19th District Conference
of 
Rotary International D3870
April
3-5, 2003
Cagayan de Oro City
Speech to District 3870 Conference
April 2003
King Arthur’s Rotary
Dens W. L. Shao
RI President’s Representative
Governor RUBEN A. VEGAFRIA, Past Governors, DGE, Guests and my dear Partners in Service 2002~2003.
In the year AC1000 Roman Empire’s influence started to wane and was unable to exert full control over it’s territories. English & French clans & feudal lord all scrambled to form their own fiefdom. War was rife with every self proclaimed King believing their rule bestowed upon them by God. Every one of them had power over life & death. But with such absolute power and god-like mentality; a new school of thought emerge put forward by King Arthur in England; “why does your things belong to you, my things to me with us fighting for each others belonging? Why not jump out of this mindset and think, “ your belongings are mine and my belonging also belong to you? You are bigger than me so you be my big brother. I am bigger than you so you be my little brother. Sharing our wisdom, our wealth, our power and our enterprise. This ideal of sharing unified England and created the utopia estate – Camelot, bring a period of peace & prosperity for its people.
This didn’t last however; as upon the eventual death of King Arthur, chaos reign the kingdom once again. Dispute broke out into war bringing hardship to the masses. As a result poet & people starts to reminisce & miss King Arthur [ Oh great Arthur! Your death symbolized the disappearance of the peaceful Camelot. There’s nothing but chaos and war and suffering for the people. Our Utopia is no more. Peace and harmony deserted us are only now distant memories.] Missed by the people, Camelot become the by-word for paradise/utopia. A symbol that represented a longing and remembrance for a unified and harmonious world.
Let’s not forget the round table knights in the legend of King Arthur. Every one of them that accompanied King Arthur’s rule owns their own castle. Is this not the same for Rotary members? Not only do you need impeachable personal integrity but also be a leader in your own professions will you than be invited by the Head – Arthur to become a round table knight – Rotary Member. For example I am a dentist, my castle is my profession – dentistry. Therefore every Rotary member is like a Rotary Knight; he has 2 duties:
1. He/she must be a leader or professional representing his/her castle - Profession, attend the roundtable meeting at King Arthur’s Camelot – Rotary Meetings. Where everyone comes together to share everyone’s emotions, wisdom & knowledge.
2. Also whilst outside of ‘Camelot’ we must carry our sword – 「The 4 Way Test」– to defend Rotary within our professional circle, within our lives.
Therefore, within the Rotary club we share our joy & enthusiasm for the Rotary movement while in the outside world we wield 「The 4 Way Test」 to do good, to serve and to share Rotary with the whole world and in the process find our very own Camelot – Utopia the missed harmonious world that used to be.
Within our meetings, our embraces, mutual sharing, personal egos are put aside and true appreciation of the meaning of teamwork is achieved.
In the embrace of Rotary do we not find the Nirvana within our hearts? – Rotary’s Camelot. Spreading this ideal to reach the masses in order to achieve the Utopia world that Rotary yearns is our responsibility. Is this great task easily achievable? Of course not. That’s why the 1949-50 Rotary International President Percy C. Hodgson started the very first Rotary International Themes. Henceforth, giving us a new direction each year. For this year the new direction given by RI President Bhichai Rattakul is “Sow the Seeds of Love”.
In 2002-03, RI President will ask all Rotarians, clubs, and districts to focus on seven challenges to strengthen our clubs:
1. “Bottom up”
•To strengthen our clubs, we will work from the “bottom up”, rather than from the “top down.” “Bottom up” means that RI President won’t be giving us new rules to follow, new procedures to learn, or new quotas to meet because that’s a “top down” approach. Just as RI President ask us to work from the “bottom up,” and our RI President has done the same.
•“Bottom up” means that the strength of our district’s clubs is the true measure of the success of this rotary year. Our greatest satisfaction will come when the clubs in this district grow strong and reap bountiful harvests of service.
•“Bottom up” means that for us, the leadership of Rotary, it will be far more important to see than to be seen, far more important to listen than to be heard, and far more important to love than to be loved.
2. Let Rotary clubs strengthen the operations and administration of their clubs, making them stronger. Let them spend their own money to meet their community’s needs and to fund their own priorities.
•As RI President said, every project and every activity is worthy because every act of service we perform is like a seed, growing a bountiful crop of love throughout our world.
