When Gert Danielsen jumped up on stage at a reception for Major Donors at the Rotary World Peace Symposium in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, he made an announcement that took the entire audience by surprise. Out of a desire to give something back, the former Rotary Peace Fellow from Norway pledged to donate US$1,000 every year for the rest of his life to the Rotary Centers program and challenged other peace fellows to do the same. Inspired by Danielsen’s generosity, 2005-07 peace fellow Scott Lang of the United States took up the challenge and also pledged $1,000 annually.

A 2003-05 peace fellow at Universidad del Salvador, Danielsen currently works for the United Nations Development Programme in South Africa, focusing on making development cooperation more effective for the poor. He also mentors peace fellowship applicants from developing countries and matches them with districts in developed countries that want to sponsor candidates.

“My challenge and support reflects a keen desire to give back to the Rotary family now that I am able to do so,” Danielsen says. “Giving a gift annually that I know will inspire Rotarians and others to give more and provide peace-building opportunities for even more people is a huge privilege to me.”

Citing education as one of the keys to peace building, Danielsen argues against a quick fix to violence and armed conflict. “Peace needs to be built over time, and we therefore need to invest in education and opportunities in a sustainable long-term perspective,” he says.

In addition to his initial challenge, Danielsen promised to increase his yearly contribution to $2,000 if five other peace fellows matched his gift. He added that he would raise the amount to $3,000 if The Rotary Foundation established a Rotary Center in Africa.

Lang, who recently graduated from the University of Bradford, confessed that he hadn’t planned to become a donor when he accepted the invitation to the Major Donor reception. “However, the kinetic energy we hold as Rotary [World] Peace Fellows inspired me to co-invest in this unique program that’s already placed so much faith in me,” he says.

Lang is founder and president of the Post-Conflict Foundation, a group that assists regions emerging from conflict.

“I’ve been so fortunate in this life to go from being a ward of the state to monitoring elections in Russia and the Balkans, helping Bosnian refugees resettle and later running an NGO there, and overseeing international projects for Northwestern University,” he says. “Yet no experience has so opened my world view as that of being a Rotary World Peace Fellow. I owe an eternal debt of gratitude to Rotary for selecting me to take up this calling.”

“It was very moving to be in the audience that night,” says Rotary Foundation General Manager John Osterlund, “and I’ll long remember the moment. The commitment made by Gert and Scott is a real testament to the caliber of the Rotary Centers program.”

Osterlund adds that he’s looking forward to another exciting announcement someday: “I dream of the day when one of our Rotary World Peace Fellows wins the Nobel Peace Prize and announces during his or her acceptance speech in Oslo, Norway, that they are endowing a Rotary World Peace Fellowship to provide opportunities to future peace fellows. With the likes of Gert and Scott, my dream may be realized sooner than I had originally thought.”