Good afternoon, fellow Rotarians, distinguished guests, family, friends, and servant leaders.
Today, on Flag Day, as we honor a symbol of unity, courage, service, and shared purpose, I stand before you deeply humbled, deeply grateful, and deeply ready. I accept the honor of serving as President of the Rotary E-Club of Houston with a heart full of responsibility and a vision full of possibility.
Rotary has never been simply a club. Rotary is a promise. A promise that wherever there is suffering, we will not look away. Wherever there is disease, we will fight for healing. Wherever there is loneliness, we will create fellowship. Wherever there is hopelessness, we will carry light. And wherever there is need, Rotarians will answer. For generations, Rotary has stood at the front lines of one of the greatest humanitarian efforts in modern history: the fight to end polio. We did not choose the easy road. We chose the necessary road. We chose the child who needed protection. We chose the mother praying for a vaccine. We chose the world that deserved freedom from preventable disease. And in my tenure, we will continue that fight with renewed energy, renewed fundraising, renewed awareness, and renewed commitment.
But I also believe this is the hour for Rotary to rise boldly in another space: mental health rehabilitation. Because healing is not only physical. Some wounds are invisible. Some battles are silent. Some people are alive but isolated, surviving but not restored, present but not truly seen. Through my work with Clubhouse Ghana and the mental health rehabilitation model, I have seen what happens when people are not only treated, but welcomed. Not only diagnosed, but dignified. Not only helped, but restored to community. Rotary can be a powerful bridge in this space.
We can support rehabilitation.
We can support housing assistance.
We can support employment pathways.
We can support education.
We can support the dignity of recovery.
Polio taught the world that Rotary can help defeat disease. Mental health rehabilitation will show the world that Rotary can help restore lives.
And now, I want to speak boldly about the future of our own club — the Rotary E-Club of Houston. For too long, some have treated the “E” in E-Club like something smaller or dismal. I reject that. The “E” does not mean less. It means expanded. It means efficient. It means everywhere. It means evolution. As an AI-preneur, I know that we live in a world that has been transformed by letters. E-commerce. E-learning. E-health. AI. Yes, AI. Digital communities. Global classrooms. Virtual boardrooms. The world has been microsized into letters—and those letters are moving nations, economies, and lives forward. So let us make the “E” in E-Club attractive in my tenure.
I have a notion that I'd like to share. When people leave Rotary, many do not leave because they stopped believing in service. They leave because of money. Or. mThey leave because of time. They leave because traditional models do not always fit modern lives. Some people cannot afford expensive meals, frequent dues, and repeated in-person commitments. Some people are caregivers. Some are entrepreneurs. Some are professionals working late. Some are parents. Some are travelers. Some are immigrants finding their footing in a new country. Some are simply people with the heart to serve but not the schedule to sit in the same room every week. And that is where the E-Club becomes not a lesser version of Rotary, but a *necessary* version of Rotary.
I also have the notion that we can save exiting Rotary members by inviting them to an E-Club if that would suffice for them if we have exit interviews for each member that leaves the fold.
In my humble opinion, The E-Club says: You can belong from wherever you are. You can serve from wherever you stand. You can fellowship across cities, states, countries, and continents. You can be a full Rotarian *in an E-Club way.*
I thought of this second idea of people joining Rotary E-Clubs in countries that they are interested in or in countries that they will even be moving to for fellowship and camaraderie. Another E-Club benefit. My sister preparing to migrate to America can begin building community before she arrives. A friend in Canada can connect with people of goodwill before stepping into a new environment. A professional in Houston, a mother in Ghana, a leader in Austin, a dreamer in another country—all can gather around one Rotary table, even if that table is digital. Because the best people to meet in new surroundings are Rotarians.
My vision is clear: we will recruit without reservation and without hesitation. We will welcome Houstonians and global citizens. We will welcome young professionals, seasoned leaders, immigrants, entrepreneurs, retirees, caregivers, executives, creatives, and servant hearts of every background.
We will not lower the standard of Rotary. We will widen the doorway. We will prove that less time in traffic does not mean less impact. We will prove that lower cost does not mean lower commitment. We will prove that virtual fellowship can still produce real service, real giving, real friendships, real projects, and real change.
*In my tenure, I want this club to be known for three things:*. First, service with measurable impact. Second, fellowship without borders. Third, giving that comes from the heart, not from pressure.
Because giving has many forms. Some will give money. Some will give time. Some will give expertise. Some will give networks. Some will give ideas. Some will give prayerSome will give presence.
Some will give encouragement. But all of us must give something.
So to my dear members, this is my charge: If you do not have time, give money. If money is scarce, give time. If both feel limited, give your voice, your influence, your compassion, your creativity, your connections. But by all means, keep giving. Because a Rotary club that stops giving stops being Rotary. A Rotarian who keeps giving keeps changing the world.
Today, I do not simply accept a title. I accept a mandate. To recruit. To inspire. To serve. To elevate this E-Club.
R I S E is the acronym that I've coined. Together, we will R.I.S.E. — Recruit. Inspire. Serve. Elevate. To honor the legacy of Rotary. To advance the fight against polio. To expand our reach in mental health rehabilitation. To make service more accessible, more modern, more global, and more powerful. Let it be said of this year that we did not maintain the moment. We multiplied it. Let it be said that we did not protect tradition by standing still. We honored tradition by moving forward.
Let it be said that the Rotary E-Club of Houston became a beacon for the future of fellowship, service, and impact.
And let it be said that when we were called to serve, we answered with courage.
When we were called to give, we gave with joy.
And when we were called to lead, we led with love.
I close with the words of Mother Teresa:
“It’s not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving.” So let us give. Let us serve. Let us inspire. Let us create lasting impact. And above all, let us live the Rotary promise:
Service Above Self.
And before I leave you today, I would like us to remember why we are all here.
People often say, “Rotary is Good.” But after today, I hope we will remember that Rotary is more than good.
Rotary is hope.
Rotary is healing.
Rotary is fellowship.
Rotary is the belief that ordinary people, working together, can do extraordinary things.
So if you believe that with me, I invite you to say it together after me. "Rotary is Good!*
Thank you all, SPLENDIDLY; and may this be the beginning of a *remarkable* Rotary year.