Page 13 - Gears and Ears December 2013

From Rotary International

The Ongoing
Ongoing Theme of RI President Ron D. Burton
The
The Ongoing Theme of RI President Ron D. Burton
The Ongoing Theme of RI President Ron D. BurtonOngoing Theme of RI President Ron D. Burton
The
Ron
D.
Burton
President
Theme
of
RI
The Rotary club meeting you walk into today might, at first glance, seem very

different from the weekly meetings of 50 years ago. And if you could pay a visit to
every one of Rotary’s 34,000 clubs, you’d see men and women from all different
backgrounds, speaking just about every one of the world’s languages, involved in
service projects from the local to the global. You’d see clubs that are getting together
to repair a neighborhood playground this weekend, while working in partnership with
other clubs to install sanitary facilities in a school thousands of miles away. And you’d
see a group of people who are absolutely committed to making the world a better
place, in ways large and small.

There’s a lot that’s different about Rotary today. But the foundation that Rotary is built on hasn’t changed. Rotary
is based, as it’s always been, on our core values: service, fellowship, diversity, integrity, and leadership. These are
the values that define us as Rotarians: they’re the values we live by, and the values we strive to bring to the
communities we serve. Every one of us in Rotary is here because we were invited, and because we made a choice
to accept that invitation. Every day since then, we’ve been faced with another choice: whether to just be a member
of a Rotary club, or to truly be a Rotarian.

All of us came to Rotary to get involved, and to make a difference. And in Rotary service, as in just about
everything else in life, the more you put into it, the more you get out of it. If you only put in a token effort, you
won’t accomplish very much, and you won’t find much satisfaction in what you do accomplish. But when you make
the decision to truly engage Rotary – to bring Rotary service and Rotary values into every day of your life – that
is when you start to see the incredible impact that you can have. That’s when you find the inspiration, the
excitement, and the power to truly change lives. And no one’s life will be changed more than your own.

In the 2013-14 Rotary year, our theme, and challenge to you, will be Engage Rotary, Change Lives.

You’ve chosen to wear a Rotary pin. The rest is up to you.

Ron D. Burton
2013-14 RI President
IMPORTANT LINKS
IMPOR
IMPORTTANT LINKANT LINKSS
IMPOR T ANT LINK S
IMPORTANT LINKS
News: About Rotary including the latest from President Ron Burton - Click here

Take Action: Find out how to get more involved in Rotary - Click here

Shop: Here you can buy a large assortment of Rotary related items - maybe
even some gifts for fellow Rotarians and prospective members - Click here