Message from the Governor

Every year Rotary renews itself in July. We celebrate the officers who lead us the year before and install new ones. We observe our accomplishments of the last Rotary year and make new goals for the new Rotary Year. We are granted a new theme to ponder from the incoming Rotary International President. To these ends, I congratulate now PDG Robert Ryan for a wonderful 2010-11. His (and Dean Hammond’s) leadership in the World Equestrian Games fundraising project was less about raising a huge sum of needed money for polio eradication (worthy in itself), but more about what we can do if we come together and think big. Past President Ray Klinginsmith’s 2010-11 call of “Building Communities and Bridging Continents” was certainly answered in 6740. 


This year, RI President Kalyan Banerjee has given us the charge to “Reach Within to Embrace Humanity.” The call is to look in our hearts to find the resolve to serve humanity. In addition to the theme, Banerjee has three emphases: 1) Family, 2) Continuity, and 3) Change.


I will explain how Continuity and Change are not mutually exclusive in a successive message, but at this writing I would like to discuss Family. As many of you know I share the privilege of being a Rotary Governor with my wife Christie and, more recently, Charlie our 16 month old son. Rotary has become a family project in the Adams household. We have had great support from everyone and it has empowered Christie and me. I hope we are an example that Rotary is not merely an activity for one individual of a household, but it can be and must be shared in the household.


In late June we attended the installation ceremony of Governor Jeanne Quave of RC Panama City Beach, District 6940 (Northwest Florida) while on vacation. A single mother, Gov. Jeanne, has shared her Rotary experience with her daughters, Olivia (14) and Molly (13). The positive effect of the Rotary experience on Jeanne’s young daughters was apparent at the installation. Both girls spoke at the installation with great confidence and poise. Both Olivia and Molly have a remarkable sense of the satisfaction of serving for their age. Though I know he will not remember the experience, I know this Rotary experience of travelling around the District will have a similarly positive effect on Charlie even at his age. Thank you for letting us share Rotary with Charlie as we visit the District!

In Rotary, “family” has a larger definition than those in a  household. As Rotarians we are blessed by having a larger family that includes our fellow club members and those we meet in service from other Rotary Clubs. That has become  even more apparent in my own Rotary Club as we recently lost a member of our family with the sudden and tragic passing of Jack Ford. Though losing Jack is very painful right now, I celebrate his service to others and value the privilege of having had him as part of my Rotary Family. Therefore, I ask each Rotarian to “reach within” their clubs, and “embrace” their fellow club members by taking value of their fellow club members.

John B. Adams
Rotary Club of Somerset-Pulaski County Kentucky USA
District 6740, Governor 2011-12