Rotary: Making a Difference

The Spirit of Rotary was on full display May 4-6 at the Clearwater Casino Resort in Suquamish, Wa. There 550 Rotarians from Vancouver Island, Canada and western Western Washington gathered for their annual District 5020 Training and District Conference.  Five members of the Kingston North Kitsap Rotary Club were in attendance, including President-Elect Doug Hallock, Chris Gilbreath, Bill Maule, Jim Dixon, and Ron Carter. 

Opening ceremonies featured flag presentations by Rotary Youth Exchange students representing 23 countries.  There was a full day of training sessions, where leaders and members from district clubs shared ideas and successes on building membership, social media exposure, public image and communication.  A full day of speakers with Rotary stories followed.  The theme of every story:  Rotary matters.  As current District Governor Joanne Croghan noted, “Every Rotary project begins because ONE Rotarian sees a need and acts on it.” The theme for 2017-2018 Rotary year was introduced:  “Rotary: Making a Difference.”  Evidence of Rotary making a difference was clearly evident throughout the conference.