DISCURSOS - Rotary International
DISCURSOS - Rotary International
DISCURSOS - Rotary International
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Engage <strong>Rotary</strong>, Change Lives<br />
Ron D. Burton<br />
RI President-elect<br />
Good morning! Welcome to <strong>Rotary</strong>’s 2013 <strong>International</strong> Assembly.<br />
Standing here today, I can’t help but think back to Nashville, Tennessee, 26 years ago. That was<br />
when I attended the <strong>International</strong> Assembly as an incoming district governor. It was an incredible<br />
experience, just as I hope this assembly will be an incredible experience for all of you. But there<br />
is something else that links the <strong>International</strong> Assembly of 1987 with the <strong>International</strong> Assembly<br />
of 2013 — and it’s not just that Ron Burton was at both of them.<br />
Twenty-six years ago, my classmates and I were not only gearing up to be district governors<br />
but were also gearing up for the biggest, most ambitious program in <strong>Rotary</strong>’s history: PolioPlus.<br />
We were getting ready to tackle the first fundraising campaign in the history of <strong>Rotary</strong> and the<br />
biggest commitment, by far, that <strong>Rotary</strong> had ever made: to eradicate polio from the face of the<br />
earth.<br />
Even then we knew it wouldn’t be quick or easy. However, if we had known then that we would<br />
still be working in 2013 to finally finish the job, I’m not sure a single one of us would have agreed<br />
to be governor. But we knew then, as we know now, that we could do it. And we knew then, as<br />
we know now, what success would mean — to the children of the world, to the generations that<br />
would follow them, and to the generations of Rotarians who would be inspired by our success to<br />
achieve even more.<br />
Twenty-six years ago, I sat in the class of <strong>Rotary</strong> district governors that began the job of eradicating<br />
polio.<br />
Today, I stand in front of the class of <strong>Rotary</strong> district governors that will finish it.<br />
I learned a lot about polio that week in Nashville. And I’ve learned a lot more since then. But the<br />
most important thing I learned — and that all of us learned — was that whether we lived somewhere<br />
where there hadn’t been a case of polio in 30 years or somewhere with thousands of<br />
cases a month, we could do something about it. We could save kids from life in a wheelchair, or<br />
on crutches, or crawling in the dirt. We all realized that, through <strong>Rotary</strong>, we could change lives.<br />
We’d heard those words before, but over that week, they became very real and almost took on a<br />
life of their own.<br />
And I don’t think any of us ever looked at <strong>Rotary</strong> the same way again.<br />
The challenge for <strong>Rotary</strong> leaders at every level — for me, for you, for the club presidents — is<br />
making sure that every Rotarian can have that experience of epiphany, that moment of realizing<br />
what <strong>Rotary</strong> is, what doors it opens, what a privilege it is to be a Rotarian.<br />
My friends, it is an incredibly exciting time to be a Rotarian. I believe <strong>Rotary</strong>’s best days are<br />
ahead of us. We are writing the last few pages of one chapter of <strong>Rotary</strong> history, as we move ever<br />
closer to the end of polio. And we are writing the very first pages of a new chapter as we roll out<br />
our Future Vision plan.<br />
Future Vision is a new era for our <strong>Rotary</strong> Foundation. It takes everything that is wonderful about<br />
<strong>Rotary</strong> and raises it to a new level — by encouraging bigger, more sustainable international projects<br />
while providing increased flexibility for local projects, both of which address the needs of<br />
the community being served. It’s a big transition — a big change from business as usual — and<br />
<strong>International</strong> Assembly Speeches 2013 1