Gerald Gortner, District 7150 Governor 2005-06

Stenhammar Unveils 2005-06 Rotary Theme & Logo

Feb. 2005, Anaheim, CA - Rotary International President-elect Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammar made a grand bow to continuity and the successes of the past century when he unveiled the 2005-06 theme, Service Above Self, at the International Assembly in Anaheim, California, USA, on 19 February.

“I would like to be modern. I would like to recycle and I also want to promote continuity,” he declared in the theme address at the opening plenary session. “Therefore, I have chosen the best motto ever created for Rotary International, yet one that you will not find on the walls of this room: Service Above Self.”

The RI president-elect explained that his theme selection was also guided by Rotarians’ need for landmarks while entering into a second century of service.

“In our efforts to work for a better world, we need a leading star to follow, a theme that we can all fix upon,” he said. “Over the years we have had many different themes, and you can see several of them displayed on the walls of this room: Enjoy Rotary! Be a Friend, Lend a Hand, Celebrate Rotary, just to mention a few of them. Each and every one of these themes was, or is, perfect for its time.”

For the 2005-06 logo, Stenhammar again reached out for something both simple and familiar in the Rotary world: “I am recycling again, and I have chosen the best logo ever created for Rotary International: our trademark, the Rotary wheel.”

Calling continuity a new wind blowing in Rotary, Stenhammar announced that in the new year Rotary clubs and districts will carry on with the presidential emphases already in place: literacy and water management. Those emphases will include an additional focus of “alleviating hunger and improving the health and well-being of all who are deprived of these essential resources,” he said.

Stenhammar explained that there was no need to change course from the areas of concern that both Past President Jonathan Majiyagbe and President Glenn Estess Sr. wisely identified and successfully encouraged Rotary clubs and districts to address locally and internationally.

“Gone are the days when our organization went north one year, to the west the next, followed by east and, then, maybe north again,” he said. “Our main direction must be the same for many years to come.”

The president-elect said that Rotary International will continue to seek and embrace opportunities to cooperate with other organizations in areas of mutual interest.

Rotary can reap a lot of goodwill from the public exposure received during the yearlong activities marking its centennial. “Therefore, I am planning for a Public Image Resource Group to capture this opportunity and help clubs use it as a platform in our continued efforts to enhance our public image,” said Stenhammar.

The 2005-06 president said it was time to expand the role of women in Rotary. He pointed to the appointments of three past district governors — Carolyn E. Jones, of District 5010, as a trustee of The Rotary Foundation, the first woman appointed to the Trustees; Mary Margaret Fleming, of District 5230, as the new Public Image Resource Group chair; and Eileen M. Gentilcore, of District 7250, as Literacy Resource Group chair — as a good start.

“Please remember very well that it is through their talent, not their gender, that these women have earned their appointments,” he said. “I agree that there might be a disproportionate number of assignments to women during my year, compared to the mix of Rotarians, but by doing this I am sending a message to the women in Rotary as well as those who are not yet Rotarians: There is a leading role for you in our organization.”

The Rotary Youth Exchange program will be another key area for the incoming district governors to promote in their clubs, Stenhammar announced.

To address the issue of membership, the president-elect said that he will ask every Rotary club to recruit just one new member in 2005-06 to reach a modest goal of a total membership increase of 31,000.

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Memos from DG Jerry

May 23, 2005: Thank you to everyone who took the time to attend our Foundation Dinner Friday evening. A special thank you to the following 2005-06 Club Presidents who are leading by example and received Paul Harris Fellow recognition on Friday.
John Hoffman- Dolgeville
Mindy Barstein- Herkimer
Stuart Wood, Jr. PHF+1- Moravia
Rocco Bouse- New Hartford
Sandra Fentiman- Oriskany-Whitestown
Duane Weaver PHF+1- Skaneateles
Louise Lutz- Tully
Leading by example in our Sustaining Member program are:
Carol Reichert- Adirondack Foothills
William Ryan, Jr.- Chittenango
Lillian Kimball- Oriskany Falls
Earl Lewis- Rotary eClub NY1

Let’s all lead by example in the year ahead. Join me on July 1 by making your $100 contribution to the Annual Fund, so you can proudly wear your 2005-06 “Every Rotarian Every Year” name badge sticker you received from the Foundation last week.

Thank you for working with your President to promote our RYLA program for July 8-10. We have 22 students registered to participate. This will be a life changing experience for these students. Plan now to have your student be your Rotary program in July or August.

Our GSE Team returns form Peru May 30. We have had word from Peru that our team is having an excellent exchange. Work with our GSE chair Dick Kemmis to have one of the outstanding young people be your program during the summer months: Richard Kemmis, GSE Chair, 86 Ridge Road, Fulton, NY 13069 (315) 592-4486

- Jerry Gortner, DGE, Celebrate Rotary, SERVICE Above Self

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Message from DGE Jerry from Anaheim

Feb. 22, 2005: Greetings from Anaheim in sunny California. President Elect Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammer has announced our Rotary theme for 2005-06….”SERVICE Above Self” and our trademark for 2005-06 is “The Rotary Wheel”. President Elect Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammer has disbanded all task forces and has established “Service Groups”. The Service Groups will exist for the sole purpose of serving you to help your Rotary Club.
The Service Groups for 2005-06 will be:
A) Literacy
1) Writing
2) Reading
3) Counting
B) Water Management
1) Hunger
2) Health
C) Public Image
1) Cooperation- Other Entities
Your Presidential Citation Achievement requirements:
A) Membership
1) Net increase of one
B) Service:
1) Complete projects in four of the five following areas:
a) Community Service
b) Vocational Service
c) Club Service
d) International Service
e) Public Image
President Elect Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammer sees a net increase of one number per Club for each of the next five years to reach our goal of 1.5 million Rotarians by 2010. President Elect Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammer wants Rotary International to have continuity. He told us we do not have power….only a different level of responsibility. He asked us not to refer to you as “my” Presidents, but to “our” Club Presidents of Rotary International.
I just happened to have, for one year, the responsibility to see that you receive proper training, guidance, and help as Rotary enters it’s second century of service….. ”SERVICE Above Self”.
Our Rotary Foundation has selected our GSE Team Partner for 2005-06. Our exchange District will be District 3830 of the Philippians. I have met with their District Governor Jaime “Jimmy” A. Cura. He is super and speaks very perfect English. The District has 77 Clubs, 36 of which are located in Makati, the financial capitol of the Philippians. Thirty-six of their main Clubs are within 15-30 minutes of Makati. We can look forward to a superior exchange. Twenty-five of the Clubs have female presidents with the average age being in their 40’s. They have two Clubs over 100 and an additional Club with over 200. All club meetings are conducted in English. Our GSE chair will be providing details at a later date, but this looks like a fantastic opportunity for four professionals from our District!

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Following is part of R. I. President Glenn Estess presentation in Anaheim: "The great RI Presidents who have gone before me have helped me form my own values about leadership. Here are a few of these values:

• A leader must see the consequences of his or her behavior. Every action we take has consequences and I will strive to be conscious of those resulting from my actions in the months ahead.
• An effective leader must NOT be driven by ego needs. I pledge to you that I will stay focused on Rotary, not Glenn Estess.
• A good leader should listen and learn from others. You can expect me to be ever mindful of what others tell me is good for Rotarians, and adjust my thinking as needed.

ln turn, I expect that you will remember you are working for Rotary's membership - not the Board of Directors, the Trustees, or me. If you view our organization as a pyramid - you must think of the top serving the bottom, not the other way around. We must support the clubs and their members because they are the ones who will do the work to carry out our program and Celebrate Rotary in our Centennial year.