INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

COMMENTS FROM

THE CHAIR OF THE

TRUSTEES

2

COMMENTS FROM

THE GENERA L

COORDINATOR FOR

ALUMNI

2

DESMOND TUTU AT

THE 100TH

INTERNATIONAL

CONVENTION—AN

ALUMNI

OPPORTUNITY

4

VOLUME 3, ISSUE 7

understanding , a desire

shared by Rotarians around

the world;

• They were trained and given

information about our great

organization and therefore

are already aware of what we

do and how we do it; and

• They are potential donors to

The Rotary Foundation and

know what a difference it can

make in the world.

So please read on to see how you

can help in our ongoing efforts.

February is World

Understanding Month ,

providing clubs with an

opportunity to invite an alumnus

to address Rotarians about the

program in which he or she

participated. Let’s reconnect

with our alumni in February, an

ideal time to do so.

Below you will find some

information for each of the

leaders at the district level who,

in my view, have a role to play

in the on-going effort to

reconnect to our alumni, a

forgotten potential asset to our

Rotary family.

Alumni can be an asset to us in

several ways:

• Because of their direct

involvement in the culture

and economics of other

countries, they can help us to

understand what they have

learned;

• They already have an affinity

for Rotary since they were

chosen for the program

because of their desire to

promote peace and

Rotary International Zone 22 East

Alumni Newsletter

FROM THE DESK OF JOAN HAYWARD

FEBRUARY, 2009

Do you have stories about

Alumni who have been

involved in newsworthy

activities? Have these

activities been shaped by

their experiences as being

participants in the

programs of The Rotary

Foundation?

If so, I’d really like to

highlight them in this

newsletter. Please see the

last page for details.

No matter what leadership position you hold, you have a responsibility to ensure that we reconnect with our alumni:

District Governors-Elect, please don’t forget the important work of the district alumni chairs

as you begin the process of appointments for your year. The earlier these appointments are

made the easier it will be to continue the process of planning for the new Rotary year,

supporting your membership goals, and supporting the new theme, “The Future of Rotary is

in your Hands”. Also, set aside $500.00 in your Foundation budget in the event that next

year’s Zone 24 (22) East Alumni Coordinator decides to continue with the joint GSE/Scholar

orientation event.

District Alumni Chairs, please help your DGE by passing on information about alumni that you have compiled during your year(s) of service. This includes the list of alumni residing in your districts that I sent to you earlier this year.

District Governors, please assist your DGE to make timely and wise decisions about your

district alumni chair. Choose someone who has a passion for this area of service and who

understands the importance of bringing alumni back to Rotary.

District Foundation Chairs, please pass on to your successor, if applicable, any information

about the alumni issue that will help make your district’s efforts successful. And please pass

on this newsletter to your Scholarship and GSE Chairs.

Scholarship and GSE Chairs, please assist your DGE in the smooth transition into next year

by helping to make timely and wise decisions about your replacements, if necessary. And

please make your club presidents aware of their responsibility in keeping in touch with the

program participants that the clubs sponsor.

WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY?

Happy Valentine’s

Day Everyone!!!

COMMENTS from TRUSTEE CHAIR JONATHAN MAJIYAGBE

Dear Rotary Foundation Alumni Coordinators, January, as we all know, is Rotary Awareness Month, a time when Rotarians throughout the world share news of our achievements with their community. However, the term 'Rotary Awareness' can be interpreted in another way: taking a moment for ourselves to see what it is we have. We, as Rotarians, need to be aware that Rotary Foundation alumni are yet another shining example of what the Foundation has been giving back to our communities. Each alumnus is a living, breathing

VOLUME 3, ISSUE 7 PAGE 2

testament to the affects of The Rotary Foundation, giving capable and motivated individuals a wider horizon with which they view their lives. Later this horizon may give them a view of their local Rotary club, and ways in which they can now give back to the community. Alumni must also be aware that we wish to stay in touch with them and the importance of contributions they are capable of making. These contributions go far beyond the financial; they contribute time, energy, and most importantly world peace and understanding…(Please) keep in mind this fantastic potential so as not to let it slip away. Editor’s note: This message has been taken from the January issue of the Rotary Foundation Alumni Coordinator (RFAC) Bulletin.

