Rotary international convention returns to America

After five years, the Rotary international convention returns to the United States of America. From June 4 – 8, 2022, the George R. Brown Convention Centre in Houston, Texas, will be hosting a global fellowship of Rotarians – from over 200 countries and geographical regions of the world.

It will be the 113th convention of Rotary International (RI for short), the humanitarian service and fellowship organisation that was founded in 1905 by Paul Harris – a Chicago attorney – and his four friends. Rotarians are “people of action” with a shared responsibility to solve the world’s pressing problems. Over 35,000 Rotary clubs in more than 530 districts in the world come together to promote peace, fight diseases, grow economies, support education, provide clean water, save mothers and children as well as protect the environment – these are the seven areas of focus of Rotary.

It is also important that we highlight the work Rotary and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) have been doing to end polio, a paralysing and life-threatening disease caused by the poliovirus that most commonly affects children under the age of five. The virus spreads from person to person typically through contaminated water and it can attack the nervous system, affecting the spinal cord.

According to available information on RI’s website, Rotary has been working for more than 35 years to eradicate polio and as a founding partner of GPEI, polio cases have been reduced by 99.9% since Rotary’s first project to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979. Rotary members have contributed more than $2.1 billion and countless volunteer hours to protect nearly three billion children in 122 counties from this paralyzing disease. Rotary’s advocacy efforts have played a role in decisions by governments to contribute more than $10 billion to the effort.
Today, polio remains endemic only in Afghanistan and Pakistan after Nigeria was declared polio-free two years ago by the World Health Organisation. For every one dollar Rotary spends on polio eradication, there is a corresponding match of two dollars by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The sustained effort to make Nigeria polio-free was championed by the Nigeria National Polio Plus Committee (NNPPC) under the able chairmanship of past district governor Tunji Funsho, a medical doctor and member of the Rotary Club of Lekki Phase 1. He was honoured by Time magazine in 2020 as one of the 100 Most Influential Persons in the world.
The last time the convention was held in America, more than 33,000 Rotarians from 174 countries gathered inside the hallowed chamber of the World Congress Centre in Atlanta, Georgia from June 10 –14, 2017. I was there, too. John Germ, a consulting engineer and member of the Rotary Club of Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA, was the RI President for 2016-17. Every convention showcases high profile dignitaries and inspirational speakers. At the Atlanta convention, we listened to speeches by Bill Gates, Jack Nicklaus, Aston Kutcher, Andrew Young, Jimmy Carter, and the Georgia state governor, Nathan Deal.

My port of entry the first time I travelled to the United States with my wife was New York – that was many years ago. I wrote about the “Big Apple” as the “city that never sleeps” when I returned to Nigeria. Every trip to the United States – God’s own country – holds fond memories for me. The attractions as you move from one city to the next make your stay enjoyable. You cannot miss the Statue of Liberty in New York or the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Make sure you spend quality time touring Beverly Hills in Los Angeles – the home of the rich and famous, and Hollywood superstars. A visit to the Georgia Aquarium in downtown Atlanta – home to Coca-Cola and CNN – is an unforgettable immersive experience of marine life. It takes about 3–4 hours to view the entire aquarium of more than 100,000 animals; so get there early.

The last time I was in Houston was in 2014 – eight years ago. Rotarians are heading to Houston this summer for the Rotary convention and I cannot wait to be part of the special moment, a networking opportunity for making new friends and building great connections. It does not matter where members come from or how they look or the language they speak. John Germ expressed these sentiments at the Atlanta convention in 2017. “Don’t be shy. You just might find yourself a new friend, or your club a new partner. It all starts with a smile, and a hello – from one Rotarian, to another,” Germ pleaded as he encouraged the global audience of Rotarians.

I also attended the next convention which was held in Toronto, Canada from June 23 – 27, 2018 when Ian H.S. Riseley of the Rotary Club of Sandringham, Victoria, Australia was Rotary international president. He reminded Rotarians that each convention “was the best way to celebrate a year of successful service and renew our energies for the year to come”. This was followed by the 110th convention in Hamburg, Germany from June 1 – 5, 2019 when Barry Rassin of the Rotary Club of East Nassau, Bahamas was RI president. I could not attend this event due to circumstances beyond my control which I explained in an article in 2019.

Whenever Rotarians gather in any city for the annual convention, they come with their goodwill and help to boost the local economy. In Hamburg, the convention which attracted over 25,000 Rotarians from 170 countries brought about €24 million into the local economy. In his own speech, Rassin encouraged Rotarians to think of how to leave their marks on Rotary and the world. He also asked members to dream big because “big dreams are for everyone with the courage to lead”.

