Governor's Message | March 2025

Water, Peace, and a Conference You Won’t Want to Miss

Rotary has a way of taking you places—sometimes figuratively, sometimes literally. Over the past year, my Rotary journey has taken me from the rolling hills of Virginia and Tennessee to the historic heart of Turkey, all in pursuit of a more peaceful world. Now, it brings me back home as we prepare for the biggest event of the year: the District Conference. (That’s your cue to register—yes, I mean you! www.Rotary7570Conference.com)

Since March is Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Month, let’s start there. We take clean water for granted. We turn on the tap, and voilà—safe, drinkable water appears. Or we stop by 7-Eleven to grab a bottle. And while our teenagers might leave half-empty cans of LaCroix scattered around the house, for millions, access to clean water isn’t just a convenience—it’s a daily struggle. That’s why WASH is one of Rotary’s Areas of Focus, ensuring communities gain access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene education.

And if you think clean water is just about quenching thirst, think again. It’s directly connected to disease prevention—including polio. Contaminated water is one of the primary ways diseases spread, and without sanitation, viruses like polio thrive. Rotary’s work to eradicate polio has gone hand in hand with providing clean water, hygiene education and proper sanitation facilities, ensuring that communities have the resources to prevent future outbreaks.

I’ve seen firsthand how clean water transforms lives. In June I visited Rotarians in Uganda who we partnered with in a Global Grant to provide safe drinking water to a school.  The children didn’t just receive safe drinking water—they received a future. Before Rotary helped install a clean water system, these kids spent hours every day fetching water, often from contaminated sources. That meant less time in school and more risk of illness. But with reliable access to clean water, they could focus on learning, growing and dreaming of a better future. Water changed everything. 

At our District Conference, we’ll hear from Waleska Crowe about how Rotary’s WASH programs are making a difference worldwide. If you’ve ever wanted to know how a well, a toilet or a handwashing station can literally change lives, you won’t want to miss this session.

Now, let’s talk Turkey—not the one you serve at Thanksgiving, but the country I recently visited for the Presidential Peace Conference. Standing in places where history, conflict and hope intertwine, I was reminded that peace isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a process. And Rotary plays a key role in that process, building bridges like the one connecting Europe and Asia. Sometimes, these bridges are literal, made possible through a Global Grant. More often, they are figurative, built through Inter Country Committees (ICC) and collaborative service projects.

And just like peace, building a strong Rotary district takes effort, commitment and showing up. It also takes members—more of them. Every project we take on, from providing clean water to ending polio to strengthening our communities, requires Rotarians willing to step up, serve and grow our impact. We need more hands, more ideas and more passion. That means growing our membership—because every new member brings us closer to a world with clean water, peace and a polio-free future.

That’s also your cue to register for the District Conference—see how I did that?

This year’s District Conference at the Inn at Virginia Tech (April 3-6, 2025) isn’t just another weekend of PowerPoint presentations and rubber chicken dinners. We’ve lined up dynamic speakers, a hands-on service project and even a Beatles tribute band (because all you need is love… and a little encouragement to sign up).

So, let’s make a deal: I’ll keep working on clean water, peace and strengthening our Rotary community. You… you register for the District Conference. Do it today, and I’ll personally save you the best treat from the Cookie Table. Deal?

See you in April!

BRET W. HRBEK
2024-2025 District Governor