President Mary introduced our District Governor, Liz Smith, (shown at left) who is a 3^rd generation Rotarian. She and her hubby, Jamie, are both Paul Harris Fellows. She is a member of the Detroit Rotary Club. Mary said that she first heard Liz Speak at a District Conference in Cincinnati about her experience in a Rotoplast trip and that Mary was truly amazed by Liz’s emotion during her presentation. Mary said that, after her presentation, she knew Rotary was the organization she wanted to be a part of! Liz, Mary said, has much international service experience having traveled to Cuba, Nicaragua, Peru, Philippines, Venezuela and Mali to help with polio immunization, the Children of the Dump project, various mission trips and many other projects overseas. Liz is also a technical genius and has used her talent to assist at District Conferences working behind the scenes with graphics and production.

 

Liz began by thanking all present for the work they do in this community since it “is clear that this community is the better for it”. The District, she said, consists of 48 clubs in 2 countries. It extends from Adrian, Michigan to Lemington, Canada – a stretch of about 2 ½ hours by car, she said.

 

“The future of Rotary is bright”, Liz said. Particularly exciting was the rollout of the look and feel of the new Rotary Brand. Liz presented President Mary with the new Rotary sign (the Rotary wheel now a solid color and text promoting one name – ROTARY as opposed to Rotary “International”) for our podium or however we wish to display it. “We want to be known by our first name” Liz said.

 

The 6 words on the new banner Liz brought with her are compelling in distilling everything Rotary does: “join leaders”, “exchange ideas” and “take action”. This is Rotary’s new elevator speech, she said, three nouns and three verbs. These words are in keeping with the theme RI President Gary is promoting in light of the problems this world is experiencing and how Rotarians can address them across the world – Light Up Rotary. She quoted Confucius: “It’s better to light a single candle than to sit alone and curse the darkness”. Liz shared the story of the star fish with us to emphasize that even if we help only one person through what we do, it is significant. The Purity Project we have adopted, Liz said, is but one example of providing “light” to her and truly making a difference in her life.

 

Liz sited the contribution we and others in District 6400 made last year and continue to make to the RI Foundation. Over $150,000 in district-global grants came back to the district as a result of that generosity. The work of Peace Scholars, for instance, is funded through the RI Foundation and that 6 scholars are chosen each year worldwide yet that in the past 5 years, this district alone has produced 3 of them!

 

As Rotarians, Liz said, we have great obligations. We meet those obligations by having a strong culture of “doing”. Liz then said that this was the portion of her presentation that she talks about former Adrian Rotarian Bill Chase because he was the one, she said, that she saw first; who was the one who went out and started “doing”. She said she remembers the day Bill visited her Rotary Club and told them his story and showed his pictures to raise more money to raise money to build a clinic in Brazil. And, 20 years later, she said, “that clinic still serves that community” thanks to our club and the financial assistance of others in our District! Quoting PDG Mike McCullough: “It’s not about the money, it’s about what the money can do”. Once her club saw what the money could do, she said, “there was no stopping us”.

 

She went on to say: “The work that we do in our world safeguarding health and education of future generations inspires each other to achieve higher levels of service and is known to the greater world of Rotary. Rotary years start and finish, Rotary themes came and go, but at the beginning, the middle and end of it all, is our service”. Liz said that while President Gary has a theme, so does she but it’s a bit closer to the ground: Step into Service, Wear Sturdy Shoes. In our efforts, she said, we will continue to send medical teams overseas, help Ghana, Tanzania, and Guatemala with their drinking water, eradicate a deadly disease for the second time in history, provide scholarships, clothe the cold in winter, provide school supplies, plant flowers in the spring, and help people who cannot read just to name a few. Liz mentioned a new project Liz introduced this year – The Little Free Library. (For more info you can go to www.littlefreelibrary.org).

 

Liz reminded members of next year’s District Conference April 30, May 1-3 at the Grand Traverse Resort in Traverse City. Total package for 3 nights and 4 days along with 16 meals for 2 runs “$1,150!

 

Liz closed by telling us how her father happened to join Rotary and urged each of us to go out and tell prospects why we joined Rotary. Quoting Bono: “Everywhere I go, Rotary has been there before me”. “The world needs us”, Liz said, “the road ahead is rocky. Walk it with me and wear sturdy shoes!”

 

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