3. Combating Illiteracy
•Illiteracy lies at the root of poverty, ranking as one of the prime impediments to earning a living wage. An estimated 880 million people do not have the literacy and numeracy skills needed to hold a job or obtain a better one.
a. How are clubs and districts in your area addressing literacy issues?
b. What projects have proven successful in your area?
c. How can the CLE (Concentrated Language Encounter) program become a standardized literacy program in your area (if applicable)?
4. Utilizing Rotary’s Time-honored Principles to Build Effective Clubs
• Rotary was founded on core principles that define and help us maintain our unique identity. While clubs must continue to grow and adapt with the changing world, timeless principles such as active involvement in service, use of the classification survey, dignified induction ceremonies, effective member educational programs, commitment to high ethical standards, use of club election procedures and review of club by-laws continue to move Rotary clubs forward on their path to success.
a. What are some other timeless principles upon which Rotary was founded that are still valid today in your clubs?
b. How can you help to ensure the clubs in your area make effective use of these timeless principles?
5. Promoting The Rotary Foundation’s New Polio Eradication Fundraising Campaign
•Eradicating polio is Rotary International’s top priority. Significant progress towards eradication has been made over the past year, although major challenges remain such as reaching all children, sustaining political commitment, the most significantly and urgently, the funding shortfall. The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International has launched the Polio Eradication Fundraising Campaign to help decrease the funding gap.
a. How will your district support the fundraising campaign?
b. How will you communicate the urgency of raising funds this year to ensure the goal of polio eradication by the year 2005?
6. Supporting the Rotary Centers for International Studies in Peace and Conflict Resolution
•The Rotary Centers for International Studies in peace and conflict resolution were established to advance research, teaching, publication and knowledge, on issues of peace, goodwill, causes of conflict and world understanding. In 2002-03 the first class of 70 Rotary World Peace Scholars are studying at the Rotary Centers. Discuss the ways in which the Rotary Centers of International Studies, and the individual Rotary World Peace Scholars will have a practical, long-term impact in achieving world peace.
a. How can districts and club members support this program?
7. Retaining Existing Members and Recruiting New Members
•World events in the past year highlight and confirm the need for Rotary’s mission of advancing peace, goodwill and understanding on an international basis. In order to maintain our influence and continue these worldwide efforts, Rotary clubs must remain strong and viable within their communities while maintaining a qualified and active membership base.
a. To remain relevant and current how can a club identify new classifications?
b. In continuing with Rotary’s Global Quest what programs or activities can clubs implement to improve the retention of existing members and recruit new members?
• Rotary’s Global Quest
The Rotary International Board of Directors has reaffirmed the need to strengthen our membership by setting a goal of 1.5 million members by the year 2005, Rotary’s centennial. But to reach that ambitious goal, all of Rotary must join together in fulfilling Rotary’s Global Quest. To strengthen Rotary’s membership, RI President ask:
1.Each Rotary club will bring in-and induct-at least one new qualified member each month.
2.Each district will form a minimum of three new clubs.
3.With a minimum net gain of 5 new members per club at the end of year.
v Is too many Rotarian a good thing?
1. Largest clubs in Rotary
The Rotary Club of San Antonio, Texas, earned its bragging rights in 1999 when it became the largest Rotary club in the world, with 732 members. But it didn’t stop there. Determined to be “number one in 2001,” the club just kept growing. By the end of 2000, it counted a whopping 751 active members.
Chartered in 1912, the club enjoys obvious advantages in membership recruitment: a proud history, prestige, credibility, and resources – not to mention the approaching RI Convention.
But, like any club, it’s primarily a matter of inviting people to join, according to President C. Reginald Williams. “And, since it’s easier to keep than recruit, we do everything we can to let members know they’ll be missed if they’re gone.”
? New members are invited to attend a board meeting,
? Greet arrivals at club meetings, and
? Join whichever of the club’s 49 committees they choose.
? When a member resigns, a board member calls to find out the problem.
Contrary to the criticism directed against large clubs, “we have fun, get to know each other, and maintain quality.” Williams said. “Members are real leaders of the community. They get involved in everything from mentoring at-risk students and building playgrounds to hosting golf tournaments.”
2.Worldwide, 163 Rotary clubs have more than 200 members each. The clubs are located in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, India, Japan, New Zealand, Puerto Rico the United States, and Uruguay. Of the clubs of this size 143 are in the USA.
3.Nine clubs, all in the USA, have more than 500 members each. Besides San Antonio (see story above), they are Seattle, Washington, 710; Fort Worth, Texas, 656; Indiana, 561; Houston, Texas, 558; San Diego, California, 528; Birmingham, Alabama, 528; Denver Colorado, 521; and Cincinnati, Ohio, 506.
