Greetings fellow Rotarians and happy February.

February is recognized as Peace and Conflict Resolution Month. Unfortunately, this continues to be a very timely topic both domestically and internationally. Our continued political discourse and the ongoing war in Ukraine reminds us just how fragile peace is.

As Rotarians, we are certainly leaders in the pursuit of peace. Rotary has set up seven Rotary Peace Centers throughout the world which has graduated over 1,500 peace fellows from more than 115 countries. These Peace Fellows are giving back by supporting peace and development initiatives in communities affected by conflict. Some beneficiaries of this work include refugees, young people, women and children and impoverished communities.

 

In addition to the work Rotary International is doing on a global scale, I am also very proud of the work that our District is doing to promote peace. I recently had the privilege of participating in the interviews of our Global Scholar applicants. A couple of our applicants are also looking to continue their studies in this area. Taking part in this process certainly gave me increased optimism that we can achieve peace in our world.

I could not talk about the work of Rotary without thanking all Rotarians for their generous support of the Rotary Foundation. To date, District 6580 Rotarians have donated over $110,000 to the Rotarian Foundation. With five months left in the Rotary year, we are over one-half of the way toward our $200,000 goal. Please join us as we celebrate Rotarians vision of humanitarian service on February 24th, at the Friends of the Rotary Foundation Event to be held in Evansville.

In closing, as we approach Rotary’s 118th Birthday on February 23rd, please consider bringing someone you know to a Rotary meeting, social or service project. What better way to celebrate Rotary’s birthday is by giving the gift of Rotary to someone you know.