Dear Fellow Rotarians and Family of Rotary,

It is truly an honor and privilege to be able to serve as the Governor of this great District during 2010-2011.  A District is defined not by its Governor or its staff, but rather by its clubs and its Rotarians.  It is defined by its deeds small and great…  It is defined by its relationships and the support of its communities by its clubs…  It is defined by the international outreach and compassion of its clubs…  Finally, it is defined by the generous financial contributions of its members to our Rotary Foundation and the myriad educational and humanitarian programs that help create goodwill, peace and understanding in the world…So by any of the aforementioned definitions, District 7610 is an outstanding example of the meaning of Rotary and our motto of Service Above Self.

This year we all will embark on a year long journey that will herald significant changes in both Rotary International and the Rotary Foundation. Changes designed to make Rotary and its Foundation more relevant and effective in our changing world. Changes that will further strengthen our clubs, our communities and Rotary’s presence on the world stage.

Our new Rotary International President, Ray Klinginsmith, has a bold and dynamic vision for Rotary in 2010-2011 and beyond, and has established six long-term focus areas for all Rotarians:

• Peace and Conflict prevention and resolution;
• Disease prevention and treatment;
• Water and sanitation;
• Maternal and child health;
• Basic education and literacy;
• and Economic and community development.

These six areas will carry over into future Rotary years well beyond 2010-2011 and will also become the basis for all future matching grants as well as other Rotary programs.  Additionally, we will add a new Avenue of Rotary Service, called New Generations.  It will emphasize the importance of developing young people throughout the world and imbuing them with the ethics that are the hallmarks of Rotary and Rotarians. It will bring all the various youth programs in Rotary into a single avenue and will also emphasize the importance of younger Rotarians that will be the future leaders of Rotary and in the world.

I certainly embraced these six focus areas and the new Avenue of Service and would add that we continue our strong support of Polio Eradication, of club extension and of membership growth within the District.  I would also like to ask that all our fellowship and service be that of fellowship and service with fun…fun for the entire Family of Rotary. 

Finally, I have asked the club Presidents and the District leadership this coming year to consider having our District develop a long-term partnership with the first peoples of Virginia, those recognized Indian tribes within the District that have reservations and cultural centers.  Our District 7610 is the home of the Mattaponi and Pamunkey tribes who reside on arguably the two oldest reservations in the United States. They are our fellow Virginians who very well may lose some of their cultural identity without our help.

My fellow Rotarians…as we begin our journey during this pivotal Rotary year, I would ask each and every one of you in this District to join me in the coming months in…”Building Communities and Bridging Continents”…and in doing so making our District and Rotary...Bigger…Better…BOLDER…!

Yours in Rotary Service,

Ron Marion

District 7610 Governor, 2010-2011