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RI PRESIDENT'S AUGUST MESSAGE
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BUILDING COMMUNITIES - BRIDGING CONTINENTS

Several Rotarians have asked me how I chose the RI theme for my
presidential year, so let me explain. After reviewing all the
past themes, I decided to search for a few words that would fulfill
two objectives – to give outsiders a glimpse of our purpose, and
at the same time to make Rotarians proud of their membership.

I searched for words to describe the passion, the creativity, and
the generosity of Rotarians. And as I sought the right words,
I kept in mind that Rotary is a spirit of service as well as an
organization of Rotary clubs, and that we need to share our core
values of service, fellowship, diversity, integrity, and leadership
with other people and organizations. I considered many words
and phrases. The four words I finally selected to convey Rotary’s
current mission and highlight our achievements describe what
Rotarians do best, which is
Building Communities – Bridging Continents.

I hope you agree those four words aptly reflect who we are and
what we do as Rotarians. We are a unique organization and
certainly one of the best in the world. We build the spirit and
resources of our local communities in an important way, and we
are a prominent player on the world stage with PolioPlus and
our international service projects.

Rotary has changed the world, and Rotarians will continue to
change it in a positive way. The formula is simple: For us to
succeed, all we need to do is to focus our best efforts on doing
what Rotarians are passionate about and what Rotarians are the
best in the world at doing, which is
Building Communities – Bridging Continents.

Ray Klinginsmith
President, Rotary International

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