New Theme: 'Building Communities--Bridging Continents'

The theme announcement was made during the opening plenary session of the International Assembly, the annual training event in San Diego for incoming district governors.

In a departure from tradition and as an indication of his willingness to embrace change, Klinginsmith unveiled the theme in the evening. During his speech, he challenged district governors-elect to reexamine traditional procedures that were no longer working, and where appropriate to begin new traditions.

In explaining how he came to choose the theme, Klinginsmith said that few of the past RI Themes spoke to non-Rotarians. "As a result, I decided to search for a briefly stated theme that would fulfill two objectives: the first to explain Rotary to non-Rotarians, and the second to validate our work for Rotarians. The words I have selected to describe Rotary's current mission and to highlight our achievements are what we do best: "Building Communities - Bridging Continents."

Click here to see a video of President-Elect Klinginsmith presenting the new theme to the International Assembly in San Diego.