Dear Fellow Rotarians:
In case you haven’t heard, you are a member of a very special organization. Over the last year in my role as President-Elect, I met members of several Rotary Clubs from around the United States and a few from other countries. The clubs vary greatly in size and style, but what unites us is obvious the moment you start talking with any Rotarian. Quickly you see that we share a belief that we can change the world with a very basic formula -- people joining together to solve a problem that simply needs to be solved. When Bill Gates recognized the simple elegance of this formula, he gave Rotary a check for $350,000,000 and a simple charge – end polio now. Together, we are 1000 cases from meeting that goal. That story captures for me, the power of Rotary in the world.
The other thing that unites us as Rotarians is that we recognize the importance of understanding and appreciating each other as individuals. Each meeting, we reach across the table to greet people from all walks of life with the reasonable expectation that we will benefit by broadening our perspective and enhancing our network of colleagues. This point was brought home to me recently at the Rotary International Convention in New Orleans when I sat next to a diamond merchant and his wife from Congo. Differences in background and culture seemed very small compared to the common language we shared within Rotary. At that moment, it occurred to me that it is our diversity in vocation, gender, age and background that enlivens our interaction, exposes us to new ways of thinking and makes everything just a little more enjoyable.
As your new President, I am honored to be included in the leadership team of this powerful organization and this great club. We do have a lot to learn from each other and we have a lot of good work to accomplish this year. I invite you to participate in what I hope will be a year of innovation and high energy as we explore ways we can make Club #14 the best club it can be.
Sincerely,
JoAnne Kissel
President, 2011-2012
A Charter Club of 