GOVERNOR'S MESSAGE

Linda and I would like to welcome you to a new Rotary year. We have had the opportunity to meet many of you, but there are many more we have yet to get to know. In the coming months we look forward to meeting you, visiting your club, and having the opportunity to see the things you do which have impact in your community.

On a personal note, Linda and I met in 1994. We found much in common and in 1995 we were married on Adventure Cat, a trimarand, in the peaceful water off of Angel Island in the San Francisco bay.

Linda had been a strong advocate for service to the community and I had recently joined Rotary in 1994. In 1999 I was nominated as President for the Rotary Club of Moraga. In 2000 we attended our first International Convention in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Our lives were changed forever. Rotary was so much bigger than Moraga, and so much bigger than my club.

The impact has stayed with us and in 2006 I was nominated to be the 2008-2009 Governor. It was with Linda's consultation, support, and enthusiasm I accepted the nomination and now have the tremendous opportunity to get to know you, the 67 clubs and 3700 Rotarian's who make up this great District.

We have accepted this challenge as a partnership. Linda with her focus on the impact we can have on the children of the world through the AIDS bear project and the Rotaplast quilts. And me, and my endeavors to build a strong and vibrant District leadership team to support you, the club member, and your club. We are a team and as a team we succeed.

We have much to accomplish. Our District ranks 20th out of the 23 Districts in Zones 23/24 in contributions to the Annual Programs Fund (APF). We have 47% participation in APF, meaning last year less than half of our 3700 members wrote a check to The Rotary Foundation (TRF), supporting the great work it does throughout the world. In membership, our District has grown less than 1% a year over the past five years, and, we have been challenged to find new leaders who will help drive the future of the District.

Yet I am optimistic. There has not been a Rotarian I have talked to who doesn't believe this is a great organization, and who doesn't understand and value the importance of the lifelong relationships they have built with Rotarian's, business relationships, and friendships.

You believe, and I believe, in Rotary and what Rotary can accomplish if we work together and are focused on improving the lives of others.

I often tell others Rotary offers hope. Rotarians provide comfort in times of need. They provide the money and logistics no other organization can, and they do it Rotarian to Rotarian, whether it's supporting the food shelter with the Rotary Club across town, or earthquake relief, delivering shelter boxes to the Rotary Club of Shanghais, China.

Rotary is an amazing organization, you are an incredibly important part, and together we can make a difference, we can make dreams real.

Jim Campbell
District Governor

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