DISCURSOS - Rotary International

once a problem. The clubs loved it, and the kids loved it, and they loved it even more when we
took them along to district conferences and the RI convention. We took them to Toronto, Munich,
Portland, Orlando, and Indianapolis — we took them anywhere we could in Rotary. They met our
district’s Youth Exchange students and our Group Study Exchange teams. They got to know people
who were so completely different from anyone they knew in Norman, Oklahoma. It opened
their eyes, their minds, and their hearts.
And I think that’s a big part of why, when they became adults, they both became Rotarians. They
became Rotarians because they were already part of the family of Rotary. They knew Rotary, they
loved Rotary, and they wanted Rotary in their lives.
Unfortunately, once Ronna started a family, Rotary started taking more time than she could
spare. She had to make a choice between being the kind of Rotarian she wanted to be and being
the kind of mom she wanted to be. And so she terminated her membership. That’s how we lost
one young member who was a great Rotarian.
And isn’t that a shame? Hopefully, we can get her back one of these days.
It’s time to start being proactive instead of reactive. It’s time to say, “Let’s try something new,”
instead of, “We don’t do that in Rotary.” Because keeping our minds open is going to get us
stronger clubs today — and a stronger organization tomorrow.
When Paul Harris founded Rotary, his idea was for a club for like-minded people. Like-minded in
that they cared about the same things, they valued the same things, they had similar goals and
ideas. But there’s nothing in Rotary that says we all have to be the same. In fact, just about everything
about Rotary embraces how different we all are. Just look around you. How many countries,
how many languages, how many professions, how many religions, how many backgrounds,
how many Rotary stories are in this room tonight?
Rotary is big enough for us all. We all have something to give. At every stage of our lives and our
careers, Rotary has a way to let us do more, be more, and give more — a way for us to make our
lives mean more. That’s what Rotary does for us.
We have learned so much this week, about so many things. We’ve talked about public image,
about social media, about Future Vision, about polio, about New Generations, about so much of
the good work that means so much to Rotary. And all of it is important. All of it matters.
But none of it would matter — not one of us would be sitting here today — if it weren’t for the
Rotarians in our clubs.
Every single thing that’s ever moved you about Rotary — every project, every program, every
smile on some child’s face — they all began in a Rotary club.
And the good work that gets done in Rotary next year, and the year after, and the year after that
— in the end, it will depend on our clubs. On how ambitious they are. On how well they adapt to
Future Vision. On how well they choose their projects. On how committed they are to making a
difference. On how open they are to changing what they need to change — and holding tight to
the things that matter.
It all comes down to the clubs. And those clubs, next year, are going to be depending on you.
Tomorrow morning, you’re all going to leave San Diego. You’re going to leave with your briefcase
full of training materials, your mind full of ideas, and your hearts full of hope. You’ll go back to
your districts knowing and understanding just what Rotary really is — and how much more
Rotary can be.
International Assembly Speeches 2013 61