DISTRICT GOVERNOR MESSAGE FOR DECEMBER, 2015

Posted by Jacquie Gibson

on Dec 03, 2015

DISTRICT GOVERNOR MESSAGE FOR DECEMBER , 2015

Dear fellow Rotarians,

When Carla and I started this Rotary journey with you in July, we could not have fully imagined the beautiful and inspiring experiences that we have been sharing with you, our Rotary family. This Rotary year is already, but only, half-way through. In the Rotary Calendar, December is a time to focus on Disease Prevention and Treatment. Traditionally, it was celebrated as the Family of Rotary month. In my message to you this month, I will address both.

Last month, on November 27, 2015, RI President K. Ravi Ravindran addressed the heads of state at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Malta, encouraging more funding for the final push for the eradication of polio. The eradication of polio is Rotary's top priority in the area of Disease Prevention and Treatment. It is important that we remain vigilant in supporting the End Polio Now campaign - we are really "this close". However, Rotarians all over support programmes and design projects to fight many various diseases. President Ravi at the CHOGM said, "Eliminating a disease is the ultimate in sustainable development: an investment that yields infinite returns." In our region, disease prevention and treatment is certainly a priority and we have seen the ill effects that disease can have on a family, on a workforce and on a country's economy. Carla and I have been proud to see some of the work that the clubs do in our District - such as providing potable water, installing sanitation infrastructure as well as providing assistance to health care systems by funding training, providing medical equipment, building infrastructure and holding community health clinics. We cannot discount feeding programmes geared towards ending malnutrition and hunger or projects addressing maternal and child health. These projects and programmes all play a part in eliminating disease and creating a sustainable environment for our communities.

The work we do is significant. We cannot do it alone. It requires our dedication and effort as a Rotary family. Who is our family? Our family includes our relatives, our club members, the many arms of Rotary - Rotaract, Interact, Earlyact, Inner Wheel - and our many community partners as well as the beneficiaries of our work. Our family includes those we touch and those who touch us as we go about rendering Service Above 'Self. Sometimes, like a nuclear family, there will be disagreements. Sometimes, like a nuclear family, we will feel unstoppable. December is often a time for reflection on what worked and what did not work in the passing year. This December, let us remember that it is by sticking together through life's - and Service's - twists and turns that we become better persons. In sticking together through challenges, we better understand each other and therefore better serve our fellow man. In our clubs, we will not be shielded from frustrations and disappointments but, if we stick it out, together we will experience joy and fulfillment and leave behind a legacy greater than we individually could have achieved.

For the clubs that we have already visited, we would have spoken with the Presidents and Boards about the Wellness aspect (in French: "bien-être") of our service. Our clubs will be called upon, from time to time, to be places of respite for some of our own members. Our obligation also is to serve each other even while we serve everybody else. If we take care of our members, they will be better able to take care of others. During this month, many of us will celebrate the holidays with our immediate and extended families. Let us not forget to take a moment to cherish those in our clubs and community who have no family or who recently lost family or who will be in dire need this holiday.

And so, as we end a Calendar year and look forward to a New Year, let us renew our commitment to Service and to each other. The work that we do is needed by our communities. They are counting on us - not only to be successful community persons but to perform significant community acts. This year-end, let us recommit to moving from Success to Significance. And in doing so, Be a Gift to the World.

Happy Holidays my Rotary Family! Carla and I wish you love, joy and peace this holiday season.

Felix N. Stubbs

District Governor 7020

2015 - 2016