PRESIDENT JIM introduced ROTARY DISTRICT GOVERNOR, MARK BLADE, who began by congratulating our club on the good work we do – especially scholarships and our upcoming Dominican Republic project. 
The “I” in Rotary International is very important. Rotary is more effective than the UN because politics and religion play no part. He reminded us that RI PRESIDENT RAVI’s motto is “Be a Gift to the World” and told us the story of two men, one who became rich and the other one poor. After giving all the rice he had to the rich man, his needs were met. The point of the story is that everyone can be a gift to someone, no matter what your status in life.
The Rotary Foundation is one of the most highly rated organizations in the world. The funds are carefully spent. He reviewed the six focus areas and dropped a few shocking numbers. Three hundred thousand women die each year in child birth; 6.2 million babies are still born each year; 2,000 children die each day of starvation. Rotary offers hope in each of these cases. Rotarians are asked to continue giving through Every Rotarian Every Year. Both the Annual Fund and Polio Plus receive our contributions to make the world a better place. Only Pakistan and Afghanistan remain tainted by polio.
MARK asked us to think about the concept of Perfect Engagement vs. Perfect Attendance. He also reminded us that the District Conference is April 22 & 23 in Carmel. The cost is $89 per person ($29 if you are a new member since July 1, 2015). The District Assembly is March 12th.