2021-11 November

Uganda’s climate crusader page 44 Rotary’s newest education partner page 14 November 2021 HOUSTON 2022 Discover new horizons COME TOGETHER With its vibrant blend of neighborhoods and parks, cultures and cuisines, Houston epitomizes the internationality of Rotary page 28

DIVERSITY STRENGTHENS OUR CLUBS New members from different groups in our communities bring fresh perspectives and ideas to our clubs and expand Rotary’s presence. Invite prospective members from all backgrounds to experience Rotary. REFER A NEW MEMBER my.rotary.org/member-center

,, PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE I first discovered the value of service when I Rotary clubs of Villa Real de Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and Rashi and I drove saw how a few simple acts can immeasurably Waldo Brookside-Kansas City, Missouri. 200 kilometers to change lives. It began when I joined others in meet a patient from my club for a project to bring toilets and clean • The Rotary clubs of Cotonou Le Nautile, Benin, and Pakistan who was drinking water to rural villages near our city. Tournai Haut-Escaut, Belgium, received a $39,390 global being treated at the It moved forward when we promoted sanitation and grant to provide agricultural training at an ecologically Mission Hospital in provided opportunities for education across the country, responsible permaculture mini-farm connected to a Durgapur. His mother thanks to generous gifts from supporters who believed center for children in Sowé, Benin. This will help a new said, “My son was in our projects as much as those of us on the ground did. generation of farmers become born in Pakistan but economically self-su cient. got his life in India. There is no better time of the year to be reminded of Thank you, Rotary.” that generosity than November, which is Rotary Foun- I like comparing The Rotary dation Month. Foundation to the Taj Mahal, a Courtesy of Shekhar Mehta monument of one man’s love for As the charitable arm of Rotary International, The a woman. The Foundation is a Rotary Foundation is the engine that powers so many dynamic monument of our love Rotary projects throughout the world. The Foundation for all of humanity. transforms your gifts into projects that change lives. It is the Foundation that helps us to get closer to our goal of This month I am asking all eradicating polio, to show more people how we promote Rotary clubs to bring atten- peace through tangible actions, and to demonstrate the tion to the Foundation. It is impact our projects have in our areas of focus. what connects all Rotarians worldwide and transforms our Consider some recent projects that were made pos- collective passions into projects that change lives. sible by the Foundation: Visit rotary.org/donate; once there, you will have an opportunity to give directly to the program you’re most • The Rotary clubs of Guatemala La Reforma, Guate- passionate about. mala, and Calgary, Alberta, received an $80,000 global grant to organize a comprehensive plan to train nurses Thank you for giving your all to Rotary. You are the and rural health care workers to prevent and treat cer- reason that Rotary is able to do more and grow more. Let’s vical cancer and to implement a sustainable system of continue to represent that important legacy this month, referrals in seven regions of Guatemala. this year, and beyond as we Serve to Change Lives. • More than two dozen hospitals in Honduras re- President, Rotary International ceived personal protective equipment for their medical sta thanks to a $169,347 global grant sponsored by the NOVEMBER 2021 ROTARY 1

2  ROTARY  NOVEMBER 2021

WELCOME YOU ARE HERE: Navajo Nation, Arizona THE NAVAJO NATION: Spanning parts of Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico, the Navajo Nation covers 27,000 square miles. More than 170,000 Navajo people live here. MAN AND CHILD: Luc Warreyn, a Rotary member from Belgium, was traveling through the Navajo Nation when he stopped at a small market. He saw this man and child, each holding one end of a leash. “I took a photo and I wanted to show the picture to the man. At that moment I saw that he was blind, and he was being guided by the child.” THE CLUBS: In nearby Winslow, Arizona, you can visit the Rotary Club of Winslow, which meets Wednesdays at 12:10 p.m. THE PHOTOGRAPHER: Luc Warreyn, Rotary Club of Nieuwpoort- Westhoek, Belgium NOVEMBER 2021  ROTARY  3

ROTARY GENERAL OFFICERS OF ROTARY TRUSTEES OF THE ROTARY INTERNATIONAL, 2021–22 FOUNDATION, 2021–22 November 2021 PRESIDENT CHAIR MANAGING EDITOR ART DIRECTOR Shekhar Mehta John F. Germ Jenny Llakmani Jennifer Moody Calcutta-Mahanagar, India Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA SENIOR EDITOR PRODUCTION MANAGER PRESIDENT-ELECT Geoffrey Johnson Marc Dukes Jennifer E. Jones CHAIR-ELECT Windsor-Roseland, Ian H.S. Riseley SENIOR EDITOR DESIGN AND PRODUCTION Ontario, Canada Sandringham, Australia Hank Sartin ASSISTANT Joe Cane VICE PRESIDENT VICE CHAIR SENIOR STAFF WRITER Valarie K. Wafer Sangkoo Yun Diana Schoberg SENIOR EDITORIAL Collingwood- Sae Hanyang, Korea COORDINATOR South Georgian Bay, ASSOCIATE EDITOR Cynthia Edbrooke Ontario, Canada TRUSTEES John M. Cunningham Jorge Aufranc CIRCULATION MANAGER TREASURER Guatemala Sur, Guatemala COPY EDITOR Katie McCoy Virpi Honkala Kristin Morris Raahe, Finland Marcelo Demétrio Haick Santos-Praia, Brazil Send ad inquiries and materials to: Marc Dukes, DIRECTORS Rotary magazine, One Rotary Center, 1560 Sherman Jessie Harman Per Høyen Ave., 14th floor, Evanston, IL 60201; phone 847-866- Wendouree Breakfast, Aarup, Denmark 3092; email [email protected] Australia Hsiu-Ming Lin Media kit: rotary.org/mediakit Suzi (Susan C.) Howe Taipei Tungteh, Taiwan Space Center (Houston), To contact us: Rotary magazine, One Rotary Texas, USA Larry A. Lunsford Center, 1560 Sherman Ave., Evanston, IL 60201; Kansas City-Plaza, phone 847-866-3206; email [email protected] Won-Pyo Kim Missouri, USA Gyeongju South, Korea Website: rotary.org/magazines Mark Daniel Maloney Urs Klemm Decatur, Alabama, USA To submit an article: Send stories, queries, tips, Aarau, Switzerland and photographs by mail or email (high-resolution Geeta K. Manek digital images only). We assume no responsibility Mahesh Kotbagi Muthaiga, Kenya for unsolicited materials. Pune Sports City, India Aziz Memon To subscribe: Twelve issues at US$12 a year Aikaterini Kotsali- Karachi, Pakistan (USA, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands); $16 Papadimitriou a year (Canada); $24 a year (elsewhere). Contact Pendeli, Greece Akira Miki the Circulation Department (phone 847-424-5217 Himeji, Japan or -5216; email [email protected]) for details and for Peter R. Kyle airmail rates. Gift subscriptions available at the Capitol Hill (Washington, Barry Rassin same rates. D.C.), District of Columbia, East Nassau, Bahamas USA To send an address change: Enclose old address Dean Rohrs label, postal code, and Rotary club, and send to the Roger Lhors Langley Central, British Circulation Department or email [email protected]. Pont-Audemer, France Columbia, Canada Postmaster: Send all address changes to Circulation Department, Rotary magazine, One Rotary Center, Chi-Tien Liu Gulam A. Vahanvaty 1560 Sherman Ave., Evanston, IL 60201. Yangmei, Taiwan Bombay, India Call the Contact Center: USA, Canada, and Vicki Puliz GENERAL SECRETARY Virgin Islands (toll-free) 866-976-8279. Elsewhere: Sparks, Nevada, USA John Hewko 847-866-3000, ext. 8999. Kyiv, Ukraine Nicki Scott Unless otherwise noted: All images are North Cotswolds, England copyright ©2021 by Rotary International or are used with permission. Julio César A. Silva-Santisteban Published monthly by Rotary International, 1560 Sherman Ave., Evanston, El Rímac, Peru IL 60201. Rotary® is a registered trademark of Rotary International. Copyright ©2021 by Rotary International. All rights reserved. Periodicals Katsuhiko Tatsuno postage paid at Evanston, Illinois, USA, and additional mailing offices. Tokyo-West, Japan Canada Publications Mail Agreement No. 1381644. Canadian return address: MSI, PO Box 2600, Mississauga, ON L4T 0A8. This is the Novem- Elizabeth Usovicz ber 2021 issue, volume 200, number 5, of Rotary. Publication number: Kansas City-Plaza, USPS 548-810. ISSN 2694-443X (print); ISSN 2694-4448 (online). Missouri, USA 4  ROTARY  NOVEMBER 2021 Ananthanarayanan S. “Venky” Venkatesh Chennai Mambalam, India GENERAL SECRETARY John Hewko Kyiv, Ukraine

Giving Tuesday: 30 November During this season of giving, remember The Rotary Foundation as your charity of choice. A donation to our Annual Fund helps strengthen communities close to home and around the globe. GIVE TODAY: my.rotary.org/giving-tuesday

CONTENT November 2021 Vol. 200, No. 5 On the cover: Abubaker Lubowa FEATURES 1  President’s message Get ready to 2 Welcome meet up in 28 The sky’s the limit Houston for CONNECT the 2022 Rotary Against the backdrop of Houston’s global International tapestry, Rotary will chart its future at the 8  Editor’s note |  Letters to the editor Convention 2022 convention 12  The specialist 4-8 June. By Miles Howard Midwife empowers women through Photography by Photography by Al Argueta pregnancy and beyond Srini Sundarrajan 40 7 reasons you can’t miss 13  What would you do? 6  ROTARY  NOVEMBER 2021 the 2022 convention OUR WORLD Whether in person or virtual, Rotary’s annual gathering can be life changing 14 A seat at the table By Vanessa Glavinskas Rotary’s expertise in community- based solutions will be key to national- 44 The Conversation: level conversations about education Vanessa Nakate 17 Big wheel Inspired by Rotary, this young Ugandan activist is speaking out about climate The Arizona desert is no match for change in Africa riders raising funds to eradicate polio in the annual Tour de Tucson By Diana Schoberg Illustration by Viktor Miller Gausa 18 Rotary projects around the globe 20 Wheel rites 48 A change of heart Modern-day nomads from two He thought he had a dream job. Then he RV fellowships hit the road for Rotary took a closer look 22 Essay By Jeff Ruby Illustrations by Harriet Lee-Merrion The pun is mightier than the sword 44 OUR CLUBS 52 Virtual visit E-Club de Motociclistas (Brazil) 54 Four questions A business owner discovers that a commitment to diversity brings a competitive advantage 57 Calendar 58 Trustee chair’s message 60 In brief Gordon McInally to be 2023-24 Rotary president Arch Klumph Society honorees 62 2022 convention |  Crossword 64 Found An engineer with an artist’s eye captures beautiful moments on film

The 19 institutions in Houston’s leafy and walkable Museum District offer a smorgasbord of cultural immersions, from contemporary art to medical sciences, Czech culture, and even the psychic explorations of the Swiss psychologist Carl Jung. 28 Texas arranger R honda kennedy vividly remembers her first Rotary Interna- tional Convention: San Antonio, 2001. The Texas native not only attended the event, she hosted some friends from England — Ralph Hayden, then governor of District 1240, and his wife, Jean. At that convention, Kennedy made several visits to the House of Friendship. She recalls an occasion when she bought a soda and sat down at an empty table. “After a while, a gentleman from New Zea- land asked if he could sit down,” Kennedy says. “Soon we were joined by Rotarians from Japan, Egypt, and the northern United States. Before I knew it, I was sit- ting at a table that represented the world. I finally understood why they call it Rotary International.” Twenty years later, Kennedy, a member of the Rotary Club of Sweeny, is preparing for another convention in Texas — Houston, 2022 — and this time she’s the chair of the Host Organization Adrian Samano Illustration by Viktor Miller Gausa Committee. “I can’t express how important it is for Rotary members to get to their first convention,” she says. “And if you live in Texas, I hope you’ve already registered!” Read about Houston — and the seven reasons you won’t want to miss the 2022 convention — beginning on page 28. NOVEMBER 2021  ROTARY  7

