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“Peace on Earth - Goodwill to men”. So goes the song in the 1939 animated short film narrated by the voice of Mel Blanc (Bugs Bunny and so many more). It’s a theme that is often repeated but never more so than at this holiday season.
Peace and Goodwill are themes close to the heart of every Rotarian.
A past President of Rotary once said that if every teenager in the world was to participate in the Youth Exchange Program there would be no more wars. About 9,000 students experienced the program last year, in more than 100 different countries. That does indeed do much to advance Peace and Understanding between Nations but it is not the only contribution to Peace and Goodwill that Rotary makes on an international scale.
Rotary Peace Fellows make a major contribution too. Having trained over 1,000 young women and men in ways to build Peace and Understanding, Peace Fellowships fund 100 scholars a year in Masters’s degree programs and professional development certificates at Universities and Colleges around the world, covering their tuition, fees, room and board and transportation expenses. Most of the more than 1,000 graduates have gone on to careers in government and non-government agencies but teaching, research, law and other diverse areas have also benefited from the expertise that the Fellowships have provided.
Global Scholarship Grants also play an important part in advancing Peace and Understanding, providing funding for graduate‑level course work or research in one of Rotary’s six areas of focus: Peace and conflict prevention/resolution, Disease prevention and treatment, Water and sanitation, Maternal and child health, Basic education and literacy, and Economic and community development.
Of course, the international fellowship of Rotary makes a great contribution towards Peace and Understanding as well; with more than 1.2 million Rotarians worldwide, in every geographic region of the world, Rotary brings people of every race, colour, creed and nationality together in the mutual goal of providing service above self to all of humanity. More specifically, organized themed fellowships involve more than 82,000 Rotarians from more than 1o0 countries in activities of common interests, covering everything from motorcycle riding to whisky drinking.
As a Rotarian, we can all take pride in doing our part in advancing Peace on Earth and Goodwill to All.
May 2019 be Happy, Healthy and Prosperous to you and yours.
President Claire
January 2019