Luis Vicente Giay

May 2007

Dear family of Rotary,

The resolution to support the development of the future vision plan of The Rotary Foundation was one of many passed by the Council on Legislation, which met last month in Chicago. With the favorable vote of 92 percent of the delegates present, the Council endorsed the work being carried out by the Trustees of The Rotary Foundation to prepare for future challenges.

This plan includes a newly worded mission statement that clarifies who we are and what we do: "The mission of The Rotary Foundation is to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education, and the alleviation of poverty."

The work we are doing now is some of the most important in the Foundation's 90-year history. We have consulted with more than 10,000 Rotarians and conducted more than 200 interviews with Rotary leaders, program beneficiaries, and donors. We've compiled exhaustive information on trends, possibilities, and problems and consulted with experts in strategic planning. We are evaluating the efficiency and value of programs, as well as available technology and administrative organization.

We have established five priorities and 22 related goals, the main objectives of which are simplification and productivity. In short, this tremendous effort will provide Rotarians with a Foundation poised to help them with their ever-increasing workload in the years to come. This will help Rotary face new and growing challenges.

The plan must be implemented and operational by 2009, which means that no drastic changes will be made - rather, there will be a progressive adaptation according to our Foundation's resources and needs.

On behalf of The Rotary Foundation and everyone involved in this project, we appreciate the support we have received and the constant encouragement to maintain a Foundation that is strong, vibrant, available, proactive, and international - one with the necessary resources and unlimited potential to "do good in the world."

Kind regards,
Luis Vicente Giay
Trustee Chair, The Rotary Foundation, 2006-07