Dear Rotary Friends and Guests attending the District 7690 Conference

Rotary is an amazing thing. As we look to the future and work on making the Rotary year 2007-2008 successful, it is good for us to stop and remind ourselves just how amazing Rotary is. It’s the oldest. Most international service organization with 1.2 million members-all of them out there in 32,000-plus clubs that meet every week to try and do just a little bit more to help others. It is tens of thousands of projects going on every day, doing just about every kind of useful and creative work you could possibly imagine-and then some.

The magic of Rotary is that Rotary allows ordinary people to do extraordinary things. Rotary allows people like you and me-people whose lives revolve around our families, our jobs, and our communities-to reach beyond our daily lives to do, and be, something more. It allows us to open our hearts to people we might never meet, and to share the love that we have for our own communities with communities thousands of miles away, because Rotary is about human beings’ love for other human beings, whoever and wherever they may be. Rotary allows us to express that love, and to share it.

We share it through our club service-because our clubs are the hands of Rotary. Without our clubs, there is no Rotary. We share our love through vocational service-because through our work we are the voice of Rotary. We share our love through community service-because service to the community is the heart of Rotary. We share our love through international service-because each one of us, in our own country and region, services as the eyes of Rotary. And we share our love fro Rotary through focusing on membership. No matter how many our successes, unless we continue to gain new members-and keep the one we have-Rotary will not survive.

That is why, in 2007-08, our theme is “Rotary Shares.” Rotary shares because Rotary cares. Rotary shares because Rotarians know the needs. Rotary shares because Rotarians provide Service Above Self. This year I ask you to focus on what each of you has to share with Rotary: your leadership, your skills, your fellowship and your dedication to making your clubs and district better and stronger. I ask you all, this year, to share Rotary freely and fully. Work hard, and work with love. And remember that everything you do in service to others is part of the magic of Rotary-the magic that lets ordinary people like you and me to do absolutely amazing things.

Wilfrid Wilkinson
President, Rotary International 2007-08