
<Dua>
Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen, I accept this award with pride, honor, and humility. As a young
trainee doctor in the city of Nagpur in India, all those many years ago, I had made a trip to a city called
Vijaywada to be interviewed for the Group Study Exchange team selection. I was one of about 103
young men who had descended on a hotel in Vijaywada. Each of us had been picked from amongst
several others by the local Rotary clubs. I don’t remember much about the interview other than that
there were about a dozen interviewers seated around a large impressive table asking a lot of questions.
It was a very long day.
When my name was announced as one of the five lucky ones selected I was absolutely thrilled even
though I did not know then that my life was about to change forever, for better. Here I am, 32 years
later, reflecting on the journey on which my life and career have taken me. If I were to pick one defining
period from amongst all the years it would have to be, without any doubt, my trip to Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, as a Rotary Group Study Exchange team member.
It is impossible to put in words the experience and the exposure that the GSE program and other Rotary
fellowships provide to young men and women. Words like life changing, eye opening, inspirational, and
awesome come to mind — each individually hopelessly inadequate but collectively perhaps just enough
to give an idea. To me it was all of those and more. At that age it was certainly the experience of a
lifetime that had a profound positive influence on my thinking and actions, my thoughts and deeds, and
I would like to believe, through me to so many others — students, patients and colleagues — whose
lives I have touched.
On my return, I wrote an article for a medical teachers’ conference magazine, which I titled “Visiting
America the Rotary Way.” The opening sentence was something like this. Describing our flight from
Bombay to New York I had written “Traveling with the sun we had 24 hours of daylight. Isn’t that a
wonderful thought? ‘Let there be no darkness.’ I had unwittingly captured, at least in part, the spirit of
Rotary and the spirit for which I would work for the rest of my life as an eye doctor. Last year I gave a
talk, which I called “My progress on the Rotary Wheel,” at Rotary club and the Inner Wheel of
Chesterfield, who have generously supported my research into eye diseases.
On the 25 May 2013 we published our finding of a new layer in the human cornea, which has significant
surgical and clinical implications. This went completely viral on the Web with hundreds of news sites
carrying the story, each with thousands of posts. One particular line of discussion was interesting.
Someone remarked “great discovery but what is he wearing on his head?” Someone responded, “You
are showing your ignorance. He is wearing a turban as he is a Sikh.” Then a few joined in to describe
Sikhs and Sikhism. Two interesting comments are worth repeating. Someone said, “It is not what is on
his head but what is in his head that is important.” But the best one was: “What did Jesus say to
Professor Dua? ‘Sikh and thou shall find’!”
I remain ever so grateful to Rotary for providing the opportunity to be part of the unique global alumni,
a privilege which I do not hesitate to recount at every opportunity I get. I congratulate and thank the
Rotary Foundation of Rotary International and every Rotarian across the world for making so much
difference to individuals like me and to the world at large.
As an eye specialist it is natural and expected of me to work on alleviating blindness. I have had the good
fortune and pleasure to work in many eye camps organized by Rotarians and other charities not only to
treat and cure blindness but also to help those who are incurably blind. I am always amazed at the
fortitude and courage with which these individuals serve the communities they live in. Perhaps
subconsciously inspired by my opening sentence in the teachers’ magazine article ”let there be no
darkness” in a different context I wrote, as recently as last month, “in our zeal for political correctness,
we fail to see that BLIND could be an acronym for Bring Light in Darkness.”
As a professional, on behalf of my profession, I would like to thank Rotary International for the
enormous contribution it makes toward eradication of blindness and supporting those less fortunate. I
am acutely aware that there were many worthy contenders for this award, some perhaps more worthy
than me but I am so glad and grateful to the trustees for picking me. Such high honor comes one’s way
only once in a lifetime. It would be a gross understatement to say that it is earned singlehandedly. There
are inevitably many individuals who make us what we are, make us complete, and deserve our thanks. I
do not have to name each one of them for they know who they are and are aware of my gratitude.
I will however express my thanks to Rotarian Dr. Mokadam, who encouraged and supported my
nomination; to Rotarian Som Sundera Sai, our GSE team leader; The Royal College of Ophthalmologists
UK of which I am a servant, and to my wife, Dr Rita, my daughter, Aarti, and my sons, Tanuj and Anuj.
Tanuj could not join us today, but the rest of the family is here.
Behind every successful individual is a family. My family has always been there for me, making me the
complete person I am. They have made many sacrifices so that I could succeed in my endeavors. Once
when we were having dinner with friends, my wife remarked “the next time you go away I will advertise
for a locum husband”. I thought it was funny until a couple of my friends volunteered to apply.
I would like to thank you all for being here and sharing this special moment with me. Like I said at the
outset, I accept this award with pride, honor, and humility.
<Wilkinson hands Dua the award, and then they both exit stage left.>
<Futa enters stage left and goes to the lectern.>
<Futa>
Thank you, Dr. Dua
On 1 July, we officially launch the Foundation’s new grant model after years of developing, evaluating,
and improving upon the ideas set in motion in 2005 when the Trustees and the Future Vision Committee
began brainstorming ways to keep The Rotary Foundation relevant long into the future. Several key
themes emerged during these focused brainstorming sessions. We wanted our service efforts to
promote a more peaceful world, be more visionary, and focus on world priority needs. We saw a need
to simplify our Foundation to increase Rotarian involvement. Recognizing the value of collaborative
relationships, we wanted to strengthen partnerships among Rotarians and with other organizations and
the communities we serve.
This new model, which we have known up until now as Future Vision, is not only going to keep our
Foundation strong for years to come, it will help Rotarians achieve Peace Through Service. For the last
three years, the Foundation has piloted this plan, making improvements and adjustments based on
Rotarian feedback. The knowledge gained through the efforts of the 100 pilot districts has proven
invaluable, and we thank the Rotarians in these districts who acted as the pioneers for the change. And
now here to share his personal story with the Future Vision Pilot, please join me in welcoming from
District 4250, Past District Governor, Jorge Aufranc.
<Applause>
<Aufranc enters stage right and goes to lectern. Futa greets Aufranc and exits stage left.>
<Aufranc>
Good morning. Please be patient as I speak in Spanish. My story will also be interpreted in English.
Tengo el honor de presentar a una profesora de mi país, Guatemala, Centroamérica, un país con más del
60% de población indígena,
<Pause for English translation>
la mayoría viviendo en condiciones de pobreza y subsistiendo de la agricultura, un país que está en
segundo lugar en desnutrición en Latinoamérica,
<Pause for English translation>
un país donde hay muchas necesidades porque la población indígena es la más vulnerable ante cualquier
situación social y natural.
<Pause for English translation>
Es un país donde el servicio de los Rotarios se dedica a construir la paz pues trabajamos enfocándonos en
aldeas indígenas donde el marginamiento y la pobreza extrema son evidentes.
<Pause for English translation>
Nuestro Distrito tenía una historia de muchas relaciones internacionales. Súbitamente el plan de Visión
Futura apareció como una barrera entre nuestro distrito y amigos internacionales.
<Pause for English translation>
Pero los Rotarios, ven oportunidades donde aparecen dificultades. Para el esfuerzo rotario de servicio no
hay imposibles.
<Pause for English translation>
Nuestro club, a pesar de tener pocos recursos y un distrito con escasos fondos distritales, haciendo
participar a numerosos clubes, distritos; y haciendo alianzas hemos hecho proyectos de gran impacto,
que resultaron en una situación gana-gana para todos, especialmente para los niños que se benefician
del proyecto.
<Pause for English translation>
Las comunidades rurales han sido apoyadas con subvenciones de LFR, que tienen como objetivo un
desarrollo integral de niños y niñas, invirtiendo en escuelas para que ellos tengan en el presente y futuro
una vida saludable, que se les ha negado por mucho tiempo.
<Pause for English translation>
El éxito de la labor Rotaria en el área rural de Sumpango, se debe al involucramiento de todos los
sectores sociales de cada comunidad: Consejos comunitarios, Padres y madres de familia, Funcionarios
de la Municipalidad, Directores de escuelas, y lo que es más importante, el aporte de la mano de obra de
los vecinos de las comunidades.
<Pause for English translation>
Uno de los proyectos ha mejorado las condiciones de las escuelas y ha provisto de fuente de agua pura,
disminuyendo los problemas de enfermedades y el nivel de ausencia en las escuelas.
<Pause for English translation>
Donde no había saneamiento ahora hay instalaciones. Donde no había agua pura, ahora tienen fuente
de vida.
<Pause for English translation>
Donde no había educación, ahora hay computadoras. Se incrementado notablemente la auto estima de
los niños y sus familias.
<Pause for English translation>
Este proyecto ha sido bendecido por la labor de más de 30 Rotarios de mi club, proveyendo su
experiencia profesional y guía técnica en cada etapa del proyecto.
<Pause for English translation>
Mirna, nos contará la historia de un proyecto Rotario modelo que refleja el trabajo conjunto de muchos
clubes y distritos. Se cubren varias áreas de enfoque de La Fundación Rotaria con resultados sostenibles y
mesurables.
<Pause for English translation>
Estos proyectos ayudan a la comunidad a capacitarse. Estos programas ayudan a construir líderes
comunitarios
<Pause for English translation>
Estos proyectos, motivan a las beneficiarias para que construyan su propio futuro. Este es un modelo de
sinergismo que permite la promoción de la imagen de Rotary en la comunidad.
<Pause for English translation>
Estos son proyectos que llevan la paz a las familias beneficiadas. Llevando la paz a estas familias
indígenas los Rotarios estamos construyendo la paz en las comunidades de Guatemala. Con Ustedes,
Mirna Perez.
<Applause>
<Perez enters stage left and goes to lectern. Aufranc greets her and then exits stage left.>
<Perez>
Mi nombre es Mirna Edelmira Pérez García, soy una mujer indígena kaqchikel, originaria de Guatemala.
Me formé como maestra gracias al trabajo arduo de mis padres, quienes son artesanos.
<Pause for English translation>
Soy la directora del Centro Educativo de Niñas Próximos Pasos desde el año 2002, el cual se encuentra
ubicado en el municipio de Santa María de Jesús.
<Pause for English translation>
Esta es una comunidad kaqchikel que tiene problemas relacionados con la escasez de agua potable,
desnutrición crónica, violencia intrafamiliar derivada del machismo,
<Pause for English translation>
y la mujer, además de ama de casa, es considerada como una fuente que genera ingresos para su familia
a través de la agricultura y la artesanía.
<Pause for English translation>
Más del 70% de mujeres no tiene acceso a la escuela por estas razones. En este ámbito socioeconómico,
Próximos Pasos es una institución, además de educativa, de orientación y ayuda humanitaria a la
comunidad en general, con un enfoque de desarrollo integral de la mujer,
<Pause for English translation>
brindando oportunidades a las niñas que por generaciones han sido marginadas y discriminadas. Mi
escuela se ha convertido en un medio para romper esa barrera.
<Pause for English translation>
La comunidad ve la escuela como un lugar donde pueden encontrar solución a sus necesidades y
problemas de salud, y pueden tener acceso a alimentos nutritivos y que elevan su calidad de vida.
<Pause for English translation>
Las niñas estudiantes de mi escuela provienen de hogares que viven los problemas antes descritos, por lo
tanto, su nutrición y su desarrollo, al momento de ingresar, son deplorables.
<Pause for English translation>
El 60% de las niñas llega sin siquiera haber desayunado. Sin embargo, puedo ver una gran mejoría en
cuanto a la salud alimentaria de las niñas, su nivel de aprendizaje ha mejorado notablemente.
<Pause for English translation>
La leche ha sido un aliciente no sólo para las 120 niñas que asisten a Próximos Pasos, sino también para
sus familias y la comunidad.
<Pause for English translation>
Gracias a la donación de Club rotario se instaló una vaca mecánica con la cual se produce leche de soya y
subproductos, las madres se reúnen 2 veces por semana para elaborar productos tales como: pan,
tortillas, pasteles, etc. ¡Todos han sido beneficiados!.
<Pause for English translation>
Me motiva ver la sonrisa y las ansias con que esperan la hora de receso para disfrutar de la leche con la
esperanza de que sobre un poco para poder llevar a su casa.
<Pause for English translation>
Próximos pasos es también un lugar donde hay un acercamiento entre las niñas y el mundo virtual,
donde pueden aprender, recrearse, y utilizar herramientas tecnológicas para su beneficio gracias al taller
de computación que nos ha brindado el Club Rotario Guatemala Sur.
<Pause for English translation>
Al momento del egreso de Próximos Pasos, las niñas adolescentes han dejado de padecer desnutrición
crónica, tienen un nivel de aprendizaje que les permite desenvolverse con éxito en los grados superiores,
su autoestima se ha elevado notablemente, tienen conocimientos de manejo de tecnología . . .
<Pause for English translation>
ahora son mujeres conscientes de que pueden triunfar en la vida a través de la educación, y pueden
formar una mejor generación. Ahora son orientadoras de sus familias, son instrumentos de cambio para
la comunidad que merece vivir en paz.
<Pause for English translation>
Gracias señores del club Rotario por la noble labor que realizan para la comunidad kaqchikel de la cual
soy representante, gracias.
