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District Governor’s Message By: DG Marion Cheney, Dover RC Rotary’s History of Peace Building  As a humanitarian organization, peace is a cornerstone of our mission. We see peace not as an abstract concept but as a living expression of human development. By carrying out service projects and supporting peace fellowships and scholarships, our members take action to address the underlying causes of conflict, which include poverty, discrimination, ethnic tension, lack of access to education, and an unequal distribution of resources. Rotary was present at the inception of the UN in 1945 and was one of only 42 organizations invited to serve as consultants to the US delegation to the UN charter conference in San Francisco. Throughout that process, Rotary members served as delegates, advisers, and consultants, guiding agendas, drafting resolutions, and helping resolve disputes between delegates. Today Rotary holds the highest consultative status offered to a nongovernmental organization by the UN Economic and Social Council, which oversees many specialized UN agencies. We launched the Rotary Peace Centers program in 1999 to train new generations of peacebuilders, and the inaugural class of Rotary Peace Fellows began their studies in 2002. Every year, Rotary selects some of the world’s brightest and most dedicated professionals to study at seven Rotary Peace Center around the world. Our more than 1,400 program alumni work in over 115 countries and serve as leaders in governments and nongovernmental organizations, education and research, law enforcement and the military, as well as in international organizations dedicated to peace. In 2025 Rotary will be opening its 8th Peace Center in Istanbul, Turkey. On Saturday, February 17th District 7780 will be hosting A Peace Concert from 2-3:30 at Noble High School in North Berwick, ME. Cost: $25.00 per person. Open seating. One hundred voices will be singing songs of peace. Net proceeds will be placed in an endowment for peace. The concert will be recorded and edited. The recording will be sent to the opening of the Istanbul Peace Center. If you are unable to attend and want to support this event, tickets can be purchased and our coordinators will donate to senior centers, first responders, teachers and veterans. Registration is open. Please go to A flyer is included in this newsletter (see left side column). |
I had to honor and privilege to attend the International Assembly in Orlando, Florida from January 7- 11, and it was simply magical! Those that had gone before told me it would be an experience I would not forget, and they were spot on! I learned so much from the sessions, met and became instant friends with so many people from around the globe! I could not be any more inspired and excited to work with you all in the coming Rotary year ahead!
With our district’s upcoming peace concert, A Concert for Peace on February 17, I could not have been happier when Bob Gravino, a fellow member of the Bath Sunrise Rotary Club and our district’s Peace Scholars and Clubs' Foundation Chairs Coordinator, asked if I would include his fantastic explanation of Rotary’s Peace Centers and Peace Scholars. Thank you, Bob!
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