All you have shall someday be given, therefore give now...

Dear Friends Fellow Rotarians

“All you have shall someday be given, therefore give now, that the season of giving may be yours and not your inheritor. It is well to give when asked, but it is better to give unasked, through understanding. It is great when you can give for the sake of giving without expecting any return.” (adapted from Kahlil Gibran)

The motto of this Rotary year is “giving”. A motto we follow in our club by collecting for the service projects Bärenmoos in Oberrieden and St. Jude’s Childcare in India, but also through our personal behaviour on a daily basis. Moreover, I do deeply believe that giving is a sustainable and continuous act – and therefore cannot be restricted only to one year.

This brings me to the Four-Way Test: How consequently do we live up to the Rotarian Values in our lives? By knowing and applying the test we will strengthen our club and our community; we will make our actions FAIR and BENEFICIAL to all concerned; and we will build GOODWILL and develop BETTER FRIENDSHIPS.

As Rotarians we should be aware that our behaviour and engagement is shaping our young club (established in 2007) and impacts our local and international community. I do count on each of our members to engage to build and develop our club culture, based on the Rotarian values.

Creating positive change means, at its core, using our knowledge and resources to solve humanitarian problems. In order to have an impact on our local and international community and in order to create a positive change, we have to listen and observe, share knowledge and exchange ideas but most importantly, ACT and not just talk.

We can only give to others if we reach out with an open mind – and with the knowledge, the commitment and the perseverance to deliver on what we promise on a sustainable base.

Yours in Rotary,