DISTRICT GOVERNOR MESSAGE - February 2017

Posted by Joanne Croghan, District 5020 Governor (2017-18)
 
A very happy Valentine’s Day to each member of our vibrant District.   The good work that is taking place in every corner of our District is absolutely staggering when we look at it collectively.  
 
It was 112 years ago this month that Paul Harris and three of his friends founded the first Rotary club.  His goal was simple: to create an oasis of friendship amid a city of strangers, with those who shared his values.
 
photo:
Ana Reinaldo Constantino (Brazil Exchange Student to Port Townsend Club), Joanne Croghan, District 5020 Governor 2016-17, and Roxane Coldefy (France Exchange Student to Pt. Townsend Sunrise Club).
 
Over time, the philosophy of Rotary developed and matured, and Rotarian ideals expanded to include service, vocational ethics, and international understanding.  As Rotary grew and spread, Paul Harris envisioned a world in which conflict would ultimately melt away—a world where personal connections and acceptance of differences would relegate war to history.  If people could only come together in a spirit of friendship and tolerance, he felt, they would soon realize how much they had in common.
 
Twelve years later, our Rotary Foundation began.  One line in a speech delivered at a Rotary Convention by Rotary International President Arch Klump “It seems eminently proper that we should accept endowments for the purpose of doing good in the world”.  Within a month Rotary received $26.50, the first donation for the Endowment Fund suggested by Arch Klump.
 
Today our Rotary Foundation has an annual budget in excess of  $250 Million.  This fund works to alleviate poverty, improve health, expand educational opportunities and promote peace in every corner of the world.  This fund is available to us as Rotarians when we want to do projects in our communities and throughout the world.
 
This year we celebrate the 112th birthday of Rotary and the Centennial of our Foundation throughout our District.  A number of our clubs or areas are planning special events to honor this milestone.  Don and I are looking forward to attending just as many as our schedule will allow.
 
Consider giving a birthday gift to the Rotary Foundation today.  When you give to the Annual Fund, you empower leaders just like you to improve their communities and make a lasting impact.
 

Above photo was taken at the Fort Worden Commons meeting of Port Townsend, Port Townsend Sunrise & East Jefferson County Clubs.