Lucie Stephens

Why I joined Rotary

I am often asked why I chose to join Rotary.  The puzzled looks clearly show what is on their mind: “but your hair isn’t grey and you’re not retired.”  My answer is simple, Rotary once gave me a life-changing opportunity and I feel I have a social responsibility to give back and to pay it forward whenever I can.  

When I was seventeen, my Rotary district selected me to represent them and to be an ambassador for my country as a Rotary International Exchange Student.  This opportunity was a defining moment in my life.  I was exposed to a new culture, to a new language, and I got to live with families who were very different from my own.  This experience taught me compassion for others, to never judge a book by its cover and that anything is possible, if we work hard, and follow our path.

Finding Rotary again in my adult years has been a blessing to me.  I now get to meet like-minded individuals and to make a difference in the lives of others.  We all have a role to play in leaving this world a better place.  Our journey is but a fleeting moment in the grand scheme of things, but if every one of us did just a little bit every day, we could ease the journey for those who follow behind us.  Our legacy would be a great one.

One person can absolutely make a different, but a group can change the world.

Lucie Stephens