As a forward-looking organisation, Rotary has reacted quickly to the COVID pandemic, with clubs across the world continuing to meet online.
In the East Midlands of England there are 83 clubs forming District 1070 who would not normally be able to hear the President of all clubs — 1.2 million members — speak directly to gthem.
But in their annual assembly (normally held at Loughborough University) on May 15, nearly 400 people heard Rotary International President Elect Shekhar Mehta address them. He had early in the day spoken to similar numbers of people in the West Midlands of England and in America.
His Message was: Grow More… Do More.
He said that for the last 25 years the numbers of Rotary Club members acros the world had been at 1.2 million. “Each One, Bring One,” he said. “Each of us has the responsibility to invite one new member.”
He asked each person in his audience to raise their hands if they could do so. “If you had all done that, we would have done better than in the last three years,” he said. Connectivity after COVID, he said, was making it more possible to grow more and do more.
“The greatest gift we have been given is the ability to change a life.”
He spoke about the decades-long campaign by Rotary and others which has resulted in there now being only two cases of polio in the world.
Later, the audience heard keynote speaker Gordon McInally urge Rotarians to Build Back Better after COVID.
“Actually,” he said, “Rotarians have always built forward better.” He asked who will do the work that is needed.
Rotarians, he said. “We were built for this.”
In closing the assembly for his year, incoming District Governor David Morris, from Melton Mowbray urged all members to be bold and Think Big.
Last edited: 12.25pm on Saturday. 15.05.2021