<Pause for English translation>
<Applause. Perez exits stage left.>
<Future Vision Video Transcript> (approximately 4 minutes)
Whatever Rotary may mean to us, to the world it will be known by the results it achieves. — Paul Harris
Rotary: Doing Good in the World
<RI Voiceover>
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome from the Rotary Club of Arrecifes, Buenos Aires, Argentina,
Future Vision Committee Chair, Luis V. Giay.
<Applause>
<Giay>
Ladies and gentlemen, we are at an unprecedented time in the history of our Rotary Foundation. We are
beginning our greatest transformation. In recent years, the success of The Rotary Foundation has been
the subject of profound analysis, study, and decisions made with great courage and vision. As your
leaders began the planning process, we asked ourselves, “How could The Rotary Foundation go from
doing good in the world to doing GREAT in the world?” It was the beginning of the Future Vision Plan
and with it our Foundation initiated an unprecedented process of change and adaptation.
Through Future Vision, the Rotary Foundation Trustees have sought to strengthen clubs and districts by
providing grants that can help them be more proactive in addressing priority world needs. We are all
responsible for preparing our Foundation for the future and committing ourselves to these changes if
we want a Foundation that continues to rank among the best charities in the world and, perhaps, is even
considered the very best. With the new grant model we can concentrate the tremendous efforts of
Rotarians on the most urgent world needs and demonstrate what we can achieve together, which will
help improve our public image and attract donors and members to our efforts. I often think about the
ambitious work that went into the development of the Future Vision Plan like another project that
began many years ago: the construction of an international space station. Astronauts play a vital role in
its operations. Their plan is precise, coordinated, and carried out with great enthusiasm. It is a dream, a
reality, a future in constant motion. It would be impossible without advanced technical skills,
determination, knowledge, teamwork, and firm beliefs. The same applies to our Rotary Foundation. Like
the astronauts, each of us has helped build it and make it grow. Through it we can do greater good in
the world, improve the quality of peoples’ lives, and create a world of peace and harmony.
So my friends, to celebrate the new grant model, I invite you to step inside the rocket that will carry you
to our Rotary Foundation. You will feel the roar of the rockets. Are you ready for launch? 3 - 2 - 1 —
Ignition. LIFTOFF! We celebrate our new Foundation, with each of us contributing our effort and
commitment to ensure the continued progress of Rotary and all mankind.
<Applause. Giay exits the stage as Futa enters stage left and goes to lectern.>
<Futa>
Thank you Jorge and Mirna for sharing your stories with us. And thank you Chair Giay for such a
wonderful presentation.
And now, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome back to the stage past RI president and chair-elect of
The Rotary Foundation Trustees, D.K. Lee.
<Applause>
<Lee enters stage right and goes to the lectern. Futa greets Lee at the lectern and exits stage left.>
<Lee>
Good morning! It is a great joy to see so many friends and fellow Rotarians here at our International
Convention. A Rotary convention is the high point of the year for every Rotarian fortunate enough to
attend. It is an opportunity to reflect on the year that is about to end, to see old friends and make new
ones, and it is a chance to look forward, toward the year that we will soon begin.
As incoming Rotary Foundation chair, I am looking forward to an exciting year of change, growth, and
new achievements for our Rotary Foundation. In 2013-2014, we have set four goals for our Foundation.
They are eradicate polio, build ownership and pride in our Foundation, launch our new grant model, and
engage in innovative partnerships and projects.
Our first goal is no surprise to any of you, since it has been our first goal for many years. We all know
that we must eradicate polio. We have come so far: we have immunized over two billion children, and
endemic poliovirus is gone from all but three countries in the world. My friends, we are This Close to
ending polio. But this last effort is the hardest. The budget for the new strategic plan is US$5.5 billion.
We still have a significant funding gap. And although new outbreaks of polio are decreasing, every one
must be met with a response that is immediate, massive, and costly.
In Korea, we have a proverb: 괴로움이 있으면 즐거움도 있다 . It means, “After hardships come
happiness.” Polio eradication is hard work — but when we have finished — when we have eradicated
polio, we will have achieved something wonderful. And that is why eradicating polio, is our first
Foundation goal.
Our second goal is building ownership and pride in our Foundation. PolioPlus is successful because
Rotarians believe in our commitment and support it financially. We give to polio eradication because we
see very clearly what our money is doing and what we are helping to achieve. We all take pride in
knowing that the money we give is helping to buy a polio-free world. But many Rotarians do not have
the same pride and ownership of the Foundation’s Permanent Fund and Annual Fund. We are still falling
short of our goal of Every Rotarian, Every Year. Why? Because Rotarians do not know what good works
the Permanent Fund and Annual Fund enable us to do. The Permanent and Annual Fund are what make
Rotary International more than just an association of Rotary clubs. They allow us to share our resources,
work together, and bring our work to a higher level. The greater our Foundation’s resources, the greater
our own ability, as Rotarians, to meet the needs of our communities. Our goal for the annual fund in
2013-14 will be USD$120 million. If we want the freedom to be ambitious in our service, we must know
that we have a strong Foundation supporting us. And if we want to know that Rotary will endure, we
need a strong Permanent Fund — for whatever lies ahead. In order to enhance the Permanent Fund, a
new Fund Development Committee and Endowment/Major Gift advisers have been appointed to assist
in this effort.
Our third goal is full rollout of the grant model that we have been calling Future Vision. We have been
very excited to see how well the Future Vision Plan has worked with the pilot districts. The feedback so
far has been very positive, and we have had the time and opportunity to make the necessary
improvements and adjustments. Rotarians in pilot clubs have found the new structure easier to
understand and to use. And we have seen as well, that their feeling of commitment to our Foundation
has become stronger. Soon, we will all be using the new grant model. I am confident that this is a
positive change for Rotary. We know that it will be a very large change. And we know that such change
is always difficult. But we also know that it is the right move, at the right time for Rotary. The new model
will enable us to help more people, in more lasting ways. It will ensure that our good work will last and
have the greatest impact. As stewards of our Foundation, this is our goal, and our responsibility.
Our fourth goal is to engage in innovative partnerships and projects, to expand our reach and our
impact. Rotary has a tremendous reach and can do a great deal. But one thing that we all know in Rotary
is that we can do more together than we can alone. When we work with local NGOs and other
organizations, we gain more knowledge and more insight. We add to our resources and our abilities, and
we build more bridges of understanding, friendship, and cooperation. By partnering with others,
throughout the world, we often achieve more, and learn more, than we set out to do. This is an
important way that we build Peace Through Service. We have learned, through our long history in polio
eradication, how effective such partnerships can be. Our many global partners have made polio
eradication possible and have helped us to achieve a great deal of good along the way. This is an
important lesson, and it is one that we must build on, in the years ahead.
Our theme for the new Rotary year is Engage Rotary, Change Lives. It is time for all of us to engage our
Rotary service — and engage our Rotary Foundation. It is time for us all to recognize that all of the good
that Rotary does begins with each of us: with the work we do in our clubs and our generosity to our
Rotary Foundation. President-elect Ron has asked all of us to remember that the Rotary Foundation is
our Foundation. The Foundation is there to support our service, and it is our responsibility to support it.
In this way, all of us can be a part of all of the wonderful work that Rotarians are doing all over the
world. My friends, I look forward with you to a wonderful year of service, and new beginnings for our
Foundation. I wish you all an enjoyable Convention, and a new Rotary year — of Doing Good in the
World, as we Engage Rotary, Change Lives. Thank you.
<Applause. Lee exits stage left as Futa enters and goes to lectern.>
<Futa>
Thank you, D.K.
There are many reasons to like and admire our next speaker, Archie Panjabi. Archie is a very popular
actress who has earned numerous awards for her work in films and on television. She is perhaps best
known for her role as investigator Kalinda Sharma on the hit television series, The Good Wife, for which
she won an Emmy Award in 2011. I understand The Good Wife also airs throughout Europe, South
America, and Asia, so many of you here no doubt have seen her on that show. Her film credits include
Bend It Like Beckham, East Is East, The Constant Gardener, and A Mighty Heart. In addition to an Emmy,
Archie has received the NAACP Image Award, the BBC Mega Mela Award, and the Cannes Film Festival
Chopard Revelation Award, among others. Yes, Archie is a true star in the entertainment world, but she
is much more than that to Rotarians. Over the past year, she has emerged as one of our most dedicated
Rotary Polio Eradication Ambassadors. I will leave it to Archie to describe how she is supporting Rotary’s
polio eradication effort — and why it has become so important to her. But I must say — before she
comes out on stage — that we at Rotary deeply appreciate her work on our behalf. And it is obvious to
anyone who meets Archie that her commitment comes straight from the heart. Please welcome Archie
Panjabi.
<Panjabi enters stage right. Futa greets her and then exits stage left while Panjabi stays at the lectern.>
<Panjabi>
Thank you. It is my great privilege to be here this morning — and especially so, because this is my first
opportunity to address such a large audience of Rotarians — the driving force behind polio eradication,
the goal shared by everyone in this convention hall. I expect that some of you recognize me from my
work in film and television. But I also hope that more and more of you will come to know me through
my work as a Rotary Polio Ambassador.
I would like to share a bit about my own background, because it may help to explain why our effort to
eradicate polio is so important to me. I grew up in London, but at the age of 10, I moved to India (my
parents’ homeland) for a period of two years. One of the things that struck me on my daily walk to
school in Mumbai was seeing young children (some younger than me) crawling in the streets — using
just their hands. There was I on my way to school in my crisp white uniform, with my rucksack filled with
learning material and my lunch box packed with my Aunt’s culinary delights, and here were these thin,
crippled children rushing toward the stopped traffic, rolling themselves on old planks of wood, knocking
on cars doors begging passengers for money. I was 10 years old and until then I had never witnessed
anything like this and I simply couldn’t understand it, and when I asked people about this, nobody was
able to give me an explanation that made sense.
Those images of those children crawling in the streets troubled me for years. Then in 2011, Rotary asked
me to join your — “We are ’This Close’ to ending Polio campaign.” So I did some research and that’s
when the penny dropped, as they say. Of course! The crippling disease those Indian children suffered
from was polio! And when I learned that while there is no cure, the disease can be prevented so very
easily, I jumped at the opportunity to become a Rotary Polio Ambassador.
I was amazed by what I learnt. For example, in 1985, when Rotary first launched its global effort to
eradicate polio, there were over 350,000 cases of polio reported in 125 countries. Last year, there were
only 223 cases and only 3 endemic countries. Given that polio is often found in very poor hygiene
conditions in areas which are often overpopulated and hard to reach, these results are a real testament
to the dedication and incredible work that Rotary has done and continues to do. I was truly honored
that I was asked to be part of the “We are ‘This Close’ to ending Polio” campaign. In September of 2012
at the Global Citizen Festival concert, I joined Rotarians and other advocates when I spoke about
eradicating polio to an audience of 60,000, with millions more watching online and on TV. As I looked
out at the sea of people in New York City’s beautiful Central Park, it dawned on me that very soon we
will be making history — as we are now less than 1 percent away from eradicating this crippling disease
forever. But I also came to realize that we still have work to do, and how important it is for people like
me — people like you — to use our voices to raise awareness of — and support for — the global effort
to eradicate polio.
In April of this year, it was my privilege as a Rotary Polio Ambassador to emcee a gathering of a much
different sort: The Global Vaccine Summit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. There, global leaders and
individual philanthropists pledged more than $4 billion for polio eradication over the next six years —
funds to help implement the eradication initiative’s new endgame strategic plan that will be our road
map to a polio-free world. That was a wonderful show of support, and our job now is to make sure those
commitments are honored in a timely manner. Also, the fact remains that the polio eradication initiative
still needs another $1.5 billion to ensure that eradication is achieved. That means we — all of us who are
committed to eradicating polio — must continue to put positive pressure on our political leaders, our
business leaders, our philanthropies, and the general public — to generate the resources to finish the
job. As a Rotary Polio Ambassador I will continue to do whatever I can to spread the word. If whatever
degree of celebrity and recognition I may possess can be an asset to the cause, I am honored to carry
the message forward.
I must say that the Vaccine Summit experience gave me a very good look at the Big Picture and helped
me understand just how complicated and challenging it is to eradicate a disease like polio — why only
one other human disease, smallpox, has ever been completely stopped. But sometimes it is the “little
picture” that really drives things home. Shortly before the vaccine summit, I was back in India — which I
am proud to say is the most recent country to become polio free, with no new polio cases since January
2011. There in New Delhi, I visited with people who have survived polio — survivors fortunate enough to
have had corrective surgeries, many provided at no cost by Rotarians in India, that enable them to at
least stand and walk, not crawl like the children I remembered as a little girl. I also visited a health clinic,
where I met parents who brought their babies — and siblings who brought their little brothers and
sisters — all to receive the oral polio vaccine. I myself placed drops of vaccine into a child’s mouth. It
was so very moving, knowing that this child was now safe from this terrible disease forever — all
because I gave her the vaccine. It was a transformative experience for me. It brought the entire issue
into focus in a moment of crystal clarity. Can you picture 2 billion children? I can’t. The number is simply
too big. But that’s the number of children that you — Rotarians — and your partners, have immunized
since the eradication program began. It is much easier for me to let that one child — the one that I
saved from polio in New Delhi — represent the more than 2 billion that preceded her. As I traveled
home from India, I kept reliving that experience, envisioning that child. I contrasted her with the poliostricken children I remembered crawling in the streets. With the other polio survivors I met who —
despite surgeries — still face a lifetime of disability. I now understood both sides of the issue better than
ever, especially the consequences we face if we do not press our advantage now, and end polio forever.