EDITOR’S NOT T he word “convention” comes from Letters the Latin word convenire, which means to the editor “come together.” (If you now have a Bea- tles song stuck in your head, you’re wel- MAKE NEW FRIENDS come.) But due to the pandemic, Rotary’s Frank Bures’ article on friendship [“That’s What Friends Are For,” Au- last two conventions were transformed into virtual gust] indirectly gets to the core, in my opinion as a past assistant gov- affairs. Rotary members around the world connected ernor, of why Rotary is not grow- ing. Bures mentions different levels with each other via thousands of miles of undersea of friendship: acquaintance, casual friend, friend, and best friend, as cables and distant satellites orbiting Earth — and well as the importance of structure in friendship. with the help of the knowledgeable, unflappable Ro- We have a terrific Rotary club. tary staff and volunteers who make every convention Our oldest active member has been with us for more than 60 years. We not only possible, but memorable. really love and enjoy one another’s company. Now the 2022 Rotary International Convention is We have several great, active on the horizon — and this time around we are plan- new members in our club. Do any of us older Rotarians make an ef- ning for an in-person event. It’s your chance to meet fort at meetings to sit with them? Rarely. They are usually together on again with fellow Rotarians, Rotaractors, and Interac- their own, establishing a friendship of their own. tors (as well as the Rotary-curious, who will be wel- This situation is even worse come guests next June). And in case you are still look- when a new member has no other new member with whom to asso- ing for reasons to attend, you will find seven powerful ciate. We invite people to join Ro- tary but rarely invite them to sit at ones in this issue, starting on page 40. our table. Why not? Because that’s where ____ sits. We can’t invite you To those seven reasons, you can add one other to sit in ____’s seat. compelling draw: the host city itself. Houston is a This isn’t just a Rotary prob- lem. It’s human nature. It’s simple diverse and international metropolis that daily cel- and enjoyable to socialize with the friends we already have, but it’s not ebrates its glorious e pluribus unumosity. In “The conducive to retaining new mem- bers in any organization. Sky’s the Limit,” writer Miles Howard literally con- Maybe clubs should make it sumes the flavors of Houston’s ethnic richness. To known that new members have give you a taste of what you can expect, he explores this vast city of many neighborhoods, each with its own civic, cultural, and culinary offerings. Rhonda Kennedy, a native Texan, is the chair of the Host Organization tCommittee, which has planned a The 2022 Rotary International Convention is on the horizon — and this time around we are planning for an in-person event. full roster of activities designed to introduce visiting Rotary members to all things Houston. (Yes, there will even be astronauts.) Those events also happen to be great ways to get to know local and visiting Rotary mem- bers and make meaningful connections, so don’t miss your chance to sign up at houstonri2022.org/events. With all that’s in store for those who attend — the speakers, the House of Friendship, the host events, and the city of Houston itself — we won’t be surprised to see crowds lining up at the George R. Brown Con- vention Center on 4 June, eagerly waiting for the doors to open on the 2022 convention. Until then, learn more and register at convention.rotary.org. GEOFFREY JOHNSON Senior editor 8  ROTARY  NOVEMBER 2021

permission to sit in any chair at ocean of children’s books. For older CONNECT any table at any meeting without children, books that were great fa- fear of hard feelings. Every member vorites with my daughters included should sign such a pledge. Maybe the Guests of War trilogy  by Kit clubs should have a “New Member Pearson, historical fiction about Sits Here” chair cover that the ser- children evacuated from Britain geant-at-arms slips over a random to Canada during the Blitz. Pretty seat for the first few months when- relevant these days! Also, Kenneth ever a new member joins. Oppel’s Silverwing series for 7- to 11-year-olds.  Rotary has to quit cheering its new members one moment, while — Margot Swinburnson, the next moment refusing to invite them to sit at our table. Sooke, British Columbia — Phillip A. Matous, Grosse Pointe, Michigan RECOMMENDED READING ARRESTING ARTWORK Overheard on Follow us to get updates, social media share stories with your Wow! Great children’s books listed Mary Woodin’s paintings in the In our August issue, networks, and tell us what in this issue [“The Children’s Hour,” August issue (“The Miracle of the we wrote about you think. August]. I look forward to looking Oil and Fishes”) are a very special a Rotary project for them at our local library and feature. that provided aid  Rotary.org reading them to my grandchildren. to Beirut after the — Jim Temple, port explosion in  [email protected] Since I am a proud Canadian Ro- August 2020. tarian, I thought I might expand the Berrien Springs, Michigan  @rotary choices by sharing titles by some I’m proud to be northern writers.  CHANGING MODEL a member of the  /rotary Rotary Club of The Paper Bag Princess, Mor- As chair of a district international Castle Hill, Australia,  @rotaryinternational timer, and Classic Munsch ABC by service committee, I wish to com- who contributed to Robert Munsch. With their rhyth- ment on “A Guide to the Updated this amazing and  Rotary magazine mic cadence and flow, these books Rotary Foundation Funding Model” truly necessary One Rotary Center engage young and old alike. in the July issue. While I appreci- project. 1560 Sherman Ave. ate the difficulties encountered by Sonja Simpson Evanston, IL 60201 Alligator Pie by Dennis Lee. Non- the doubling of money awarded an- sensical rhymes that are so fun! nually since the start of the global via LinkedIn The editors welcome comments on grant program, the Foundation’s items published in the magazine but The Wonderful Pigs of Jillian basic funding model has not re- This is the beauty reserve the right to edit for style Jiggs by Phoebe Gilman. My daugh- mained the same, as suggested, and of Rotary — we all and length. Published letters do ter’s favorite. the article does not tell the whole make a difference not necessarily reflect the views of story. collectively. the editors or Rotary International The Franklin the Turtle series by Leah Flach leadership, nor do the editors take Paulette Bourgeois. Franklin solves Last year’s elimination of the responsibility for errors of fact that many issues (such as fear of the 50 percent match for club contri- via LinkedIn may be expressed by the writers. dark) in creative ways. butions will, I believe, diminish the interest of clubs, particularly small NOVEMBER 2021  ROTARY  9 Waiting for the Whales by Sheryl and mid-sized clubs, to contribute McFarlane and Ron Lightburn. A to global grant projects. The 20 per- lovely story, beautifully illustrated.  cent reduction in the match for Dis- trict Designated Funds allocated to My Heart Fills With Happiness by global grant projects makes it even Monique Gray Smith. A heartwarm- harder for clubs to sponsor global ing story by an outstanding Indig- grant projects. Under the origi- enous author. nal model, a $30,000 global grant project was able to be carried out Any collaboration by Roy Henry with $12,000 in DDF and $4,000 in Vickers and Robert (Lucky) Budd. Those are just a drop in the huge

FIND A CLUB CONNECT ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD! Entries for the 2022 Rotary magazine photo awards are now open. Submit your photo at rotary .org/photoawards. Use Rotary’s free Club Locator and find a meGeettRinotgaryw’shfreeereClvubeLroycaotour agpop ! and find a meeting wherever you go! wwwww.wr.orottaarryy.o.orgr/gcl/ucblulobcalotocrator Members of the Rotary Club of Los Angeles, which was featured in the August issue for the creative ways it connects members. Do you need Rotary-branded club contributions. Now the same $30,000 projects, and interaction merchandise? Then shop with Rotary-licensed $30,000 project, while requiring the between at least 132 Rotary clubs. vendors, many of which are local same amount of DDF, will require To the extent that interaction be- Rotarian-owned businesses. $8,400 in club contributions, an in- tween Rotary clubs, worldwide, is a crease of 110 percent. function of the global grant project, Shop now at the model does not remain the same. on.rotary.org/shop I agree that “the changes will have a big impact on the Founda- — John W. Hein, tion’s ability to support more large- scale, sustainable projects.” But Milwaukee this comes at a cost of diminishing Correction: In the August message the ability of local clubs to have from RI President Shekhar Mehta, meaningful international service we misstated the number of Rotary &+$6 opportunities among themselves countries. In fact, Rotary has mem- , 1 7 5 $Shop With A Licensed Vendor_EN-20.indd 1 , ' / ( 7/13/20 or by3:56 PM partnering with Rotary clubs bers in more than 200 countries and geographical regions. Rotary maga- & 2 2 ( ' $ 8 7 2 + $ , 5 throughout the world. A $2 mil- zine regrets the error. % / 2 1 ' 6 / 2: 201 , 0$.(6+( / 3+$33(1 lion project takes the place of 66 72< $7( $6 7526 %( 7 ( '1$ Reprinting articles: Rotary magazine frequently receives requests to reprint its articles. In the 67$< 76$5 $' , 26 interest of raising awareness about what Rotary does, we encourage readers to share our articles ) 281' $ 7 , 21021 7 + in this way. Any article, in its entirety, may be reprinted in a Rotary-denominated publication such as 2 : 1 ( 5 $ / 6 2 6 ( 5 ( a club or district newsletter. For other publications, both consumer and nonprofit, reprints require 5 ( 7 ( $ 5 6 5 + 2 ' ( 6 the expressed prior permission of the magazine. Patrick Strattner 0$* (08 In all reprints, author, photographer, and illustrator credits must appear with the article, along with the following: Reprinted by permission from Rotary magazine, [month/year]. Copyright © $ 7 +20( $1'$ %52$' [year of publication] Rotary International. All rights reserved. , +23 *52* &( / / 2 If you wish to reprint an article from the magazine, contact us at [email protected]. After pub- lication of the reprint, please mail a copy to: Rotary magazine, 1560 Sherman Ave., Evanston, IL 60201. 0(18 $ , '( $1'(6 See also myrotary.org/en/terms-using-rotary-international-trademarks-and-copyrights. 6((3 3((5 3266(

TIME IS RUNNING OUT Time is running out to realize year-end tax benefits. Make a smart financial decision and make a difference today! A donor advised fund gives you the flexibility to make a donation now, get potential tax benefits, and recommend where you want funds directed in the future. Join your fellow Rotarians who have made a difference with the power of Rotary’s donor advised fund. CALL 847-866-3100 TODAY | EMAIL [email protected] or visit rotary.planmygift.org/daf

THE SPECIALIST Empowering women is my job. It’s their body and their baby. We ask what they want, and then see if we Labor day can accomplish it. Do you want to have your baby in water? In a hospital or at home? Do you want to catch Midwife empowers women through your baby yourself? Do you want your children in the pregnancy and beyond room? The woman gets to choose what kind of test- ing she wants done in her pregnancy, as opposed to being told that it’s time. M idwives love birth stories. The very We can prescribe, diagnose, and order labs, and do first birth I did was for a Mennonite all the work for your pregnancy, birth, and the first six weeks. We have good working relationships with our woman who was in Canada illegally, physicians and can check with them about problems. Sometimes things get more complicated and we had no health care coverage, and transfer care to doctors, like with a cesarean section, but we don’t leave. We are the familiar face. didn’t speak the language. I did one prenatal visit, and she gave birth that night. We typically do home visits for the first few weeks after- We do a lot of training on breastfeeding. In the clinic I might teach you how to breastfeed in a chair. ward. The family didn’t understand that they didn’t If I go to your home and see that you don’t have a have to pay — funding for my services is through the chair, but a mattress on the floor, I teach you how to Ontario Ministry of Health — so they kept giving breastfeed in your space — on a mattress on the floor. me cucumbers. Midwives can provide care for women who have Andrea Cassidy The best part of my job is giving women permis- Rotary Club of sion to care for themselves. I’ll come to the mom in no health insurance, and often do so for the most Windsor (1918), postpartum and say, “Your baby’s great. Now let’s talk vulnerable populations. We have 30- to 45-minute Ontario about you. Are you eating, drinking, sleeping? Are you in pain?” The baby is rarely the problem, but the mom appointments, longer than doctors. We see people is a mess. I spend a lot of time telling women that it’s OK to take space for themselves. who have language barriers or mental health issues, — as told to anne stein who are teen moms, people who are going to give up their babies after birth. They all deserve respect, kindness, and autonomy in their care. 12  ROTARY  NOVEMBER 2021 Photography by Dionne Harris

