Marta Knight, District 5340 Governor for 2019-20
It is an honor to serve District 5340 as your Governor with our new theme - Rotary Connects the World. I hope that this will encourage all of you to connect with your club and your community, sharing what we as Rotarians are all about - People of Action - doing good in the world.
We got off to a great start connecting, by reaffirming the Sister District Agreement, that was originally signed in May 2005, with our neighboring District 4100 at our Governor's Dinner. District Governor Fernando Otañez and I will be working very closely to bring about great working relations between our districts.
We are also starting the Rotary year with a new Vision Statement Strategic Plan, a roadmap to follow that will create an impact around the world: "Together we see a world where People Unite and Take Action to Create lasting Change - Across the Globe, in our Communities and in Ourselves."
We will achieve this new vision with four priorities:
Increasing Our Impact - At our Hamburg Convention, we learned that John Hopkins University did a study on the impact of our service reporting that Rotary collectively donated 45 million volunteer hours that would have cost $850 million. We are People of Action who are effective problem solvers.
Expanding Our Reach - We are People of Action who activate and inspire one another by growing and diversifying our membership and creating new channels for Rotary in our communities. We can increase our openness and appeal. Let's build connections and opportunities that will allow people who share the same drive to do the same.
Enhance Participant Engagement - We are People of Action who strive to understand the needs of others. Let's commit to putting the needs, expectations and growth of our participants at the center of all that we do.
Increases Our Ability to Adapt - We are People of Action who are inventive, entrepreneurial and resilient. Let's stay true to ourselves. We're ready to seek out fresh opportunities, create more paths to leadership, open our conversations to diverse voices, and simplify how we operate - with confidence.
I am looking forward to sharing these priorities and my goals further with you as I begin my rounding on clubs this week.
This will be a year where we will be "Making Good Happen" TOGETHER - with love, compassion and joy!