[D9640general] [eFlash_Rotary] Digest Number 1037

[Garry & Anne Krischock]

ü Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail 

 

 
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eFlash_Rotary;_ylc=X3oDMTJka3RtbmU2BF9TAzk3Mz
U5NzE1BGdycElkAzI3ODYwNzYEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA1MDY0MDg2BHNlYwNoZHIEc2xrA2hwaARzdG
ltZQMxMjc3MjE2Njky> eFlash Rotary 


Messages In This Digest (1 Message) 


 

1. 1904 :John Kenny opens 2010 RI Convention From: Sunil 


Posted by: "Sunil"
<mailto:sunilkzach at yahoo.co.uk?Subject=%20Re%3A1904%20%3AJohn%20Kenny%20open
s%202010%20RI%20Convention> sunilkzach at yahoo.co.uk
<http://profiles.yahoo.com/sunilkzach> sunilkzach 


Mon Jun 21, 2010 5:50 pm (PDT) 


RI President John Kenny called to order the 101st Rotary International
Convention on 20 June at the Centre Bell in Montréal, Québec,
Canada, where more than 18,000 attendees from 154 countries and
geographical areas assembled for the four-day celebration.

Canada is the country that made Rotary international, and this year
marks the 100th anniversary of the first meeting of the Rotary Club of
Winnipeg, Manitoba -- the first club established outside the United
States.

Kenny praised the projects he had witnessed during his travels
throughout the year, reminding all attendees that club service is the
nucleus of Rotary.

"I have always believed that the real work of Rotary, the work I have
seen in this past year, was not done by me or by any member of the Board
of Directors of Rotary International," he said. "It was done by you --
in every one of your districts, in every one of your clubs, and in every
one of your communities."

Kenny visited clubs from Brazil to Latvia, which he said hadn't
received a visit from an RI president since Paul Harris in 1932.

Kenny said his trip to Haiti made an indelible impression on him.

"It is one thing to hear and read about the devastation that the January
earthquake caused in Haiti," he said. "It was another thing entirely to
go there -- to see the collapsed buildings, walk among the rubble, try
to comprehend how many people had been lost, and realize the scope of
what would be needed to even begin to rebuild."

Kenny stressed that long-term recovery efforts, such as the ones
Rotarians supported in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, after the devastating
tsunami in 2004, is the kind of help that Rotary is best equipped to
provide in Haiti. "Rotarians were in Banda Aceh before the news crews
came, and stayed long after the other aid groups left. We are there and
helping yet."

He reminded Rotarians that not every project needs to be a large-scale
effort.

"It is easy to forget just how much of a difference simple acts of
service can make. A small loan to start a business, a day spent making
repairs to a home, the gift of a pair of eyeglasses -- all of these
things have the potential to completely change another person's
life," he said.

The experience of being a Rotary club member depends a lot on what
Rotarians put into it, Kenny said. "What Rotary is, what it will be,
what it can become -- all of this depends on the choices we make, every
day, every hour, and every minute. How we serve, whom we help, how to
balance our own abilities with the needs of our communities -- these are
the decisions that will shape the Rotary to come. These are the
decisions that are up to you. The Future of Rotary Is in Your Hands
."

Rotary's recent expansion into Palestine -- an effort supported by
Israeli, Jordanian, and U.S. Rotarians -- was highlighted during the
flag ceremony. Music and dance stirred the rest of the opening plenary
session, with a gospel choir singing "What a Wonderful World" and lively
dances performed by Inuit, Québécois, and Turkish troupes. Celtic
Thunder, a group of male vocalists, also performed a variety of folk and
popular songs, closing the session on a high note.

Source : Rotary International News / Courtesy : eFlash_Rotary

More convention news, photos and videos available at
 <http://eflashcommunity.ning.com/> http://eflashcommunity.ning.com/ 

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: winmail.dat
Type: application/ms-tnef
Size: 9762 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://rotary9640.org/pipermail/d9640general_rotary9640.org/attachments/20100623/0a28a884/attachment.bin>