This year’s theme, The Magic of Rotary, urges members to recognize and amplify the organization’s power to save lives.
At the Rotary International Assembly in Orlando, Florida Rotary International President-elect, Stephanie Urchick told incoming district governors “Don’t misunderstand me – we are not going to end polio or bring peace to the world by waving a wand and saying some funny words. It’s up to you. You create the magic with every project completed, every dollar donated, and every new member.”
Stephanie said she saw the magic of Rotary on display when she was helping install water filters in the Dominican Republic. “Two boys were watching as dirty water entered the filter, then ran out clean at the other end. “One of the boys grabbed my sleeve and said, ‘Show me the magic again,’” she said. “Obviously, the water filter wasn’t magic. We worked hard to transport those filters, install them, and work with community leaders in the area to maintain them. But those boys knew that easy access to clean water would change their lives. Knowing that I played a small part in that certainly changed my life.”
Prioritizing peace
She urged us to champion Rotary’s Action Plan, find a balance between continuity and change, and work for peace. She plans to host a presidential peace conference in 2025 with the theme “Healing in a Divided World.” Rotary has a long history of promoting peace through its network of peace centers, Urchick noted. Located at top universities around the globe, the centers have trained nearly 1,800 peace fellows who are now working in more than 140 countries. The newest center, located at Bahçeşehir University in Istanbul, Turkey, will welcome its first class of fellows in early 2025. “The Rotary Peace Fellowship began more than 20 years ago to equip peace and development professionals from communities around the world to become effective catalysts for ending and preventing conflict,” Stephanie said. “This conference will focus on Rotary’s peace efforts and provide opportunities to learn together.”
In addition to emphasizing peacebuilding, Stephanie reiterated Rotary’s commitment to eradicating polio. She urged the incoming governors to join or initiate Polio Plus Societies in their districts and do all they can to help end the disease. “Contact elected officials and other government leaders. Remind them that polio is still a threat. Push them to support polio eradication,” she said. “Polio remains our top priority and requires our fullest commitment, but there is so much important work to do”.
Balancing continuity and change
Stephanie underscored the necessity of balancing continuity and change, both of which animate Rotary’s Action Plan. “The plan is all about building on our best ideas, not abandoning them,” she said. “We face a tough balancing act. We must change ourselves and stay true to who we are.”
She asked the governors to do whatever is needed to make the club experience irresistible to members. “That might mean changing how things are done in your district,” she said. “If your district has been doing things one way for 50 years, it’s probably time to reassess. If a club in your district isn’t active or is losing members, maybe it’s time to start a new club that fits better with the community. Just because a club or district hasn’t changed in a while doesn’t mean no one is hungry for change.” One way to make positive change, she said, is to embrace the principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging within clubs. “I hope you’ll join me in opening your arms to future people of action, even if – and in some cases, especially if – they don’t look or act like the typical member of your local club,” she said. “With DEI, it is easier to be united in a common purpose. It’s in those moments when we are committed and focused that we are the most effective and relevant.”Stephanie’s Presidential themed branding OR Copy and paste into your browser https://my.rotary.org/en/news-media/office-president/presidential-theme
Stephanie’s Vision and Goals Statement
I strongly support maintaining our current vision statement. There’s magic as people unite to create sustainable change. Those actions have global, community, and personal impact. We’ve seen progress toward this vision since its adoption. We must continue to support our vision with strategies and goals reflecting what we’ve learned over the past few years.
Together, in 2024-2025, let’s add 100,000 more members to our organization. Recruit new members and engage our current members with meaningful club experiences. Expand our North American innovative club advocate program globally for additional impact.
Together, let’s help each other become more adept at digital innovation by inviting clubs to virtual ‘chats’ with senior leaders and 7-minute virtual networking sessions. Relevant information is shared and members see how readily one can engage and ‘connect’ with Rotary leaders and each other. It also shows how adaptive our organization has become. Let’s create a Rotary App. There’s no better way to spread the word about Rotary and its causes and to allow members to engage with Rotary and support it by donating to The Rotary Foundation.
Together, let’s encourage members to serve others through their vocations, education, and skillsets by establishing a mentoring and coaching program for Rotarians and Rotaractors.
Together, let’s finally eradicate polio. The world relied on expertise in our Polio program to assist medical experts to reach isolated areas when COVID hit. Now let’s get COVID experts on board to help individuals understand the relationship between vaccine and disease prevention, and to assist with the eradication final drive.
Together, let’s extend continuity with our participants on programs that have proven results, including empowering girls, world leader meetings, and public-facing events. Success breeds success, and while members must embrace transformation in order to grow, building on accomplishments is a great motivator. Our power is our people.