The HEART of Rotary is the Object of Rotary, and it continually pumps Rotary's lifeblood, the ideal of service, throughout the
Rotary network.
Humans have brains, hands, arms,
legs and feet that will function as long as they have a constant supply of lifeblood. Rotary International (RI) has over 35,000-member
clubs that will function as long as they have a constant supply of
lifeblood. What is critical for Rotary's
governing body to understand is that Rotary's lifeblood is not service, it is
the ideal of service.
Rotarians should realize
that Rotary is alive because Rotary's heart continually pumps the ideal throughout its
network. Rotarians, living the ideal each in their own way, use
their brains, hands, arms, legs and feet to build connections and bring
awareness that improves their local social fabrics and strengthens Rotary's worldwide
network.
The ideal manifests itself in many different ways. For example:
- Rotarians in India overcome many social and
logistical difficulties to build a water reservoir.
- Rotarians in metropolitan and suburban clubs use influence and money
to help teachers improve student reading skills and graduation rates in
local schools.
- Rotarians in Argentina obtain a Global Grant to
furnish equipment to help a school for the blind.
- Rotarians in Africa find individual donors and
volunteers to help rural area schools.
- Rotarians in North
Carolina provide beds to help families stabilize their housing situation.
- A Rotarian anywhere in the world helps a stranger in
need.
- Rotarians undertake a worldwide project to eliminate
a crippling disease, starting in their own local social fabric and
spreading globally.
Humans continually check on their
heart's health by monitoring their blood pressure and understanding the numbers. They do not even try to monitor its result -
the lifetime accomplishments of the heart's body. RI should measure its heart's
health by monitoring its RG Index and understanding the numbers.
It should not waste resources trying to remain healthy by monitoring its
heart's result - the quantity of service projects, volunteer hours, and/or
dollars contributed by clubs and/or Rotarians.