Rotary welcomes District Governor — local members honored for their dedicated service

Whiting grew up in Coulee Dam, Washington; he received his BS and MS in Education from Washington State University (WSU). During his undergraduate years, Whiting was catcher on the WSU baseball team, and played in the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. His sports career also includes two years of professional baseball in the Northwest AA League in Yakima, Washington.

Whiting has also worked in the education field as a high school teacher and a head athletic coach for four years before moving into the field of business.

Now residing in Sun Lakes, Arizona—following his retirement from two golf shops—Whiting pursues one of his greatest passions: Service to Rotary.

“Thanks for having us,” Whiting said as he took the podium. “We appreciate the hospitality and warmth extended to us.”

Expressing his belief that Rotary’s strength is of the club level, Whiting congratulated the Winslow Chapter on their many accomplishments. He went on to outline Rotary International’s Centennial goals.

Besides the obvious goal of significantly increasing membership at an international level, the organization is looking forward to the completion of one of its primary goals—the eradication of polio.

“To date, we have raised $500 million to help eradicate this disease,” Whiting said.

But there are new global epidemics that Rotarians are being asked to focus on. It should come to no surprise to residents of Arizona that the lack of water is one of them.

“One billion people in this world do not have access to safe drinking water,” Whiting announced. “We loose 6,000 children every day to diseases contracted from unsafe drinking water.”

Rotary International is therefore turning its attention to the provision of water purification systems, drilling wells, and removing arsenic from water supplies already identified.

“Forty-two million people will be confronted with AIDS,” Whiting continued. “There are one million people with the disease in the United States; 25 million in Africa.”

Two billion people in the world cannot write or perform basic math, Whiting added.

Another focus adopted by Rotary International is the family of its members.

“I have always seen Rotarians caring about other Rotarians and their families,” Whiting said.

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In that vein, Whiting went on to introduce the Centennial motto of President Glenn Estes—Celebrate Rotary. Estes, Whiting said, came up with the motto easily.

“This is our Centennial year; we are the only service organization that has gone 100 years,” Whiting said. “That’s worth a celebration! We need to celebrate Rotary in a way to build and set the stage for the next hundred years.

There are three Rotary Districts in the state of Arizona—5490, 5500 and 5510.

“We need to get to know each other,” Whiting said.

Referring to a fiasco involving a gas-inflatable rubber duck that caught fire earlier this year, Whiting announced, “That duck is not dead.” Indeed, Rotary still plans to hold a duck race fundraising event, with the goal of selling 5,000 ducks across the state.

“Sell a duck for $5, keep $3.50,” Whiting said. “We are asking the clubs to donate $1 to the Rotary International Foundation—I call it ‘a buck a duck.’ That would leave $2.50 to stay here. We have already initiated an advertising campaign on this effort—there shouldn’t be a family in the state who doesn’t know about this.”

Perhaps Whiting’s educational background set the stage for one of the most important programs Rotary presents—its Leadership Academy.

“We are looking at an expansion of our youth services, such as our vocational grants. We want to teach 14,000 8-9th graders that the choices you make in your educational life have consequences,” Whiting said.

Outlining several other efforts, Whiting summed up his speech recognizing the hard work done by Rotary International throughout the world by giving his fellow Rotarians some sound advice.

“Whatever you do for Rotary, let’s have fun.”