Travelogue -- August 2009
Dear fellow Rotarians,
I began this Rotary year the same way I began in Rotary, with a visit to my own club in Grangemouth, Scotland. I will always appreciate my Rotary club since I would not be president of Rotary International if someone had not invited me to become a member of this club.
This was followed by a trip to Rotary's first club, the Rotary Club of Chicago, and then I spoke at three breakfast clubs near Rotary's Evanston headquarters.
Besides visiting Rotary clubs, this summer I went to a Youth Exchange conference. It's always uplifting to visit them, and the Central States conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA, was no exception.
Next, my wife, June, and I traveled to the New England area, where I spoke at an outdoor meeting on a gloriously sunny afternoon to the Rotarians of South Portland, Maine, and surrounding districts. We then continued to Montréal, Québec, Canada, the site of the 2010 RI Convention , where we attended the Rotary regional magazine editors seminar.
Our next visit was to Nova Scotia, where we participated in an intercity meeting. Incidentally, Nova Scotia means “new Scotland” in Latin. There is a strong Scottish connection in Canada, and we enjoyed the opportunity to visit Pictou, site of the first Scottish settlement, where the Scottish tradition is very much alive.
We returned to the United States, and I gave the keynote address at Boxborough, to the Rotarians of Massachusetts where they are celebrating 100 years of Rotary in that state. We then returned to Evanston so I could attend to Rotary business and meetings with my aide, Past RI Director Tony de St. Dalmas.
In August, we began an Asian trip, which started in Taiwan. We met several dignitaries, most notably President Ma Ying-jeou, who is a Harvard-educated lawyer. I spoke at the Council of Past District Governors in Taiwan and at a Rotary Foundation dinner for Rotary's US$200 Million Challenge , and participated in the chartering of new clubs. While visiting Taipei 101, one of the world's tallest skyscrapers, I suggested that Rotarians publicize Rotary’s polio efforts by beaming the End Polio Now message on it, something that has been done with landmarks in other parts of the world.
As I reflect on this trip, I am struck by the enthusiasm of the Taiwanese Rotarians and the amount of service projects being done there. The governors of the seven districts have joined together to promote what they call “The Great Project” to make Rotary better, and it covers the Avenues of Service . I am particularly impressed with two projects that provide public transportation to the disabled.
I was sad to learn that the day after we left Taipei, the island was hit by the worst typhoon in 50 years, causing great devastation and loss of life. Taiwanese Rotarians are working now to help those in need .
Hong Kong was our next stop, and we heard about the impressive hepatitis B immunization program taking place in this area. Their goal is to immunize 100 million children in China. In the company of the district governor, we visited the Honorable Donald Tsang, the chief executive of Hong Kong. I also met members of the Extension of Rotary – China Committee.
After Hong Kong, we traveled to Shanghai and spoke to the Rotary Club of Shanghai. Its members have been working closely with the Shanghai Charity Foundation, and they partnered with the organization in a program to train migrant workers to care for the growing number of the city's elderly.
We traveled on to Beijing where I spoke to the Rotary Club of Beijing and met with service partners Soong Ching Ling Foundation, UN Global Outreach, and the British Council.
A memorable part of this trip was a visit to the Sun Children's Village Project. The Beijing Rotary club helps to financially support this orphanage, which is the home to 130 children whose parents are either dead or imprisoned. We met so many beautiful children, including one memorable little girl named Tutu. She had the brightest eyes and smile. While there, June and I held two babies who were abandoned on a train. We were happy to know that this facility provides a much-needed service.
From Beijing, we went back to Evanston where I spent the week planning future events. June and I are looking forward to our upcoming trip to South America in September.