Page 6 - 2022年8月號

It starts with an invitation

W e’ve all taken our own path to be- lence requires us to maintain high standards for our
come a member of Rotary. Some of
members as well.
I believe we are all determined to advance DEI
you joined because your father was
a Rotarian. Some of us signed up
of our organization, and it will ensure that we remain
because an employer tapped us on across Rotary. This is rooted in the deepest traditions
the shoulder and asked us to attend a meeting. Others vibrant and relevant for decades to come.
became members only after a U.S. Supreme Court rul- A few years ago, our Rotary Board set the ambi-
ing made it possible. Yet each of us entered through tious goal of increasing the share of female members
one mechanism — an invitation. to 30 percent by 2023. We have less than a year to go,
An invitation that unlocks our imaginations and but I believe we can meet and exceed this target.
allows us to know that everything and anything is We need Rotary leaders to rise from every conti- PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
possible. Each one of us has that same opportunity — nent, culture, and creed. We need young members and
the honor to extend an invitation. young thinkers to take on larger roles and responsi-
It is awe-inspiring to imagine how we can look bilities. We need to listen to new Rotary members just
out across our communities and identify our future as keenly, and with as much respect, as those with
leaders. It’s often tempting to attract people who many years of membership.
are exactly like us. It’s a special form of ingenuity to During our recent convention in Houston, we
consider how people who are seemingly very different heard from astronauts about their journeys into
can, in fact, share our values and have some of those space. We reflected upon a time in the 1960s when
same talents, just waiting to be unleashed. U.S. President John F. Kennedy urged the world to
It’s time for Rotary to take our next step in advanc- dream, with his declaration that we would “go to the
ing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) across our moon [and do] other things, not because they are
organization. easy but because they are hard.”
Embracing an experience where people feel Fully committing Rotary to DEI and meeting our
included is more than just making our membership ambitious membership targets may seem as unlikely
numbers more diverse. It’s about making our meet- as a moon shot. But I know that when people of ac-
ings and events places where we can speak openly tion are committed to a big goal, we make it worth
and honestly with each other, where our members every ounce of our energy.
feel welcome and safe. This means removing barriers
for entry and opening doors for inclusion. Our values JENNIFER JONES
remain our strength — and our commitment to excel- President, Rotary International

PHOTOGRAPH: TRISH BADGER/ROTARY INTERNATIONAL Rotary International

Jones addresses
the closing general
session of the

in Houston.

4 ᇃᢊ׭ᎈȁ2022.8 Convention on 8 June