"When leaders come together on great occasions like this, I am reminded of the words of Harry S. Truman: 'Men make history and not the other way round. In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better.' Indeed, history is the biography of great leaders. With admirable courage and skills, they inspire others to give of their best to the pursuit of a noble cause."

In 2008-2009, you are these great leaders who will shape the events of RI District 3830, our district. That part of our history begins today – at this District Assembly. This is where you will discover the roles you will play in chartering the destiny of your clubs and our district and in giving meaning to our year’s theme, “Make Dreams Real,” most especially in securing the future of our children. That is why in this District Assembly we have chosen the theme, “MAKE DREAMS REAL, Our Children – Our Future.”

That is our primary concern today. But I have chosen to use a couple of minutes to share my thoughts on what the District Assembly is all about. Many Rotarians ask: What is the District Assembly? The District Assembly is a pleasant and enriching experience that every club leader must participate in. This is one reason Rotary International requires incoming club presidents, secretaries, directors and other officers to attend the assembly. But RI also encourages all club members to attend so they will learn more about Rotary and its programs and the role that club leaders play to manage the affairs of the club.

Workshops are held on different topics about Rotary and the best minds in Rotary participate as presentation speakers and resource persons. Conducting the District Assembly is almost like dissecting Rotary so that Rotarians may know everything about it and understand the part each one must play to ensure that Rotary makes an impact on the community and the world and attains its goal of promoting world understanding and peace.

To many Rotarians, the most pleasant thing about the District Assembly is that it provides a wonderful venue for fellowship among club leaders in the district. Fellowship starts and friendships are built in the club.  But it is not enough that Rotarians enjoy fellowship only in the club. As we all know, fellowship is the foundation of Rotary’s strength and unity. Fellowship must therefore transcend club boundaries to promote friendships among Rotarians in the district and in the world.

The District Assembly therefore is not just an ordinary gathering of Rotarians. It is a special event that enhances knowledge and skills in the spirit of fellowship.

Today, therefore, I ask you to give this District Assembly your heart and mind. What you will learn today will bring you to the realization that each one of you has a role to play in creating the conditions for success in your clubs and in our district. Your role, whether big or small, is essential in building strong and healthy clubs that will work together to build a better world.

This is why you are here today – to prepare for your roles as leaders that will give life to the theme and emphases of RI in 2008-2009. Your roles, taken together, make one team, one great team that will ensure our success.

Some of you might believe that your individual tasks as club leaders appear insignificant to the rest of the team. Each task, however, is as important as the others – a simple fact that should inspire us to work together as a team. To put things in a more beautiful perspective, let me share with you the story of a little girl and her mother’s watch. Written by Ms. Floyd Crook, this true story has inspired millions to work as a team. This is her story:

“One day when I was eleven years old, I came home weeping because I had been given a small part in the background of a children’s program at the church, while my playmate was assigned the leading role. Quietly, my mother took out her watch and put it in my hand.

       “What do you see?” she asked.
       “A gold case, a face and hands,” I replied.
       Then she opened the back of the case and repeated her question. I
       could see tiny wheels and screws.”

     “This watch would be of no use at all,” mother said, “without every part
       – even those you cannot see.”

Not all of us have the leading roles. But, like those tiny wheels of a watch, each one of us is part of the team. Each one of us has a role to play, and this role is as important as the others. Rotary would be of no use without every one of us working as part of the team. In our team, working together means accomplishing things without regard for whoever gets the credit. It means being dependent on each other for success and yet independent in doing one’s assigned tasks. It means being there to lend a hand or simply to inspire others. It means complementing each other in seeking complete success.

Ruth Benedict, in one of her deepest and most beautiful thoughts on interdependence and teamwork once said, “Society in its full sense . . . is never an entity separable from the individuals who compose it. No individual can arrive even at the threshold of his potentialities without a culture in which he participates. Conversely, no civilization has in any element which in the last analysis is not the contribution of an individual.”

My friends, your experience today will create great awareness on your part as club leaders and on teamwork as an ingredient for success. But the price of your success as leaders will demand much more than that. It will demand a leader that can stir the imagination of others and inspire them to action.

With all this in mind, let me guide your thoughts to the beauty and relevance of the 2008-2009 RI theme: “Make Dreams Real” and the emphases that will show us the way to give it true meaning.

There is something very special about our year’s RI theme. In his impassioned speech at the RI International Assembly, RI President-elect Dong Kurn Lee declared that he had spent many months considering what his year’s theme would be. He thought carefully about the emphases of past presidents: water, literacy, health and hunger – and deep in his mind knew that these are the very concerns that Rotary must continue to address. These are the areas where Rotarians have gained many years of experience and expertise, the very areas that let Rotarians do the most good for the world.

But then he felt a deeper sense of concern when, in his research on possible emphases, discovered that some 30,000 children under the age of five die everyday from preventable causes. These children die needlessly of pneumonia, measles, and malaria – for lack of basic medicines, vaccines, and mosquito nets. They die of diarrhea and of other illnesses brought about by poor sanitation and malnutrition. They die because their families are trapped in poverty, a social condition brought upon them because they have had no access to education. They die because their needs are not met in the basic areas of water, health and hunger, and literacy.

