会長挨拶
幹事挨拶
June 29th,2005
President Mizuno
President Mizuno gave a report on the visit to the Washington D.C. Rotary Club and attending the Chicago Centennial Convention: In 1982, Sister Club relations were agreed upon by our Club and that of Washington D.C. or one between the capital city clubs of our countries.
R.I. President Glenn Estess urged us to strengthen this relation by becoming Twin Clubs, so we agreed to register as such in October.
Prior to the Chicago Convention, 15 of our club and family members attended their regular meeting of June 15 and officially celebrated our twin club ties.
Later we visited His Excellency Mr. Ryozo Kato, the Japanese Ambassador.
We then visited our join project, the extra mile sidewalk, and in the evening we were invited to the National Press Club for dinner. We were hosted by the Club President Doris Margolis and her husband Larry Margolis, a past governor and a Federal Judge. There were 27 of us in all and we were all able to know each other better.
Those who came from our club to the Convention joined us in Chicago to make a total of 22.
On June 18, the day prior to the convention we were able to witness the colorful parade of Rotarians from all around the world, and in the evening were invited to Washington Club member Gus Gallagher’s ‘Birthday Bash’, where we were able to enlarge our circle of friends.
We set out for the Japanese Friendship at 6:20 the next morning Breakfast where R.I. President Estess, Foundation Chairman Devlyn were present, together with a number of R.I. Directors and Foundation Trustees. More than a thousand Japanese were present.
Then we went sightseeing on our bus. We saw the place where the building in which Rotary had started stood and were able to see the metal plaque commemorating the event.
Outgoing Club President Masato Mizuno addressed the last meeting of this Rotary year on June 29: Japan has a wonderful four seasons which is sung in its poetry.
Four seasons have passed since I became President of this Rotary Club. I feel that with your cooperation we have progress and added a page to our history in the past year.
I am filled with gratitude as I recall how Vice President Kiyotaka Moroto took over my job while I was overseas for the Athens Olympic and other business, how the Directors in charge of the 4 avenues of service and Club Treasurer Kondo kept our club going, how Club Secretary Igarashi worked many times more than I did to keep things in order.
R.I. President announced his theme for the year to be “Celebrate Rotary” and District Governor Kobori encouraged us to make our club not only a gathering of members, but a gathering of friends.
The young lawyer Paul Harris and 3 friends created Rotary in Chicago and a century later we see such unethical practices by firms such as Enron and Worldcom, and there is a movement to create awareness of business ethics.
Our committees have enhanced awareness of the 4 Way Test and with the member’s cooperation have pushed to create further consciousness of vocational ethics.
We have gained positive results from committee activities. We have gained 19 new members, and many guests speakers who have given us many insights into their activities.
Our Club Anniversary Family Party, Family Christmas Party were enjoyed by all, and many members attended the District Conference in Okinawa while enjoying sightseeing nearby.
We co-operated in the land mine clearing project in Cambodia. At our dinner celebrating Rotary’s Centennial we were able to invite the diplomatic corps in Tokyo and enjoy a cello performance.
Our Centennial Celebration Committee was also active together with the On-to Chicago Committee exchanging students with the Washington D.C. Rotary Club which is our twin Rotary Club.
Celebrating the Centennial, 200 dogwood saplings were received a gift from the Ardmore Rotary Club of Pennsylvania, and with the heartfelt assistance of the members of the Tokyo Chofu Murasaki Rotary Club we were able to plant them in the Outer Moat Public Park, Hibiya Park, Shinjuku Imperial Park, Yoneyama Memorial Building Gardens, school yards which joined us in the exchange program, with plaques being placed below the trees at the Outer Moat Park.
In June, 22 members and family members attended the Chicago Convention, and prior to the Convention visited Washington D.C. and spent a good time with their Rotary Club members, celebrating Rotary together.
Thus we were able to conduct this year’s activities without event, and I am grateful that this is the result of your Rotary spirit of carrying out the duties and responsibilities when called upon to serve.
Outgoing Club Secretary Motoichi Igarashi addressed the Club: I wish to thank all of you who supported me during the past year. Although I had many shortcoming, Club President Mizuno, my two Assistant Secretaries, the Club Treasurer, Directors, Committee Chairmen and members and to all of you I owe very much.
The first thing that I wish to report to you is that after 8 years, we are this year operating in the black. The main reason being that for the first time in 14 years, we raised our club dues by 10,000 yen. We hope to end the year with a surplus of 3 million yen which is due to the efforts of our club directors, all of you and our office staff.
With 19 new members joining, we will end the year with an increase of 3 members, or 335 in total. At the end of May, our average age was 68.37, and attendance at the end of June was 73.6%.
126 members attended the Okinawa District Conference in November, and 6 members and 3 family members visited Past Governor Sashida’s clinic on Taketomi Island.
We were warmly welcomed and were able to fraternize with local Rotarians.
Regarding our Intra-City meeting which theme was ‘Maintaining a Healthy Club Economy in a Time of Declining Membership’, 113 registered with 15 attending. I served as a panelist, explaining how our club was dealing with this problem.
We conducted volunteer activities in April, when we split up to visit the welfare groups that we were supporting, delivering funds to them.
The first Club Forum had 46 members attending, and the second 56. Many important views were expressed regarding the future of our club.
With the support of our Fellowship Committee, Family Committee, International Service Committee and Centennial Committee, we had 201 members and family present at our 84th Anniversary Dinner, and 261 at our Christmas Party, and 266 present for the R.I. Centennial Celebration Dinner.
All events were conducted without event, and I wish to thank all of you for your support and cooperation.
I am grateful for the help given by our Secretariat staff and by the management and staff of the Imperial Hotel for without their help we would not have been successful.