And one thought kept lingering in my mind — a thought I would like to share with you today. I’ve even
given it a name. I call it Two-One-One-One. (or Two Triple One)
TWO Drops. (two fingers up)
Takes ONE Second. (index finger up)
Costs less than ONE dollar. (index finger up)
Saves ONE life. (index finger up)
And that simple calculation has carried us to where we are today: We truly are ”This Close” to a polio
free world. We are ”This Close” thanks to you, Rotary members worldwide. By working together, we will
finish the job. We will end polio now. Thank you so much for having me here. And please have a
wonderful convention.
<Applause. Wilkinson enters from stage left with an award to present to Ms. Panjabi. They both exit
stage left.>
<Futa enters stage left and goes to lectern.>
<Futa>
Thank you, Ms. Panjabi.
Our next speaker joined the World Health Organization in 1992 as a medical officer with the Expanded
Program on Immunization, working primarily in the areas of measles, neonatal tetanus and hepatitis
vaccination and injection safety. He worked for seven years with national immunization programs at the
field level in the Middle East, western Pacific, Europe, North Africa and central and Southeast Asia,
before coming to WHO Headquarters in Geneva. Since 1998, he has been responsible for the oversight
and coordination of all polio eradication activities across WHO’s regional offices and the Global Polio
Eradication Initiative partnership, of which Rotary is a member. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in
welcoming the assistant director-general for Polio, Emergencies and Country Collaboration, Dr. Bruce
Aylward.
<Applause>
<Aylward enters stage right and goes to lectern. Futa greets Aylward and then exits stage left.>
<Aylward>
Unscripted.
<Bill Gates Video Transcript> (approximately 4 minutes)
Good morning to all of the Rotarians gathered in Lisbon for your annual convention. I am sorry that I am
unable to join you in person today, but I’m pleased to share this message of congratulations and thanks
for all you have done to further our shared commitment to a polio-free world. Rotary and the Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation have enjoyed a strong and productive partnership for more than five years as
a result of that shared commitment.
In 2007, we joined forces to address an important fundraising need. We gave Rotarians a US$100 million
challenge grant for polio eradication as a way to fill a critical funding gap and lead other donors to make
their own commitments. In 2009 we increased that grant to $355 million and Rotarians agreed to raise
$200 million in matching funds by 30 June 2012. As Rotarians have always done, you exceeded
expectations by raising more than the goal — $228.7 million — and met the challenge ahead of
schedule. The Gates Foundation recognized your great work with an additional $50 million. Your efforts
have been a source of inspiration and momentum and we have been proud to join you in them.
The power of our combined advocacy and creative communications campaigns was further
demonstrated with the new funding commitments made at the Global Vaccine Summit. At that event,
we received the announcement of pledges totaling $4 billion from governments and individuals from all
over the world.
Our work is not done. Your role continues to be vital in this crucial phase. We need ongoing advocacy to
help ensure the commitments are realized. And we need governments, corporations, private sector
donors, and individuals to join us in generating the remaining $1.5 billion needed. We need your voices
— all 1.2 million of them — to lead the charge in this final stage of the battle.
Together let’s issue a call to the entire world saying that it is time to end polio now; it is time to pour
every resource possible into accomplishing the last steps necessary to end polio forever. The Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation is ready to support that global call through a new partnership with Rotary
that builds on all we have accomplished so far. Going forward, The Gates Foundation will match two-toone, up to $35 million per year, every dollar Rotary commits to reduce the funding shortfall for polio
eradication through 2018. If fully realized, the value of this new partnership with Rotary is more than
$500 million. In this way, your contributions to polio will work twice as hard. We will combine the
strength of Rotary’s network with our resources and together with the other partners in the Global Polio
Eradication Initiative we will not just end a disease, we will change the face of public health forever.
Now is the time for us all to take action — talk to your government leaders, share your polio story with
your social networks, and encourage others to join you in supporting this historic effort. When Rotarians
combine the passion for service along with the power of a global network, you are unstoppable, and the
Gates Foundation is proud to partner with you. Let’s make history and End Polio Now.
<RI Voiceover>
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome from the Rotary Club of Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA, past
Rotary International vice president and vice chair of the International Polio Plus Committee, John F.
Germ.
<Applause>
<Germ>
I am truly honored to join you today for this International Convention — the convention that will launch
Rotary’s final push to eradicate polio from the face of the earth. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
have given Rotary another vote of confidence as we extend our partnership in support of Polio
Eradication. This would not be possible without you and the help of your fellow Rotarians. As Jeff Raikes
just announced, for the next five years, every dollar Rotary commits in direct support for polio
eradication — up to US$35 million per year — will be doubled by the Gates Foundation. That means
when Rotary commits US$35 million per year we will receive US$70 million per year from the Gates
Foundation.
In order to spend US$35 million per year we must raise US$35 million per year. I have no doubt that
together, we can do this. We have a long history of clubs and districts exceeding their polio eradication
contribution goals. In our 1986 to 1988 initiative, we had a goal of US $120 million; we raised $247
million. In 2002- 2005, the goal was $80 million and we raised $135 million. In 2008-2012, the goal was
$200 million and we raised $228 million, meeting and surpassing that Gates Foundation challenge.
For the five years of our end game, each Rotary club is being asked to contribute a minimum of $1,500
— and we know that many of your clubs will do much, much more. Now is the time to reach out to nonRotarian friends and colleagues to ask for their support. They too want to End Polio Now. Districts that
give 20 percent of their District Designated Funds in a Rotary year will be recognized with a certificate of
appreciation. Districts that qualify from Rotary Year 2013-14 until eradication is achieved will be
recognized on a plaque displayed at Rotary International Headquarters.
Corporations and foundations, as well as local businesses, will play an important part. How can your
clubs engage local business leaders so that they become partners in our cause? As Rotarians, our
membership includes many from the three remaining polio endemic countries. All of the Rotarians in
these countries are determined to eradicate polio in their country and in the world. And of these
countries, Nigeria is leading the way with contributions to the cause. I am pleased to announce that at
yesterday’s PolioPlus workshop Sir Emeka Offor of Nigeria announced that he has just made a new $1
million gift to help us with our commitment to End Polio Now. His gift leverages an additional $2 million
from the Gates Foundation. Sir Emeka, The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International is sincerely
grateful for your generosity and your leadership in helping to eradicate polio from Nigeria and from this
world. Would you like to come to podium to say a few words?
<Sir Emeka enters stage left and goes to lectern. Germ steps aside>
<Sir Emeka>
Unscripted.
<Applause. Sir Emeka exits stage left and Germ goes to lectern.>
<Germ>
Thank you Sir Emeka Offor of Nigeria, and thanks to all of you who are going to help us meet our
commitment. We promised the children of the world that we would eradicate polio, and Rotarians keep
their word. I ask you to join me to make history today. I ask that you make your own gift to help End
Polio Now — a gift from your heart. Each of our gifts, of whatever size we can give, enables us to create
a world where no one will ever need to be vaccinated against polio. We are “This Close” and getting
closer every day. Thanks to you, we will End Polio Now.
<Applause. During applause, Futa enters stage left and goes to the lectern, while Germ exits.>
<Futa>
Thank you all for attending today’s third plenary session. Please consult your program books for
information regarding breakout sessions and activities in the House of Friendship. I look forward to
seeing you here tomorrow for the fourth and closing plenary sessions of this convention. This session is
adjourned.
<Futa taps the bell. Futa exits stage left.>
<Applause>
2013 INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION
FOURTH PLENARY SESSION
Wednesday, 26 June 2013
10:00-12:00
MC: Ed Futa, 2013 Convention Committee Chair, RI
<RI Voiceover>
Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats. The program is about to begin.
<What Can Social Media Do to You PSA transcript> (approximately 90 seconds)
What can social media do for you? Check this out. It’s a true story. Really.
Meet Paul. He’s a Rotarian who likes to swim.
In 2012, he used social media to promote his club’s Global Swimarathon. (Swim + marathon =
Swimarathon.) With e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, Skype, Google Maps, YouTube, and a blog, Paul spread
the word. More than 200 clubs on six continents signed up. The big day came: February 25. During one
hour across 15 time zones, 4,546 people between 8 and 93 years old each swam 100 meters. If you’re
counting, that’s 454 kilometers (281 miles). The Swimarathon raised more than US $100,000 for polio
eradication. It set a Guinness World Record. It got headlines all over the world. And a whole bunch more
people learned about Rotary. Since then, Paul’s club has inducted 16 new members. Coincidence? We
doubt it.
Social media helped Paul:
• Communicate his idea
• Create enthusiasm
• Raise money
• Increase membership
• And spread the word about Rotary
Oh, and a year later, the club’s next swimarathon was even more successful. So think about it. What can
social media do for you?
<Doing Good in India Video Transcript>
Hannah Warren (voiceover)
My name is Hannah Warren. I’m the founder of Jhoole and a former Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar to
India.
Maheshwar is an ancient village on the edge of the Narmada River in the state of Madya Pradesh.
Weaving is a local tradition, and today there are over 4,000 weavers living there.
I first went to Maheshwar in order to pursue a photography project that would document female
weavers wearing saris that they’d woven themselves.
And I was really surprised when I got there to realize that these women couldn’t even afford to own a
single sari that they had woven themselves.
They had this incredible talent and skill, and yet they couldn’t actually afford to own a sari.
That really inspired me to start a project that would empower these women to become financially
independent and to rise above the middlemen who exploit them.
So I decided to create Jhoole, which is a nonprofit social enterprise that concentrates on investing in
women so that they can create a brighter future for themselves, their families and their communities.
Rotary really helped us to expand the scope of what we’re doing.
Now, just two years down the line, we’re working with over 100 women.
Ultimately our goal is to work with over a thousand women, because we believe that investing in
women can create sustainable and measurable impacts in this community that will help to end child
labor and ultimately alleviate the cycle of chronic poverty.
<RI Voiceover>
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the 2013 Lisbon Convention Committee Chair, Ed Futa.
<Applause>
<Futa enters center stage and goes to lectern.>
<Futa>
Good morning! I hope that you had an opportunity to enjoy the activities in and around Lisbon last
night. Welcome to the fourth plenary session of the 104th Annual Rotary Convention. I call this session
to order.
<Futa taps bell.>
Today is the last day to enter the canvas bag giveaway at the Rotary Bookstore. Following the
convention, we’ll select three winning entries to receive a canvas bag full of Rotary resources, including
books, DVDs, and CDs. Entry forms are available at the Resource Center in the House of Friendship and
winners will be notified by email. The bookstore is also marking down the price on many of the
publications they’ve been selling this week. The offer is only good while supplies last so be sure to stop
by the booth before it closes at 16:00.
Our program begins with an important element of our annual convention, the election of officers of
Rotary International. Please welcome to the stage President Tanaka and General Secretary John Hewko.
<Applause>
<Tanaka and Hewko enter stage left and go to lectern, while Futa exits.>
<Hewko>
On Tuesday, I announced that a quorum was present and the convention accepted the Credentials
Committee report. Let us proceed to the election of RI directors to serve for 2014 through 2016. These
Rotarians have been duly selected in accordance with the RI Bylaws, subject only to their official election
at this convention, and I now ask the approval of the voting delegates for me to cast the united ballot of
the convention for their election.
From the Rotary Club of Istanbul-Sisli, Turkey, Safak Alpay
From the Rotary Club of Dunwoody, Georgia, USA, Robert L. Hall
From the Rotary Club of Aarup, Denmark, Per Høyen
From the Rotary Club of Malden, Massachusetts, USA, Julia Phelps
From the Rotary Club of Evergreen, Colorado, USA, Greg E. Podd
From the Rotary Club of Tamana, Kumamoto, Japan, Takanori Sugitani
From the Rotary Club of Makati West, Rizal, Philippines, Daumonguiller Tumangan
From the Rotary Club of Genova, Italy, Giuseppe Viale
<Tanaka>
Thank you, John. Will all those who are in favor of instructing the general secretary to cast the united
ballot for the election of these Rotarians as RI directors make it known, all those in favor say "aye."
<Pause>
Opposed, "no."
<Pause>
The "ayes" have it, and the president instructs the general secretary to cast the united ballot of this
convention.
<Hewko>
The general secretary hereby casts the united ballot of this convention.
<Tanaka>
I am now pleased to declare the nominees as elected for directors of Rotary International commencing
in the year 2014 and ending in the year 2016.
<Hewko>
Those Rotarians who have been nominated as district governors to take office 1 July 2014, and the
2013-2014 officers of the General Council of Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland, have been
selected in advance of this convention.
First, those certified to be the officers of Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland in 2013-14 are
the following:
As president, from the Rotary Club of Feltham, Greater London, England, Nan McCreadie
As vice president, from the Rotary Club of Kew Gardens, Peter King
As honorary treasurer, from the Rotary Club of Bishops Waltham, England, Nigel Barnfield
Second, the names of the Rotarians who have been nominated to serve as district governors in 20142015 have been published and made available to the voting delegates. At this time, I ask all Rotarians
who have been nominated to serve as district governors in 2014-2015 to please stand.
