Gary C.K. Huang Trustee Chair 2019-20 I like to quote Confucius at many Rotary events, because his ideas are so much like ours. Confucius would have been a great Rotarian. Take this Confucius quote, for example: “The failure to cultivate virtue, the failure to examine and analyze what I have learned, the inability to move toward righteousness after being shown the way, the inability to correct my faults — these are the causes of my
March is the month we celebrate Rotaract — and this has been quite a year for our young partners in service. Last spring, the Council on Legislation elevated Rotaract in our constitution: Rotary International is now the association of both Rotary clubs and Rotaract clubs. Then in October, the Rotary Board of Directors eliminated the artificial Rotaract age limit and took other steps to break down barriers that were preventing Rotaract from growing in some
Gary C.K. Huang Trustee Chair 2019-20 Since ancient times, people have built communities around water. Having the ability to draw clean, fresh water from a well means that a village has staying power and the ability to endure hard times. Wells are vital to people worldwide, but as a metaphor, they are just as powerful. What is The Rotary Foundation’s “well”? From what source can we draw to replenish ourselves to keep up with all
Happy 115th birthday, fellow Rotarians and members of the family of Rotary! Much has changed in the world since 1905. Then, the global population was roughly 1.7 billion. Today, it is 7.7 billion. There were 5 telephones per 100 people in the United States 115 years ago. In 2020, it is estimated that 96 percent of the U.S. population has a cellphone — and both China and India have more than a billion cellphones in
Gary C.K. Huang Something amazing happened in Vienna in October. A runner from Kenya named Eliud Kipchoge was the first person in history to run a marathon distance — 26.2 miles — in less than two hours. For many years, experts thought this would be impossible. They said the human body was not capable of achieving this feat. But Kipchoge succeeded because he had an incredible team working with him. He had pacers who ran
People from all over the world have multiple reasons for joining Rotary. Many new Rotarians each year join for the same reason I did — because Rotary is a great way to benefit your career. When I was a new attorney starting out in Alabama, Gay and I became partners in her father’s firm. He instilled in us the value of joining Rotary as a way to build relationships and demonstrate to potential clients that
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