2006-07 Theme/Logo


Above: A Rotary eCard sent by DGE Carol Anthony to DGN Marlene Brown from the International Assembly!



RI President-elect William B. Boyd

February 2006 - Boyd urges Rotarians to "Lead the Way
"

Rotary International's incoming president, William B. Boyd, has chosen Lead the Way as the theme for the 2006–07 Rotary year. "This will be my theme and an affirmation of my belief in the power of Rotarians to change the world, one positive act at a time," he told incoming district governors at the International Assembly in San Diego, California, USA, on 17 February.

Every year at the assembly, Rotary's incoming president unveils a theme for the next Rotary year. The current theme under RI President Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammar is Service Above Self, the same as Rotary's longtime motto.
The challenge of finding a theme is that it must be short, inspirational, and translatable. Boyd doesn't remember the moment Lead the Way popped into his head. All he knows it that "it just felt right."

Since the governors-elect attend the International Assembly to learn more about becoming successful leaders in their districts, Boyd's theme was especially pertinent to the audience.

"In the coming year, I ask each of you to take your places as leaders in your districts and your communities," Boyd told the incoming governors. "I ask each of you to lead in the Rotary way, by living as role models of tolerance, unselfishness, and integrity. And because the best leaders have humility, I ask you to do all of this with friendliness and a smile, so that others will be happy to walk beside you."

Boyd concluded by saying, "As Rotarians, we are not content to let matters stay the way they have always been in our clubs or in our communities. We are not content with the status quo, and we do not look at a problem only to say someone else will solve it. We are the ones who ask, 'Why not us?' We are the ones with the skills and the desire to build a better future. And we are the ones who must Lead the Way."

Download the Rotary themes here

Rotary International's incoming president, William B. Boyd, will emphasize four familiar topics during the 2006–07 Rotary year.

Boyd told incoming district governors at the International Assembly in San Diego, California, USA, on 17 February, his focus will be on water management, literacy, health and hunger, and the family of Rotary.

Every year at the assembly, Rotary's incoming president unveils emphases for the next Rotary year, which starts on 1 July. The current emphases under RI President Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammar are literacy, water, health and hunger concerns, and public image. Past RI presidents Jonathan B. Majiyagbe and Glenn E. Estess Sr. emphasized some of these issues, too. Over the years, clubs have carried out service projects related to these areas. They've helped tap wells, filter water, distribute dictionaries, educate teachers, equip schools, donate food, and provide medical treatment.

After Boyd announced his emphases, Stenhammar elaborated on them. Both see a link between literacy and water management. Stenhammar said the non-governmental organization WaterAid found that in Tanzania, school attendance increased 12 % when water was 15 minutes away rather than an hour. A World Bank study showed school attendance in Bangladesh rose 15 % when water-hauling time was reduced.

Stenhammar said 20 % of the world's population does not have access to safe drinking water, and he encouraged Rotarians to look at water pollution's causes. "It's often the industries that are changing what Mother Nature has given us, thus creating polluted water," he said. "But also at home we can all think of this: My wife, Monica, has taught me never to put anything in our kitchen sink that we do not want in our kitchen garden. I see in many countries, television ads about chemicals to use to keep weeds out of our lawns or just to make them greener. These chemicals often contain poison, which after having fulfilled its mission, sinks down into the subsoil water — our future water supply."

As for literacy, that's a subject close to Boyd's heart, partly because he grew up in a family that owned a bookstore. Literacy, Boyd said, helps people escape poverty, empowers women, and enables communities to care for their water resources and address issues related to health and hunger.

With respect to the family of Rotary, Boyd said this includes Rotaractors, Interactors, Inner Wheel, alumni of The Rotary Foundation, Youth Exchange students, and family members of Rotarians. Boyd encouraged Rotarians to make it easier for members who are busy, young professionals with families to take part in clubs' activities. A formal dinner, for example, can mean time away from the children, a significant expense for the meal, and money for child care. Instead, he suggested a weekend barbecue, a picnic, or a service project that can involve the whole family.

"In the year ahead, I ask all of you to work to make our clubs welcoming to those of all ages and to remember the importance of our programs for youth," Boyd said. "These young people are our future."



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