3 minute read
John Hewko “overwhelmed”
One of Rotary’s vital focus areas — peacebuilding and conflict resolution — came into sharp focus at the Houston convention, in the background of the war raging in Ukraine. RI general secretary and CEO John Hewko’s address to the 11,000-plus participants on how Rotary had helped the oppressed Ukrainians under siege, gained even more poignancy as his parents originally hailed from Ukraine.
He said he was happy at the kind of help the people of Ukraine had got from across the world, especially the young. The Fortnite (an online video game) players decided to support Ukraine refugees by donating funds. “Based on their normal sales (of their video games) they expected to raise somewhere between $15 to 20 million.
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The average age of a Fortnite player is 19; these players blew those projected numbers out of the water and ended up donating $155 million to the Ukraine relief efforts. That is an astonishing number, and it all came from young people wanting to belong to just more than a video game community. They wanted to show they cared about something that is happening right now, something important and wanted to make a difference.”
This is exactly what Rotary and Rotarians plan and do, said Hewko. “When we were formulating our new Rotary Action Plan a few years ago, our research consistently found that young people are hungry for just these kind of engaging, meaningful connections. It also found that all generations want to connect and belong and take action that makes a meaningful difference in the lives of others. That’s why our vision statement says:
Rotary does this “by taking action and through meaningful personal engagement, which improves personal wellbeing much more than getting financial rewards. Doing good makes people feel good and also improves physical health.”
Of course, the members also have to feel that the club they belong to is relevant and fun. “For the first time in seven years, Rotary will gain net members; this is good news, but it is up to us now to keep these new members,” he said.
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