Messages of peace and progress, anticipation for 2025 convention in Calgary inspire attendees
By Etelka Lehoczky and John M. Cunningham
After five days of friendship, excitement, and cultural connections, the 2024 Rotary International Convention in Singapore ended with a focus on the future. Speakers emphasized Rotary’s continuing mission to promote peace and goodwill and previewed next year’s gathering in Calgary, Canada.
Fostering understanding was a central theme of the day, as Rotary Peace Fellows María Antonia Pérez and Clara-Valentine Tigenoah celebrated the 25th year since the Rotary Peace Centers program was announced.
“To believe in peace is to have hope, and to do so, one must be both stubborn and optimistic, and be eager to persist and make a difference,” Pérez said. Rotary International President R. Gordon R. McInally emphasized Rotary’s long-standing commitment to building peace and noted that the topic has been a key interest almost since Rotary began.