World Polio Day was a day for Rotary members to come together recognize our progress in the fight to end polio. When we eradicate polio worldwide, it will join smallpox as the second human disease ever eradicated.   CLICK HERE  to find more information about Rotary's Polio Eradication Efforts. 

 

Aloha, Rotary ʻOhana.

   I've just returned from a two-week trip to Korea and Japan, and while there were many wonderful experiences, one stands above all the others: my visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.

I've been involved in Rotary's peace initiatives for years. I've helped install and dedicate Peace Poles throughout Hawaiʻi, participated in peace activities, and spoken many times about Rotary's commitment to promoting peace around the world. I thought I understood that commitment. But nothing prepared me for Hiroshima.

   For nearly two hours, I walked through exhibits documenting the unimaginable suffering caused by the atomic bombing of August 6, 1945.  Photographs of ordinary people. Families. Children. People whose lives ended in an instant, and others who suffered terribly in the hours and days that followed.  One exhibit will remain with me forever. It told the story of a three-year-old boy and his tricycle. Looking at that child's photograph and the damaged tricycle, I found myself thinking about how innocent he was. He wasn't responsible for the war. He wasn't involved in the political decisions that led to it.

   He was simply a little boy who wanted to ride his tricycle.  And his life was taken.

  Standing there, I finally understood, in a way I never had before, why so many people devote their lives to building peace.
It's one thing to have your picture taken beside a Peace Pole.
It's quite another to see what happens when humanity fails to protect peace.

On November 9, Rotary District 5000 members come together to celebrate The Rotary Foundation accomplishment and meet Larry Lunsford will be the Rotary International President 2027-2028. Net proceeds from this event will benefit The Rotary Foundation to further our efforts to do good in the world.

World Polio Day is a time for Rotary members, public health advocates, and all who want a world free from polio to come together, recognize our progress in the fight to end polio, and talk about the actions we need to take in order to end polio for good. When we eradicate polio worldwide, it will join smallpox as the second human disease ever eradicated.  CLICK HERE to find more information about Rotary's Polio Eradication Efforts

 

Here are some events around the District:

The Alzheimer’s walks: Maui- Oct 10, Kauai on Oct 14 and  on Oahu November 7.Register at alz.org/aloha.
The Alzheimer’s Walk in Hilo took place on Sept 19. The Waiakea High Interact students walked and the East Hawaii Rotaractors volunteered (pictured in white shirts) 

Please donate to the Rotary District 5000 Foundation Kauai Disaster Fund.  On 9/7/2026, category two hurricane Lowell passed within 70 miles of the west side of the island of Kauai. It brought 80 mile per hour winds and heavy rain across the island. There was extensive inland flash flooding and coastal flooding.  There will be a long recovery and people have lost jobs. There are immediate needs for food, water, and debris removal.

ShelterBox is responding to devastating flash floods that have struck the Rasuwa District of northern Nepal, near the border with Tibet. The scale of this disaster is staggering. At least 389 people have been killed, and reports indicate more than 1,000 people are missing. Entire villages have been inundated, homes and buildings swept away, and roads, bridges, power, and communications infrastructure badly damaged.   

Donate Now