CONNECT WHAT WOULD YOU DO? Next question sions would be foolish and wasteful. Send a new member who will com- Should they stay A member of mit to attending the sessions, and or should they go? your club made she or he will return filled with new a friend from enthusiasm for Rotary! A prominent business participants and will have time to abroad at the leader recently joined share how your business can be convention and — Laura Daniel, Rotary Club of your Rotary club. He of benefit to them. The one-on- wants to use runs a global business one connection is stronger when club funds to Bocas del Toro, Panama and his customers are there is no booth barrier between host that person, primarily Rotarians. Your club’s you. You will hear comments from also a Rotary If you’re asking what I would do if I leadership team decides to pay this other attendees that may help you member, for a were on that club’s leadership team, new member’s way to the next Ro- build new products and services visit. Although there is nothing to do. The member tary International Convention; they into your already growing busi- the trip won’t is declining the offer to attend the think the experience will inspire the ness. You will see an entirely dif- be linked to a convention, since he will be at his new member to get more involved ferent side of Rotary that will help club program or booth the entire time. Regarding the in club activities. The member men- you connect with prospective Ro- activity, the visi- question of paying for someone to tions that he plans to man a booth tarians and clients right here in our tor would attend attend, if the club has funds and the promoting his business in the House own community. Let’s sit down and meetings and decision process is consistent and of Friendship during the entire con- take a look at the sessions together. help out with club fair, why not? We pay for members vention and probably will not have What do you think?” projects. Your to attend our district conference time to attend sessions. What would fellow mem- because we want them to attend. you do? — Luanne Arredondo, Rotary Club ber also wants Those people are obligated to pay the guest to close attention and report back to I would say the following: “While of Greater San Gabriel Valley, experience your the club. It is up to each individual presence in your booth is impor- country’s culture club to make its own decisions. tant, during the sessions you will California and would like have a chance to get to know other other members — Naomi Masuno, Rotary Club of To pay for a member to attend when to take the visitor he has told you he plans to work at out to eat and to West Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii his exhibit and not attend the ses- see local tourist attractions. But I paid for two non-Rotarians to at- you’re not com- tend the convention in Toronto, and fortable using for two to attend the convention in club funds for Hamburg, Germany. The experience the guest’s trip, had an exceptional impact on them. because Two became Rotarians, and two be- you don’t see came supporters. the value for your club. — Mac Purcell, Rotary Club of Pad- What would dington, England you do? Tell us at magazine @rotary.org. Illustration by Martín Elfman

OUR WORL SUPPORTING EDUCATION A seat at the table Rotary’s expertise in community-based solutions will be key to national-level conversations about education R otary’s relationship systems around the world. In REAL RESULTS with the Global Part- Rwanda, for example, GPE helped nership for Education increase access to early childhood Every year, GPE is already having an education by funding training for releases a report more than 5,500 teachers, develop- highlighting its impact, as incoming ing teaching kits and play-based in- achievements; structional materials, and building learn more at district governors learned at the 400 schools. In Kenya, the organiza- globalpartner tion helped implement a plan that ship.org. International Assembly in Janu- included making primary education free, which increased enrollment GPE supported ary. “Together we are changing the from 72 percent in 2003 to 88 per- the education of cent in 2012 and closed the gender nearly 25 million lives of girls and other vulnerable gap, achieving nearly equal numbers children between of boys and girls in school. And in 2015 and 2019. children in the poorest corners of Pakistan, GPE provided funding for a distance-learning program that More than the world,” said Alice P. Albright, uses social media platforms, as well 48 million as radio, TV, and mobile phones, to textbooks were the organization’s chief executive keep students learning during the distributed and COVID-19 pandemic. The program 4,115 classrooms officer, in her remarks about the may even help reach the 19 million were built or children who were not attending rehabilitated with relationship, formed in April 2020. school before the pandemic. GPE funding in fiscal year 2019. “Rotary has a unique voice and Rather than implementing proj- ects itself in a given country, GPE GPE grants standing on the global stage and funded the training of in virtually every country. You can nearly 1.6 million teachers between use that voice to advocate for more 2016 and 2020. resources and then work with gov- ernment leaders to ensure that they are distributed equitably.” GPE is an international fund- ing organization that facilitates improved outcomes and gender equity in education and supports large-scale changes to education Primary enrollment for girls increased by 65 percent in GPE partner countries between 2002 and 2018. 17 On 1 April 2020, Pedaling for polio three weeks after COVID-19 19 was declared Bikes for girls in a pandemic, GPE unlocked Tanzania $250 million to help 67 lower- 20 income countries Rotary road trips mitigate the effects on 22 education. Punny bone 14  ROTARY  NOVEMBER 2021

Courtesy of the Global Partnership for Education brings together stakeholders from organization has distributed nearly Left: GPE derstand what educational resourc- the public and private sectors $7 billion to improve educational supports es from GPE are available to their around a national education plan; it outcomes around the world. teacher training communities, and in conveying to also channels funding from private in Mauritania, governments what kind of educa- donors and governments to help fi- Rotary’s partnership with GPE benefiting tional assistance those communi- nance those plans. Each country’s will help Rotarians join the conver- student teachers ties need most. “This partnership plan is tailored to its specific needs sation at national levels, where GPE such as Mariam gives Rotarians a seat at the table to and aligned with the local education has contacts, and integrate their Mohamed Vall. not only voice concerns about what plan supported by the government. projects into a country’s broader Above: With might be happening within educa- In turn, partner countries are en- educational efforts. In turn, Rotary support from tion,” Jean-Francois says, “but also couraged to allocate 20 percent of members can mobilize their exten- GPE, Laos is to understand the policies around their domestic budget to education. sive networks in areas that can be giving grants education and bring those back to Ultimately, GPE’s goal is for local difficult for other organizations to to schools the community.” governments to take responsibility reach. “Rotary will be a key part- and is training for fully funding a plan that delivers ner, given its strong role in the lo- education Rotary members have already 12 years of schooling, plus a year of cal community and experience in officials on how participated in meetings with of- preschool, to every girl and boy. community outreach,” says Aparna best to plan ficials from the ministries of edu- Krishnamurthy, private sector and and manage cation and other private-sector GPE works with organizations foundations specialist for GPE. their budget partners in Ghana, Kenya, and and governments in 76 countries, so children Zimbabwe. In those countries, Ro- many of them in sub-Saharan Africa. In the early stages of the partner- get a better tarians will take part in the Girls’ Funding is issued through grants to ship, Rotary hopes to engage mem- education. Education Awareness Program, a governments, with the World Bank, bers in three to five countries that GPE initiative that will use mes- a major GPE partner, acting as one are already part of the GPE network. saging campaigns to help break of the grant agents that oversee the Activities will differ depending on down social barriers to educating distribution of funds and supervise the specific needs within each coun- girls, such as early marriage and projects on the ground. The Euro- try. Mary Jo Jean-Francois, Rotary favoritism within families for boys pean Union, the United States, and International’s area of focus man- over girls when it comes to educa- other countries contribute funds to ager for basic education and literacy, tion (girls are 1.5 times more likely GPE. Since its founding in 2002, the says Rotarians could play a key role, than boys to be excluded from pri- for instance, in helping families un- NOVEMBER 2021  ROTARY  15

OUR WORLD In Ghana, Kenya, and Zimbabwe, Rotary members will take part in the Girls’ Education Awareness Program, a GPE initiative to help break down social barriers to educating girls. mary school). The program will be funding to ensure that 175 million By the numbers guided by each country’s ministry boys and girls can learn, to enroll of education and will complement 88 million more children in school, 53 existing strategies. “Rotarians at and to train 2.2 million teachers. the consultations noted the impor- The summit included both virtual Percentage of 10-year-olds tance of a strong community-based and in-person events in the United in low- and middle-income approach,” Krishnamurthy says, Kingdom and was co-hosted by countries who are unable to “and shared examples of various British Prime Minister Boris John- read and understand a short partnerships they have forged with son and Kenyan President Uhuru local community leaders in areas Kenyatta. The funding campaign, age-appropriate text that are hardest to reach.” called Raise Your Hand, garnered support from world leaders and ce- 100 GPE held a global education lebrities, including former U.S. first million+ summit 28-29 July as part of its lady Michelle Obama, international effort to raise $5 billion to support soccer star Didier Drogba, and su- Number of additional children children in up to 90 countries and permodel Naomi Campbell. who will fall below the minimum territories over the next five years. proficiency level in reading as a The organization plans to use this — susie l. ma result of the pandemic Left: In 40 Courtesy of the Global Partnership for Education percent At least 6% of partner countries, GPE Reduction in girls’ likelihood of grants fund marrying before age 18 for each activities relating to children with additional year of secondary disabilities. education Rotary members $10 trillion from GPE partner countries who Estimated loss in earnings that would like to this generation of students may learn how to face because of the pandemic participate in the partnership can email [email protected]. Short According to the 2021 Global Peace Index, The annual West Africa takes published by the Institute for Economics Project Fair will be held and Peace (a Rotary partner), the most virtually 4-6 November. peaceful country in the world is Iceland. Register at rotarywapf.org. 16  ROTARY  NOVEMBER 2021 Illustrations by Miguel Porlan

PROFILE cancer in 2011, and Hirsch now co- chairs the ride with Darrell Stewart. Big wheel In a typical year, about 100 Rotary members take part as cyclists — in- The Arizona desert is no match for riders raising funds cluding Rotary International General to eradicate polio in the annual Tour de Tucson Secretary John Hewko. Many more participate by sponsoring a rider. G ary hirsch was just The fundraising ride happens as Darrell Stewart trying to keep up with part of El Tour de Tucson, an annual “Last year, El Tour de Tucson Gary Hirsch his wife. “She started event that attracts bicyclists from was canceled because of COVID,” Rotary Club of doing triathlons in her around the world who test their en- Hirsch says. “I think there’s pent- Tucson, Arizona 50s,” Hirsch explains. durance in hot and sunny Arizona. up demand. We’re thinking it’s going “The only thing I could keep up with Riders can choose from 28-, 57-, or to be a heck of a reunion.” And, he Co-chairs, Ride her on was the bicycle, so I started 100-mile routes. The ride serves as a notes, “If Rotarians raise $1 million, to End Polio riding.” Now Hirsch is co-chair fundraiser for dozens of nonprofits. the Gates Foundation would match of the Ride to End Polio, which, it at $2 million. A dose of oral po- with matching funds from the Michael J. Harris, a member of lio vaccine is about 15 cents, so we Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Rotary Club of Tucson (Casas could help a lot of people.” has raised more than $50 million Adobes), had the idea of including toward Rotary’s polio eradication Rotary in the event as a way for — vanessa glavinskas efforts since 2009. smaller clubs to easily raise funds for polio eradication. Harris died of El Tour de Tucson takes place on 20 November. Learn more at polioride.org. World Interact Week takes place The Rotary Foundation Rotary is conducting an all-member 1-7 November, in commemoration of raised $440.9 million in survey this month. To make sure your voice the founding of the first Interact club on 2020-21, far surpassing is heard, update your email address by 5 November 1962 in Melbourne, Florida. its goal of $410 million. 1 November at my.rotary.org/profile/me. Photography by Blair Bunting NOVEMBER 2021  ROTARY  17

OUR WORLD Rotary projects around the globe By BRAD WEBBER million BETTY CROCKER COOKBOOKS SOLD SINCE 1950 Canada Haliburton Highlands Secondary United States Three clubs — Rotary, Rotaract, School and members of the When Judy Gross saw an online and Interact — collaborated on a Rotaract Club of Haliburton High- ad from someone seeking help cookbook project organized by lands illustrated and designed with yardwork, members of her the Rotary Club of Haliburton, the spiral-bound book; members Rotary Club of Central Ocean Ontario. Ursula Devolin, the club’s of all three clubs collected the Toms River, New Jersey, were New Generations chair, thought 84 recipes inside. Book and ad ready to step up. In the ad, local about what members could do sales generated about $2,800 resident Coreen Onnembo-DiLea during a pandemic: “Everybody’s for the Mahatma Gandhi Sishu explained that she was having been cooking through COVID-19, Siksha Sadan school near Kolkata, a hard time keeping up with a and it seemed to me it would India, which the Rotary club has garden that brings joy to her be nice to have a community supported for about 15 years. 99-year-old father, Achille “Acky” cookbook.” Interactors from Onnembo, a U.S. Coast Guard veteran who served in the Allied invasion of Normandy in 1944. On a Saturday morning in April, six club members showed up with shovels, mulch, flowers, and stones. “Little did I know I’d hear from a team of superhumans that would handle the entire project,” Onnembo- DiLea wrote in a letter to the club. Club of Central Ocean Toms River Club of Haliburton Club of Haliburton Highlands 18 ROTARY NOVEMBER 2021

