On March 9th, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to attend a joint meeting of all three Evanston Rotary Clubs at Rotary International headquarters, with a very special guest speaker, RI President Jennifer Jones. Jennifer is a wonderful public speaker, but what really struck me about her address that day was the passion, compassion, and humor in her talk.
Jennifer spoke of the trip she made to Pakistan to witness polio vaccination in action. She was very honest in conveying the humanity of the visit, as well as recognizing that she was seeing a very well-orchestrated version of reality. The area she visited had been secured ahead of time, and the advance team had ensured that the family’s door that she knocked on would be opened by a family willing to be vaccinated. She spoke of the utter poverty in which the small boy lived. While she knew she could not solve all of the problems he was facing, she said she left there knowing that at the very least, he would not have to worry about contracting polio. We all keep doing our best to ensure that polio is eradicated from our world.
Jennifer also spoke of her travel schedule, which can sound glamourous but often is grueling. With utmost honesty, she talked of mornings when jetlag hit her so hard, she didn’t want to get out of bed. But she did get up and face the day, and found herself energized by the work she was witnessing of Rotarians, Rotoractors, and Interactors around the world. Her sincere words helped alleviate my own jetlag. I was very glad I’d made the effort to attend the meeting.
Speaking of making the effort, the last weekend of RYLA is approaching, and there’s still room for more attendees. An attendee from the first session sent this to Sean Nelson, “I learned so much about myself and the things I am going to change so I can be a better person and accomplish my dreams. I want you to come to my school so my peers can hear you.” Let’s make the effort to fill the second session to capacity and help more of our young people learn to thrive.
Here's to thriving with passion, compassion, and humor.
Yours in Rotary Service,
Marlene Frisbie
District Governor Nominee Designate
