District Conference

The District Conference was highlighted tonight by the Governor's Gala -- reception, dinner, silent and live auctions, and a grand 50/50 raffle. The pinacle of the event was the speech by the RI president's representative Ed Futa. Ed was inspiring and challenging. As the RI General Secretary for almost eleven years, Ed has witnessed and heard almost everything about Rotary. He asked his audience what would happened if polio were conquered today and the PolioPlus program came to a sudden end. He went on to explain why Rotary would not be prepared and what should be done about it. The new vision of Rotary puts the responsibility on the individual Rotarian. It is individuals who make up Rotary. Each member must lend a hand to build Rotary and to do great work in the world. Yes, the new core emphasis of Rotary is the individual -- discovering the essence of wisdom from everyday life. At the end of the gala tonight, District Governor Ron distributed several major awards -- including Service Above Self, District Rotarian of the Year, Club Builder Award, Rotary Scout Award, and the Community Service Award. A final award was a special recognition award given to Ed Futa. All in all the night was a reminder of why I like Rotary and see the organization as offering great hope for mankind in a troubled world. John McCauley