NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — Editor’s note: Carin Schoppmeyer is a member of the Fayetteville Rotary Club.
Fewer than 30 days into his year-long term, Rotary International President Ray Klinginsmith paid a visit to Northwest Arkansas on Thursday. He is the worldwide organization’s fi rst international president to visit Rotary District 6110.
Rotary District Gov.-elect Danny Mitchell told the crowd of more than 670 Rotarians and guests, “This is probably the largest meeting ever of District 6110.”
The luncheon meeting was held at the John Q. Hammons Center in Rogers and hosted by the nine Northwest Arkansas Rotary Clubs in Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers, Bentonville, Bella Vista and Siloam Springs. District 6110 consists of 81 clubs in Northwest Arkansas, southeast Kansas, southwest Missouri and northeast Oklahoma. The clubs range in size from 30 to more than 500 members.
Klinginsmith’s speech was preceded by a recording of Michael Martin Murphey’s “Cowboy Logic.”
He quoted the 1990 song, his adopted theme song, saying,
“If it’s a job, do it. Put your back into it. ...
If it’s a horse, ride it.
If it hurts, hide it. ...”
Klinginsmith said Rotary logic is just as simple as cowboy logic.
“If there’s a community need, fill it. If there’s a global need, go see it and put your whole soul in it. Together we will make the world a better place.”
The Rotary four-way test is comparable to the code of the West, he said.
Rotarians are asked to apply the test to the things they say and do and asks four questions:
Is it the truth?
Is it fair to all concerned?
Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
Known for its flagship program, PolioPlus, the international civic groupis responsible for the near eradication of polio around the world.
Klinginsmith said that when the group started PolioPlus in 1979, there were, on average, 500,000 cases around the world each year, and 50,000 deaths.
In the past four years there have been fewer than 1,500 new cases reported worldwide and fewer than 500 cases thus far in 2010 - 99 percent reduction, he said.
The civic group, which touts “service above self,” has expanded its scope of service to include humanitarian efforts. One example is Medical Supplies Network Inc. supported by District 6110.
Founded in Tulsa, Okla., the network gathers surplus medical equipment in the United States and distributes it in countries where new, working equipment is scarce.
The program has delivered medical equipment to countries in Central and South America, Africa and former Soviet Republic states.
Our Town, Pages 13 on 07/25/2010