32% NEPALIS AGES 15 AND OLDER WHO ARE ILLITERATE Serbia The Rotaract Club of Belgrade Čukarica spotlights men’s health with dramatic flair. For several years, the club has staged a play as part of the “Movember” . millionglobal initiative — “m” is for “mustache” — which has funded more than 1,250 health NEW PROSTATE CANCER projects. Penned and directed by doctor DIAGNOSES WORLDWIDE Nepal and former club member Emilija Ivančajić, IN 2020 Long after a vocational training the play, Men and Other Problems, adopts a lighthearted approach to serious matters such as suicide and prostate and testicular cancers. The event went on hiatus because of COVID-19, but the team helped Nepali schoolteach- 2019 production drew an audience of ers make the most of their Rotary- some 300 people. “All club members act funded library and computer lab, the in the play, with special guests from other initiative continues to pay dividends. Rotaract clubs in District 2483,” says “The resource center is helping to Kristina Zejak, the club’s immediate past manage online classes in this pan- president. demic time, even in the rural areas Club of Belgrade of Nepal,” says Rabindra Thapa, Čukarica a member of the Rotary Club of Kathmandu North, which joined the Rotary Club of Stowe, Vermont, in the global grant-supported project at the Shree Ram Secondary School in Koshidekha. Carolyn Holcombe Damp, a past volunteer at the school, enlisted her partner, Larry Heath of the Stowe club; her sister, Joan Holcombe; and Didi Kearsley — all retired educators — for the team’s trip in late 2017. They stocked the facility with some 1,500 books, 15 laptop computers, and other equip- ment. The Stowe club and District 7850 each provided $10,000; The Rotary Foundation added $15,000 in Tanzania funding for the project. For girls in the developing world, a lack of safe transportation can be Club of Kathmandu Club of Stowe a barrier to education. At the Ndevelwa Secondary School outside North Tabora, Tanzania, for instance, “typically only the boys had the benefit of bikes to help with the journey,” says Elizabeth Demichelis, PINK BIKES DONATED a member of the Rotary Club of Modesto Sunrise, California. “Thus BY THE ROTARY CLUB the concept of pink bikes was born.” The Modesto Sunrise club, with OF MODESTO SUNRISE help from the local Rotary Club of Arusha, arranged for the bicycles to be made available to girls; the conspicuous color is a theft deterrent. The girls, their families, and the head of school signed contracts denoting responsibility for the care of the assigned bikes. Club of Modesto Sunrise Club of Arusha NOVEMBER 2021 ROTARY 19

OUR WORLD SIGNPOSTS BIG PICTURE $5,345 We thoroughly enjoy the freedom caravanning gives us. Wheel rites Price quoted by salesperson in Just travel 30 minutes away Modern-day nomads from the 1954 movie from your home base and you two RV fellowships The Long, Long are at the start of an enjoyable Trailer for the and relaxing break. We’ve been hit the road for Rotary 32-foot Redman caravanning for 30 or so years New Moon trailer that Lucille Ball and never tire of it. and Desi Arnaz hauled cross- — Bruce Liddle, Rotary Club country of Beeston, England R (RVs) — some of which $235,000 are known as caravans outside North America Amount paid in August for — range in size from a 34-foot 1992 Airstream travel the iconic aluminum-trimmed 1940s trailer owned by Tom Hanks teardrop camper trailers to today’s 11.2 Class A motorhomes with multiple Number of U.S. bedrooms. The next time you see households, in millions, that one on the highway, look closely: owned an RV in 2021 You might spot a Rotary wheel on its 62 bumper. More than 1,600 Rotarians Percentage participate in two international Ro- increase over the number of tary Fellowships devoted to the RV U.S. households that owned an and caravanning lifestyle. RV in 2001 In 1967, some British Rotarians Learn more about the International traveled to the Rotary International Caravanning Fellowship of Convention in Nice, France, via car- Rotarians at icfrrotarians avans. That group went on to start caravanning.com. the International Caravanning Fel- Find the Interna- tional Recreational lowship of Rotarians (ICFR), which Vehicle Fellowship of Rotarians today has more than 750 members, at rvfrinter SERVICE STATION national.com. mainly in the United Kingdom. When our RV broke down in Westfield, Massachusetts, we used American RV enthusiasts began Rotary’s official directory to find the Heavy rain greeted us when we closest club to call for help. Within arrived at a site in the Lake District in a United States fellowship in 1972. an hour, the club president arrived northwest England. In the morning we with a mechanic. For the next three woke up to find 3 to 4 inches of water Today, the International Recreational days, while we waited for needed all the way around the van. Rotarians parts to arrive, we were guests at had placed a plastic duck in the water Vehicle Fellowship of Rotarians a club meeting and were hosted at and built a path with stone chippings members’ homes. so we would not get our feet wet. It’s includes some 900 members from — Jack and Vivian Harig, Rotary Club all about fun and fellowship. of Akron, Ohio — Bruce Wallace, Rotary Club of the U.S., Canada, parts of Europe, Billingshurst and District, England, and ICFR president and Australia. Both groups come together sev- eral times a year for regional and national rallies, and often for annual meetings during Rotary conventions. — 20 ROTARY NOVEMBER 2021 Illustration by Zulema Williams

Having local Rotarians involved MOBILE MEMORIES is the key to opening doors to interesting places that you might During an annual rally in Memphis, Tennessee, we took not be aware of or couldn’t a tour of the city and of Sun access on your own. An added Studio, where Elvis got his plus is meeting local Rotarians start. And we had Elvis — well, and attending their meetings. maybe it was him? — join us for — Keith Dindinger, Rotary Club our evening BBQ meal, after which we made a donation to of La Mesa, California local first responders for safety equipment they use while they In 2019, we went to Germany are on the road. for the Rotary Convention and — Alexander-Anderson traveled as part of a seven-RV Each rally has a different caravan, using rented RVs makeup of people. What could for 1,100 miles around be better? New places, meeting new friends, and greeting those Germany and into Prague. we’ve known for a while. — Sandra Alexander-Anderson, — Susan Maifield, Rotary Club of Cary-Grove, Illinois Rotary E-Club of the Southwest, Arizona The beautiful Loire River Valley in central France was the site “My feelings as we set off are always the same: of one of the most memorable Where will we end up this time and who will we meet? rallies I’ve attended. It was held over 12 days near Chenonceaux, I have traveled in most European countries, and there was much wine and Russia, the U.S., and Australia, and it amazes me cheese. One of the highlights was beating the French on the how much we have in common.” site at their traditional game of boules. — Mark Stewart-Clarke, Rotary Club of Skipton, England — Stewart-Clarke We always meet fellow Rotarians who are keen to exchange club banners. As part of a Down Under tour some years ago, we were visiting some remote caves when I was approached by an Indonesian Rotarian who had noticed my pin badge. I could not exchange banners, as I had none, but she gave me one anyway. We are still in email contact years later! — Stewart Gilbert, Rotary Club of York Ainsty, England NOVEMBER 2021 ROTARY 21

ESSAY The pun is mightier matters” with fair Ophelia, than the sword she replied by saying, “You are keen, my lord, you are keen.” As People like me are just trying to have a little fun. the Globe’s crowds knew, keen Is that such a crime? meant “sharp” or “edgy.” But it also meant something racier. By Kevin Cook Cue the groundlings’ guffaws as Hamlet says, “It would cost you E verybody loves a good joke. Or a funny a groaning to take off my edge.” meme. Limericks entertain crowds at parties, Soon it’s curtains for her father, conventions, and Rotary meetings, where I’ve Polonius, who tries to eavesdrop heard the best-known, crudest one cleaned on the prince. After skewering up to the point that the man from Nantucket him through the drapes and felt like kicking the bucket. hiding the body, Hamlet cites decomposition 101. The old man, Even knock-knock jokes get Odyssey almost 3,000 years ago. Kevin Cook’s he says, is “At supper. ... Not laughs. When the Cyclops asks Ulysses books include where he eats, but where he is his name, the wily sailor says, Tommy’s Honor, eaten.” Who’s there? Hatch. Hatch “Nobody” (Outis in the original, Titanic Thompson, who? Gesundheit! but that’s Greek to me). After the and The Burning Since then, puns have helped Greeks, having gotten him drunk, Blue. countless headline writers keep But there’s one form of humor poke out his eye, the monocular their heads in the game. They’re that gets no respect — in fact it monster calls to his brothers for particular favorites of tabloids on often gets groans, not laughs. help, saying, “Nobody did this to both sides of the Atlantic. After me!” Exit Ulysses, laughing all Scotland’s Inverness Caledonian Did you hear about the former the way. Thistle soccer club thumped husband suing for alimony? “Give rival Celtic in 2000, the Sun me the money!” he ex-claimed. The Bible is also full of puns. channeled Mary Poppins with: The first has to do with the SUPER CALEY GO BALLISTIC, What is a pun? Nothing but genesis of farming, or vice versa: CELTIC ARE ATROCIOUS. a play on words “that exploits Adam means “man” in Hebrew Later, when Kim Jong Il’s regime multiple meanings of a term, or and adamah means “earth,” the staged a weapons test, the paper of similar-sounding words, for an stuff God used to make the first reprised its Julie Andrews theme, intended humorous or rhetorical person. Until then, there was asking, HOW DO YOU SOLVE A effect.” I figure this Wikipedia no adam to work the adamah PROBLEM LIKE KOREA? The definition includes “or rhetorical” (Genesis 2:5)! You can almost New York Daily News described a because so many elitists look hear Adam say, “Okay, Lord, have 2014 dilemma that put President down on our sem-antics. Freud it Yahweh.” Barack Obama between IRAQ dismissed puns as “the lowest AND A HARD PLACE. But for form of verbal joke.” And I get Pun defenders like to cite my money, the New York Times it — not everybody loves hearing Shakespeare in hopes of making outpunned ’em all this summer, about a train robber with loco our favorite type of joke seem reporting on an experiment in motives, a crushed grape that lets more respectable. Stratford’s which eels crept from a tank for out a little whine, or a spa worker merry punster was the scourge a bite of calamari: WHEN AN who excels at hair removal. (He’s of Avon ladies with delicate EEL CLIMBS A RAMP TO EAT a Nair-do-well.) sensibilities, aiming some of his SQUID FROM A CLAMP, THAT’S best lines below the belt. When A MORAY. Paronomasia, the official Hamlet discussed “country term for my mania, is as old as I can’t resist a few more language itself. A humorous home favorites. Did you hear about the run was recorded by Homer in the firefly who flew into a buzzsaw? He was de-lighted. Or the spy in the Mrs. Butterworth’s factory? He was syruptitious. Or the guy who collected candy canes? They were in mint condition. Or the time all my books fell on my head? I could only blame my shelf. 22  ROTARY  NOVEMBER 2021

