Amador County Paul Harris Dinner
From the left: Speaker Richard King, Dinner Organizer Sharon Long, Ione President Larry Costick, Jackson President Jim Wilmarth and his wife Jody, District 5190 Governor Sam Wilbanks, Amador Upcountry President Roberta Pickett, and Area 7 Assistant Governor Paul Karnaze
Recently 100 members of the four Amador County Rotary Clubs: Amador Upcountry, Ione, Jackson and Plymouth Foothill came together to support the Paul Harris Foundation in their efforts to spread peace while improving health and literacy around the world.
Hosting this event The Rotary Club of Ione built the program around Past Rotary International President Richard King. One of Rotary’s most popular inspirational speakers Mr. King mesmerized the crowd with “His Name is Today” a speech which describes Rotary Foundation’s efforts worldwide to spread peace and improve the human condition. He ended his talk by quoting Chilean poet Gabriela Mistral who won the 1945 Nobel Peace Prize in literature. She is most quoted in English for her poem “Su Nombre es Hoy” (His Name is Today):
“We are guilty of many errors and many faults, but our worst crime is abandoning the children, neglecting the fountain of life. Many of the things we need can wait. The child cannot. Right now is the time his bones are being formed, his blood is being made, and his senses are being developed. To him we cannot answer ‘Tomorrow,’ his name is today.”
District 5190 Governor Sam “Woody” Wilbanks and Area 7 Associate Governor Paul Karnaze presented Paul Harris Awards to 22 County Rotarians for their generous donations. The Paul Harris Foundation, Rotary’s Polio Plus have spent more than $1,000,000,000 to eradicate Polio worldwide and the Bill and Malinda Gates Foundation has given an additional $500,000,000 to Rotary to speed up the work. In the last decade they have reduced the outbreaks to 223 cases reported in 2012 in 5 countries. This fight will go on until this disease is eradicated, which is why we continue giving every year.
Appreciation is directed to fellow Rotarians Stan Lukowicz owner of the National Hotel and Mary Ann McCamant owner of the Imperial Hotel for their generosity in providing rooms for our District Governor and keynote speaker.