2005 R.I. Convention comes as a once-in-a-lifetime thrill It is with great excitement that my wife, Mary, and I urge you to make plans now to attend Rotary International’ s Centennial Convention in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A., on June 11 to 18, 2005.

Rotary will only have one Centennial convention, and you won’t want to miss this once - in - a - lifetime celebration. Throughout this Rotary year, clubs and Districts will celebrate Rotary’s first century of service and plan for a future century of success.

Our Chicago Centennial Convention will be the culmination of this year of commemoration, service, and fellowship, as Rotarians from all parts of the world gather in Rotary’s birthplace to Celebrate Rotary.

To encourage Rotarians to share in this special celebration, we are offering a graduated incentive to all Districts that register more than two per cent of their membership (including guests) as determined from the July semi-annual reports submitted by September, 2004.

We are also inviting 2004-05 club presidents to write Centennial letters for their clubs and bring them to Chicago, where we will place them in the Rotary time capsule. This Centennial vision letter will describe your club’s legacy and express your hopes and dreams for the future. The more than 30,000 letters we hope to include in the time capsule will serve as a testament of members’ faith in Rotary’s future and will be opened at the 2105 bicentennial.

The R.I. website (www.rotary.org) offers a wealth of information about the convention and related events. I urge you to visit the site frequently for updates on featured speakers, Home/Host Hospitality Midwestern-style, R.I.-ticketed events, including a special Rotary Centennial luncheon and host events that include the Rotary Centennial Parade and the Race to The Finish 8kms Run/5kms Walk to raise funds for polio eradication.

The web site also provides information on dining, shopping, and playing in Chicago, a vibrant city with a host of cultural and recreational attractions the whole family can enjoy.

We also urge you to read The Rotarian magazine or Rotary Down Under – or both – for tips and ideas on how to make the most of the R.I. Convention and your vacation in Chicago.

Be sure to share the exciting info mation on the Centennial R.I. convention and extend this personal invitation to all members of your club and family.

Our Centennial Convention offers an unparallelled opportunity to showcase Rotary’s legacy of service and demonstrate to the world the remarkable power of volunteers committed to serving their communities and working for international understanding and peace.

Please join me in Chicago for what promises to be an exceptional event! Glenn E. Estess Sr. R.I. President Recreation and commerce are side by side when water and land meet in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A., the home of Rotary International and the venue for the 2005 R.I. Convention.