RI President - President Message

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My fellow Rotarians:

Bigger, Better, Bolder

This year marks a significant anniversary for Rotary! Although the Rotary Club of Chicago started in 1905, the first convention of Rotary clubs was held in August of 1910 with 60 Rotarians representing 16 clubs. Our history as an organization of Rotary clubs started with that meeting in 1910, and we are now commencing a second century of service for Rotary as an association.

All of us want this century of service to be even more successful than the last. Therefore, this is an opportune time to ask: Are we taking the right steps to ensure that success? Are we doing the right things? Do we have a clear vision of the future? In the words of “ America the Beautiful,” can we “see beyond the years”?

As Rotary’s 100th president, I believe we are moving in the right direction. Our 33,000 clubs are Rotary’s biggest asset, and our success in the next 100 years will depend on the ability of our clubs to remain vibrant and vital. Their strength will determine our success!

The RI Board has taken several steps to offer more assistance to our clubs this year, including creating the Rotary Coordinators program to assist district governors in providing information about Rotary International’s programs and best practices to the clubs.

I firmly believe that if we help our clubs to become better and bolder, then the clubs will become bigger – both because of the increased pride of our Rotarians in their clubs and the increased awareness of Rotary by prospective members. Therefore, my goal is to help the district governors to help their clubs to become Bigger, Better, and Bolder!

This is a great time to be a Rotarian. Together we can make this century of service even more exciting than the last!  

Ray Klinginsmith 
President, Rotary International