Incoming Rotary International President Gary C.K. Huang chose Light Up Rotary as his theme for 2014-15. Huang was inspired by the teachings of Chinese philosopher Confucius who said: "It is better to light a single candle, than to sit and curse the darkness."

 

During my service as your President, I intend to Light Up Rotary by increasing our membership and elevating our community profile.  Building a strong club starts with bringing in new members, especially young professionals with a heart for service.

 

Rotary is on track to achieve full polio eradication by 2018 and when that goal is accomplished we will have given the world a gift that will endure forever. I am proud that we will continue our work to make the world a healthier place for the poorest children locally and internationally. By continuing to fight against polio, setting an example in our community and increasing our  membership, I hope to see Rotary shine brighter than ever.

 

We have a lot of work ahead of us over the next twelve months.  Thanks to Manish Mehta’s hard work and persistence, we will have not one but two global grants funding the installation of sanitation facilities in the Sunderbunds and the eradication of tuberculosis in Central India. For those of you with a heart for international service, we are planning a friendship exchange with fellow Rotarians in India in 2015. We will also continue our micro-lending program with small business owners in Nigeria and our support of VeAhavta as they care for the girls and elders at the Grace Care Center in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka.

 

In our own community, we will continue and build our relationships with Girl Scouts, the Boy Scouts, Perry Nursery, Green Baxter Court, Ronald McDonald house, Meals on Wheels, and of course, our Butterfly Garden.  We will also continue sponsoring the Skyline Interact Club and the Rotary Youth Exchange.

 

As we go about completing these important endeavors, we need to brag about our accomplishments a bit more.  Through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Linked In and our own website, we need to let our light shine and celebrate our contributions to our community and to the world. I extend heartfelt thanks to one of our newest Rotarians, Stephanie Oliver, for stepping up to complete this important task.

 

In case you haven’t noticed, I am all about having fun. I like to work but also like to have a good time – and perhaps get into a little mischief I am doing it.  There will be plenty of opportunities for fun and fellowship this year and I encourage all of you to bring your family and friends to these events.

 

We are also going to have a PARTY and I promise you that it will be profitable, memorable and way too much fun. Make certain that all of your friends who saw the pictures, heard the stories and missed the fun will join us this year.

 

In 2015, I would also like to add a golf tournament to our annual fundraising efforts. I submit for your consideration the First Annual Phil Zepeda Invitational, a day of fun, fellowship and frustration for those of us who play the game. As we conclude the day’s activities, I have promised not to roast Phil but that doesn’t mean we can’t fry him just a bit. This will be an opportunity that you won’t want to miss and I have already spoken to fellow Rotarians who are hoping to join us at this event.

 

Speaking of Phil, I am pleased to announce that he will continue to serve as Programs Chair meaning that we can look forward to an entertaining and diverse year of luncheon presentations. From Santa Claus to the Symphony, we truly enjoyed last year's guest speakers and I can't wait to see what's in store for us during the coming year.

 

Thank you for your commitment to our club and to Rotary service.  Keeping in mind our directive to 'Light Up Rotary', if I light a candle and each of you light one and we invite others to join us, a total of 1.2 million Rotarians will light candles. Together, we will light up the world!