These Rotarians have been selected in accordance with the RI Bylaws for their respective offices, subject
only to their official election at this convention, and I now ask the approval of the voting delegates for
me to cast the united ballot of the convention for their election.
<Tanaka>
Thank you, John. Will all those who are in favor of instructing the general secretary to cast the united
ballot for the election of district governors and RIBI officers make it known, all those in favor say "aye."
<Pause>
Opposed, "no."
<Pause>
The "ayes" have it, and the president instructs the general secretary to cast the united ballot of this
convention.
<Hewko>
The general secretary hereby casts the united ballot of this convention.
<Tanaka>
I am now pleased to declare these Rotarians as elected nominees for district governors for 2014-2015
and the officers in RIBI in 2013-2014.
Finally, ladies and gentlemen, we shall confirm the nomination of the president of Rotary International
for 2013-2014, and I call upon General Secretary Hewko to present to the convention, in accordance
with the RI Bylaws of Rotary International, the name of the Rotarian nominated as president of Rotary
International in 2014-2015.
<Hewko>
Mr. President, the Nominating Committee for President of Rotary International has certified to the
general secretary that, in accordance with the RI Bylaws, it has selected Gary C.K. Huang, from the
Rotary Club of Taipei, Taiwan, for the office of president of Rotary International in 2014-2015. No other
nominations having been received from any Rotary Club on or before the first day of October 2012, in
accordance with the Bylaws of Rotary International, Gary C.K. Huang, has been declared to be the
president of Rotary International for 2014-2015, subject only to his election at this convention, and I
now ask the approval of the voting delegates for me to cast the united ballot of the convention for his
election.
<Tanaka>
Thank you, John. Will all those who are in favor of instructing the general secretary to cast the united
ballot for the election of the president make it known, all those in favor say "aye."
<Pause>
Opposed, "no."
<Pause>
The "ayes" have it, and the president instructs the general secretary to cast the united ballot of this
convention.
<Hewko>
The general secretary hereby casts the united ballot of this convention.
<Tanaka>
I am now pleased to declare the nominee as elected for president in 2014-2015, Gary C.K. Huang. Thank
you, General Secretary Hewko, this completes the elections of this convention.
<Applause>
<Play-off music begins. Futa enters stage left and goes to the lectern while Hewko and Tanaka exit.>
<Futa>
Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming the Rotarian you have elected as president of Rotary
International for 2014-2015, from the Rotary Club of Taipei, Taiwan, Gary C.K. Huang and his wife,
Corinna.
<Applause>
<Huangs enter stage right, they are greeted by Futa. Futa exits stage left with Corinna while Gary goes to
the lectern.>
<Huang>
I am greatly honored and delighted to accept this nomination to serve as the president of Rotary
International for the year 2014-15. Rotary has continuously provided me with honors to serve. My first
honor came 37 years ago, when I was finally allowed to join Rotary Club of Taipei, after being rejected
three times. Although my club had a strict quota on member’s classification, I insisted on joining and I
am very glad I did not give up. Otherwise I wouldn’t have had this honor today.
I have witnessed tremendous growth of Rotary in Taiwan, working hard over these years together with
my fellow Rotarians. During 1986-87 when I was a district governor of District 3450, I charted 19 new
clubs in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. I also created another 15 new Rotary clubs as district
governor’s special representative in the following years, and we never stopped. We are still working on
recruiting members and establishing new clubs. This is because we believe in the spirit of Rotary, and
would like to share the honor of being a Rotarian.
Rotary also gave me the honor to serve beyond my country borders. I helped establish clubs in Mongolia
and China. I would like to ask for all of you to join me in looking beyond borders and extending the
network of Rotary. I am confident that as the network of Rotary becomes stronger, the world will be a
better place for all of us.
We have been fortunate in Rotary to have had many years of strong and visionary leaders and I look
forward to the opportunity to build upon their success. We know how to change ourselves to become
better. The pace of change has changed, and it’s getting faster. However, there is nothing to fear, since
we are not just adapting to the fast changing environment but we are actually shaping our future
through our strategic plan. We are focused, our goals are clear, and we are highly motivated to serve.
My friends, I believe that the job of Rotary International is very simple; and that is helping every Rotary
Club to be the best it can be. And the job of an RI president is also simple; ensuring that RI is strong,
efficient, effective, and dedicated to supporting Rotarians — in every way that they serve.
An ancient Chinese scholar, Confucius, said “It is better to light up a single candle than to sit and curse
the darkness.” Rotarians have always believed this to be true. When we are confronted by the world’s
problems, we are not paralyzed by despair, we are called to action. I’ve written a book with similar
meaning, titled Find Solutions, Not Excuses. That’s exactly what I shall do for you, and we shall do for our
communities.
I believe that the best days of Rotary are yet to come — and that all of us will soon be prouder than ever
of a Rotary that is larger, more active, and better known than ever before — a Rotary that touches more
lives and makes the world better, every single day. And I look forward to serving all of you with all my
heart the 2014-15 Rotary year to brighten up our world together. Thank you.
<Applause. Huang exits stage left while Futa enters and goes to lectern.>
<Futa>
Please give another round of applause for President-elect Gary C.K. Huang and his wife Corinna.
Ladies and gentlemen, this convention would not be complete without a preview of the 2014 Rotary
Convention in Sydney Australia.
<Sydney video start. Maloney enters SL and goes to podium.>
<Stage is dark w/ light on podium.>
<Lloyd and Thomspon enter SR while Maloney’s at podium.>
<Maloney>
G’day from Sydney, fellow Rotarians and members of the family of Rotary. My name is Mark Maloney,
and President-elect Ron Burton has invited me to serve as the chairman of the 2014 Sydney Convention
Committee. Because of my excitement for the Sydney Convention next year, all this week I have been
wearing my authentic Akubra Australian Cattleman’s hat. Recently, I was in Sydney and I overheard a
couple of Australian Rotarian friends discussing the upcoming convention in Sydney in 2014. This is the
conversation that I heard, and I will give you a translation into Standard English so that you can
understand what was said.
<Lloyd>
G,day mate.
<Maloney>
Hello my friend.
<Thompson>
G’day cobber.
<Maloney>
Hello my friend.
<Lloyd>
Ow ya goin?
<Maloney>
How are you?
<Thompson>
I’m flat out like a lizard drinkin, organising a Rotary corroboree at the billabong.
<Maloney>
I am very busy organizing a Rotary convention at the water hole.
<Lloyd>
Strike a light, ya must be as barmy as a bandicoot to do that.
<Maloney>
Amazing, you must be crazy to do that.
<Thompson>
It’s a lot of hard yakka, but she’ll be apples, no worries.
<Maloney>
It’s a lot of hard work but everything will be all right, don’t worry about it.
<Lloyd>
So where is it gunna be?
<Maloney>
So where will this be held?
<Thompson>
In the Emerald City, down under, of course.
<Maloney>
In Sydney, Australia, of course.
<Lloyd>
But where in the big smoke?
<Maloney>
But where in the city?
<Thompson>
Where we held the greatest Olympic Games ever.
<Maloney>
Where we held the greatest Olympic Games ever.
<Lloyd>
That’ll be a bonza place.
<Maloney>
That will be a great place.
<Thompson>
Too bloody right.
<Maloney>
Certainly.
<Lloyd>
So how many blokes and sheilas do you think will show up?
<Maloney>
So how many men and women do you think will attend?
<Thompson>
Huge bunches, the place will be chockers.
<Maloney>
A very large number, the venue will be full.
<Lloyd>
Will ya get many tall poppies to attend?
<Maloney>
Will many successful people attend?
<Thompson>
Wotsisname, you know the boss cocky, he’ll be there.
<Maloney>
What is his name, you know, the president, will attend.
<Lloyd>
Ridgie didge, Ron Burton is coming?
<Maloney>
Is it true, Ron Burton is coming?
<Thompson>
Yeah, he and Jetta love steak and kidney.
<Maloney>
Yes, he and Jetta love Sydney.
<Lloyd>
That’ll be bloody beaut. I suppose that the program will be lots of ear bashing?
<Maloney>
That will be very good. I imagine that the program will include a large amount of non stop talking?
<Thompson>
Nah mate, no one will be allowed to rabbit on and we will bung on some extra grouse entertainment as
well.
<Maloney>
No my friend, no one will be allowed to speak incessantly and we will also provide some great
entertainment.
<Lloyd>
What ya reckon there is to do in Sydney?
<Maloney>
What can people do in Sydney?
<Thompson>
Well mate, you can climb the coat hanger, and you don’t have to be as game as Ned Kelly to do that.
<Maloney>
Well my friend, you can climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and you don’t have to be very brave to do
that.
<Lloyd>
That would be a ripper.
<Maloney>
That would be something wonderful.
<Thompson>
And you can get some fair dinkum Aussie grub. We even have a McDonalds and a Kentucky Fried
Chicken.
<Maloney>
And you can eat some genuine Australian food. We even have a McDonalds and a Kentucky Fried
Chicken.
<Lloyd>
What about going walkabout around town?
<Maloney>
What about taking a walk around the town?
<Thompson>
Yeah mate, there is a lot to take a Captain Cook at.
<Maloney>
Yes friend, there is a lot to look at.
<Lloyd>
What about our ’arbour?
<Maloney>
What about our harbour?
<Thompson>
Lotsa tourists stand there like a stunned mullet when they see our fanbloodytastic ’arbour.
<Maloney>
Many tourists stand with a stunned look on their faces when they see our great harbor.
<Lloyd>
And there is the Opera House which will have some wiz bang shows.
<Maloney>
And there is the Opera House which will have some really excellent shows.
<Thompson>
Don’t forget about our strange animals, ya know, the watjamacallits.
<Maloney>
Don’t forget about our strange animals, you know the ones whose name I can’t remember.
<Lloyd>
Oh, ya mean the boomers, wombats, platypus and koalas bears.
<Maloney>
Oh, you mean the kangaroos, wombats, platypus and koala bears.
<Thompson>
Hold your ’orses — Koalas ain’t bears. Ya know the song “Please don’t call me a koala bear cause I’m not
a bear at all.”
<Maloney>
Wait a minute — Koalas aren’t bears. You know the song “Please don’t call me a koala bear because I’m
not a bear at all.”
<Lloyd>
Sorry, so what else can we do?
<Maloney>
Sorry, so what else can we do?
<Thompson>
There are lots of other ripper things to do, like taking a trip to the world’s best zoo and the Blue
Mountains. And then there’s a trip to the Hunter Valley to try some beaut grog, and we have some of
the world’s best beaches.
<Maloney>
There are many other wonderful things to do, like making a visit to the world’s best zoo and the Blue
Mountains And then there’s a journey to the Hunter Valley to try some really excellent wines, and we
have some of the world’s best beaches.
<Lloyd>
What about the Noah’s Arks?
<Maloney>
What about the sharks?
<Thompson>
Nah, they don’t eat much.
<Maloney>
No, they are not a problem.
<Lloyd>
But what will be the damage? I guess it’ll cost a motza.
<Maloney>
But what will it cost? I think it will be expensive.
<Thompson>
Nah, the guvmint will give us free transport passes for a few days before and after the corroboree, and it
won’t cost us a brass razoo.
<Maloney>
No, the government will provide free transport passes for a few days before and after the convention.
<Lloyd>
Well stone the crows, that sounds bloody good.
<Maloney>
I’m amazed, that is excellent.
<Thompson>
So we reckon its London to a brick on that they’ll want to stick around for a better break.
<Maloney>
So we believe that it is certain that our visitors will want to remain for a better holiday.
<Lloyd>
Will I need to bring my best bib and tucker?
<Maloney>
Will I need to bring my formal clothing?
<Thompson>
Nah, wear whatever is comfy.
<Maloney>
No, wear whatever you are comfortable in.
<Lloyd>
Crikey, it sounds like it will be a bonza corroboree.
<Maloney>
That is amazing, it sounds like it will be a fabulous event.
<Thompson>
I wouldn’t come the raw prawn with ya mate, I promise you she’ll be a goer.
<Maloney>
I would not attempt to fool you, my friend, I promise it will be well planned.
<Lloyd>
So when is the kick off?
<Maloney>
So when does it start?
<Thompson>
First of June 2014.
<Maloney>
First of June 2014.
<Lloyd>
When can I book in?
<Maloney>
When can I register?
<Thompson>
From this arvo in the House of Friendship.
<Maloney>
From this afternoon in the House of Friendship.
<Lloyd>
Well I’ll be there with bells on.
<Maloney>
Well I will be there with enthusiasm.
<Thompson>
You little bewdy mate, I’ll be seein ya.
<Maloney>
Wonderful, I will see you there.
<Lloyd>
Look at the bloody clock, I’d better shove off. Avagoodweekend.
<Maloney>
Look at the time, I must leave. Have a good weekend.
<Thompson>
Yeah, I’d better shoot through like a Bondi tram too. See ya.
<Maloney>
Yes, I need to leave too. We’ll meet again.
<Maloney>
<Thompson and Lloyd walk to center stage and wave. Both cross stage to podium and stand with
Maloney.>
Fellow Rotarians, ladies and gentlemen, please thank our Australian Rotarians — Past Rotary
International Treasurer Barry Thompson, chairman of the Sydney Host Organizing Committee; and past
district governor Lloyd Roever, Sydney Host Organizing Committee Promotion Chairman. And now, here
is a special invitation from President-elect Ron Burton and Jetta.
