I hope all of you are doing well and dealing with the physical distancing mandated by this global pandemic. This will certainly be a time we all remember and like 9-11, will be another inflection point. Life going forward will not be the same. While Diane and I are fine, we feel the change and miss the opportunity to meet and visit with our Rotary friends.
Have you seen the information about the upcoming Rotary International Virtual Convention being held this year? The convention will be held on June 20th through June 26th via Zoom with general sessions on Saturday and Sunday and then various breakout sessions Monday through Friday. There is no cost to attend. I have attended 12 International Conventions and have enjoyed meeting Rotarians from around the world and being inspired by the work and dedication of those Rotarians. While the experience of a virtual convention will be different (much like watching a baseball game on television), I believe tuning in to this virtual event will broaden your Rotary experience. To see what I mean, watch this video of Rotaractor Chris Wells at the Hamburg convention. https://vimeopro.com/rotary/hamburg-international-convention/video/340503705
Finally, Rotary International has been at the forefront of the Covid 19 relief efforts. On May 2nd a telethon, coordinated by Rotary Foundation Trustee Jennifer Jones raised more than $521,000 and will fund at least 21 Rotary disaster response grants to pay for projects related to the pandemic. In addition, the Rotary Foundation has approved $4.7 million in disaster response grants and over $15 million in District grants to respond to local community needs. Like Polio, Covid 19 is transmitted from person to person and the testing labs Rotary created to monitor Polio are now focus on tracking this new coronavirus. Again, Rotary making a difference.
The work of Rotarians supported by The Rotary Foundation certainly make me proud to be a Rotarian and part of this great organization. The need is great and there are never enough funds to meet the demand. If you have not yet contributed to the Foundation, it is not too late. Any gift will help improve the lives of people around the world. Please consider contributing before June 15th so it can be counted within this Rotary year. Make you check payable to The Rotary Foundation and mail to the Rotary office at 405 Washington Ave, St. Louis, MO 63102.
Until we can all meet in person, stay safe.
Yours in Rotary
Rick