Rotary Voices

On April 12, 1955, Dr. Thomas Francis, Jr. announced to the world that Dr. Jonas Salk’s polio vaccine was safe, effective, and potent. This medical breakthrough cemented Dr. Salk’s legacy and made polio eradication a possibility. His son, Dr. Peter Salk, is the president and director of the Jonas Salk Legacy Foundation, also serving as a professor of infectious diseases and mic

A recap of the latest news, events, acts of service, and milestones in the Rotary community. This is a key week on the Rotary calendar in the fight against diseases such as polio and measles, and the Rotary Club of Kansas City, Missouri, is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its youth camp project.

With suicides rising in the U.S., Rotary members who’ve lost loved ones are determined to prevent more deaths. Their first step — talking. After her nephew’s death, Lori Crider worked with Shirley Weddle, also a loss survivor and mental health advocate, to establish the Rotary E-Club of Suicide Prevention and Brain Health. This audio version of ⁠⁠a story in the November 2

On July 1, 2022, Jennifer Jones became Rotary’s first female president – which left her husband, Nick Krayacich, in a unique, challenging, and at times enviable position. Rotary magazine senior editor Geoff Johnson sits down with Krayacich to discuss his life as a travelling physician, globetrotting golfer, and Rotary’s first first gentleman.

South Carolina Rotarian Roger Ackerman watched his mother-in-law slowly lose herself to Alzheimer's over two decades. Over lunch one day in 1995, Ackerman’s friend told him that $8 billion to $9 billion in coins changed hands every day in America. Early the next morning, he jolted out of bed, realizing that pocket change could be the key to a cure for Alzheimer’s. This audi

February 24, 2024 marks the two-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia still occupies 18 percent of the country. In light of this anniversary, we’re bringing back an episode from this time last year where we analyzed the situation in Ukraine, explored the prospect of peace, and discussed the importance of civil society in Ukraine’s postwar rebuilding.

“The more people that are prepared to deal with an event, the safer everybody is going to be.” Elizabeth Hewitt shares alarming statistics on opioid addiction and the stories behind the numbers as Rotary members join the race to save lives. This audio version of a story in the January 2024 issue of Rotary magazine is narrated by Scott Thomas.

Since joining Rotary in 1991, President-elect Stephanie Urchick has served the organization in many roles, including as a director, Foundation trustee, and chair of the RI Strategic Planning Committee and the Foundation’s Centennial Celebration Committee. She is a Rotary Foundation Major Donor and a member of the Bequest Society. In this town-hall-style Q&A, Urchick answers q

There has long been suspicion that Santa Claus is a Rotarian. Believe it or not, Rotary magazine has tried to track down Santa for some time! In this special holiday episode, we finally pull it off. Bruce Templeton and Raimo Laitinen are Santa’s helpers. Templeton lives in Canada, and Laitinen lives in Finland. Although they help Santa connect with children in different ways, the

“’To the people, food is heaven,’ says an ancient Chinese adage. If there is a food heaven on Earth, I’m convinced that I have found a colorful slice of it in Singapore.” Rotary editor Wen Huang navigates the diverse culinary offerings of Singapore ahead of the 2024 Rotary International Convention. This audio version of a story by Wen Huang in the November 2023 issue of R