Illustrations by Renaud Vigourt NOVEMBER 2021  ROTARY  23

ESSAY Then there was the Rotarian shouting, “While my cigar gently sarcasm considered cool by the who had to clear up the difference reeks!” Speaking of music, you same people who often decry between her civic organization can’t beat rap with its rapid-fire puns as uncool?” Pollack asks. and a traffic circle. It was a lyrics, like Lil Wayne’s “Yes, I am “Both are a way of saying one roundabout explanation. Weezy, but I ain’t asthmatic,” thing and meaning another.” and Kanye West’s nod to the Hearing puns about birds, a Winslows on the sitcom Family They’re two of the easiest punster said, “Toucan play at that Matters: “Too many Urkels on ways, but there’s a difference. game.” That led to thoughts of the your team, that’s why your wins Sarcastic comments are a mean gloomy ornithologist (egrets, he low.” There’s a website, punmap means of putting someone down. had a few) who went stork raven .com, where guides introduce That’s why sarcasm is the humor mad. themselves as Hugo Yurway of unfunny people. Oh sure, they and Al Gomine, then show you can be clever. Sarcastic people A duck walks into a bar. The around Pun City, Veronica Lake, are such smart cookies, they go bartender says, “You’ve got no Wotsop Dock, and a Stream of the arch way. But puns are more pockets. How can you pay?” The Consciousness that leads to Jose upbeat. They’re not out to cut duck says, “Just put it on my bill.” Cañu Sea. Folks like them even anyone down to size. Puns just A termite crawls into a bar and have a support group, Punsters dance, often awkwardly, around asks, “Where’s the bar tender?” United Nearly Yearly, or P.U.N.Y. the meaning of familiar phrases A chameleon slips into a bar. The in hopes of having a little fun bartender says, “If your wife calls, Despite such diversions for with them. And to those of us I didn’t see you.” A barman the punaffiliated, we feel unloved. afflicted with the impulse, they’re asks an ex-husband what’s wrong. You might, too, if people groaned irresistible. “My wife still misses me,” the when you quacked up over a fellow says. “But her aim’s getting duck in a bar. I’ve tried to explain that to better.” my wife, Pamela, who’s brilliant The question is, why all the and often funny but never punny. A bartender says, “We don’t groaning? After thousands of In our decades together we have serve time travelers here.” A time years of punny business, why is agreed about the most important traveler walks into a bar. my favorite sort of joke the most things, from politics to movies maligned of them all? to the greatness of Denzel Okay, that one is not a pun. Washington, coffee martinis, Sue me and we’ll have a plain tiff. According to John Pollack, and Kelly Clarkson. But when a author of The Pun Also Rises, it’s punning opportunity pops up — Had enough? I too have been pun-haters who are causing all like seeing a guy crush a Coke tempted to look down on jokes the trouble. Pollack, a former can — I can’t help saying, “That like these, but they’ve groan speechwriter for President Bill makes me feel sad.” on me. Clinton and a past Pun-Off champion (he was pundefeated), “Why?” she asks. And I’m not alone. Today’s told a reporter that he suspects “It’s soda pressing,” I say. punslingers enjoy competitions the haters are control freaks, While I smile, mentally including the O. Henry Pun- “people who seek a level of patting myself on the back, she Off, the field’s unofficial world control that doesn’t exist.” They gets a pained look. But over championship. Our kind have a can’t handle punsters’ delightful the years, we have come to a party game, Punderdome, based duplicity. Double meanings drive punderstanding. Pamela knows on a live pun competition held in them macadamia. But why should I’ll never be able to stop frozen- Brooklyn. To win, you might draw that be our problem? “Why is Butterball style, so she indulges a card reading SMOKING and me, pun or two at a time. As long another reading THE BEATLES, as I do my orchestra impression then earn points and eye rolls by and make a concerted effort, she doesn’t groan. And we get Why all the groaning? After thousands along like Michael Phelps and of years of punny business, Katie Ledecky. Swimmingly. Still, I worry. Our truce has lasted why is my favorite sort of joke the almost 40 years, but what if I lose most maligned of them all? control someday? I’m afraid I’ll spot a cheetah, ear a tune, run off at the mouth like the mighty Mississippi, and that’ll be the end of the peace. 24  ROTARY  NOVEMBER 2021

Rotary believes in taking action to create positive change in communities. That’s why Rotary members participate in thousands of events around the globe, including the Miles to End Polio bike ride, to raise funds to help eradicate polio and support other causes. Inspiring others and leading by example - that’s what people of action do. Learn more at Rotary.org

verdin HELPING WITH FLAGS post clocks FLAG LEASE The Perfect Anniversary Gift! MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE Official Rotary Get your Club’s Flag Lease program into the 21st century Licensee #03-4B0541 Customer Ready Payment Page Easy Full Subscriber Management Migration verdin.com Smart Route Lists Customer Invoicing Money Tracking and Analysis For Clubs of ALL Sizes www.HelpingWithFlags.com 214-383-8012 Simple and Intuitive | Helping Non-Profits all across the US. 88 200 200 Flags Paid Paid Pending Flags Flags Payments “The feeling... it’s HARD to describe, we are only grateful for our lives; our country is in ruins. We have not encountered anything like this before. — Alex Erazo, Past President of the Rotary Club of San Pedro Sula. ShelterBox working in ‘I believe in the saying that partnership with San Pedro “after any storm, calmness Sula Rotary Club and Habitat comes to all”. We have only one for Humanity Honduras way to look, which is ahead. supported communities in the wake of Hurricane — Alex Erazo, Past President of the Eta and Iota in 2020. Rotary Club of San Pedro Sula Learn more about how you can help support communities affected by extreme weather events and other disasters ShelterBoxUSA.org | shelterboxcanada.org Rotary and ShelterBox are Project Partners in disaster relief. ShelterBox is a registered charity independent of Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation.

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by Miles Howard photography by Al Argueta THE SKY’S 28 ROTARY NOVEMBER 2021

Against the backdrop of Houston’s global tapestry, Rotary will chart its future at the 2022 convention THE LIMIT NOVEMBER 2021 ROTARY 29

John Silver Opening pages: I am squinting into a glass case lit by red be deployed in a colony on Mars. I spot The lights are much and blue LED lights, looking for some- wispy leaves sprouting inside. Lettuce, or brighter there — thing alive. It’s a sunny Friday after- possibly arugula. Downtown. Above: noon in the Houston metro area, and Saturn V, the type I’ve ducked inside a vast building with a You’re not allowed to pop open the incu- of rocket that sent group of fellow travelers at Space Cen- bator and sample the goods, but a handful man to the moon, ter Houston — the museum at NASA’s of adventurous recruits might get to expe- on display at Space Johnson Space Center. This is where rience this in fall 2022, when NASA will Center Houston. the Apollo program astronauts trained transform one of the Space Center’s hangars Right: The rooftop for spaceflight in the G-force simulator, into a simulated Mars colony. A volunteer pool area at the a machine, known as the “centrifuge,” crew will spend a year there, living inside Marriott Marquis that Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins a 1,700-square-foot module, so that NASA Houston includes called “diabolical.” Today, you can walk can plan for the physical and psychological a lazy river that into the Apollo Mission Control Center, stressors that cosmic exploration will pres- meanders around where NASA officials sat saucer-eyed as ent: confinement to tight quarters, delayed a Texas-shaped Neil Armstrong took his first steps on messages from Earth, and lots of freeze- concrete deck. the moon. The glowing box I’m studying dried food. It’s one of several spaceflight is a vegetable grower. One day, it could experiments being conducted at the Space Center: a blueprint of our future taking 30  ROTARY  NOVEMBER 2021

shape right here, in the shadow of Houston. Tim Foisset Or is it the other way around? Houston A 2019 U.S. CENSUS BUREAU COMMUNITY is the fourth largest city in America, with SURVEY FOUND THAT NEARLY 30 PERCENT 7 million residents in the metro area. And OF HOUSTONIANS WERE BORN OUTSIDE though Houston has all the familiar ico- THE UNITED STATES. nography associated with Texas — space shuttles, brisket — as a native Bostonian, I had, even long before my visit, begun to pick up transmissions from the city that went beyond everything I’d believed to be true. Photos of crawfish, harvested by Vietnamese-American fishermen off the Gulf Coast and served Viet-Cajun style, glistening with garlic butter. Video of An- thony Bourdain at a city park, talking with young men about their candy-colored, el- bow-wheeled slab cars, an innovation of Houston’s hip-hop scene. Since 1982, Rice University’s annual Kinder Houston Area Survey has tracked the evolution of Houston as one of Amer- ica’s most racially and ethnically diverse cities, with Black, Hispanic, and Asian residents constituting more than half of the city. A 2019 U.S. Census Bureau survey found that nearly 30 percent of Housto- nians were born outside the United States. Not only does this make Houston a bona fide majority-minority town, it also reflects broader demographic changes in cities worldwide as globalization and other fac- tors spur migration. It’s no wonder that the 2022 Rotary International Convention will be held here. Houston isn’t only a hub of technological innovation; it’s a window to the world beyond our immediate present. But what does Houston look and sound like today? In this mosaic of a city with international roots, what awaits us? That’s what I’ve come here to get a taste of. While the Space Center conjures a cos- mic future, the second stop on my itiner- ary — a late lunch before I can check into my hotel — offers a more earthbound glimpse into tomorrow. The joint is called Blood Bros. BBQ, and it’s hidden in a strip mall in Bellaire, a few miles southwest of Downtown. The menu is Texas barbecue, but not in the way that you might think. Co-owners Robin and Terry Wong and Quy Hoang grew up in a nearby neighbor- hood, close to Houston’s Chinatown, and with Blood Bros., they have established a laboratory in which Texas barbecue can evolve. The orange walls are adorned with Astros jerseys. Buckets of iced Shiner Bock flank the counter. Brisket sits atop the menu —but what emerges from the kitchen on a steel tray is a game changer. Thit nuong pork belly burnt ends, with a sweet-and-tart glaze that permeates the meat. Brisket fried rice, fiery, tossed with NOVEMBER 2021  ROTARY  31

Julie Soefer Photography Above and right: At the Oaxaca-inspired restaurant Xochi, chef Hugo Ortega offers a variety of homemade masas, including this tantalizing molotes de Xoxocotlan, filled with potato, chorizo Istmeño, chile de onza, and other ingredients — all served with a grasshopper garnish. Far right: Once inside Teo Chew Temple, visitors are greeted by a statue of Quan Am, the goddess of mercy. 32  ROTARY  NOVEMBER 2021

smoked beef. An electric green cucumber “BASICALLY, A NEW TAQUERIA salad with hints of rice wine and sesame. OPENS EVERY THIRD DAY, AND ALMOST ALL OF THEM ARE GREAT.” Like a neutron star in the maw of a black hole, it’s all gone in a matter of minutes. Jeff Balke, a Houston-raised website de- Convention Center — a glass behemoth veloper and freelance writer whose cov- topped with bright red decorative smoke- erage of food and nightlife have appeared stacks that look like Godzilla-scale Lego Neighborhood watch in Houstonia magazine, I’ve assembled pieces. It’s also home base for the 2022 a list of leads that will take me through Rotary Convention. Let me say this again: At 637 square miles, several neighborhoods in the Loop. “Eat- Houston is big — and its population has ing is the best thing to do in Houston, bar Not too long ago, the area was in a chron- grown by 10 percent over the last decade. none,” Balke tells me during our phone ic state of retreat. The early 20th-century When you drive the labyrinthine freeways conversation. “Basically, a new taqueria oil boom brought commerce and life to that snake through the city, the high-rises opens every third day, and almost all of Downtown, but when the highways seeded of Downtown can sometimes appear to them are great. I feel like they’re gonna new suburban neighborhoods, Downtown be a hundred miles away. For new resi- open one in my bathroom next week.” experienced an exodus. Even when the 1973 dents, the scale of Houston has meant oil embargo spiked crude prices, shower- more housing supply and more spaces for In a way, the story of Downtown Hous- ing Houston with more oil money, many of building businesses, which gives Houston ton as it exists today begins not with the the dividends landed beyond Downtown. a competitive edge against cities like New skyscrapers that house Fortune 500 A decade later, oil prices plummeted, and York or Los Angeles. But for a traveler, companies such as Chevron and Kinder the resultant oil recession yielded a new the size of Houston means that you can’t Morgan, but with the George R. Brown consensus among city leaders: Downtown possibly experience it all in one weekend. needed to be more than a business hub. Instead, you choose a couple of Houston’s Specifically, it needed more spaces where neighborhoods, and you dig in. Houstonians could play and have fun. One effective way to orient yourself with The convention center was one of the the sprawl of Houston is to focus your in- first recreational venues to emerge from augural trip on the communities inside the oil recession, in 1987. It was followed the Loop. That’s how Houstonians refer by Minute Maid Park — Houston’s first to the core of the city, which is encircled retractable roof stadium and home of by Interstate 610. I’ve chosen Downtown baseball’s Astros — and a new lineage of as my base camp, and with the help of restaurants, nightclubs, and apartments. Because Houston doesn’t have zoning laws, the residential and the recreational run into each other here. You can see this convergence while walking around Downtown, which is my first order of business after dropping my duffel at The Lancaster Hotel. The bou- tique hotel has been in business since the Roaring Twenties, and some of that opu- lence has survived (think white marble, gold doorknobs, and a Champagne check- in.) The hotel is just steps away from the concert halls of the Theater District, in- numerable patio bars and restaurants, and better yet, Discovery Green, where I find myself near dusk. Created by the city with a nonprofit partner in 2008, this $125 mil- lion park sits right outside the convention center doors, and it’s easy to envision a mass of convivial Rotarians and Rotarac- tors spilling into the park on 4 June for the opening night welcome bash planned NOVEMBER 2021  ROTARY  33

