Message from John Magezi Ndamira
District Governor, D9213 (Uganda) 2021-2022
Dear President Elect Kintu David Rogers,
Congratulations to you on assuming the highest position in your club.
I wish to congratulate President Kintu David Rogers for an outstanding contribution to the community, for you demonstrated that Rotary Opens Opportunities.
It is an honor to be given the opportunity to lead your Rotary Club. You have been found worthy of the position and now the District leadership and members of your club have their eyes on you as you take the club to the next level in this one year of service. It is only one year, but what you do with it will live on for decades on end. It is a year in which we must all purpose to offer the kind of service that will change lives. A year in which you must rally everybody behind you and lead from the front to make a difference in our communities. You have made club plans, now it is time to guide your team to the achievement of goals and let the communities feel the warmth of your presidency.
Our Rotary Theme for the year 2021- 2022 is “Serve to Change Lives”. Service, in whichever form it may be, brings meaning into the lives of those who would not be served unless someone took the initiative. As Rotarians, we have built a reputation in the world as people of action who have committed time and resources to serve our communities. RI President (2021-22) Shekhar Mehta calls upon us to “Do more and Grow more”. You can “Do more” as in bigger and impactful service projects, building on the legacy of good stewardship and great experience our District has in implementing global grants. I particularly invite you to lead your club participate in the flagship project, the Maternal and Child Health programme. Each one of us has had a role to play in this journey of service, and the year ahead of us offers even more opportunities to continue serving. The Rotary journey is a continuous engagement where each step counts, and the only constant is service. Shekhar Mehta said, “Caring for and serving others is the best way to live” because it changes not only other people’s lives, but also our own.
The needs in our communities are immense. It may not be possible to meet all of them but as Mother Theresa said, “We know only too well that what we are doing is nothing more than a drop in the ocean. But if the drop were not there, the ocean would be missing something.” We need more Rotarians to empower communities, enable positive change and impact lives. Shekhar Mehta calls upon every individual Rotarian “Each One to Bring One” to increase membership and expand participation. More time, more resources and more commitment will change more lives. We shall not get tired of doing more good.
As we do good in our communities however, we should not forget that we can only serve if we are in a good place ourselves; in good health, happy and nurtured in one way or another. Rotary is a family that looks out for its members. I pray that we shall be there for one another to create Rotary experience that will keep members engaged and retained, to have fun in safe and secure ways that are both legally and morally acceptable. Then serving will not only be rewarding but also enjoyable, as we listen to the good stories of the journey of service under your able leadership.
I look forward to support you and all Rotarians as we build strong clubs and Serve to Change Lives.