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Happy Holidays,
As we celebrate this holiday season, we should be reminded that this month is also designated as the Family of Rotary Month.
It is appropriate that as families come together to celebrate the Holidays,
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| Ken and Pam in Nigeria |
we also celebrate the fellowship of all Rotarians. Rotary, like family, is about building and maintaining relationships. As we build relationships in our community, both local and international, we touch the lives of others. As we touch these lives, we find that our lives and often our hearts are touched. As this happens, the world becomes a more compassionate and peaceful place.
This became all too evident as Pam and I joined 60 other Rotarians for the 11th annual Festival of Brotherhood in early November. As we traveled to District 4150, we were reunited with many friends from the past 5 years. As we have worked together on projects during this time, we have become more like family than friends. The compassion and caring of Rotarians on both sides of the border have strengthened our relationship and ties. Together, we are making a difference!
As wonderful as the Festival of Brotherhood was in encouraging relationship building and family, our recent trip to Nigeria allowed us to see that the Family of Rotary extends into developing countries outside of our hemisphere.
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| Dale Ann Knight with Ken and Pam in Nigeria |
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Our visit to Nigeria to participate in the West African Project Faire and an Immunization Plus Day was truly a life changing experience. As we traveled to Abuja and then to outlying villages to administer polio vaccine to children, we gained a new appreciation for commitment and caring. Our family now includes the dedicated Rotarians of Nigeria as well as the health workers that stood by our side as we administered that precious two drops of polio vaccine to children under 5 in three different villages. Our hearts were touched as we came to admire the incredible dedication of these immunization teams. The world suddenly got smaller as a white man and Nigerian women, speaking different languages and practicing different religions, put all differences aside to make a difference in the life of a seven day old baby. I know that in that moment we made a difference in the life of one child!
And so, as we gather our families together over this holiday season to celebrate our many blessings, take a moment to appreciate the Family of Rotary and the promise it offers for a brighter future.
May the New Year bless each of you and your family with health and prosperity as we work to end injustice and make peace possible.
Governor Ken
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