Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/970914
6 | M A C O N M A G A Z I N E A P R I L / M A Y 2 0 1 8 "IF YOU WANT HAPPINESS FOR AN HOUR- TAKE A NAP. If you want happiness for a day- go fishing. If you want happiness for a month- get married. If you want happiness for a year- inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime- help others." is Chinese proverb points to the idea that, when you come to the end of your life, what will weigh on your mind is not what you had or didn't have, but what you gave. It will be whom you served, and it will be whether you served them well. e president of Rotary International, Ian Riseley, said, "Rotary is defined not by who we are, but by what we do." It is a global network that is committed to the belief in service above self, committed to a foundation of shared ethical values and committed to making a difference. Rotary is an organization that binds individuals together through the pursuit of six objectives: promoting peace, fighting disease, providing clean water, supporting education, saving mothers and children and growing local economies. It utilizes volunteers and financial resources locally and globally to make a true difference in people's lives. Rotary is about people. It's about giving people the potential and opportunity to provide lasting services to others. It's about helping society's outcasts, disease-stricken, underprivileged, and underfed. It's people banding together to promote the world's well being, by caring for one individual at a time. Rotary's fingerprints can be traced all over the globe. Right now, Rotary is promoting peace by advocating for people with albinism in Tanzania. It is raising awareness about bullying in the Philippines. It is protecting victims of domestic violence in Australia. Rotary is fighting diseases such as malaria, Alzheimer's and polio in Liberia and Afghanistan. It is providing clean water for people in Kenya. It is supporting education by training teachers and mentoring students in South Africa. It is saving mothers and children through mobile health clinics and medical education in Nigeria. And it is growing local economies by training entrepreneurs and community leaders in Ecuador. Rotary is connecting with people from every part of the world, partnering with them and meeting their needs. Each of Rotary's six objectives share the essential goal of sustainability, meaning the organization doesn't just offer resources and then move on, it continues to partner with people and maintain services within communities. Rotary is not just making a difference internationally; it is working to make a local impact as well. Rotary clubs are taking root and creating change in cities like our own. Members of Macon rotary clubs have served others by cleaning up liter from highways, tutoring students, training young leaders and providing 100-plus anksgiving meals to families in need every year. Currently, more than 35,000 clubs like the ones in Macon are mobilizing resources and talents to serve the good of others. Members and leaders of Rotary are not just acknowledging the world's most insistent problems; they are taking action and solving them. As Riseley said, the organization hopes to change people's lives through means both large and small. With each person doing their part, Rotary hopes not just to be different but to make a difference. Rotary is making a world of difference BY CLAIRE BOLAND Editorial EDITOR'S NOTE: Claire Boland is a senior at Veritas Classical School. She enjoys writing, coffee and mock trial. She is planning to attend Covenant College in the fall. She is the winner of the Rotary Clubs of Macon High School Speech Competition. We are providing our editorial space to share the contents of her speech with our readers.