COMMENTS from GENERAL COORDINATOR RODNEY MAZINTER

Will 2009 bring a world at peace or continuing conflict? Can politicians and diplomats navigate us through the reefs of the disputes that plague the world? What does Rotary have to say? Are the ringing, fine words about peace enshrined in our mottos, mission statements, 4-Way Tests, and objects achievable, or is it all just whistling in the graveyard? Rotary has an important role to play in the future. Our ethics cut across religious, cultural, and racial barriers. We attract to our banner men and women from all over the world who find a commonality in what we stand for in human decency, respect and tolerance. We discover a world at peace within our membership, and it is good. We seek ways of extending what we hold dear to everyone else who is not a Rotarian. Our strength is in our classification system; but it is also our weakness. The achievement of our goals may lie in the hands of a partnership between Rotarians and the Foundation alumni - young men and women who are chosen for our Foundation programs not because of their classification, but because they are the embodiment of Rotary's ethics. We know that they are the bearers of the Rotary standard because in them we recognize ourselves. Also, they are young, energetic, idealistic and motivated.

The Rotary Alumni Celebration in Birmingham in June will provide an opportunity to move our peace program forward. Keynote speaker, Jean-François Rischard, retired vice-president of the World Bank in Europe, will be expounding on his book High Noon:

Twenty Global Problems, Twenty Years to Solve

Them. The discussion afterwards is designed to elicit fresh thinking from those present and the aim is to go away refreshed and encouraged to play a role in achieving a world at peace. Please encourage all Foundation alumni to attend. A registration form can be accessed via the Rotary web site at http://www.rotary.org/en/Members/Events/Convention/Pages/Preconregistration.aspx#4.

VOLUME 3, ISSUE 7 PAGE 3

ALUMNI IN BIRMINGHAM, 2009

Rotary International Zone 22 East PAGE 4

Alumni Chairs 2008/09 Zone 22 East

D. 7820 Joe Donachie joseph.donachie@ns.sympatico.ca D. 7810 John Torunski jmtorunski@rogers.com D. 7790 Clayton King 1archie@gwi.net

D. 7010 Rory McDiarmid robon@hotmail.com D. 7040 Doug Heyland keemik@ca.inter.net D. 7070 Jack Renteria jack_renteria@hotmail.com D. 7080 Kathi Smith kmsmith@sentex.net D. 6330 John Eberhard eberhard@uwo.ca

Zone Coordinator D. 7070 Joan Hayward rhayward@sympatico.ca

D.K. Lee

President

Rotary International

John Kenny

President-Elect

Rotary International

Those who choose to attend the Rotary World Peace Symposium, a pre-convention event at the Birmingham International Convention, on June19th, 2009 will have an historic opportunity to hear one of the world’s most influential leaders. Archbishop Desmond Tutu will be the featured speaker at this Rotary Foundation event. Archbishop Tutu was born in Klerksdorp, Transvaal in 1931.He was educated in Johannesburg and trained first as a teacher and was ordained as a priest in 1960. In 1975 he was appointed Dean of St. Mary’s Cathedral in

Johannesburg, the first black to hold that position. From 1976 to 1978 he was Bishop of Lesotho, and in 1978 became the first black General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches. Tutu is an honorary doctor of a number of leading universities in the USA, Britain and Germany. He was winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984. There is more information about the Peace Symposium on the Rotary International website. Please also see General Coordinator Rodney Mazinter’s comments on page 2 of this newsletter.

ARCHBISHOP DESMOND TUTU TO SPEAK

Let’s make sure not to lose contact with our alumni, those enthusiastic young professionals

sponsored by Rotary districts around the world. They have seen the “bigger picture” of Rotary

and are ready to “Make Dreams Real” for themselves and everyone they meet. Perhaps some of

them will be featured in future issues of this newsletter, as alumni who have stayed connected

and joined Rotary with a very interesting story to tell.