By Ron Nethercutt, past chair of the Rotarians on the Internet Fellowship and a member of the Rotary Club of Mabalacat,Pampanga, Philippines

One of my unexpected surprises as a member of Rotary came during a large chamber of commerce meeting held at the Trade Center in New Orleans.
A young lady approached me and said “I want to thank you.” I asked “Why? Have we met?” She responded by saying she saw my Rotary pin that I was wearing and that she gave thanks to every Rotarian she saw.
She went on to tell me how she had been named a Rotary Scholar and earned a master’s degree in international banking at Oxford University, following undergraduate work in accounting. Upon returning from Oxford, she was hired at the largest bank
in New Orleans, and after a few short years, she was named vice president for that bank’s investments in Latin America. She specialized in bank loans to young people to financially assist in their development.
I’m sure we all have some personal stories to tell about those being helped by Rotary. My own club has a constant flow of young children who we have helped receive both minor and major medical operations.
I share the above story since it came as a complete surprise for something for which I had no personal involvement. Our only link was that Rotary pin.