1 5 6 89 12 14 7 10 11 15 13 16 18 19 17 20 21 23 25 26 22 23 24 27 28 29 4 30 31 Dylan Howe Jones / Jones&co LIFTOFF 1) Sunny Flea Market 7) Mastrantos 13) Kâu Ba 19) Buffalo Soldiers 26) Holocaust Museum 8705 Airline Drive 927 Studewood St. 2502 Dunlavy St. National Museum Houston Houston offers a 3816 Caroline St. 5401 Caroline St. near-endless array 2) Crawfish & Noodles 8) The Lancaster Hotel 14) Waugh Bridge of stellar restaurants, 11360 Bellaire Blvd. 701 Texas Ave. Bat Colony 20) Emancipation Park 27) Hermann Park museums, parks, Waugh Drive 3018 Emancipation Ave. 6001 Fannin St. and cultural 3) Teo Chew Temple 9) Xochi attractions. Here are 15) Buffalo Bayou Park 21) Doshi House 28) Miller Outdoor 31 destinations to 10599 Turtlewood Court 1777 Walker St. Cistern 3419 Emancipation Ave. Theatre help launch your visit. 105 Sabine St. 6000 Hermann Park Drive 4) Blood Bros. BBQ 10) Discovery Green 22) Project Row Houses 5425 Bellaire Blvd., 1500 McKinney St. 16) Common Bond Bistro 2521 Holman St. 29) Turkey Leg Hut Bellaire & Bakery (Montrose) 4830 Almeda Road 11) George R. Brown 1706 Westheimer Road 23) Smither Park 5) Art Car Museum Convention Center 2441 Munger St. 30) Space Center 140 Heights Blvd. 1001 Avenida De Las 17) The Menil Collection Houston Americas 1533 Sul Ross St. 24) The Orange Show 1601 E NASA Parkway 6) Lei Low 2401 Munger St. 6412 N Main St. 12) 8th Wonder Brewery 18) Rothko Chapel 31) Kemah Boardwalk 2202 Dallas St. 3900 Yupon St. 25) Japanese Garden 215 Kipp Ave., Kemah 6000 Fannin St. 34 ROTARY NOVEMBER 2021

Inside the Holocaust Museum Houston, a Jerusalem stone wall commemorates nearly 1,000 Holocaust survivors who made Houston their home. by the Host Organization Committee. The of Oaxacan mole dishes. Anticipating a dancer in vivid green fabric spins to har- offerings here include a glassy pond, along meaty 48 hours (after all, I am in Texas), I monic percussion and strings, I decide to which I bumble through waterside gar- order the wild mushrooms with zucchini move from the reserved seats near the dens; lush picnic greens, where I witness flowers and masa dumplings in a mole am- stage to the upper lawn, where most of the young people practicing yoga; splash foun- arillo. But the highlight of my first night in crowd has unfurled picnic blankets on the tains; sculptures; and even a fine dining Houston involves hopping aboard the light grass, under the stars. You get the sense restaurant called The Grove, which grows rail train that runs through Downtown that just as much as the people came to see its herbs and produce in a rooftop garden. and taking it to Hermann Park, a 445-acre the dancers, they also came for this — the oasis of woodsy gardens and duck ponds unspoken ecstasy of gathering together for It speaks to the rebirth of Downtown just south of the city center. something beautiful. as a place for people to come together and raise a glass, or a selfie stick. Even Here, beneath the pyramid-shaped Flight path for those who live outside the Loop, ram- canopy of the Miller Outdoor Theatre, bling around it is alluring. Just ask Rhon- a sizeable crowd and I are treated to a The next morning, I fuel up with a flat da Kennedy, a lifelong Houston metro performance of classical Indian dance white from Minuti Coffee and hop back resident and the host committee chair. A by Silambam Houston, whose founder, on the light rail. But this time, I take the resident of Sweeny — one hour southwest Lavanya Rajagopalan, taught the art form train to Houston’s Museum District. In this of Downtown — Kennedy makes regular to children in her native Chennai before leafy and walkable residential neighbor- pilgrimages here with her family, and also immigrating to the United States. As one with her motorcycle club. “We’ll stay in a boutique hotel and I’ll take the guys to a ONE EFFECTIVE WAY TO ORIENT YOURSELF restaurant in the Theater District,” Ken- WITH THE SPRAWL OF HOUSTON IS TO nedy says. “And remember, we’re talking FOCUS YOUR INAUGURAL TRIP ON THE about bikers.” COMMUNITIES INSIDE THE LOOP. After draining a Cougar Paw red ale in the backyard of 8th Wonder Brewery — where I encounter four towering stone statues depicting each of the Beatles, created by local sculptor David Adickes — I trek a few blocks northwest to Xochi, where chef Hugo Ortega, who came to Houston from Mexico in 1984 with no connections or job leads, has assembled a menu with an exceptional selection NOVEMBER 2021  ROTARY  35

THE MORE YOU WANDER AROUND AND people to safe havens in Sweden, I unex- BUMP INTO HOUSTONIANS, THE MORE pectedly make a new friend. Her name is LIKELY IT IS YOU WILL FIND YOURSELF Gloria. She’s a volunteer greeter who wel- EXCHANGING LIFE STORIES OR comes visitors to the museum and offers SWAPPING NUMBERS WITH SOMEONE. insight into the exhibits. Within moments of her approaching me and introducing hood, 19 museums offer a smorgasbord of tion as well as pedestrian safety improve- herself, we’re talking about how her fam- cultural immersions, from contemporary ment projects on the streets and sidewalks ily immigrated to the United States from art to medical sciences, Czech culture, and that link Houston’s enviable collection of Czechoslovakia in the late 1920s. even the psychic explorations of the Swiss museums. The district was officially mint- psychologist Carl Jung. It’s a dense maze of ed by the city in 1989. I wander several blocks north of the mu- museums, apartments, and parks: another seum until I arrive at an older brown brick nod to Houston’s nonexistent zoning laws. I begin at Holocaust Museum Houston. building that resembles a high school. This Siegi Izakson, a Houstonian and Holocaust is the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum, But the district also benefited from a survivor, inspired a volunteer movement which is dedicated to telling the story of grassroots community vision that began in to secure funds and resources to build a the Black soldiers who served in the mili- the 1970s. Residents of the nearby neigh- museum where the stories of his fellow tary after the Civil War — and of how this borhood of Montrose (I’ll amble over there survivors could be preserved and shared yielded new generations of Black naval of- later) formed their own development orga- for generations. As I wander through the ficers, pilots, and astronauts. nization, which, combined with the efforts museum, sizing up an authentic Danish of others, led to more housing construc- boat that may have transported Jewish The museum sits at the nexus of the Museum District and one of Houston’s historically Black neighborhoods: the Third Ward. If you’re visiting midday, you can easily saunter from the museum to the Turkey Leg Hut, where co-owners Lynn and Nakia Price crank out smoked turkey legs that are stuffed with seasoned rice and smothered in decadent sauces and toppings, such as crawfish macaroni. When I arrive at 11:30 a.m., there’s already a sizable queue wrapped around the block beneath shade tents. But I’m determined to 36  ROTARY  NOVEMBER 2021

experience the Prices’ signature creations there’s a foundational gregariousness here. Left: Gnarled live (the couple sold their turkey legs outside It manifests in spontaneous conversations, oak trees, some of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo but also in socially minded projects that them a century old, before opening the restaurant in 2017). A Houston’s communities have undertaken line a promenade juicy drumstick liberally glazed with Hen- and shared in together. at Discovery Green, nessy justifies the 45-minute wait. which sits outside Near the eastern edge of the Third Ward, the George R. Brown Sated but still curious, I take a Lyft I’m greeted with another of these group Convention Center. back to the hotel and pick up my rental projects: Smither Park, a grassy lawn that Above: The 160-acre car for a deeper foray into the Third Ward. would be understated if it weren’t for the Buffalo Bayou Park My destination is a series of understated incredible glimmering mosaics that art- preserves some of white shotgun houses. You wouldn’t know ists have built on the pathway, walls, and the wetlands on which it from the road, but some of the houses shade shelters in the park. Colorful shards Houston was built. are standalone galleries that feature rotat- of glass, kitchenware, and electronics de- ing exhibits from local or visiting artists. pict tigers, angels, fish, and creatures yet NOVEMBER 2021  ROTARY  37 A jungle of houseplants overwhelming a to be named. As I enter the park, a young 1960s-era couch and television set. Gold- woman emerges from a blue Camaro en orbs superimposed on floor-to-ceiling parked nearby, a camera in one hand and photographs of oil refineries. an iced coffee in the other. “Pretty spicy out here, huh,” she exclaims, and I offer a These are the Project Row Houses, gallows quip. It’s humid as all get out. And the brainchild of Third Ward artists and yet, here we are. community leaders who saw the derelict houses as potential incubators and host- In summer, Houstonians tend to save ing grounds for creativity. But the Project their outdoor exploits for early or late in Row Houses are also a living thesis that art the day, when the sun isn’t quite so fierce. can be an engine for social transformation. At sunset, I go for a jog in Buffalo Bayou And the galleries aren’t the only innova- Park, a 160-acre corridor of cypress and tion here. Other row houses are set aside for young single mothers seeking a sup- portive, creative environment where they can raise their kids. The older houses sit smack in the middle of modern duplexes owned by a sister corporation, Row House CDC, that provides affordable housing to community residents. At the Project Row Houses visitor cen- ter, I meet a former resident, Trinity Wil- liams, a mixed-media artist who moved to Houston from the Northeast and raised her three boys in one of the duplexes. “It takes a village to raise a child, and this right here is the village,” she says, as we check out the well-stocked community food fridge that Project Row Houses set up in one of the shotgun houses this sum- mer. Williams has worked for Project Row Houses as a docent — a cross between a teacher and a guide. In 2018, with her sons grown and out in the world, Wil- liams was diagnosed with multiple scle- rosis, which drove her to pursue her art full time. “For me, it’s a way of healing,” she explains. Her work, which includes mixed media on canvas and photography, as well as sculptures made of “upcycled” materials, has appeared and been sold at Houston exhibitions and galas. What I’m learning, quickly, is that the more you wander around and bump into Houstonians, the more likely it is you will find yourself exchanging life stories or swapping telephone numbers with some- one. For a city so gargantuan and diverse,

cottonwood trees and glassy streams: a preserved piece of the wetlands on which Houston was built. I notice a crowd gathered on a hillside, staring at an unremarkable bridge that crosses the park’s central waterway. I join them to see what’s up. A family tucking into big bags of Chick-fil-A enlightens me. Waugh Bridge, the crossing we’re staring at, is home to 250,000 Mexican free-tailed bats, and at sunset, the bats depart from the crevices of the bridge for a hedonis- tic night of scarfing down insects. I’ve got dinner reservations at Mastrantos, a restaurant with Venezuelan, Italian, and Spanish flair that offers a chorizo car- bonara that seduced my stomach dur- ing my pre-trip research. But this seems vital. So I join the spectators. Promising squeaks echo from under the bridge. At 8:13 p.m. an immense cloud of bats flut- ters past us for minutes. I can’t help but wonder: Where are they going? The opulent Future vision Lancaster Hotel has been welcoming There’s something humbling yet intrigu- guests since the ing about that consortium of bats flying Roaring Twenties. toward some unknown destination. The Opposite: Outside memory of their flight still gnaws at me the convention the next morning as I drive west of Down- center, the 30-foot- town to Montrose. One of Houston’s more tall kinetic sculpture eclectic neighborhoods — a potpourri Wings Over Water of Colonial-style homes and Modernist incorporates a condos, gardens, bistros, patio bars, and 1,488-square-foot art galleries — Montrose feels as socially water fountain. accessible as Downtown, but leafier and quieter. Powered by an emerald-striped pistachio croissant from Common Bond Bistro & Bakery, I head for the Rothko Chapel, a nondenominational house of worship and a work of art. The interior walls feature massive obsidian paintings by Mark Rothko, with the faintest traces of purple and gold. A skylight illuminates the silent chamber. So what do people come here to wor- ship? In two words: social justice. Rothko Chapel is regularly visited by civil rights activists and spiritual leaders, united by a vision of common good. To honor in- dividuals who have upheld or advanced human rights, the chapel bestows the bien- nial Óscar Romero Award, named for the assassinated Salvadoran bishop canonized by Pope Francis in 2018. I’ve come not to be surprised to find such a shrine in the heart of Houston. Dur- ing my 48 hours here, I’ve witnessed natu- ral and man-made beauty that reflects the local ecology and international heritage of this city. I’ve seen what happens when you 38  ROTARY  NOVEMBER 2021

