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Make Dreams Real
Rotary
International Presidential Theme
Dong Kurn (D.K.) Lee
President, Rotary International, 2008-09
A hallmark of Rotary service has
always been Rotarians’ commitment to doing what needs to be done. Every day, in
tens of thousands of communities, we look around us to
see how and where we can best help others.
The help we provide responds to
many situations and takes many forms. On a club level, we might take books to a
school, help a disabled person with errands, or
volunteer in a jobs program. Together with other clubs, we are capable of
projects with greater reach. And the participation of our entire network of
clubs, along with the support of The Rotary Foundation, has allowed us to commit
to our primary and most ambitious goal: the global eradication of polio.
When choosing our service projects,
we do our best to work in ways that will have the most positive, and most
lasting, impact. But to ensure a better world for many generations, we must
begin by taking care of our youngest generation. This is why, in 2008-09, I will
ask Rotarians everywhere to focus on the most precious resource of every
community: our children.
Every child deserves the chance at
a healthy life. Unfortunately, every day, some 30,000 children under the age of
five die from preventable causes. When I
first learned this statistic, I thought that surely
there had been a mistake, and the number was an error. Unfortunately, it was
not. Every day, around the world, children die needlessly of pneumonia, measles,
and malaria. Thousands die every day from the lack of a most basic resource:
clean water. And many more die from a combination of
factors, in which malnutrition and poverty play major roles.
I would like to see reducing the
child mortality rate become a key goal of club and district service projects in
the year ahead. This is why the RI theme for 2008-09 is Make Dreams Real. Food
and water, health care and schooling, the chance at a long and full life — this
is the unrealized dream of too many children. In 2008-09, I ask you to Make
Dreams Real for these children and their families, and to work with me toward
the Rotary dream of a happier, healthier, and more peaceful world.
The great majority of childhood
deaths occur in the developing world, and that is where the most work must be
done. But every single Rotary club can also do its part to help keep the
children in its own community safe and well. Even in the wealthiest countries,
there are children without access to medical care. Every day, children die for
want of simple technology such as smoke detectors,
bicycle helmets, and car safety seats. And in every part of the world, children
still face the threat of polio — and remain at risk until we keep our promise of
making the world polio-free.
As a parent, I know how precious
our children and grandchildren are to us. We love them, care for them, and
protect them as well as we are able. As a Rotarian, I believe that we also have
a responsibility to love, care for, and protect the children in our communities
— and everywhere in the world.
For the last few years, RI’s
presidents have chosen to continue a consistent set of service emphases,
focusing every year on projects in health and hunger, water, and literacy. There
has been a good reason for this decision: These are areas where true progress
can be made with the wise use of Rotary resources. These are also areas where
the need is tremendous, and the ability of Rotarians to help is great.
I plan to keep these three emphases
but to ask the entire family of Rotary to make a special effort, in this Rotary
year, to focus on projects that will make a difference in the lives of children.
To this end, each one of these three emphases is inextricably linked with the
others. Safe and available water immediately and drastically reduces a child’s
risk of death from waterborne illness — the cause of 6,000 deaths daily. Good
nutrition is necessary for healthy growth and improves a child’s resistance to
disease. And the ability to read and write gives a child a better chance at
raising the next generation in prosperity and health.
Rotary is a truly global network of
volunteers. Our structure allows us to partner with clubs around the world,
combining the skills and resources necessary to supply the right help in the
right place at the right time. Our organization is uniquely able to tackle a
goal as ambitious as a reduction in the child mortality rate — but only if we
work together. If we take full advantage of our own resources, and those
available to us through other clubs and our Rotary Foundation, then we will have
the potential to make a real difference — and to Make Dreams Real for the
world’s children.
This Page Last Updated on
07/01/2008