Indeed, Rotarians dream big and it was precisely why The Rotary Foundation (TRF) was founded in 1917 with a mission “to do good in the world” by funding big, bold, impactful and life-changing projects. The foundation’s centennial was celebrated in Atlanta five years ago, the city where it all began. Whereas the Atlanta, Toronto and Hamburg conventions were held as in-person events, the next two conventions (2020 and 2021) were virtual events due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. It all seemed fuzzy initially but Rotary’s action plan through 2024 includes “increasing our ability to adapt” – the fourth strategic objective of Rotary. It helped Rotarians to embrace changes and navigate the virtual world.

Rotary was forced to cancel the in-person convention earlier planned to hold from June 6 – 10, 2020 in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. It was replaced by Rotary’s first-ever virtual convention which attracted 60,000 registrants and 175,000 viewers during the week-long programme. Arnold Grahl, content writer and senior editor at Rotary International’s editorial department, wrote about the warm hospitality package that awaited Rotarians on the sandy beaches of Honolulu inspired by “aloha” but they were naturally disappointed when the in-person convention was cancelled.

“Just as Rotary is a way of life for Rotarians, aloha is a way of life for Hawaiians — one that focuses on living in harmony, being patient, treating everyone with respect, and sharing joy with your family,” Grahl explained.
As the host RI president Mark Moloney noted, cancelling the convention was a difficult decision but he was inspired by “how members worldwide stayed connected, adapted to their changing circumstances, and helped those in need during the crisis”.

Rotarians became even more innovative, looking for new ways to enhance club experiences and grow Rotary during the pandemic. Maloney also said: “We had hoped to hold the most environmentally friendly convention in Rotary history in Honolulu. Guess what? We succeeded. We are holding a Rotary Convention like no other, with no air travel, no hotel rooms, leaving a remarkably small carbon footprint”. Clearly, the COVID-19 outbreak affected Rotary events and members in diverse ways but even then, Rotary continued to monitor updated information and recommendations by the World Health Organisation and the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for compliance, bearing in mind the safety of all Rotarians.

Without a doubt, fellowship is the heart and soul of every convention and Rotarians get the chance to amplify their experiences at the different sessions and the House of Friendship. Unfortunately, there was still no chance that an in-person convention would hold the following year due to the global public health crisis. Originally scheduled to hold in Tapei, Taiwan, from June 12 – 16, 2021, Rotary was again forced to hold a virtual convention. It was the turn of RI president Holger Knaack of the Rotary Club of Herzogtum Lauenburg-Molln, Germany to host the convention. During his inaugural address at the Tapei virtual convention, Knaack said: “Those who think that after the Covid pandemic it will be business as usual are wrong as that will be impossible. Rotarians would have to adapt and embrace change, and think about the opportunities this pandemic has brought, along with challenges”.

Embracing change is the new cultural moment imposed on us by a new world order full of complexities. Despite global travel restrictions that are now easing, my gut feeling is that Rotarians are excited at the prospects of an in-person convention in Houston, Texas in the first week of June. The host organisation committee (HOC) chaired by past district governor Rhonda Kennedy is working round the clock to treat all Rotarians and guests to a “Bigger”, “Better” and “Friendlier” experience as they say in Texas. Some of the attractions will include an evening of sporting event with the Houston Dynamo; the thrill of historic aviation at the Lone Star Flight Museum located at Ellington field; a visit to the space centre that will include live astronaut presentations, access to the Boeing 747 with the Space Shuttle and the new Falcon 9 exhibit, and Magic on the Bayou – an evening of food, wine and magical entertainment.

Registration for conventions is open to anyone interested in Rotary and interpretation in several languages is usually provided for the opening ceremony, general sessions and closing ceremony. The host RI president Shekhar Mehta, a trained accountant and founder of real estate development company, Skyline Group which he also chairs, is a member of the Rotary Club of Calcutta-Mahanagar, India.

Mehta visited Nigeria with his spouse Rashi last September and he will welcome members of the Rotary family worldwide to Houston, Texas. It will be a big fiesta after two virtual conventions — devoid of human interactions.
Rotarians from the four districts in Nigeria are expected to attend the convention. Remi Bello, FCA, governor of District 9110 (Lagos and Ogun states) will lead Rotarians from the district to the convention.

Braimah is the publisher/editor-in-chief of Naija Times (https://naijatimes.ng) and district secretary, Rotary International District 9110