For this reason, President-elect Dong Kurn Lee has committed his year of leadership to keeping the emphases on water, health and hunger, and literacy but has asked us to focus our efforts in these areas on children, and on reducing the terrible rate of child mortality in our world. In our year of leadership, he asks all of us to Make Dreams Real for the world’s children.

This is President-elect DK’s challenge to all of us. And as we work hand in hand in the spirit of this theme, we shall be guided by the following EMPHASES:

1. WATER - We will Make Dreams Real by giving children hope and a chance at a future.   This we will do by bringing clean water to their communities and creating  sanitation projects that will keep children healthy.

2. HEALTH & HUNGER - We will Make Dreams Real by giving children the chance at health by: Improving their environments and their access to care.

3. LITERACY - We will Make Dreams Real by making sure that more children have a chance  to go to school. Education provides access to employment and can therefore break the cycle of poverty that enslaves poor families in the world.

Now that we know what we want to do in our year, let us explore ways by which we can make these dreams real.

We know that dreams will remain only dreams without committed hearts and minds and skillful hands that will pursue them. This means we must build strong and effective clubs for a stronger Rotary movement on a sustained and long term basis. With you and I working together, we shall attain the following Hallmarks of Strong and Effective Clubs:

1. Significant membership growth
2. Meaningful service projects
3. Important contributions to The Rotary Foundation
4. Committed leaders that will be serving beyond the club
5. Well governed clubs that are accountable to their members and compliant with RI policies and guidelines

Alongside building strong and effective clubs, we shall work together to attain our District Goals for 2008-2009:

1. A total membership of 3,000 Rotarians. This we will attain through a growth of 900 new Rotarians infused into our membership by a net increase of 5 new Rotarians in each of our 72 existing clubs and the organization of 18 new clubs with 30 members each. I am happy to report that as of today 20 new clubs will be chartered during our Rotary year with the commitment and assurance of their organizers and the prospective charter members.

2. Total contributions to The Rotary Foundation of US$300,000. This we will achieve through a per capita contribution of US$100, Paul Harris Fellow contributions, and Major Gifts to the Foundation. I must mention that PDG Alex Huang, who will sit as 2008-2009 PCRG chair, has agreed to provide Foundation credit points to match PHF contributions of US$500 for Rotarians to become first time Paul Harris Fellows. I am also happy to report that as of today, we already have pledges totaling US$60,000, which will make our goal of US$300,000 even more achievable.

3. 100 percent of clubs will receive the RI Presidential Citation. This is simple and achievable. All that a club needs to do is launch and complete at least one significant project in each of the four avenues of service.

With our mark of excellence as committed Rotarians and our distinct pride as a district, we will attain these goals and make our District 3830:

• NUMBER ONE in terms of MEMBERSHIP
• NUMBER ONE in terms of TRF CONTRIBUTIONS
• he PREMIER DISTRICT in PHILIPPINE ROTARY

I know that these goals are firmly embedded in the hearts and minds of our club presidents-elect. These goals, together with the key performance areas and key performance indicators were thoroughly discussed during our Presidents-elect Training Seminar held on March 28-30, 2008. Their active participation made PETS 2008 truly interesting and enriching, and I’m pretty sure that they are now raring to test their limits in bringing our clubs to new heights of adventure and success.

However, in keeping with RI President-elect DK’s emphasis on reduction of child mortality, I would like to re-emphasize two relevant service projects that will contribute much to giving luster and meaning to our year’s theme:

1. Child Mortality - Every club shall launch and complete a project that will contribute to the reduction of child mortality in the community.

2. Environment - Every club shall get involved in a project to protect & conserve the environment.

My friends, achieving our district goals requires that we keep them in mind as we lead others in our year together. But to make these goals easier to remember, I have put them all together in one acronym: “CHIME FOR GOOD CITATION.” To put it more clearly:

CHIld Mortality Reduction
Membership Growth
Environmental Protection & Conservation
Rotary’s Public Image Enhancement
GOOD Governance for Club Strengthening
CITATION by RI President

Before I end, I wish to refresh your memory that we have two more historic events to hold before we finally begin our year of leadership. These are the District Team Training Seminar (DTTS), which we shall hold in Davao City on May 23, 2008, and the Handover of the district leadership at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza on June 5, 2008. I would like to ask our district officers, therefore, to make time to attend the DTTS not only to enhance their leadership skills and develop teamwork but also to enjoy fellowship, meet new friends and make old friendships even warmer. Davao is a very exciting city that offers a perfect venue for both training and relaxation. Be there to experience the hospitality of the beautiful city.

The Handover, on the other hand, marks the end of a colorful year of leadership and the beginning of new challenges that will bring our district to new heights of achievement. As we all know, in Rotary the best is yet to be. I would like you all to be there with me, to join me in accepting the challenge of leadership, and to manifest your unqualified support.

Alone I can do little or nothing. But with you and me working together, only our mind could be the limit. Be with me, my friends to take the first big, bold step in our year’s journey of leadership.

Will you be there for me? . . . Thank you!

Let me now leave you with one last message to remember. The challenge to Make Dreams Real for the children of the world is a daunting task. But we must meet that challenge cheerfully and courageously. Our children are our future. They will bring our world to where we wouldn’t be. And to ensure that they do, we must take up the challenge and be equal to the task of making our dreams come true. Let us Make Dreams Real - to build a better world for our children and our children’s children.