I hope everyone had a wonderful Fourth of July holiday weekend. I am both honored and excited to begin my term District Governor. We are very fortunate to have a strong leadership team in place, and we look forward to working with you to Create Hope in the World.First, congratulations and thank you to outgoing District Governor Dr. Victor Tom. It’s been a both a privilege and a pleasure to work alongside you this past year, and our District is most definitely in a better place because of your leadership.
I love Rotary, and I love what we do.
I love Rotary, and I love what we do.
We bring together people with different political, religious, ethnic, and social agendas who might otherwise not connect, to do good in the world. We do this through service and fellowship. Connecting people through service is the most important thing that we do as Rotarians because it builds the bonds that foster peace and understanding.
I’ve been so inspired by our incoming Rotary President Gordon McInally and believe that his theme, Create Hope in the World, along with his focus on mental health initiatives, resonates across our clubs and throughout our membership. I urge everyone to watch two videos: in the first President Gordon shares the inspiration for his theme; in the second he shares his reasons and vision for his commitment to mental health initiatives.
As I think of our year ahead, there’s so we much can do together. But time is limited, so I plan to focus our efforts in five areas:
1. Training and strategy for Club officers – we’re working to produce a program of continuous training, delivered in bite size portions in live and recorded sessions that our Club leaders can access at their convenience.
2. Education about Rotary Beyond the Club – if we truly understand the amazing things our organization does and the impact that we have, and can tell that story, we’ll be able to inspire others to join with us to Create Hope.
3. Environmental Sustainability - our kids know that coping with climate change is the biggest challenge they face. I don’t want our Rotarians to ever need to look at our kids and answer the question “where were you when something could have been done about this?” We need to lead the way in our Clubs and communities.
4. Mental Health – We will start a chapter of the Mental Health Initiatives Rotary Action Group in our District. As we continue to rebound from the pandemic, the need for kindness and connection is huge. Let’s work together to remove the stigma surrounding mental health issues.
5. Diversity, Equity & Inclusion - We will continue to strengthen our commitment to DEI, and we need to ensure that our Clubs are welcoming. DEI goes beyond having a “checklist” where we add people of diverse backgrounds to our Clubs and then check that box. It means working to understand the needs of diverse communities and offering our skills and resources to help solve issues important to them.
As I’ve been traveling to our Clubs, I feel the excitement now that our members can meet in person again. It’s been a long road, but we’re coming out of the Covid hangover. It’s time again to have fun, celebrate fellowship, and renew our bonds. This is what I look forward to most in the year ahead.
I leave you now with Rotary’s Vision Statement:
Together we see a world where people unite to create lasting change, across the globe, in our communities and within ourselves.
I love Rotary. I love you, our members. Together, let’s go out and Create Hope in The World.
Yours in Rotary & Service,
Elliott
District Governor 2023-24
As I think of our year ahead, there’s so we much can do together. But time is limited, so I plan to focus our efforts in five areas:
1. Training and strategy for Club officers – we’re working to produce a program of continuous training, delivered in bite size portions in live and recorded sessions that our Club leaders can access at their convenience.
2. Education about Rotary Beyond the Club – if we truly understand the amazing things our organization does and the impact that we have, and can tell that story, we’ll be able to inspire others to join with us to Create Hope.
3. Environmental Sustainability - our kids know that coping with climate change is the biggest challenge they face. I don’t want our Rotarians to ever need to look at our kids and answer the question “where were you when something could have been done about this?” We need to lead the way in our Clubs and communities.
4. Mental Health – We will start a chapter of the Mental Health Initiatives Rotary Action Group in our District. As we continue to rebound from the pandemic, the need for kindness and connection is huge. Let’s work together to remove the stigma surrounding mental health issues.
5. Diversity, Equity & Inclusion - We will continue to strengthen our commitment to DEI, and we need to ensure that our Clubs are welcoming. DEI goes beyond having a “checklist” where we add people of diverse backgrounds to our Clubs and then check that box. It means working to understand the needs of diverse communities and offering our skills and resources to help solve issues important to them.
As I’ve been traveling to our Clubs, I feel the excitement now that our members can meet in person again. It’s been a long road, but we’re coming out of the Covid hangover. It’s time again to have fun, celebrate fellowship, and renew our bonds. This is what I look forward to most in the year ahead.
I leave you now with Rotary’s Vision Statement:
Together we see a world where people unite to create lasting change, across the globe, in our communities and within ourselves.
I love Rotary. I love you, our members. Together, let’s go out and Create Hope in The World.
Yours in Rotary & Service,
Elliott
District Governor 2023-24