take people from all over the world and brunch fare here — fancy eggs, mimosas, I’m due at George Bush Intercontinental set them down in a metropolis on the Gulf etc. — or you can dig deeper and discover Airport in an hour, but rather than feel- Coast. They put their heads together and (as I did) what’s in the dish mysteriously ing crestfallen about leaving, I’m envious create new things, and they also put their titled “Grandma’s Subsidy.” It’s an hom- of those who have yet to touch down in own spin on the classic foods, art, and pas- age to chef Nikki Tran’s grandmother, Houston. It’s the kind of city you want to times that make life worth savoring. who endured the fall of Saigon in 1975 tell others about. and learned to throw nourishing meals As a visitor, you can walk right into together with pantry odds and ends. It’s a I want to leave Houston on a note of el- their workshops, as I do after my Roth- delicious mélange of umami flavor, more lipsis — a vision of what to explore the ko visit, ducking into the misted patio complex than its minimalist appearance next time I’m here. So instead of driving of a Vietnamese-American bistro called would suggest. straight to the airport, I head southwest, Kâu Ba. You can order some traditional traveling beyond the Loop to Chinatown (now often called Asiatown) on the city’s DOWNTOWN IS A PLACE outskirts, where the Blood Bros. BBQ FOR PEOPLE TO COME proprietors grew up. I pass apartments TOGETHER AND RAISE A and strip malls until I reach the Teo Chew GLASS, OR A SELFIE STICK. Temple. Domed brick-colored roofs; a statue of Quan Am, the goddess of mercy; and strings of paper lanterns set the scene, along with the sweet aroma of incense. In a courtyard to the right of the entrance, teens practice a form of martial arts, the clatter of their sticks echoing through the temple interior. I’m greeted by a council of Buddhist deities, their likenesses mani- fested in paintings and sculptures. We will meet again, they seem to say. Miles Howard is a Boston-based writer. His latest book, New England Road Trip, will be published later this month by Moon Travel. NOVEMBER 2021  ROTARY  39

by Vanessa Glavinskas 7 REASONS YOU CAN’T MISS THE 2022 I love the CONVENTION beautiful clothes of many Whether in person orvirtual, members, so Rotary’s annual gathering representative and full of history 1 can be life changing and tradition. You can attend in person — Bettsy Pizaña, Rotary Club of Brownsville Sunrise, Texas Alyce Henson © Rotary International “There’s nothing like shaking vention Center [the principal hands and seeing smiles in venue for the 2022 conven- person,” says John Smarge, tion]. Everything is walkable.” chair of the 2022 Rotary Because it’s also the first International Convention in in-person convention since Houston. “We need to resume the adoption of Rotary’s new sharing our stories about area of focus — protecting what we’re doing in our com- the environment — emphasis munities around the world.” will be placed on holding the This will be Rotary’s first 4-8 June event in an environ- in-person convention in three mentally friendly way. For ex- years, due to the disruption ample, convention attendees caused by the COVID-19 are encouraged to download pandemic. “Houston is a great the Footprint app to track and convention city,” says Smarge. offset their carbon footprint “There are plenty of hotels from the moment they leave near the George R. Brown Con- home until they return. Toronto 2018 Learn more about the convention 40  ROTARY  NOVEMBER 2021 and register at convention.rotary.org.

2 You can take part even if you can’t travel there Luis Monteiro only started attending Rotary conven- Courtesy of Rotary International tions in 2020, when the Honolulu event went virtual. “My career in nursing makes it hard to travel,” says Honolulu 1969 Monteiro, a member of the Rotary Club of Lamego, Portugal. But once he experienced a convention, he 3 Youmight Andrea Yoon © Rotary International was hooked. He attended virtually again in 2021 and meet an plans to log on to the Houston event. “I really enjoy astronaut … Seoul 2016 Courtesy of Rotary International participating in meetings with Rotary leaders,” he Sydney 1971 says. “I will continue to participate virtually when- Houston’s nickname is Space ever there is the option.” City, so local Rotary mem- Elliot Liss © Rotary International The Houston convention will be conducted in- bers made sure to showcase person, along with an online experience. “We’ll Space Center Houston when follow health guidelines,” Smarge says. To make the planning extra activities event as international as possible, he also promises around the city for conven- that he will do everything he can to help members tion attendees — and they from other countries get to Houston. “I’d like every- also invited astronauts to one who wants to come to be able to come,” he says. mingle with convention- goers at the opening night’s The online convention welcome event. “Space this year was my very Center Houston is a must- first one! I made great see,” says Rhonda Kennedy, connections and new chair of the Host Organiza- friends, and I found tion Committee. “But you out about action don’t have to go on your own, groups. I can’t wait because we’ve planned an to meet face-to-face event for you. We will have next time. I’ve already transportation to and from got my tickets. the Space Center, food, and astronaut meet-and-greets.” — Gwen Jones, Discover — and sign up Rotary Club of Whidbey-Westside, for — host committee events, which include museum tours, Washington sporting events, and more, at houstonri2022.org/events. Atlanta 2017

I enjoy going to the food Monika Lozinska © Rotary International 5 Hamburg 2019 court and finding a vacant You will hear world-renowned chair at a table of Rotarians speakers I don’t know, sitting down, finding a common “The level of speakers alone ers for Houston hasn’t been language, and learning makes it worth going,” says announced yet, Smarge says about each other’s clubs. Erin Kelly, a member of the members should expect a Rotary Club of Chattanooga varied program that includes — Steve Hitchcock, Breakfast, Tennessee. “I’ve experts on environmental Rotary Club of Grand Junction Horizon Sunrise, seen Bill Gates, John Cena, issues. “This will be the first Ashton Kutcher, Justin in-person convention since the Colorado Trudeau.” Tracy Carroll, adoption of our new area of a member of the Rotary focus, protecting the environ- 4 … or the love of your life Club of Vero Beach Sunrise, ment,” he says. “We hope to Florida, agrees. “Being in the reflect that both in the way we Jenny Bates had no qualms about attending the same room with Princess conduct the convention and in 2014 convention by herself, even though it was Anne, Bill Gates, and others our speakers. My personal goal being held in Sydney, Australia, halfway around was a thrill,” she says. is to ensure that we schedule a the world from her home. “Meeting people every- While the list of speak- diverse lineup of speakers.” where you go is part of the magical experience [of a convention],” says Bates, a member of the Rotary The convention changed Thies Ibold © Rotary International Club of San Rafael Evening, California. So when my life as a Rotaractor and Laine Hendricks took the seat next to her at an empowered me. I feel that early morning interfaith service, Bates struck up a I am someone who can make conversation. The two women, both from Califor- a difference in the world. nia, hit it off. Later in the week, Bates ended up with an extra — Nagisa Sakamoto, ticket to climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge and asked Rotaract Club of Kobe Suma, Japan Hendricks if she’d be willing to go. “I wanted to chal- lenge myself because I was afraid of heights,” Bates says. Hendricks agreed, and together they climbed the 1,332 steps to the top of the bridge. Since then, Bates and Hendricks have made it a point to climb something high any time they travel — including the EdgeWalk atop the CN Tower during the Toronto convention in 2018. “Laine inspires me to do crazy things,” Bates says. “She’s very supportive.” Bates and Hendricks, a member of the Rotary Club of San Francisco, were married in 2019, and they con- tinue to attend conventions together. “The minute we could sign up for Houston, we were all in,” Bates says. She also attended the virtual conventions in 2020 and 2021, but for her it wasn’t the same. “I’m always moved by the speakers, but watching it on a screen in my living room doesn’t have the same impact for me as walking into a stadium with 10,000 Rotarians. Plus, going to the convention is special to us because that’s how we met. Going to Sydney created a trajec- tory that changed my life forever.” 42  ROTARY  NOVEMBER 2021

You will Alyce Henson © Rotary International A convention is the experience quickest way to see and understand the immensity 6 anewcity of Rotary across the world, and therefore the Houston’s reputation as the Lisbon 2013 Alyce Henson © Rotary International incredible impact Rotarians city that launched America’s have. And it’s brilliant fun! exploration of space is well São Paulo 2015 deserved, and, as mentioned, — Cheryl Law, its Space Center definitely war- heart of the city. “This is the Rotary Club of Wendover & District, England rants a visit. But there are many event that everyone will be more places to explore. At least at,” says Kennedy. “There 7You’ll be struck by Rotary’s power 145 languages are spoken in the will be so much entertain- to connect you to the world Houston metro area, and that ment around the park, from diversity has spilled over into armadillo races to an aerial Giselle Holder has traveled took a bus for 23 hours to New the local food, music, and art act — and you won’t want to to four Rotary conventions. Orleans,” she recalls. But, she scenes. There are also world- miss the huge grand finale.” And though she doesn’t recall adds, it was worth it. “That class museums, such as the For a closer look at what every speaker that she has was the first time I saw what Houston Museum of Natural makes Houston a great place heard or every session that Rotary can be and the reach of Science, the Lone Star Flight to visit, see “The Sky’s the she has attended, she does Rotary across the world. That Museum, and the highly rated Limit,” starting on page 28. remember how being at the was my ‘wow’ moment. Rotary Children’s Museum Houston. convention makes her feel. is so much bigger than my club Houstonians also dine out “There is this electric atmo- or my country.” more often than the average sphere,” Holder says. “There’s In 2017, Holder joined the American, so restaurants are nothing like walking through Rotary Club of Maraval. She plentiful. The city’s trade- the House of Friendship says going to conventions has mark food offerings include surrounded by thousands helped keep her excitement Gulf Coast oysters, crawfish of Rotary members from for Rotary alive. “Conven- drenched in spices, Tex-Mex, around the world.” tions remind you of how and, of course, barbecue Holder attended her first many things are happening — but imaginative chefs convention in 2011 when she worldwide that require our representing the city’s diverse was a member of the Rotaract assistance,” she says. “You cultures also provide culinary Club of Port of Spain West, always meet someone new, surprises aplenty. Trinidad and Tobago. It was someone willing to partner On the convention’s open- a financial stretch — and a on a project. It’s a great way ing night, the host committee lengthy journey. “We flew from to discover new opportunities will stage a welcome event at Trinidad to Miami, and then in Rotary.” Discovery Green, a park in the Is there someone you would love to introduce to Rotary? “Take them to this convention, and you will have them for life,” insists Rhonda Kennedy, chair of the Host Organization Commit- tee. And that should be easy to do in Houston, where every convention event will be open to nonmembers. “We want people in and around the city of Houston to know what Rotary is,” Kennedy says, adding that a local marketing campaign to encourage residents to learn more about Rotary is also underway. Hamburg 2019 NOVEMBER 2021  ROTARY  43

T H E C O N V E R S AT I O N Vanessa Nakate Inspired by Rotary, this young Ugandan activist is speaking out about climate change in Africa Illustration by Viktor Miller Gausa 44  ROTARY  NOVEMBER 2021