4.While the USA has the largest clubs, cities in other countries claim the greatest number of clubs. Seoul, Korea, leads with 159 Rotary clubs and a membership topping 4,500. Tokyo, Japan, has 138 clubs with more than 9,100 Rotarians. Taipei, Taiwan, is another city with more than 100 clubs –143.
5.By another measure of size, five countries with at least 1,000 Rotarians each have an average Rotary club size of 50 members or more. Italy is first, with an average club size of 57.2 members; it is followed by Switzerland, 54.6; Sweden, 54.4; Japan, 52.2; and the USA, 51.5.【Statistics based on the latest semiannual RI membership reports received.】
vToo young therefore not suited to join Rotary Club?
Rotary Founder Paul Harris was a not precocious when he joined Rotary at the age of 38. Compared with the others Paul Harris can be calling a late bloomer but after joining he invited other younger people into the movement.
Are men and women aged in their 20~30 too young and unsuited to be Rotarians? To answer this question, one must see the following figures: from 1983~2001, the 18 RI Presidents included 13 Presidents that join the Rotary movement while under the age of 35. Currently, Brown & Giay are the youngest to have joined when their were both just 22 year of age. Giay once said that it’s no exaggeration that Rotary made him the man that he is; “ Rotary taught me how to reach my goals in Life.” These 18 RI Past President all modest claim that they weren’t that young when they joined the Rotary movement. Below are the age at which they joined:
p Rotary @ The Speed of Thought
Someone said our theme in the 1980s was “QUALITY” and that in the 1990s is “Re-engineering”. While we entered the new Millennium, the theme for 2000 should be “the Concept of Digital Information Flow,” using digital nervous system to meet with quickly and correctly and era of “SPEED”.
Rotary’s Mission is Service.
For 98 years Rotarians have been serving to advance the ideal of service. Though the entire world and Rotary organization have changed a lot, yet our commitments remain firm. Facing the speed of new century, our mission-consistency in service-should be reinforced with new approach and ideas. In other words, to enhance consistency in Rotary in the 21st century, we should not only commit ourselves to our fundamental purposes of Rotary, we should also have the willingness and ability to change while growing. In addition to training Rotarians, we should promote the concept of digital workflow to correctly and quickly unite Rotary clubs with digital system – Rotary Web Work style and Rotary Web Lifestyle. To maintain consistency, all our Rotary communications should be through E-Mail, working together on it and find the models to share information one another. Encourage Rotarian individual to use computers to spread Rotary information to serve well. To maximize using digital tools for inter clubs and district level virtual teamwork, make available timely use of mutual ideas to share Rotary information. By furthering digital system within the teams, each and every club and the district may get hold of proper conditions and transform paper work into digital formulas to cut Rotary administrative bottlenecks in order that Rotarians could have much more time to serve. The digital tools make our service simpler and provide additional value to our work. We should also create digital feedback loop, enabling the clubs and Rotarians in District 3870 to adapt themselves to changes so as to improve our service and update our service quality continually. Besides, we also should use digital system to relay new service ideas to those Rotarians in the district and the world who need them to improve their service in Rotary. In this way, with maximum use of the digital system, can we remeasure our ability and expand our frontiers, and based on that, to enable clubs and the district to continue growing in size and service and to be more close to our communities. Clubs thus can gain much more time by cutting the service time cycle thorough quick communications, and serve just in time with changed and new ideas with the community instead of for the community.
That also will serve as a new idea to find out the real needs of the community.
I believe if Rotary should go on and go on in the future. Rotary should make all efforts to promote and catch up with the connectivity of digital time, which is of utmost importance as it is
Rotary @ The Speed of Thought
In this way, can we make rotary year2002~2003, as emphasized by RI Past President Carlo Ravizza
A Forward-Looking Spirit,
A Spirit of Service and Fellowship,
A Spirit of International Understanding,
A Spirit of Tolerance and Solidarity.
At last, as our RI President Bhichai Rattakul Said:
“How many of us remember to think of others first,
and to think of ourselves in terms of what we can do for others?”
Our “Partners in Service 2002~2003”,D3870 have leaded by Governor Ruben A. Vegafria to soar height already, because you, I, We, all of us firmly believe—
“D3870 will remember what is best in us.
In this Rotary year and always,
together in fellowship and service,
we will go forth into a struggling world
and we will Sow the Seeds of Love.’’