<All exit stage left.>
<House lights go down.>
<IC14 promo video runs for 4:20 minutes.>
<2014 Promo Video Transcript>
<Ron>
G’day! Greetings from Sydney, Australia, one of most beautiful cities in the world.
<Jetta>
Behind us is one of Sydney’s most famous and iconic landmarks, the Sydney Opera house.
<Ron>
Sydney is easily one of my favorite places to visit. And it’s got everything you’d want in a convention
destination. The weather is sunny and comfortable year round. The people are welcoming and friendly.
And the city combines a refreshingly unpretentious attitude with a style and sophistication all its own.
Dine at eclectic cafes and restaurants. Explore world-class attractions and entertainment. Or just enjoy
the city sights. An excursion around Darling Harbour is definitely a must.
<Jetta>
Sydney is also a nature-lover’s paradise. Golden, sandy beaches; lush parks and gardens; and scenic
vistas are all within reach. Visit Bondi, Manly, or Coogee beaches, where you can swim, surf, or just take
in the breathtaking views. Sail, kayak, or walk around Sydney Harbour. Climb the span of the Harbour
Bridge or head up to the Taronga Zoo, where you’ll come face to face with koalas, kookaburras, and
kangaroos.
<Ron>
Explore the rich history and accomplishments of Rotary in Australia. When Paul and Jean Harris visited in
1935, Rotary had already been active here for 14 years. Today, there are 34,000 Rotarians in 1,164 clubs
across Australia. They serve their local communities and help change the world with a variety of projects
and activities.
<Jetta>
Sydney is the gateway to the outback, so to get the full Australian experience, why not explore the areas
outside of the city? See Aboriginal rock paintings at Milbrodale. Horse ride across the countryside or
explore the Blue Mountains, designated a World Heritage Site in 2000. Tour renowned Hunter Valley, a
two hour’s drive north of Sydney, and visit some of the 120 wineries there.
<Ron>
But the real excitement will take place here at the Allphones Arena, Olympic Park. Built for the Sydney
Olympics, this multipurpose site will host the 2014 Rotary International Convention.
<Jetta>
So join us and Rotarians from around the world for the Rotary Convention, 1 to 4 June, 2014 in Sydney,
Australia.
<Ron>
See for yourself why Sydney is the perfect place to Engage Rotary, Change Lives.
<Restore house lights. Futa enters stage left and goes to lectern.>
<Futa>
Thank you, Mark, Barry, and Lloyd for that wonderful preview of the 2014 Sydney Convention.
Our first speaker is the founder and executive director of the nonprofit organization CauseCentric
Productions, which focuses on the grassroots organizations and individuals working on environmental
and socio-cultural issues. Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm welcome to the daughter of ocean
explorer and filmmaker Jean-Michel Cousteau and granddaughter of the legendary Jacques Yves
Cousteau, Ms Céline Cousteau.
<Applause>
<Cousteau enters stage right and goes to lectern. Futa greets Cousteau and then exits stage left.>
<Cousteau>
Unscripted.
<Applause. Futa enters stage left and greets Cousteau; Cousteau exits stage left while Futa goes to
lectern.>
<Futa>
Thank you, Celine.
Our next speaker’s work revolves around inspiring action on behalf of endangered species, particularly
chimpanzees, and encouraging people to do their part to make the world a better place for people,
animals, and the environment we all share. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming the
renowned primatologist, Dr. Jane Goodall.
<Applause>
<Goodall enters stage right and goes to lectern. Futa greets Goodall and then exits stage left.>
<Goodall>
Unscripted.
<Applause. Futa enters stage left and goes to lectern while Goodalll exits stage left.>
<Futa>
Thank you, Dr. Goodall. Dr. Goodall will be available for an autograph session at 14:00 today in Pavillion
4 in the registration area. She will be able to sign books, posters, or other items. We appreciate Dr.
Goodall spending so much time here at the Convention to interact with Rotarians.
Our next speaker, Craig Kielburger, cofounded Free The Children in 1995 at only 12 years of age. Today,
he remains a passionate full-time volunteer for the organization, now an international charity and
renowned educational partner that empowers youth to achieve their fullest potential as agents of
change. Craig is also the cofounder of Me to We. An innovative social enterprise, Me to We provides
people with better choices for a better world. In North America, the organization’s We Day celebrations
fill stadiums with tens of thousands of young people who earn their entry through service.
Internationally, the organization works in seven countries providing schools, clean water, healthcare,
and alternative income programs. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming, Craig Kielburger.
<Applause>
<Kielburger enters stage right and goes to lectern. Futa greets Kielburger and then exits stage left.>
<Kielburger>
Thank you for those very kind words of introduction. It’s an honor to stand in front of you as a proud
Paul Harris Fellow and truly someone who, I am proud to say, has been greatly impacted by Rotary in
the course of my life, and as a representative of the organization Free The Children. You see, the story of
our journey as an international charity and educational partner started when I was 12 years old. As I was
looking for the comics in the morning newspaper, I instead came across an arresting article. It was the
story of a young boy named Iqbal Masih, who was sold by his parents at the age of four to weave
carpets in Pakistan. The article described how Iqbal escaped at the age of 10 and traveled the world,
courageously telling his story to anyone who would listen, in the hope that he could help eradicate child
labor forever. His dream was cut brutally short, however, as he was shot dead near his home at the age
of 12.
Iqbal’s story touched me so deeply because we were the same age at that point. I was 12 years old and
had thought that all children had a home to live in, friends to play with, and the opportunity to attend
school. Reading this article changed everything. At first I wasn’t sure what I could do, but I knew I had to
do something. I tore the article out of the paper and brought it to my Grade 7 class. I asked for their
help, and 11 hands shot up. From that moment, the 12 of us, together, founded this tiny organization.
We never dreamed that at the time what it could become. Or the impact we could — or would — make.
We certainly weren’t encouraged at first — certainly not by other organizations. We started by calling
other groups to offer our assistance. We were simply dismissed as being too young, naïve, or idealistic.
One charity we called actually said to us, “Do you know where your parents keep their credit card?
That’s how you can help.”
And so we created Free The Children for two reasons — first, to free kids internationally from poverty
and exploitation, human trafficking, and a lack of access to education; and second, to free kids close to
home from the idea that they were too young to make a difference, from the limitations that society so
often placed on them, and even from the limitations sometimes placed on themselves. We had, of
course, some incredible pioneers blazing the way. And over the years we’ve had the honor to work with
Rotary clubs in Canada and around the world to help grow Free The Children.
As a grassroots organization of business professionals and community leaders that volunteer time,
talent, and resources, Rotary International offers a vital blueprint for any organization that seeks to
remedy vital community needs. Today Free the Children has worked in over 45 countries around the
world. Our organization is unique among Canadian charities in that it operates programs both
domestically and internationally, in a manner that is intended to be interrelated and mutually
reinforcing. Typically, most organizations in Canada or the United States (or around the world) would
serve primarily a domestic or international mandate. We serve both.
Our dream, our mission, is to continue to provide children with the tools they need to change the world.
What does that mean in practice? Well, domestically, we have 250 full-time team members who help us
to empower youth with all the resources to make a difference. These are the tools and guidance that I
dreamed of having when I was starting out as an eager young world changer! They include dynamic
speaking tours for schools that truly engage students and educators, and follow-up workshops that truly
educate; the creation of structured leadership opportunities and an action plan tailored to each school
that clearly outlines how they can make a difference. It includes hands-on youth coordinators who help
guide their actions, pre-packaged campaigns on a whole variety of pressing social issues — whether they
be hunger at home, anti-bullying, homelessness, or global issues like clean water or helping to free
people from poverty.
Internationally, freedom for us is helping a young girl to receive education and clean water at her school
and food so that she can attend class and be alert to learn; having access to medical treatment; and for
her family to run a small business to lift her forever out of poverty. How do we do this? From more than
17 years of international development experience, we recognize that only a holistic approach can be
successful. Specifically, five crucial and inter-connected pillars: education, health, clean water and
sanitation, alternative income and livelihood, and agriculture and food security. We try to connect these
two mandates — domestic and international — to enable young people in North America or Europe to
learn about their friends around the world, so they can understand and fully realize, in a very tangible
way, the difference they are making.
We call this holistic approach the Adopt a Village model. And we create and entrench this connection,
embedding it in the school curriculum to reinforce the realities of what’s taking place in developing
communities, to make these realities actually come alive in the classroom. It’s about empowering
students — entire schools in some cases — to help to build a school or clean water project or health
clinic in a developing community through car washes and bake sales in their own community. And, the
ultimate tangible experience for young change-makers, embarking on international service trips through
our organization.
Every year more than 2,000 students, high school and secondary school (and, in many cases, like Rotary,
with families), travel overseas with us, and roll up their sleeves to touch and build and see. They get to
actually help to connect with the village they adopted in a developing country. We call it transformative
travel. And with good reason. Helping a child overseas, their photo on your fridge, is great. But actually
meeting that child, working alongside her to build a schoolroom in her community? That experience
changes the lives of the recipient and the donor. Forever. I appreciate that this sentiment echoes the
Rotary belief in opportunities that change lives. It’s no coincidence that Free The Children identified, as
well.
Creating this experience was fundamental choice for our organization. It’s the type of life-changing
experience I was longing for when I was 12; and one I struggled to find. That said, my own invitation to
become a difference-maker came in a manner which I recognize as wholly unique. Just a few years after
founding Free The Children, the phone rang at my house and my mother picked up. There was a voice, a
very formal sounding British voice on the line — a woman who claimed to be a representative of His
Holiness the Dalai Lama — calling to speak to Craig Kielburger. In essence, it was the Dalai Lama’s people
asking to speak to Craig Kielburger’s people. My people (my Mom) called out to me in the backyard,
thinking it was a prank call, and I ran inside to discover that it was, in fact, a representative of the Dalai
Lama on the phone. I was invited to promptly attend an assembly that would gather theologians,
philosophers, and people from all walks of life representing the great diversity of the world. The
esteemed gathering was, in essence, not unlike this room: packed with serious, like-minded adults who
cared deeply about the world and all of its inhabitants. The organizers had duly noted, at the last
minute, that they were lacking representation from a rather important demographic: youth. I had quite
literally stepped into a conference seeking to identify the gravest problems facing the world and an
exploration of how they might be solved. (Not exactly kids’ stuff!)
As you’d imagine a great deal of debate ensued over the course of the conference. What was most
pressing: hunger, poverty, environmental degradation? You can imagine the diversity of questions and
the myriad of proposed answers that came to the fore. But every time we put forth an issue — whether
it was hunger or world peace, the growth and scale of violence, or rapidly advancing environmental
fragility — the core solution came down to a question of will. Did the desire, the motivation, and the will
actually exist to tackle and overcome the issue? At the end of the conference the consensus was this:
the greatest challenge facing our world was that we were raising a generation of passive bystanders.
Today, I still believe that remains the world’s greatest challenge: to inspire the next generation to truly
care that they might take charge of pressing issues facing our communities and our world and to create
real change. In short: to fill your seats.
Service Above Self conveys the humanitarian spirit of your organization’s 1.2 million plus members and
characterizes your work around the world. Will your motto endure? I offer you a resounding “yes.” The
next generation of people to carry on your legacy is out there. The young people who will continue the
extraordinary work you’ve done in helping to eradicate polio, in creating viable economic opportunities
in countless communities, helping to lift families out of poverty, promoting literacy and empowering
children through access to education. The Rotary legacy is an extraordinary one and I humbly stand
before you as living proof that it is a tangible one. Your inspirational efforts have shown me and Free
The Children what is possible when the will truly exists. I want let you know that you are not alone.
There is an entire generation following in your footsteps, proudly so, in continuing this amazing legacy
you’ve helped to create as the world’s largest service organization. We hear from young people that the
number one reason that they’re not involved is they say, “I’m only one person. What difference will I,
alone, make?” We tell them with confidence that, as humans, we don’t do great things. Rather, we all
do small things with great love. And together — that’s how we make a real difference. And we look no
farther than Rotary for a tangible illustration.
When Rotary comes together, you find your strength. We, too, have been bringing young people
together in large numbers, in our case since 2007. We call these events We Days. We bring together
20,000 youth at a time to fill stadiums. To attend a We Day, young people must earn their way in
through volunteerism and service. This is what a We Day looks like. We now stage these events every
year in 11 cities across North America. The events are broadcast in Canada and enjoy considerable
reach: 1 in 5 Canadians watch We Day. A true gathering of people, We Day is a community in every
sense of the word — we now have 2.4 million We Day followers on Facebook.
Our next We Day is in Saskatoon in late February, followed by Seattle — our first in the U.S. — on March
27th, in Toronto on September 20th, and in Minnesota on October 28th. And we have one eye on our
first European We Day: London, England, coming in 2014. We’d love to invite you to be part of this
celebration. Openness and inclusion is at the very heart of We Day: it’s an event that’s inclusive of all
causes, as we readily allow the youth the choice. Only they can choose what they want to support. And
if they can find the inspiration to serve and to make a difference, we have succeeded.
