Posted by Alexander Falk on May 27, 2023
At the Arch Klumph Society Preconvention Ceremony on May 27, District Governor Alexander Falk delivered the following remarks in Melbourne, Australia, while on stage with Rotary International President Jennifer Jones, CEO and General Secretary John Hewko, and Trustee Chair Ian Riseley (an avid Red Sox fan):
"Nora and I are privileged that we were able to increase our contributions to The Rotary Foundation during my year as District Governor for Rotary District 7930, which includes Boston, Northeastern Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire. Our district also includes Fenway Park – home of the Boston Red Sox baseball team, of which some on this stage are rumored to be fans.
It is always wonderful to see how the funds we provide as donors are amplified by the amazing work that Rotarians do around the world to implement these projects, from clean water and sanitation to literacy and from child and maternal health to community economic development.
Something that RI President Nominee Stephanie Urchick said in her address at the Dinner with the RI Presidents really resonated with me: 'We always say that Rotary is not a political organization, but shouldn’t we really say that we are not a partisan organization?'
Because Peace and Healthcare and Women’s Rights and the Environment are inherently political topics - and we do have an agenda in all these areas expressed so succinctly through our seven areas of focus.
So here is a provocative question: what are we going to do about child and maternal health in the United States in the coming years? This is something we as Rotarians have to figure out if we want to stay true to our beliefs in basic human rights."
CEO John Hewko subsequently referenced these remarks in his statement and called it a necessary question, not a provocative one.