Page 19 - 2024-25年度PETS訓練研討會手冊
P. 19

2024-25 年度 RI 社長年度主題說明


                                                                                                       ENGLISH (EN)







              2024-25 THEME ADDRESS

              Stephanie A. Urchick
              Rotary International President-elect
              8 January 2024


              Hello, family of Rotary! I am honored to address the 24-25 class of district governors,
              the Irresistibles! And when I call you “my family,” I’m not just being kind. I really think
              of Rotary as my family.
              I want to start today by putting a special focus on some very important members of our
              family of Rotary. In a couple of weeks, I’m traveling to Pakistan to meet with some
              amazing people: female health workers.

              Ending polio everywhere means taking on this hard task, block by block, across Pakistan.
              It’s a difficult and, at times, dangerous mission. These women literally climb mountains
              to vaccinate children in remote locations. But that’s not even half of it. They fight
              misinformation and prejudice every step of the way.

              When we finally eradicate polio in Pakistan — and everywhere — it will be due in large
              part to these women.

              So when I arrive in Pakistan to meet with these workers, I want them to know that even
              though they will never meet most of you, they have your support, and you treasure their
              contributions. So I want you to give them a standing ovation that I can share with them
              on my visit ... hold on ... as soon as I get my camera ready.

              In addition to your generous applause, the best way for you to support these health
              workers and the fight against polio is by raising awareness and raising money. It’s not
              too late to join or initiate a PolioPlus Society in your club or district. The Bill & Melinda
              Gates Foundation is still matching our donations 2-to-1, but only if we meet our annual
              fundraising goal of US$50 million.

              To help raise awareness, I need you to contact elected officials and other government
              leaders. Remind them that polio is still a threat. Push them to support polio eradication.
              Polio remains our top priority and requires our fullest commitment. But there is so
              much important work to do.

              Thankfully, we have Rotary’s Action Plan to make our work easier and to make the club
              experience simply irresistible. That’s where the magic of Rotary starts. We’ll need that
              magic if we’re going to bring healing in a divided world. The numbers of armed conflicts
              and displaced people around the world are rising at an alarming rate. We need to be at
              our best if we want to have a positive impact.
                                                                                                          19

                                                                                                          19
   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24