Rotary Has Heart is one way to do good in the world
By Governor Peter Kyle
Each of us as Rotarians has received a gift – a gift of membership in Rotary made possible by a caring person who proposed our membership. We have and continue to enjoy the friendship, fellowship, and networking in our club and throughout the Rotary world.
As a part of this gift, we have also been given an opportunity – an opportunity to leverage our ability to make a difference in the world as we reach out to help others. We leverage by pooling resources with our club, our district, and The Rotary Foundation.
As we look around for the most pressing need, in addition to eradicating polio, alleviation of hunger stands tall. The presence of hunger, both locally and globally, is a tragedy.
In the United States 1 in 6 has to deal on a daily basis with a food insecure situation. Included in this alarming statistic are 16 million children - 20% of all children in America! Globally, five million children die each year from malnutrition-related causes.
Throughout Zones 33 and 34, under the “Rotary Has Heart” initiative, Rotarians, clubs, and districts are being encouraged to focus on alleviation of hunger, particularly with children.
Valentine’s Day 2014 has been designated as a special day for clubs and districts to feed hungry children. Each club should decide how it wants to participate. This is one way we demonstrate that Rotary Has Heart – that we believe in Doing Good in the World.
Please join me in celebrating “Rotary Has Heart” Day on Valentine’s Day, Friday, February 14, 2014.
Peter Kyle
District Governor