We have groups from Rotary and countless organizations that come to hear leaders from countries all
around the world. It’s easily the only event where you’ll see President Gorbachev and Justin Bieber
share a stage at the same time! These are groups and individuals who’ve earned their way in, having
logged 1.5 million volunteer hours, collected 3 million pounds of food, clocked 6 million hours of silence,
arrived from over 7,500 schools, and raised $26 million for different causes. But here’s the most exciting
part: We Day is more than a one-day event: it inspires youth in the long term. The impacts are tangible
and measurable. We do extensive tracking through an independent research group called Mission
Measurement. Through them we have discovered that 80 percent of We Day alumni continue to
volunteer every year, on average 150 hours. As well, 83 percent donate to a charity in the year following
We Day, and 79 percent voted in the last federal election in our country (if they’re over 18).
We Day also helps reinforce our campaigns, which run throughout the school year. These are campaigns
that seek to create youth-friendly, simple actions. We find that resonates with young people. Campaigns
like We Scare Hunger, where youth trick-or-treat on Halloween for non-perishable food for local food
banks. Or We Create Change, where youth collect pennies — to-date raising $500,000 worth in the
soon-to-disappear copper coinage. Every $25 in pennies they collect gives one person overseas clean
water for life. Or We Are Silent, for which youth take a 24- hour pledge not to speak or use social media,
to raise awareness for a variety of causes. And as I mentioned earlier, we can connect schools in North
America with their “adopted” villages all around the world through Adopt a Village, and students can
even embark on return visits — volunteer trips that enable them to continue building and teaching.
A tragic headline changed the direction of my life years ago. And I now dream of the day that we can
open the newspaper and see radically different headlines: poverty gone forever, hunger crisis averted
worldwide, child poverty is history, homelessness ends, Rotary reaches record number of youth. As a
world-leading not-for-profit corporation supported solely by volunteers who share its vision of a better
world, you have established the blueprint. I believe it is the ideal foundation to build on. And on it will
go. Because I believe that our mission at Free The Children is simple. We are recruiting the next
generation of your members. We are recruiting to raise the next generation of Rotarians to help change
this world for the better. We want to make change in the world cool and possible for young people.
Rotary has a long and illustrious history with an important role in nurturing youth that I keenly
appreciate and respect. And since any organization’s greatest asset is its future members, engaging
youth is not only beneficial and productive — it’s also laying the very foundation of its destiny. I have
confidence that Rotary, its beliefs, its work, and its legacy, will endure. For generations, we’ve been
attempting to make a better world for our children. The world is now coming to realize that it becomes
better with them. One young person at a time. One future Rotarian at a time. So I want to extend a
humble and heartfelt “thank you” one more time. I want to invite you to be part of the We Day
celebration. And most importantly I want to thank you for the extraordinary, inspirational work you do
on behalf of Free the Children.
<Applause. Futa enters stage left and goes to lectern while Kielburger exits.>
<Futa>
Thank you, Craig.
Thank you for attending today’s fourth plenary session. I look forward to seeing you here later this
afternoon for the closing plenary sessions. This session is now adjourned.
<Futa taps the bell. Futa exits stage left.>
2013 INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION
CLOSING PLENARY SESSION
Wednesday, 26 June 2013
16:30-19:30
MC: Ed Futa, 2013 Convention Committee Chair, RI
<RI Voiceover>
Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats. The program is about to begin.
<Doing Good in Seattle Video Transcript> (approximately 4.5 minutes)
<text on screen>
THE USDA ESTIMATES THAT BETWEEN 25-33 PERCENT OF FOOD GROWN IN THE U.S. GOES TO WASTE.
<various speakers>
"If you talk to any grower, they hate to see any of their product that they’ve worked for months and
months to grow, go to waste, and so what we do is we work with those growers to find a way to make
sure that that product doesn’t go to waste. My name is David Bobanick and I’m the executive director of
Rotary First Harvest. We connect farmers, truckers, volunteers, and food banks for hunger relief."
“Gleaning is harvesting unmarketable product whether that’s going to the grocery store and picking up
their day-old bread, that would be gleaning, to what we’re doing here, which is fresh produce, you
know, straight from the orchard.”
“My name is Adam McCurdy, I’m the field production manager here at Oxbow Farms. Yeah it’s amazing
to think about the food going to people who need it, because so there is so much waste. So many times
it’s not economically viable for us to go in there. However, that crop is still completely edible, and the
fact that we’re getting food to folks who need it just keeps us going.”
“Since the beginning, the key for Rotary First Harvest has been to connect and collaborate. We don’t
necessarily own trucks, we don’t own farms, but we work with those who do, to help them get their
produce into the food banking system.”
“If this Saturday you are free from 9 to twelve, 9 till noon, we’ll be having a Rotary First Harvest packing
party at the NW warehouse in Kent. We have a truckload of Gala apples coming in, about 60,000
pounds. We’ll be repacking those, and they’ll be going out to food banks next week. We’ll also be
repacking peas. So, if you’re available this Saturday morning, I really hope you can make it there. It
should be a great way to spend the morning with friends and fellow Rotarians.”
<text on screen>
IN ONE DAY, 143 VOLUNTEERS PACKAGED 47,000 POUNDS OF PRODUCE.
<various speakers>
“This food bank has really been a blessing to me. In fact, it has helped a lot of people sustain life.”
“I need some vegetables, fresh frozen vegetables. Mom would be proud of me.”
“What I would say to the people that volunteer or coordinate the food bank you’re doing an awesome
job. I thank you from the bottom of my heart very much. If you don’t hear from other people, they also
thank you.”
“Every Rotary project anywhere in the world, always started out with one person who had an idea. And
then they were able to grow and develop that idea by getting other Rotarians engaged and using that
powerful network of Rotary to really change the world.”
<text on screen>
IN ONE GROWING SEASON, ROTARY FIRST HARVEST, A PROGRAM OF DISTRICT 5030
COORDINATES OVER 1500 VOLUNTEERS
4500 VOLUNTEER HOURS
6,408,000 POUNDS OF PRODUCE
CREATING OVER 3 MILLION FAMILY MEALS
Doing Good in the United States
<RI Voiceover>
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the president of Rotary International, Sakuji Tanaka.
<Applause>
<Tanaka enters stage right and goes to lectern.>
<Tanaka>
Good evening, Rotarians and guests. Welcome to the final event of the 104th Annual Rotary
International Convention. I now call this session to order.
<Tanaka taps bell.>
Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming to the stage the 2013 Convention Committee
members, chaired by Ed Futa.
<Applause>
<Futa leads the convention committee members onto center stage.>
<Tanaka>
Chair Futa, on behalf of the attendees of this convention and Rotarians around the world, I would like to
present you with this plaque to thank you and the Convention Committee for all of the hard work and
effort to make this event a marvelous success. The plaque reads:
“To the 2013 Rotary International Convention Committee Chair, Ed Futa, Past General Secretary. On the
Occasion of the 104th Annual Convention of Rotary International in Lisbon, Portugal “A Harbor for
Peace” 23-26 June 2013. In recognition of your dedicated and tireless service to the International
Convention.” Chair Futa, please join me at the podium.
<Tanaka hands the plaque to Futa. Futa shakes Tanaka’s hand and steps back in place.>
<Tanaka>
And now please welcome to the stage a group of people who have also spent many hours in preparation
for this convention. Let’s give a warm round of applause to the Lisbon Host Organization Committee,
chaired by Luis Miguel Duarte.
<Applause>
<Chair and HOC members enter stage left.>
<Tanaka>
On behalf of the attendees of this convention and Rotarians around the world, I want to thank the Host
Organization Committee for their efforts to make the 2013 Lisbon Convention a success. It is my
pleasure to present to you this plaque, which reads:
“To the 2013 Rotary International Host Organization Committee of Lisbon, Portugal “A Harbor for
Peace.” On the Occasion of the 104th Annual Convention of Rotary International, 23-26 June 2013 In
recognition of their dedication to Rotary International and warm hospitality to the Rotarians of the
World before and during the RI Convention.” HOC Chair Duarte, please join me at the podium to receive
your award.
<Tanaka hands Duarte the plaque and shakes hand.>
<Tanaka>
Thank you all again for your work. I hope we have the chance to work together again in the future. Let’s
hear it for this group of talented Rotarians!
<All exit stage right, Tanaka stays at lectern.>
<Tanaka>
Next, I would like to recognize another hard working group of Rotarians, which helped insure the
success of this convention. You and I may have lost something or needed direction or just some advice
and turned to find a patient, knowledgeable helper in a yellow coat or a red sash. Ladies and gentlemen,
please give a huge round of applause for our 2013 Convention Sergeants-at-Arms, led by Chief Sergeant
Mike McCullough and Sherry and their helper volunteers from all around the world.
<Mike and Sherry enter stage right and the rest of the SAAs march in front of the stage and wave. Then
they return to their places throughout the hall.>
<Applause>
<Tanaka>
For some rotary clubs, this year marked a special celebration. Some of you are celebrating your clubs’
centennial year this year, congratulations! In honor this special occasion, you will be receiving a
recognition certificate from your district governor soon. Let’s give those clubs celebrating their
centennial year a big round of applause.
<Applause>
It is my pleasure today to recognize a milestone in Rotary’s work with New Generations. At this
convention we celebrate 50 years since the first Interact club was chartered in 1962 in Melbourne,
Florida, USA. This marked a new era for Rotarians, who moved from serving youth as recipients to
empowering young people to lead and volunteer. Interact clubs now exist in more than 140 countries
worldwide, with an estimated membership of more than 350,000 Interactors, belonging to more than
15,000 clubs.
Young people in these clubs form friendships, serve others, and develop leadership skills, as they work
with their sponsor Rotary clubs to make an impact in their communities and around the world. I
commend all current and past participants of Interact for their spirited commitment to the ideals of
Rotary. And I recognize all the efforts of all the Rotarians who have served as mentors and advisors for
the Interactors in the clubs they sponsor, helping to guide and inspire the next generation of community
leaders.
We must continue to look forward and recognize that the future of Rotary, and the future prospects for
world peace, rest with today’s youth. Now I invite you to watch a video celebrating all the young people
and Rotarians who have worked as partners in service through Interact over the last 50 years.
<Interact Video Transcript>
For its first fifty years, Rotary was pretty much an organization for adults. But in the 1960s, the times
began to change. Kids like me were taking a stand, speaking out, and getting involved. Rotary wanted to
unite young leaders and guide their energy toward service, and so Interact was born. Today, Rotary
clubs sponsor more than 15,000 Interact clubs in 142 countries. Interactors SERVE by volunteering in our
communities . . . and reaching out to others in need. We CONNECT in our clubs, and build friendships
around the world. And we LEAD by developing opportunities for the future. Interact has been changing
the world for 50 years. We’re the next generation of leaders. Are you ready to join us?
<Toward the end of the video, Tanaka goes back to the lectern.>
<Tanaka>
This year I challenged every Rotary club to conduct activities to enhance peace in their community. Their
response has exceeded my wildest expectations, and I offer my sincere thanks to all of the Rotarians
who promoted Peace Through Service every day in ways big and small. I’ve had the privilege of learning
about many clubs’ outstanding contributions to peace this year. At this time, I would like to recognize
one club in particular for spreading Rotary’s message of peace in a very unique and effective way.
The Rotary Club of Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany reached out to popular German band “Marco und
die Elfenbande.” The club convinced the band to write and record a song to teach young people about
the importance of peace, and how Rotary is helping to achieve it. The Rotary Peace Song was performed
in front of 500 children at a school in the community, spreading a message of peace to these
impressionable young people. The club also distributed CDs of the song to hundreds of schoolchildren in
the area. The song is now available for download, with 40 percent of the proceeds going to support the
club’s community service projects. The Rotary Peace Song shares a simple but profound message: each
day, through Rotary, we have the power to make a more peaceful world for future generations.
Let’s listen.
<Play song and slideshow>
Free hearts and happiness —
to reach that goal, we want to build peace — a little every day
To take action for that is everybody’s duty, wherever they can
Because peace begins with small steps — every day
Free souls, open view —
to reach that goal, we want to build peace — a little every day
Those who help each other — and think as a community
Have given a little bit of peace to the world
Piece by piece to peace
Rotary will make a step each day to achieve
Free hearts and free souls for all humankind
And peace for all the generations following behind
Free children, free world —
to reach that goal, we want to build peace — it is the only thing that counts
Those who help children and laugh with them
Have brought a little peace to the world
Piece by piece to peace
Rotary will make a step each day to achieve
Free hearts and free souls for all humankind
And peace for all the generations following behind
Get on your way,
and walk a little every day
on the road to peace
friends will be on your side
Everyone is walking for one another
you for him and for me
each step is important
the ones by me, the ones by us, the ones for you.
stay focused on your goal
on the road to peace
we get closer every day
Everyone is walking for one another
and acts where he can
because peace begins with little steps
every day anew.
Piece by piece to peace
Rotary will make a step each day to achieve
Free hearts and free souls for all humankind
And peace for all the generations following behind
<Tanaka>
Ladies and gentlemen, representing the Rotary Club of Villingen-Schwennigen, Germany, please
welcome to the stage Club President Ralf Trautwein. It is my great pleasure to present Club President
Ralf Trautwein with this award plaque.
<Trautwein enters stage left and goes to the lectern.>
<Applause>
Ralf it is my great pleasure to present you with this award plaque. Thank you for your outstanding
efforts to promote Peace Through Service.
