A Message from the President

Wilfrid J. Wilkinson, 2007-08 RI president, has launched the new Rotary year as the year to “say yes to Rotary.” The RI theme, Rotary Shares, is a reflection of his commitment to share Rotary with others through service and recruiting new members.

Wilkinson, a member of the Rotary Club of Trenton, Ontario, Canada, sees the concept of sharing as a motivating force behind Rotary work. “In choosing this theme, I thought about how much of Rotary is about sharing. We share our time, we share our talents, we share our money with others who need our help,” he told incoming district governors at the 2007 International Assembly in February.

“In Rotary, sharing doesn’t mean giving away what you have to spare, what you don’t need for yourself,” he explained. “Sharing means giving of yourself, selflessly, for the good of others.”

Wilkinson has chosen to continue immediate past president Bill Boyd’s emphases of water, health and hunger, literacy, and family of Rotary. “These basic needs have been at the forefront of Rotary’s efforts for several years now,” he says. “And I hope that they will continue, because with clean water, good health, and the ability to read and write, so many of the people who need help will find the ability to help themselves.”

In a time of dwindling participation in service organizations worldwide, Wilkinson emphasizes the importance of commitment to membership expansion. “It’s not always an easy thing to invite someone into Rotary. Too often, we hear no. And no one likes to hear no. It’s easy to get discouraged. But you have to expect those no’s, and know when to ask again — and when to move on to find a yes somewhere else.”

Equally important to Rotary’s future, says Wilkinson, is attention to programs for youth. “Working to strengthen our programs for youth helps ensure a new generation of responsible, ethical, and volunteer-minded people. [They] are our link to the future of Rotary which we ourselves will not see.”

This article appeared in the July 2007 issue of Rotary World.