Skip to main content

Rotary says goodbye to Hamburg

Skip to main content

By

Hamburg had plenty of inspirational moments of its own. Below are a few highlights of this year’s event:

  • Michel Zaffran, director of polio eradication for the World Health Organization shared progress being made toward eradicating polio. Alongside its partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, Rotary has achieved a 99.9 percent reduction in polio cases since the effort began more than 30 years ago. Rotary is committing another $102 million this year to polio eradication, after a match of two dollars to every one dollar by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
  • $1.90 billion

    amount Rotary members have contributed to ending polio since the launch of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.
  • 2.50 billion

    the approximate number of children that Rotary donations and volunteer efforts have protected against the polio virus
  • 50.00 million

    the amount Rotary has committed to raising each year, with every dollar matched by two dollars from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
  • Sponsors of the End Plastic Soup project, the Water and Sanitation Rotarian Action Group, and members of Rotary and Rotaract removed dozens of bags of plastic waste from the Binnenalster lakefront on 1 June.
  • Rotary member Pia Skarabis-Querfeld explained the leadership that it took to launch Medizin Hilft (Medicine Helps), a nonprofit she founded that provides access to medical care for refugees in Germany. She started the organization in 2014 after seeing the living conditions of a temporary refugee shelter in Berlin.
  • Timotheus Höttges, CEO of Deutsche Telekom AG, and Daniel Flynn, managing director and co-founder of Thankyou, talked about the importance of integrity to the success of any organization or movement.
  • Eckart Diepenhorst, CEO of mytaxi, presented a check for €70,000, representing 100 percent of the proceeds from all rides to and from the convention venue from 31 May through 5 June. The money will support several German Rotary club projects on display during the convention.
  • Convention attendees took part in a 3K walk and bike tour through the beautiful city streets on 1 June, as part of Hamburg on the Move, which raised awareness for Rotary’s fight against polio.
  • Denis Mukwege, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, founder and medical director of Panzi Hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo, delivered an inspiring keynote address at the Rotary Peace Symposium.
  • Rotaract members from all over the world gathered for the biggest Rotaract preconvention ever 31 May to 1 June. The two-day event focused on topics such as peace, professional networking and development, and social entrepreneurship.

Relive the excitement of the Hamburg Convention through:

  1. Photos:

    A daily look at the convention in photos

  2. Speeches & reports:

    Browse speeches and reports from keynote speakers and senior Rotary leaders

I encourage all of you to think of a way that you can leave your mark on Rotary and the world. Think of what you have heard this week – and the people you’ve met eager to partner with you – and don’t be afraid to dream big. Because big dreams are for everyone with the courage to lead.