Rotary International Convention: Day 4

What a day! What a finale! It began with Dolly Parton and her Dollywood Foundation children’s initiative; and it ended with great performances by Cirque du Soleil and Russell Watson. The latter is an outstanding British opera singer – what a voice! I have seen a number of performances by Cirque du Soleil, and they are not our favorite. But this evening, much of their acrobatics were impressive. At this morning’s plenary session we first heard from the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Canada. He is a polio survivor, and advocating for the disabled in Ontario. Then the Chief Scout Executive of Boy Scouts of America, Bob Mazzuca, made a presentation. The crowd, of course, came to hear Dolly Parton. It was a great concert, and a marvelous presentation of her initiative to get kids interested in books. She grew up with a father who was illiterate, and has been determined to make a difference in literacy for kids 1-5 years old. In 25 years she has given 25 million of her kids’ books to these children. This was a marvelous, outstanding, and energizing convention. It simply makes one proud to be a Rotarian. Service above Self, the Rotary Motto, was certainly demonstrated in all the presentations and activities. I head to Atlanta on a “high.”