Welcome

I am a proud 30-year member of Rotary.  I am a past-President of this club having served in this capacity in 2002-03.  Rotary is a global network of more than 1.2 million neighbors, friends, leaders, and problem-solvers who see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.  Solving real problems takes real commitment and vision. For more than 110 years, Rotary's people of action have used their passion, energy, and intelligence to act on sustainable projects. From literacy and peace to water and health, we are always working to better our world, and we stay committed to the end.

 

Rotary members believe that we have a shared responsibility to act on our world’s most persistent issues. Our more than 45,000 clubs work together to:

 

Promote peace, fight disease, provide clean water, sanitation, and hygiene, save mothers and children, support education, grow local economies and protect the environment.

 

Rotarians provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through our fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders.  Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change — across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.

 

Rotary started with the vision of one man — Paul Harris. The Chicago attorney formed the Rotary Club of Chicago on 23 February 1905, so professionals with diverse backgrounds could exchange ideas and form meaningful, lifelong friendships. "Whatever Rotary may mean to us, to the world it will be known by the results it achieves."

 

Over time, Rotary’s reach and vision gradually extended to humanitarian service. Members have a long track record of addressing challenges in their communities and around the world. “Service Above Self” and “One Profits Most Who Serves Best” Rotary’s official mottoes, can be traced back to the early days of the organization.  That commitment endures today through an organization that remains truly international. Only 16 years after being founded, Rotary had clubs on six continents including our club in Hilo. Our members now span the globe, working to solve some of our world’s most challenging problems.

 

We’re not afraid to dream big and set bold goals. Despite the Salk Vaccine developed in 1955 the year I was born; Polio still plagued the world.  We Rotarians began our fight against polio in 1979 with a project to immunize 6 million children in the Philippines. In 1988 there were 350,000 cases in 125 countries.  Eliminated in the USA in 1995.  In 2003, only 6 countries had it. Afghanistan, Egypt, India, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan.  Today, polio remains endemic in only two countries. Thank you to all Rotarians who have donated to the Rotary Foundation.

 

NOW ABOUT OUR CLUB, THE ROTARY CLUB OF HILO

 

Out of 42,000 clubs in Rotary, we are club 795, charted in 1920 just fifteen years after the beginning of Rotary itself.  Over 100 business leaders in Hilo have led this club during the last century, and I am honored to be included in this group.  If you're wondering about why I chose the Beach Boys music as part of my theme for the year, it’s part of my imaginary fateful journey of business leaders who came to Hilo by a ship, that I called the “Sloop John B”, and ferried those original Honolulu Rotarians ashore in Hilo Bay, before the breakwater, and went by horse and buggy to the Hilo Hotel across from the old courthouse.  I imagined that they sat around a table, drinking whisky and smoking cigars, and talked about this new concept of Rotary and community service, and by the end of the night they agreed, that a new service organization, based on ethical endeavors, where people from many different businesses and professions would work together to be a great asset to the growing town of Hilo.  And they were right.  Today, we are in our 105th year. And I am so excited about our future.  I just came back from our international convention in Calgary Canada.  I met so many people like ourselves, but from countries like Germany, Ukraine, Mexico, Ecuador, Denmark, Taiwan, Japan and of course Canada and the USA.  I learned that we are more alike than we are different.  They care about their communities, they care about the world, they care about others.  They are committed to do more through Rotary.  I am too.  And I am going to do it by leading our club once again.  

 

Our Rotary theme is "Unite for Good.”  There are no blue Rotarians, there are no red Rotarians.  There are only true Rotarians.  And we all believe in service above self, and we will unite for the good of all.