V anessa Nakate, a 24-year-old climate activist from How will climate change affect Uganda, made international headlines after the World Eco- countries in Africa? nomic Forum’s 2020 meeting in Davos, Switzerland. But the In recent decades, the African continent story wasn’t what she said about the climate crisis. The story has been responsible for only about 3 per- was that her name and photo were missing from media cover- cent of global CO2 emissions, yet right now age of the event. Africans are suffering some of the most brutal effects. The climate crisis is here, Nakate was one of five young climate activists, including right now, for many African countries. Time magazine’s 2019 person of the year, Greta Thunberg, who had participated in a press conference at the event. But In my own country, Uganda, we have the photo that the Associated Press released to global news seen floods, landslides, and droughts. outlets included only the four activists from Europe; Nakate, Throughout East Africa, we saw a locust the only Black climate activist in the group, had been cropped invasion that left many people in dire need of food because the locusts ate ev- out. A video that she made in response went viral, and Nakate erything. We saw Lake Victoria’s water levels rise, causing massive destruction has since made it a personal crusade to amplify voices that are and contamination of water resources. When you look at Lake Chad, it has not being heard in the climate movement. shrunk to a tenth of the size it was just 50 years ago. We saw more than 100 people “Being cropped out of that photo changed me. I became bolder and more direct die in Sudan last year because of floods. In southeast Africa we saw Cyclone Idai in how I talk about the climate crisis and racism and how I articulate the many ways [in March 2019, one of the worst tropi- cal cyclones to hit the Southern Hemi- families are being impacted right now,” she writes in her book, A Bigger Picture: My sphere], which left 1,300 people dead and many more missing, resulting in an eco- Fight to Bring a New African Voice to the Climate Crisis, which is being released on nomic crisis in the affected countries. 2 November. “I decided, from my perspective as a young African woman, that I And the climate crisis continues to af- fect people even in the aftermath of a di- would dedicate as much of my time as possible to addressing the many interlocking saster. It is about more than weather or statistics. Because when these disasters facets of the climate crisis, environmental justice, and gender discrimination — and occur, they create many other challenges for communities. There’s the risk of a rise to do so without apology or fear of erasure.” in conflict because of resources being de- pleted, such as water sources drying up. On her path to becoming a climate powerhouse, Nakate was influenced by her fa- We won’t be able to eradicate poverty if climate change is pushing millions of ther, Paul Mugambe, a longtime Rotary member. As president of the Rotary Club of people into poverty traps. We won’t be able to achieve zero hunger if millions of Bugolobi in 2017-18, Mugambe helped coordinate a five-year project, Mission Green, people must travel to find food because extreme weather conditions are causing in which clubs in District 9211 (Uganda and Tanzania) planted trees in communities droughts in their communities. across their district. (In photos from the 2019 United Nations climate talks in Madrid, You’ve been outspoken about the exclusion of voices from the where she was invited to speak, Nakate was wearing a Mission Green polo shirt that global south in the climate change movement. Why is it important to her father had given her.) amplify the voices of people who are already being affected? “Watching my dad as a leader of Mission Green sowed a seed that made me de- When I was at the press conference with fellow activists and was cropped out of a cide to be a voice of change,” she tells Rotary magazine. “His courage and his action picture, to me, that was an erasure of my message, of my story, of everything I had inspired me to find my voice and to stand up for what I believe is important and said. Everything regarding what we were experiencing in my country and what we what is needed in society.” were seeing on the continent of Africa had come out of my mouth, but it never Galvanized by the tree-planting project, Nakate decided to embark on an envi- actually reached people. ronmental project of her own as she finished her degree in business administra- Many times we hear about the need to amplify missing voices, but the voices tion from Makerere University in Kampala. As she researched the challenges that aren’t missing. The voices are present; the problem is that we are not being listened people in her community were facing, she was surprised to discover that climate to. We are not being amplified. The other change was at the heart of many of them. In January 2019, she began protesting at NOVEMBER 2021  ROTARY  45 public sites around Kampala, demanding climate action as part of the global Fri- days for Future movement begun by Thunberg in Sweden a few months before. Nakate later founded the Rise Up Movement as a platform for African voices in the global climate change discussion. On the grassroots level, Nakate has also worked to install solar panels and eco-friendly stoves in schools. Nakate spoke with Rotary senior staff writer Diana Schoberg over Zoom in July about why girls and women will play a particular role in fighting climate change, what the effects of climate change will mean for the African continent, and how Rotary members can help. “Surely this is what Rotary International means — to be people of action,” Nakate said in a speech at the 2021 Rotary Convention. “So let’s stop talking and start taking action. And the action must start today.”

problem is that other people are telling water source that the community needs. Another way that Rotary members can our stories. We are in a better position to It’s important to involve community lead- add their voices to the climate movement tell our own stories. ers and the community at large so that is by supporting the grassroots projects they can agree on the project and you can that activists are doing in their communi- It is important to listen to every activist work hand-in-hand on it. ties. It doesn’t matter how small a project in the climate movement. I know what is or activity is. If I’m doing something, and happening in my country. But I don’t have How can Rotary members get you’re doing something, and another per- full knowledge of what our fellow activ- son is doing something — if millions of ists are seeing unfold in their countries, in involved in climate initiatives? us are doing projects in our communities Kenya or India or South Africa. I may have What we really need now is to create as — if we put them together, we will change an idea, but I don’t have full knowledge of much awareness as possible about the the world. how people are actually suffering. I may climate crisis. If you are in a house that’s have known that Zimbabwe faced a water on fire, you want to do everything you can What role does educating girls crisis, but I didn’t know how valuable water to save yourself. That’s why it’s important was until I talked to an activist from there. for us to keep speaking up and spread- play in fighting climate change? We cannot have climate justice if some ing this message until many people come Many times the solutions to tackling cli- people are being left behind. We cannot together. Rotary members can use their mate change that our leaders talk about have climate justice if the most affected platforms to talk about the climate crisis still need so much research and devel- communities are not being listened to. and to share the work of the different ac- opment. Yet we have solutions that we tivists who are speaking up. know could work right now, and one of Why is it important for Rotary those solutions is educating girls. Why It would be great if Rotary clubs across girls? Girls and women are dispropor- members to include local voices the world would invite activists to talk tionately affected by the climate crisis. about the work they are doing and the They are at the front lines when climate when they’re doing projects? challenges they are facing. Some Rotary disasters occur. They’re the ones who When someone carries out a project, members work with the media or have work more when farms are destroyed. takes it to a community, and then leaves, connections with other organizations, They’re the ones who have to look for it feels like it has just been dumped there and they can amplify the stories of activ- food for their families. They’re the ones — and that’s the end of the story. But ists to reach different or bigger audiences. who walk long distances to collect water, when community members are involved Every activist has a story to tell, every exposing them to diseases and gender in the implementation, they’re not just re- story has a solution, and every solution violence. They’re the ones who look for ceiving the project, they’re also receiving can change a life. firewood. education about the project. Then when you leave, there are people who can still It would also be great to have Rotary When climate disasters cause families manage that project so that it can con- members supporting the physical pro- to lose everything — their homes, their tinue to sustain the community. tests of activists across the world. This farms, their businesses — many times could mean attending the protests, or it the male child is prioritized for school When a community is not involved in could mean providing financial support and the girls have to drop out, putting a project, it makes people feel inferior — so the activists can purchase placards them at risk of early marriages. Here, they cannot even take part in the decision or banners. There are different ways that especially where I come from in Uganda, making, they cannot advise on anything. you can show support. But many times, when a girl gets married, the family ex- Also, some projects, however good they I feel like in-person support is what is pects the right price. And this is not just may be, might not be welcomed by the needed most. When you are there, we about the climate crisis. Many girls have community. A project may lead to dis- know that we are all fighting together. been given up for marriage during the placement of certain people or affect the COVID-19 pandemic because their fami- lies are telling them that if they don’t get “WE CANNOT HAVE CLIMATE married, there won’t be money to feed JUSTICE IF THE MOST the family. AFFECTED COMMUNITIES ARE NOT BEING LISTENED TO.” The 2017 book Drawdown listed 100 things that we can do to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Educat- ing girls and family planning ranked as the sixth and seventh most impact- ful solutions. Educating girls will not only reduce the inequality that girls and women already face, but it will also help to reduce emissions and to build the resilience of individuals, families, and communities, all at the same time. Look at the climate movement. Most of the young people who are speaking are young women demanding climate justice 46  ROTARY  NOVEMBER 2021

— and we can only see girls rise up to be and story inspires me and pushes me to ROTARY’S ROLE IN leaders if they have been in school. keep speaking is the late Wangari Maathai PROTECTING [a Nobel Peace Prize-winning environ- Why have many girls and young mentalist from Kenya]. She led a power- THE ENVIRONMENT women been such strong voices ful movement even before I thought of in the climate movement? activism or Fridays for Future began. This month, world leaders will I think it’s because they realize that they I give much respect to those in the cli- come together to negotiate how to are among the most vulnerable people mate and environmental movements who limit global warming to 1.5 degrees when it comes to the climate crisis. They have been fighting for the planet for gen- Celsius over pre-industrial levels. The speak so passionately about these is- erations. We need an intergenerational United Nations’ 26th annual global sues because if nothing is done, then movement where we all work together to climate summit, known as COP26 more girls are going to continue to suffer demand climate justice and a better future (short for Conference of the Parties), and more women are going to continue for us all. is scheduled for 31 October to to be exploited. More are going to face 12 November in Glasgow, Scotland. these inequalities as this crisis continues Are there any lessons from the Vanessa Nakate plans to be there. to worsen. More girls and more young world’s response to the pandemic And so does Rotary. women are speaking up about this issue that we can apply to climate To reach the stated goal, the world because they want a better world for change? must halve global emissions over the women — a world where people respect One is that when it comes to the climate next decade and reach “net zero” — the planet more, and they also respect crisis, leaders have failed to listen. We the point where we produce less girls and women more. have seen during the pandemic how lead- carbon than we take out of the ers have followed the guidelines that were atmosphere — by the middle of the How would you describe the put in place to keep people safe. Leaders century. To do so, governments, climate activist community, and can listen to the science, so it’s actually businesses, and civil society where do you fit into it? their political will to decide whether or organizations will need to work The activism in my country has been not to act. together. Rotary is poised to put its growing steadily, and we have more young global networks into action on this people speaking up, mobilizing, and orga- The other thing I can think of is that challenge wherever it can make a nizing. We have also reached more young many times when we talk about what a difference. people by visiting schools. healthy world can look like, some people “Given that we now have the say that effecting change is really hard. environment as our new area of focus,” Globally, since we cannot meet in per- But we have seen during this pandemic says Judith Diment, “I see this as an son, most of the mobilization happens on that to protect others’ lives, people can opportunity for Rotary members to social media. That is where we support adapt. We may not have ever envisioned showcase what we are doing around and amplify each other. That is where we a work-from-home experience, but we the world to address the environment.” advocate for specific campaigns to de- saw it happen. People can easily change Diment is dean of the Rotary mand climate justice. and adapt in order to ensure a livable Representative Network, which is made world. up of members who serve as liaisons to It has been a wonderful experience to the UN and its programs and agencies, be a part of the climate movement in my What would you ask of Rotarians as well as to other international country and to be able to connect with who might be reading this? organizations, giving Rotary a seat at other young people across the world. We can all do something for people and the table at high-level meetings. One of the things that really gives me for our planet. The climate crisis is here, As of press time, four Rotary hope and motivates me to keep demand- and it’s affecting communities right now. members will serve as delegates to ing climate justice is knowing that there If you don’t believe that, it only means that COP26 talks; additional members are millions of young people who are you haven’t yet seen it in your community will also attend on behalf of other speaking up — knowing that if today I or your country. We are all facing the same organizations. “We’d love to see Rotary am not able to speak up, there is some- storm — it doesn’t matter where you are, members have a role in holding their one else speaking up on my behalf. We it doesn’t matter who you are. The climate countries accountable,” says Karen see a lot of solidarity, and a lot of sup- crisis will affect all of us in the end. That Kendrick-Hands, one of the Rotary port from each other. is why we all have to stand up and work delegates. “I like to think of it as Rotary together to transform this world and make being the world’s conscience.” Would this have been possible it a better place for all of us. Posters created by schoolchildren 10 or 15 years ago without social to illustrate ways to mitigate climate media? FOLLOW ALONG change will be displayed during It would have been possible, but the meth- the talks. Hundreds of clubs are od would have been different. Before the Watch esrag.org for updates during the participating in the poster competition Fridays for Future movement, other cli- UN climate talks. Make a gift to The Rotary organized by Rotary International in mate movements have happened. We’ve Great Britain and Ireland, and more seen other people rising up and speak- Foundation to support the environment than 2,000 entries had been received ing up for the planet, speaking up for the area of focus at my.rotary.org/donate. as of mid-September. “It’s these people. One of the people whose activism children’s future that we’re going to be helping to protect by the decisions at COP26,” Diment says. NOVEMBER 2021  ROTARY  47

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