<Trautwein exit stage left, Tanaka stays at lectern.>
<Pause>
<Tanaka>
Now, please welcome to the stage, from the Rotary Club of Arrecifes, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Rotary
Global Peace Forums chair and convener, Luis V. Giay
<Applause>
<Giay enters stage right and goes to the lectern. Takana greets Giay and then exits stage left.>
<Giay>
The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace is one of the cornerstones of the
Rotary movement. With Rotary’s active presence in more than 200 countries and geographical areas,
our organization has established itself as a world leader in fostering Peace Through Service. We have
accomplished a great deal in this area throughout our history, but we must continue to look forward and
recognize that the future of Rotary — and the future prospects for world peace — rest with today’s
youth. To ensure a lasting legacy in this arena, we must engage young people in a meaningful way and
empower them to carry Rotary’s peace-building efforts into the future.
In 2012-13, we held three Rotary Global Peace Forums to support President Tanaka’s vision. Each forum
engaged and inspired Rotarians, youth program participants, alumni, and community leaders about the
importance of peace. The first forum was in Berlin, Germany, on 30 November to 2 December 2012. We
emphasized the value of democracy and freedom under the theme Peace Without Borders. During this
event we have shown the relevant role of intercountry committees in promoting understanding among
nations. Participation of government officers, relevant speakers, and young generations have given to
this forum a very special environment.
In Honolulu, Hawaii from 25-27 January 2013 we focused our discussions on the importance of
conserving and protecting our shared environmental resources and mitigating the effects of natural
disasters as a prerequisite to peace. Under the theme The Green Path to Peace we gave special
participation for New Generations Programs focused on young people. The attendance of Mrs. Aung San
Suu Kyi, Nobel Peace Prize Winner, as keynote speaker was one of the highlights of this forum.
The last Rotary Global Peace Forum was held in Hiroshima, Japan, last 17-18 May 2013. The theme was
Peace Begins with You and we have explored ways in which each of us has the power to promote peace
in our daily lives and in our communities. Participation of relevant young, community, and international
leaders have given a great attraction to this forum with a great participation, including New Generations
program participants (Rotaractors, Interactors, Youth Exchange students, and RYLArians), Ambassadorial
Scholars, Rotary Peace Fellows, alumni, and young Rotarian leaders empowering them and their visions
of peace.
The three forums were a resounding success in attendance and achievements and very well organized
by local Rotarians. In Berlin we had 1,706 participants from 42 nations. In Honolulu, there were 1,765
participants from 32 nations, and in Hiroshima, we had reached 2,785 participants from 52 nations.
While this was truly a great achievement, with more than 6,000 enthusiastic participants and very
inspirational presentations about peace from all over the world, it was only the beginning.
In parallel many other peace forums were organized by clubs and districts around the world as a
response to an appeal from President Tanaka. Each forum adopted a peace declaration that was
consistent with the theme of the meeting. The text of each declaration has been posted in President
Tanaka’s peace booth here in the House of Friendship. These declarations served as an umbrella for the
final declaration of peace for Lisbon Convention approved by the Board of Directors of Rotary
International.
Ladies and gentlemen, is my pleasure to present to you the Lisbon declaration of peace that reads as
follows:
All human beings have the right to live in a state of peace, free from violence, persecution,
inequality, and suffering. As leaders and friends of the Rotary movement, united in service, we
publicly declare our permanent commitment to creating a more peaceful world. Under the
leadership of President Sakuji Tanaka, Rotary celebrated peace at the Rotary Global Peace
Forums in Berlin (Peace Without Borders), Honolulu (The Green Path to Peace), and Hiroshima
(Peace Begins with You). The success of these meetings carries these messages of peace to all of
our communities around the world. Through Rotary, we transcend the national boundaries and
political ideologies that so often divide people and enable conflict to take root. We believe that
tolerance is necessary for peace to exist, and we respect one another’s rights to freely express
political, religious, cultural, and social perspectives and practices that differ from our own.
Looking beyond our differences, we come together as global citizens to work for the good that
we can collectively accomplish. In this spirit, we envision a world of peace without borders.
Peace is a way of life requiring steadfast dedication, and it cannot thrive unless we are willing to
work for it. Peace Begins with You is our call to action, and each of us recognizes that we have a
personal responsibility to answer it. Peace begins when we make a conscious effort in our daily
lives to ensure that every action we take is one that builds goodwill and friendship. Peace is
sustained when we join together, work together, and in turn, inspire young people to carry the
pursuit of peace forward, generation after generation. We nurture the seeds of peace by
encouraging young people’s creativity, energy, and idealism, empowering them to become
catalysts for change. As our legacy for future peace, we recognize the vital importance of
conserving and protecting our planet’s resources for future generations. We encourage young
people to value peace over war, friendship over enmity, and compromise over conflict, knowing
that they will carry these values forward as the leaders of tomorrow. As each generation
supports the next, the seeds of our actions will yield a green path to peace, constantly moving
forward. We express our desire for a peaceful world through the action of service. By serving
and helping others, we gain empathy and understanding, build lasting bonds of friendship, and
empower others to become peacemakers. We urge everyone who shares our vision to join us in
advancing Peace Through Service. Peace is not a final destination to be reached, but an active
and continuous process. All of us are capable of becoming peacemakers in our own lives, and
through our words and actions, we will demonstrate that peace is possible.
Ladies and gentlemen this is our Lisbon Declaration of Peace! Mr. President Sakuji Tanaka: you have
inspired us during this year with your theme and the idea of these Rotary Global Peace Forums. On
behalf of the Rotary Global Peace Forum Committee and all those that have been beneficiaries of your
efforts I would like to present you this token of appreciation. Many thanks.
<Applause. Giay exits stage left.>
<RI Voiceover>
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome from the Rotary Club of Red Deer East, Alberta, Canada, the aide
to the president-elect and his spouse, Monty Audenart and Liz.
<Audenarts enter stage right and go to the lectern.>
<Audenart>
My Rotary friends, if there is one thing that unites us all it is family. Please welcome to the Rotary stage
the family of our President-elect Ron Burton and Jetta.
<Applause>
<Burton family enters stage right. Liz gives flowers to Jetta.>
Jetta met Ron in their high school band where the trombone exchanged notes with the bassoon, and
together they have celebrated 45 years of marriage. She graduated from the University of Oklahoma,
and retired after teaching mathematics for 32 years. In 1993 she was honored by President Clinton with
the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics Teaching, the highest honor bestowed by the
United States government for K-12 mathematics teachers. Jetta joined Rotary in 1997, and served as
Club President in 2004. She has and will continue to support Ron in his many travels. Jetta and Ron are
parents to Ronna and Josh, and proud grandparents to three grandchildren.
<First family steps forward. Liz goes to family and hand out the flowers.>
Ronna also graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a Bachelor’s of Business Administration in
Accounting and Management Information Systems. She has been extensively involved with software
engineering at Sprint. She met her husband Matt while interning with the FBI. (Matt, she must have read
your file!) A former Rotarian, Ronna left work to raise her family and is an active community volunteer.
Matt graduated with a degree in Literature. He is a founding partner of HSP Direct, one of the most
effective national direct mail fundraising agencies in the United States. Matt continues to volunteer as
President of the Youth Football program. He courted Ronna when he was interning for his Oregon
Congressmen in Washington. (He obviously learned the art of lobbying!) Duncan is 12 years old, and in
6th grade. He plays tackle football, soccer, and basketball. When he is not doing sports he is playing the
electric guitar, and he is also an honor student, earning all A’s in school. Brynn is 9 years old, plays
basketball and volleyball, and cheerleads for her brother’s football team. She also plays the piano, loves
animals and science, and wants to become a veterinarian when she grows up. She is also an honor
student.
<Applause. Family steps back.>
<Second family steps forward. Liz goes to family and hand out the flowers.>
Josh is a Rotarian, a graduate of the University of Oklahoma in journalism and is the managing editor of
the Owasso Reporter in Oklahoma. Josh recalls traveling to six conventions with his parents and to most
of Ron’s official visits when Ron was district governor. He and his sister memorized their Dad’s official
speech by heart. Tammie has a business certificate in accounting and works for St. Johns Hospital in the
business office, resolving state-funded insurance and medical claims. She has over seven years in the
health care industry, and when she is not working 40 hours a week she and Josh spend every available
moment with their daughter, Larissa. Larissa is 4 years old. She has learned to count to 100 in English, as
well as to 20 in Spanish and 30 in Japanese and can sing some Japanese songs. She enjoys drawing,
coloring, and hugging Grandma and Grandpa.
<Applause. Family steps back.>
The Burtons!
<Liz escorts the family from the stage, including Jetta and Ron.>
<Audenart>
There is magic in the air when you meet Ron Burton for the first time. In just a few short moments you
feel as though you have been reunited with a lifelong friend. He works to make you feel important. In
recent months and on more than one occasion I have seen on his desk at Rotary International hundreds
of letters addressed to many of you, not to be sent until he had personally signed each one of them. It is
such an honor to introduce Ron to all of you, his friends.
Ron D. Burton retired as president after 40 years of service to the University of Oklahoma Foundation. If
a single trait marked Ron’s administration of the University’s Foundation and later his service to our own
Rotary Foundation, it was his integrity to ensure that every contribution would be spent according to
the donor’s wishes. Ron worked his way thru university, earning first a degree in accounting, and then
worked part-time on campus while pursuing his law degree. Today, he is a member of the American Bar
Association, the United States Supreme Court Bar, the Oklahoma Bar Association, the Cleveland County
Bar Association, and several other public charitable, educational, and trust associations.
Active in his community, Ron is a founder and past president of the Norman Public School Foundation,
founder and past board member of the Norman Community Foundation. A recipient of the Silver Beaver
Award, he is a past vice president of the Last Frontier Council of the Boy Scouts of America. A Rotarian
since 1979, Ron served on the Board of Directors of Rotary International as chair of the Executive,
Administration, and Audit Committees. He served as moderator of the International Assembly and as
aide to past RI president Bill Boyd. He chaired the RI convention in New Orleans, and over the years has
served on numerous RI and Foundation committees.
Ron served as trustee and vice chair of the Rotary Foundation. He has been a member of the Future
Vision Committee since 2007. He is the recipient of the RI Service Above Self Award, the Rotary
Foundation Citation for Meritorious Service, the Rotary Foundation Distinguished Service Award, and
the International Service Award for a Polio-Free World. He and Jetta are Major Donors, members of the
Paul Harris Society, the Bequest Society, and the Arch Klumph Society. I can pay no greater tribute to
Ron than to tell you that here is a Rotarian who lives Rotary passionately in our day and that in this
coming year he will inspire and motivate us to Engage Rotary, Change Lives. And for that, you and I and
Rotarians worldwide will be better people for knowing him. My Rotary friends please welcome, from the
Rotary club of Norman, Oklahoma ,USA, the president-elect of Rotary International, Ron Burton.
<Ron enters stage right and Monty exits stage left.>
<Burton>
Friends, fellow Rotarians, members of the family of Rotary:
It is a tremendous honor to address you, in the last few hours of this incredible Rotary convention, as
your president-elect. It has been an amazing four days. A Rotary convention truly is a chance to see
humanity at its best, with tens of thousands of people, from every corner of the world, coming together
in friendship for one simple reason: our shared belief in Service Above Self. In the last few days, we’ve
learned from each other; we’ve shared our experiences and our successes. We’ve seen just how much
Rotary is doing, in so many places. And we’ve come away inspired — to do even more.
This is an incredibly exciting time to be a Rotarian. And I believe the year we are about to begin will be
one of the greatest years Rotary has ever experienced, as we come to the end of our fight against polio,
and the beginning of a new era for our Rotary Foundation. Twenty-six years ago, I was at the Rotary
convention in Munich, as a district governor-elect, gearing up for the biggest, most ambitious program
in Rotary’s history: PolioPlus. We were getting ready to tackle the largest fundraising campaign we’d
ever had, and the biggest commitment Rotary had ever made: to eradicate polio from the face of the
earth. It was truly uncharted territory. It’s probably just as well that we didn’t know back then how long
it was going to take. I guess you could say it’s been more of a marathon than a sprint. But I think anyone
who’s ever run a marathon would tell you, that the longer and harder the race, the greater the pride
when the finish line comes into sight — and the greater the determination to cross it.
We’ve learned a lot over the years of PolioPlus. We’ve learned a lot about polio. And we’ve learned even
more about ourselves — and what we’re capable of as individuals, as clubs and districts, and together,
as Rotary International. We’ve learned that the higher we aim in our Rotary service, the more we can
achieve. And that is why we’re ready to start aiming higher in everything we do — as Rotarians, in our
clubs, and through our Foundation, with the new Foundation grant structure we’ve been calling Future
Vision.
Future Vision is a new way of thinking about Rotary service — and a new era for our Foundation. It takes
everything that is wonderful about Rotary, and brings it to a new level — by encouraging Rotarians to
serve in the ways that do the most good, while retaining the flexibility to serve in the ways that we
choose. It’s a big transition — a big change from business as usual. The biggest change is learning to
think big — and planning for the long term. We’ll be talking about sustainability much more than we
have in the past, looking at ways to make sure that the good Rotary does, keeps on doing good, long
after Rotary’s involvement ends. The goal of our Rotary Foundation has always been Doing Good in the
World. Starting on July first, we’re going to take it a step further: we’re going to do the most good, for
the most people, that we possibly can. Our Rotary Foundation exists to take our Rotary service to that
higher level. But just how high we can go — how strong our Foundation will be — well, that depends on
each of us.
