My dear Governor Rudy, Past President M.A.T. Caparas, Mrs. Mely Hechanova ? wife of the Past Director of Rotary International - Paing Hechanova, my dear friend Sabino Santos, members of Rotary Club of Manila and the organizers of this event, my fellow Rotarians, ladies and gentlemen, all my friends in Rotary.
It?s a real pleasure for me to have this opportunity to visit the Philippines for the fourth time in my life. And it is the only one country that I have chosen in the first semester of this rotary year to be visited , as a Chairman of the Rotary Foundation. Let me assure you that the decision was absolutely right. Because, thanks to your generosity, in two days, our Foundation will receive from Rotarians of these districts almost US$ 200,000. I do not work in my business for 100,000 / day, but for the Foundation ? YES. and I would like to congratulate you all. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, for your personal involvement, but above all, for your financial contribution.
I would like to salute our dear friend ?Emilio Yap, who became one of the largest major donors in this country. Let me tell you something, in my role as a Chairman of The Rotary Foundation, I had the opportunity to approach so many leaders in the world. Many rich people, wealthy people. But very few times in my life, I have the opportunity to approach a man with an open heart, to support our effort to do good in the world, and to reach good will and understanding among nations through our Rotary Foundation. So many thanks DON EMILIO for your hospitality, and above all for your generosity and permanent contribution to our Foundation.
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to visit some of the projects of RI District 3830. And today I was visiting some of the projects sponsored by Rotary Club of Manila. I visited the Save the Children - Sagip Kabataan, an excellent project sponsor to save the children from the streets. And also, I visited the hospital, where our friend Ed Caparas and many others, sponsor one of the Avoidable Blindness projects here in the Philippines.
Let me say that the Foundation is not only money. The Foundation is the tool to help Rotarians and districts around the world to reach their wishes to improve the life of people. To be short, I would like to share with you two or three examples, very few, about how the Foundation help people around the world.
It was in Belorizonta in Brazil, almost six months ago, that I had the opportunity to open and to visit a place, for young children who lost their sight. At that moment, the project was consistent to provide to that school of blind people a printer in a brail system. And I remember very well, very well, that at the moment we were typing with the computer, and we taped a phrase of the national anthem of Brazil, then surrounded by these young children, I pressed the button of the printer, and the printer machine produced what has been previously taped. I remember one of the children came to me and said with his fingers fastened over the face and said: ? Mr. President, now I know that I can be a writer. Now, I know that I can be a writer.?
In 95/96, as President Elect, I visited the famous Jaypur Foot Campus in India, with my wife ? CELIA. This is a project also sponsored by donations from The Rotary Foundation. And I had the opportunity to provide a plastic leg for an amputee in a stage like this. I called him to the stage and asked him to help me to place the plastic leg in his body. Suddenly, he started to smile, to say a few worlds, jump a little bit and suddenly was in tears and said : ? Mr. President, you do not give me a leg this morning. What you gave me this morning was a pair of wings to fly. You gave me wings to fly.? These are the examples my friends that the projects of the Rotary Foundation are doing around the world. Project like here in Manila or all of the Philippines. Yesterday, we just approved a project for Vitamin A in the Philippines. And yesterday, we approved US$ 120,000 to help the Filipino Rotarians for the Polio Plus Eradication Immunization Days in this country. Why? Why? Because you are good supporters. You set examples for all of us. And when we ask for money, we do not ask money for ourselves. We are looking for money for all those in need - Children, adolescent, young people, the elderly, for all the humanity that are suffering in every part of the world. So in behalf of the Board of Trustees of The Rotary Foundation, I would like to thank each one of you from the bottom of my heart, for your cooperation, your personal contribution and your personal involvement in the project that you are conducting here in the Philippines. The Philippines is an example for us. Here, one of the main projects of our Foundation was launched in 1979? the 3-H Program. The Polio Plus Program practically was born here in the Philippines. Many of the very successful programs in matching grants were developed here in the Philippines. We are very proud my friends, to be Rotarians, because you truly serve our organization under the spirit of Service.
Let me finish with these words, saying that we are doing so much, we are doing everything that is possible , but always, always it is necessary to do something More. I would like to share with you these final words, what I saw in 1997 in Atlanta - Georgia, the United States of America, at the opening of the PARA Olympic Games, the game for the disabled people, that is held immediately after the ordinary Olympics games. I remember very well that night, with almost 60,000 people in that stadium and more or less with 3,000 to 5,000 athletes on the field. The Master of Ceremonies of that night was the very well known and famous actor ? CHRISTOPHER REEVES, very well known for his performance as Superman. As you very well know, he suffered an accident and became a paraplegic. He was seated at a wheel chair acting as Master of Ceremonies. He told the athletes in the middle of the field, what happened in his life everyday. He said: ? I have a dream. I have a dream to be the same person that I was before the accident. I have the dream to walk again. I have the dream to run again. I have the dream to be the same person that I was before. That?s why, every morning I go to my Exercise Room, my rehabilitation room- a big room, with plenty of equipment where I spent hours and hours trying to recuperate myself. But to stimulate myself, I have in front of me a big sign in that plaque, which says ? WITH EFFORTS, EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE.?
So my dear friends, I congratulate for all that you have done in the past and all that you are doing now in the present. But we need more efforts. Because with efforts, we will eradicate polio. With efforts, we will have no more children in the streets. With more efforts, we will have more people educated. With more efforts, we will build the future of humanity in a better way. And with effort, with much more effort, September 11 will never happen again. That?s why, my friends, I would like to encourage you to continue your work and to think a little bit about the word EFFORT. We need more efforts because there are many many people in need that are waiting for us.
It was a real pleasure for me to address tonight the one of the most distinguished audience in the Rotary World. God Bless you all.
Thank you very much.
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