Presidents Message

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Barry Kaplan, President

2012-2013

President’s Message

Danvers Rotary Club was started in 1912.

Welcome to Danvers Rotary’s 90th anniversary year.

Our Rotary International President Sakuji Tanaka takes office July 1 with the new year’s theme Peace Through Service.

“Peace is not something that can only be achieved through treaties, by governments, or through heroic struggles,” Tanaka said. “It is something that we can find and that we can achieve, every day and in many simple ways.

Peace and conflict resolution should start at home. The family is the smallest unit of society, so we should start from there. If you are mindful of peace with your partner and your family members, that gives you an opportunity to reflect on your family life and to spread that sense of peace by example. Peaceful families lead to greater peace for everyone.” 

Many people donate to charities and causes. Some send a check, some spend a day a year at a shelter serving food, some join non profits, ride their bikes for worthy causes. The men and women who become Rotarians do all of those things. One of the things that sets us apart is the numbers.

33000 clubs and over one million members. We are all given the same opportunity to make a difference in peoples lives here in Danvers and nearly every other country on the planet Most remain Rotarians their whole life.

Rotary international sets yearly goals for local clubs and their districts to help achieve. Literacy, clean water, the eradication of polio, improving health for women and children, this years theme is Peace through Service - these are hard things to fix.

Programs take years and many dollars, pesos, Euros, you name it - why do we stay in Rotary? Why don’t we get discouraged?

Because we see the results. We see the new wells and see the faces of the families who drink the fresh water and don’t have to lug 5 gallon jugs miles from a dirty river.

We see the new smiles from a Rotoplast mission and hear the laughter.

We read the thank you letters and understand someone else's life is better.

We are inspired by the projects our fellow members take on.

No other organization is built so well as to offer the depth of friendship and satisfaction of service we get from Rotary. We pay small fines every week to celebrate and share our happiness and struggles.

And some of us drop a few dollars in that YMCA campership bucket just because we are happy to be there.

We will raise money and have fun doing it with our 3rd variety show November 9, 3^rd road race and 2nd honorary mayor campaign.

There will be some morning and evening mini meetings at the yacht club and at local businesses. There are great programs and guest speakers planned and we will try to keep the bocce championship and take back the softball trophy.

We will keep looking for the finest people in the area to join our

membership and invite them to lunch.

Rotary’s Four Way Test of the things we think, say or do derives from the guidelines developed by an aluminum company president and Rotarian in 1932 Chicago, when he needed to revive a company floundering in the midst of the Depression. It went from 1000 words to 7 phrases to these 4 that were officially adopted by Rotary  International in 1943.

1. Is it the truth?

2. Is it fair to all concerned?

3. Will it build goodwill and better friendships?

4. Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

It has been suggested the 4 way test be expanded with one more.

Is it going to be fun? Well let's get started!

Sincerely,

Barry S Kaplan

Danvers Rotary President for the year 2012/2013

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