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I’m a very early riser. And that’s a good thing, because part of my morning routine is quiet reflection — thinking about how to navigate the chaos of our world. Some mornings that’s not easy. We wake to headlines about bombed schools and children killed in wars, most of us don’t fully understand. It’s easy to think of the people on the other side of those conflicts as nameless, faceless enemies.
But one thing I know for certain is this:
Parents everywhere love their children.
The mothers and fathers whose children were lost in those tragedies loved them just as deeply as any parent here in the United States loves their own child.
Reconciling the pain of the world can feel impossible.
So in those quiet morning moments, I remind myself of something important:
I can’t control the whole world - thank goodness!
But I can influence the small corner of it where I live.
And of course… that brings me to Rotary.
Rotary’s Multiplier Effect
Last week we heard about the Guatemala Literacy Project (GLP) and the remarkable impact of Rotary Global Grants.
This year our club pledged $6,000. Through Rotary’s matching system — District Designated Funds and the Rotary Foundation World Fund — that gift became $16,800 supporting education in Guatemala.
That’s the Rotary multiplier effect in action.
And it’s happening in Rotary clubs all over the world.
Why It Matters
The Guatemala Literacy Project works to improve education for underserved students with the goal of breaking the cycle of poverty. Over nearly three decades, more than 312,000 students have benefited from Rotary's involvement. This year, we will impact 63,000.
Many Indigenous families in Guatemala live on just a few dollars per day. About one-third of the population cannot read or write, and because school after the fifth grade often requires fees, nearly two out of three children leave school by seventh grade.
Parents want more for their children. They simply don’t always have the means. Rotary helps make that possible.
And the multiplier effect doesn’t just happen with money.
It happens with people. Like many clubs, we’ve lost wonderful members who moved away — including some deeply involved in the GLP. But something remarkable happened.
One of our champions, Mary Anne Johnston, moved to Boulder and has already inspired that Rotary club to get involved in the project.
And last week, former member Joni Ellis, now with the 11-member Rotary Club of Fruita, shared that their club has become the International Sponsor for the GLP Global Grant, helping lead an effort to raise $500,000.
What looked like a loss for our club became something bigger. Our members didn’t stop being involved - they multiplied their involvement!
So each morning I remind myself:
We simply have to start where we are.
One club.
One project.
One child learning to read.
And when those small acts of service connect across communities and across continents…they multiply. And suddenly, in a world that sometimes feels dark, the lights start shining everywhere.
With warm Rotary hugs,