Gary C.K. Huang Trustee Chair 2019-20 The year is almost over, and I know that you are thinking about giving gifts and making last-minute contributions. You are wondering how best to show your appreciation and love. The answer is very simple — make your gifts to The Rotary Foundation. Don’t take my word for it: In an independent analysis, your Rotary Foundation was ranked No. 1 among the world’s best-known charities. For the 12th consecutive
Mark Daniel Maloney President 2019-20 There is no experience quite like attending the Rotary International Convention. Discover the true spirit of aloha and Rotary with your family, friends, and fellow Rotarians from 6 to 10 June in Honolulu. It is the perfect setting for the entire family of Rotary to celebrate, collaborate, and connect. There are two types of people who enjoy visits to Hawaii — those who have never been to the islands and
Gary C.K. Huang Trustee Chair 2019-20 Ni hao, Rotarians! We just had our first-ever fundraiser in Taiwan for The Rotary Foundation — and it was a great success. The Taiwan AKS Members Association organized the event in August in Taipei. We were treated to an inspirational speech by Ravishankar Dakoju of the Rotary Club of Bangalore Orchards, India, in District 3190. He shared why he contributes his time and money — and why he’s an
Mark Daniel Maloney President 2019-20 Rotary Day at the United Nations, which we celebrate each November, is an important reminder of the historic relationship between our organizations. But this year’s event is even more important than usual, because we are building up to the 75th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter in June 2020. You might ask, why celebrate this anniversary? For Rotary, it is entirely appropriate, because we played such a critical
Gary C.K. Huang Trustee Chair 2019-20 Friends, World Polio Day is this month and we are facing a major challenge. The news out of Afghanistan and Pakistan tells us that we have more work to do. It tells us that polio will not die out quickly or easily. Most of all, it tells us that we are needed now more than ever. Success will require us to remain steady and show that there is no
Rotary’s long-term, sustained battle against polio has defined our organization for decades. We have a right to be proud of all that we have accomplished through the years. Our progress is real and noteworthy. In 1988, polio was endemic in 125 countries, with more than 350,000 new cases a year worldwide. Since then, Rotary and our Global Polio Eradication Initiative partners have reduced the incidence of polio by more than 99.9 percent, vaccinated more than
Gary C.K. Huang Trustee Chair 2019-20 I hope you are making plans for the upcoming Rotary International Convention. Rotarians who live near the Pacific Ocean are especially excited! Next year’s event is in beautiful Hawaii, and I know everyone is eager to make the journey to that island paradise. So “give me five” by signing up right now for the Honolulu convention if you haven’t already — and make a plan for how you are
Mark Daniel Maloney President 2019-20 Here in the United States, another summer is winding down. And for the Maloney family, every summer ends with a return to my hometown of Ridgway, Illinois, for the annual Popcorn Day festival, where I am honored to serve as the “Popcorn King,” the master of ceremonies for the day’s events. Regardless of the season, every family has its own traditions. I would like to suggest a new one for
Gary C.K. Huang Trustee Chair 2019-20 We have some very good problems that I want to discuss with you. The number of Rotary global grant requests is exploding. Rotarians are seeing the amazing impact of our grants, and they want to harness the power of global grants to take on ambitious projects. One crucial aspect of our global grants is the emphasis on sustainability when planning a project. When we come together to tackle a
Mark Daniel Maloney President 2019-20 During 2019-2020, I am encouraging Rotarians and Rotaractors to grow Rotary. We must grow our service, we must grow the impact of our projects, but, most importantly, we must grow our membership so that we can achieve more. Let us try a new approach to membership, one that is more organized and strategic. I am asking every club to form an active membership committee consisting of people of different backgrounds
Gary C.K. Huang Trustee Chair 2019-20 I am so excited to have this opportunity to communicate with you every month in my new role as chair of The Rotary Foundation Trustees. When I look at the amazing work that the Foundation has ahead of it this year, I’m astonished. We are making such an enormous, lasting impact on the world. In the near future, polio will be wiped off the face of the earth —
I love to travel! I even enjoy the mundane process of getting from here to there. But last year, my wife, Gay, and I had one of those experiences that would strain the optimism of even the most cheerful traveler. We found ourselves with six hours to wait, at an airport where we were not scheduled to be, on a day we had not planned still to be traveling, having woken up that morning at