This year, I’ve been doing my best to remind people of that — and I asked our incoming district
governors to lead by example and each make a donation in their own name to our Rotary Foundation.
I’m proud to say that 100 percent of them did, and not only that, but they inspired thousands of their
incoming club presidents to do the same. So far, we’ve raised $4.6 million in new gifts for our Rotary
Foundation. And a lot of that money came from people who have never donated to our Foundation
before. Every one of those people is saying something with their gift. They’re saying,this is my
Foundation. It’s my resource, as a Rotarian, and it’s my responsibility. And I’m asking every one of you to
say the same.
We know that we could be doing more with a stronger Foundation. And we could be doing more with
stronger clubs — filled with more Rotarians, who are more fully engaged in their Rotary service. It’s time
for us to recognize that the real challenge we face isn’t just bringing new members into Rotary — it’s
turning new members into true Rotarians. It’s helping new members get engaged in Rotary — helping
them realize just what kind of potential Rotary offers them, and how their Rotary service can change
lives. Because the wonderful thing about Rotary is that while it can’t be everything to everybody, there
are so many opportunities for each of us in Rotary today that I think you’d be hard pressed to find a
Rotarian who couldn’t find something that they could really get behind. For me it was the Rotary
Foundation, and for someone else it might be water projects, or literacy, or youth exchange. It’s that
little bit of magic that’s waiting for each one of us, and it’s different for every Rotarian — the thing that
makes your heart warm and makes you say to yourself, yes! This is why I’m in Rotary — this is why I’m a
Rotarian. When we realize just what we can achieve in Rotary — when we really engage Rotary — that’s
when lives change. And, at the end of the day, no matter how many lives you reach out to change, the
life that will change the most — will be your own. That’s what our theme for 2013-2014 is all about.
Engage Rotary, Change Lives.
Rotary’s had the same number of members for around fifteen years now: about 1.2 million. And we talk
a lot about how important it is to bring in new members, so that Rotary can grow. But the truth is that
we get plenty of new members in Rotary — about 120,000 every year. So why isn’t Rotary growing?
Because every year, as those 120,000 new members come in the front door, 120,000 members go out
the back door. It’s like trying to fill up a bathtub without putting in the plug. And it isn’t getting us
anywhere. That’s why we’re committing to see Rotary membership climb to 1.3 million by 2015. That’s
an absolutely achievable goal — if we can make sure that we don’t just bring in new members, but also
keep the ones we have. We need to make sure that every new member who comes in to Rotary,
engages with Rotary. And we have to work harder to bring more women, more diversity, and every age
group into Rotary — not just attracting them to Rotary, but making sure Rotary works for them in the
long term. Whether that means being more flexible with our schedules and locations, or bringing
families into our service, or even welcoming kids at our meetings — we need to look at all the options,
with open eyes, to find the answers that work.
Every Rotarian is different. We all came to Rotary for our own reasons. Sometimes the reason you joined
Rotary isn’t the reason you stay. But every one of us here has had that experience of finding the thing in
Rotary that has helped us make the transition from just being a member of a Rotary club — to being a
Rotarian. And whatever it is to you, however you got that feeling that made you a Rotarian for life —
that’s what I want you to share — what I want you to help other people discover, so that they can find
that feeling for themselves. The one thing we can’t do is say we aren’t willing to change. Because if we
don’t want Rotary to end with us — we can’t act like it already does.
In 1905, when Paul Harris founded Rotary, his idea was for a club for like-minded people. Like-minded in
that they cared about the same things, they valued the same things, they had similar goals and ideas.
But there’s nothing in Rotary that says we all have to be the same. In fact, just about everything about
Rotary embraces how different we all are. Just look around you — how many countries, how many
languages are in this room today? How many different professions, backgrounds, religions, how many
different Rotary stories? Rotary is big enough for us all. We all have something to give. At every stage of
our lives and our careers, Rotary has something for all of us — a way to let us do more, be more, and
give more. A way for us to make our lives mean more. Because that’s what Rotary does. That’s what
Rotary does for all of us . Our goal, in 2013-2014, is to turn that potential, the potential we’ve all seen
this week, into reality. We’re going to do it by engaging our Rotary service, by getting involved, by
staying inspired, and by remembering every day, just what a gift we have in Rotary. Now is the time for
us to act.
Each one of us has a job to do — to get fully engaged in Rotary, to lead by example, and to inspire others
to join us. Working together, we will build a stronger Rotary — and a better world. Together, we will
Engage Rotary, Change Lives. Thank you.
<Applause. Burton exits stage left.>
<RI Voiceover>
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the 2013 Lisbon Convention Committee Chair, Ed Futa.
<Futa enter stage left and goes to the lectern.>
<Futa>
It is tradition that the Rotary Club of the International President displays a special presidential banner
during his year in office. At this time I would like to welcome to the stage, President Sakuji Tanaka and
Kyoko and some members from the Rotary Club of Yashio, Saitama, Japan. In addition, I would like to
welcome President-elect Ron Burton and Jetta and some members from the Rotary Club of Norman,
Oklahoma, USA, and from the Rotary Club of Norman-Cross Timbers, Oklahoma, USA.
<The members enter stage right and stage left.>
<The presidential banner is presented to Burton’s club members center stage.>
<Applause>
On behalf of President Tanaka and President-elect Burton, thank you for participating in this ceremony
and representing your clubs during the 104th Annual Rotary International Convention.
<Applause. Groups exit.>
<Futa>
And now, please join me in welcoming back to the stage President Tanaka.
<Tanaka enters stage right and goes to the lectern. Futa exits stage left.>
<Tanaka>
Good evening! In Japanese, we have a saying: Yoku manabi, yoku asobi. It means, study well, play well.
Here in Lisbon, we have had a wonderful few days. We have learned so much about Rotary. We have
found new ideas and new inspiration for our service. And we have taken the opportunity to enjoy each
other’s company and this beautiful city. This convention has been a perfect celebration of the Rotary
year that will soon come to a close. For me, 2012-2013 has been an incredible journey of learning and of
growth. When I look back at this Rotary year, every day brought something new. Every day was special.
And every day was wonderful. Wherever I stepped off a plane, in Africa, Asia, North and South America,
Europe, and Australia, I was met with a smile, by people wearing a Rotary pin. And I saw the way that
Rotarians are making a difference, in every one of more than 34,000 communities we serve.
Again and again, I have seen how Rotarians found a need — and found a way to meet it. In Kenya, I saw
Rotarians caring for some of the countless orphans left by AIDS and other diseases. The need is
tremendous, and there are no resources to meet it. Rotary is rising to this challenge, wherever and
however it can. Children who would have had to survive on the streets are being given a home, an
education — and a future. In Israel, I saw a project that brought children with heart defects to an Israeli
hospital for lifesaving surgery — with no regard for nationality or religion. I met family after family —
Jordanian, Egyptian, Lebanese, and Palestinian — who found that the people they thought were their
enemy, cared enough to save their children. As I walked through that hospital, I saw so many mothers
and fathers learning that they were not as different as they had thought. And I saw hope — for the
families of these children, and for a more peaceful tomorrow.
In New York, I took part in Rotary Day at the United Nations with about a thousand of my fellow
Rotarians. It was only a few days after Hurricane Sandy had struck the city. In New York alone, two
million people were left without power, one hundred thousand homes were destroyed, and many more
homes, roads, and tunnels were flooded. Rotary Day was held just as the recovery was beginning. All
over the world, Rotarians were sending help. Local Rotarians were doing their best to help as well, while
they also coped with an overwhelming situation. I had the chance to meet many of them. And as we
talked together about what had happened, I saw how they had come to see Rotary in a different way.
They said the same things that we said in Japan after the earthquake and tsunami two years ago. All of
us had seen disasters, on television, or in newspapers. But now, the homes that were destroyed were
our homes. They were the homes of our friends and our neighbors. Now, we understand what it is to
need help — and to receive it, from strangers, who care.
In this Rotary year, I have seen how much Rotary can help. And I have seen, how great is the need in so
many parts of the world. In this year, I traveled for the first time to Africa, and to India, and to the places
where millions of people live on 1 or 2 dollars a day. For the first time, I saw what it means to be so
desperately poor.
In India, I saw countless children, some very young, begging in the streets. It is not unusual, when a car
stops, for groups of children to run to it and bang on the windows, begging for money. There are so
many people that it is hard to absorb the scale of the poverty. There are so many that it is hard to
remember that each person is an individual. One day, in Delhi, something happened that made me see
just one. I was in a car with other Rotarians, on my way to visit a project. The traffic was heavy and our
car could not move. Suddenly, looking out the window, I noticed a little girl, about five years old, walking
between the cars. She stopped at the car in front of ours. I saw her reach up her hand, to knock on the
window. It did not open. She knocked again, and the driver opened the window a few centimeters. She
dropped a coin into the girl’s hand, and then closed the window. The traffic still did not move. I thought
the girl would go to the next car. But she did not. Instead, she stood on her toes, looking into the car.
She was so small that her nose only reached the bottom of the window. I could not hear what she said,
but I saw her point her finger to something inside the car. This time, the window opened quickly, and
the girl raised her cupped hands. Out of the window came a bottle of water, which the driver poured
into the little girl’s hands. She drank. And then, she raised her hands, to be filled again. But instead of
drinking, she moved her hands down — to let an even smaller child, whom I had not seen, have a drink
as well. The next day, passing through the same spot, I saw the same girl, holding the same very young
child on her lap. They sat on the edge of the roundabout. As we drove by again, I saw her face. It was
covered with dirt. But her expression was busy and animated. She was drawing a picture with her finger,
in the dust, for her baby sister. In the middle of that terrible situation, of hunger and danger and want,
she was doing something so natural, and so ordinary. She was trying to make her baby sister smile. As I
looked at that little girl’s face, in that moment, it seemed to change. I did not see the face of an Indian
street child. I saw the face of my own granddaughter, Rio. I saw Rio sitting there, with her younger
sister, Rui. I saw her sitting by the side of the road, dirty, hungry, and abandoned. I saw her holding Rui
in her lap, drawing a picture for her, to make her smile. I saw her, watching the cars go past, and
waiting, waiting for the person who would stop and open a window, to drop a coin, or pour a few sips of
water. Those two little girls, were only two, of so many millions. But they are no different from those
two little girls who are so precious to me. They need me just as much. They need us even more.
When I saw those little girls, I knew, as I never had before, how important Rotary is. I had seen so many
Rotary projects in India. I had seen the orphanages, the clinics, and the schools. I had seen the children
who had been given a home and a safe life. I had seen how much good Rotary had done. Here, I saw two
little children who were waiting for Rotary to do more. My friends, I tell you today that our Rotary
service matters more than you can possibly imagine. If we take the time and the care to do what is
needed, not what is easy for us. If we have the wisdom and the perspective to understand, the
difference that our work can make. If we have the vision to support our Rotary Foundation — so that it
can be there to support the people who need us most. This year, I have seen so many ways that
Rotarians have built a better world. And I have seen how much there is left for us to do — and why it is
so very important that we work together to build a larger and more powerful Rotary — with more
members, more active clubs, and a stronger Foundation. My friends, I wish you the best, as we end this
Rotary year of Peace Through Service. And I wish you all the success in the new Rotary year, as you
Engage Rotary, Change Lives. Thank you.
<Applause. Tanaka exits stage left.>
<RI Voiceover>
Ladies and gentlemen, Rotary International is pleased to welcome a talented young man whose global
performances span some 31 countries in which he has won critical acclaim. Please welcome Fernando
Varela.
<Entertainment performs for XX minutes>
2Cellos Song Sequence:
1. Smooth Criminal
2. With or Without You
3. Resistance
4. Book of Love
5. Human Nature
6. The Time of Your Life
<RI Voiceover>
Insert voiceover for Fernando
Fernando’s Song Sequence:
1. The Prayer (with Hayley)
2. Granada
3. Hallelujah
4. Nessun Dorma
5. Bohemian Rhapsody
6. You Raised Me Up (with Choir)
7. Because We Believe (with the choir and Hayley)
Hayley’s Song Sequence:
1. Amazing Grace
2. Bridge Over Troubled Water
3. I Dreamed A Dream
4. La Califfa
5. My Heart Belongs To You
6. Pokarekare Ana
7. The Prayer (with Fernando)
8. Because We Believe (with the choir and Hayley)
<Fernando>
<transition to “Let there be peace.”>
Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.
Let there be peace on earth, the peace that was meant to be.
With God our creator, children all are we.
Let us live with each other, in perfect harmony.
Let peace begin with me; let this be the moment now.
With every step I take, let this be my solemn vow.
To take each moment and live each moment in peace eternally,
Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.
<Tanaka>
I officially bring the 104th Annual Rotary International Convention to a close. Travel safely, dear friends.
<Tanaka taps bell. All exit>
<RI Voiceover>
Ladies and Gentlemen, this concludes activities for the 104th Annual Rotary International Convention in
Lisbon, Portugal. Thank you for attending and we hope you enjoyed your experience in Lisbon. We look
forward to seeing you at the 105th Annual Rotary International Convention in Sydney, Australia. Please
exit the hall and enjoy the rest of your evening.