ROTARY.ORG JULY 2020 Meet the new RI president, Holger Knaack, and his wife, Susanne #ROTARYRESPONDS Clubs adapt to a new normal _____ BETTER TOGETHER Connecting young and old jul20-Cover-editOK.indd 1 5/7/20 5:08 PM THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE ROTARY FOUNDATION! Thanks to Rotarians’ service and support, The Rotary Foundation funds critical projects that make an impact in communities around the world. Thank you for making Doing Good in the World possible! LEARN MORE: my.rotary.org/annual-fund-and-share President’s President’s message Dear Rotarians, Rotaractors, and friends, were starting to move away from regular lunch meetings his does not seem like a time for great and toward online gatherings. Friendships were being optimism, but it has to be. Long before cultivated and revived in social media relationships even Rotary was founded, the world dealt with before most of our meetings moved to Zoom and Skype. great crises that tested humankind’s abil- Younger generations have a strong desire to serve — but T ity to progress and endure. In the age of have questioned whether they could play a meaningful Rotary, the world has faced many more catastrophes; role in organizations like Rotary or whether they might however, we have survived, and every step of the way, make a bigger impact forming different types of connec- Rotary has helped the world heal. tions. Now is the time to put everything on the table, test Every great challenge is an opportunity for renewal new approaches, and prepare Rotary for the future. and growth. I revealed the theme of Rotary Opens Oppor- The COVID-19 crisis has forced all of us to adapt. tunities at the International Assembly in San Diego just This is good, and our new Action Plan specifically calls as the COVID-19 crisis was beginning, but these are on us to improve our ability to adapt. But adaptation is words that I have believed for many years. not enough. We need to change, and change dramati- Rotary is not just a club that you join; it is an invitation cally, if we are to face the challenges of this new age and to endless opportunities. We believe in creating opportu- provide the Rotary that the world so desperately needs. nities for others and for ourselves. We believe that our This is our great challenge, not just in the next year acts of service, large and small, generate opportunities but into the future. It is up to us to remake Rotary for for people who need our help, and that Rotary opens these new times — to wholeheartedly embrace the ideas, opportunities for us to live a richer, more meaningful life, energy, and commitment of young people eager to find an with friends around the world, based on our core values. outlet for idealism. We must become an organization fully Governments and institutions are gaining a greater enmeshed in the digital age, not one that simply looks for appreciation for the types of public health partnerships online ways to keep doing what we have always done. that are critical to our work. People stuck at home, eager The world needs Rotary now more than ever. It is up for greater connections and hungry to help their to us to make sure that Rotary Opens Opportunities for communities, are now embracing the values we have generations to come. promoted since our beginning. All of this is positive news, but just because there are greater opportunities than ever for Rotary to thrive does not guarantee that we will succeed. The world is changing HOLGER KNAACK SAMUEL ZUDER SAMUEL rapidly — and was doing so even before this crisis. People President, Rotary International July 2020 The Rotarian | 1 jul20-PresMess-editOK-v2.indd 2 5/11/20 1:24 PM jul20-02-03-contents.indd 2 5/7/20 3:54 PM Vol. 199, No. 1 contentsJULY features 28 YOUNG AT HEART As RI’s new president, Holger Knaack has a fresh vision for the Rotary of the future. With a little help from his friends, things should go swimmingly. By Jenny Llakmani Photography by Samuel Zuder 40 BETTER TOGETHER A need to connect with different age groups is woven into our genes. By Diana Schoberg Photography by Frank Ishman 50 THE ROTARIAN CONVERSATION 14 Longevity expert Marc Freedman has found that COURTESY OF FOOD PLANT SOLUTIONS ROTARY ACTION GROUP ACTION ROTARY PLANT SOLUTIONS OF FOOD COURTESY both younger and older people thrive when they work together with a common purpose — something Rotarians know a lot about. 1 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE 6 INBOX By Diana Schoberg Illustration by Viktor Miller Gausa 8 EDITOR’S NOTE 11 our world He just wants • Nathan Thomas: Light source • Q&A with Debra Fine “to be one friend • People of action around the globe • Adapt and connect among friends. • Snapshot: Belize City, Belize — Barbara Hardkop on Holger Knaack ” 23 viewpoints • The bright side ON THE COVER Holger and Susanne Knaack with their late dachshund, Kalle, at a decorative gate on the shore of one of the four lakes surrounding their 55 our clubs hometown of Ratzeburg, Germany. • Being there in Aspen, Colorado Photography by Samuel Zuder • 5 questions about environmental projects OPPOSITE Rotarian Nathan Thomas founded a • Club innovation: La Marsa Impact, Tunisia nonprofit that has worked with Rotary clubs and • Convention countdown: Taipei energy districts to complete 32 solar installations in Uganda, including this one at Kitimba Primary School. • Message from the trustee chair See page 11. • Apply yourself Photography by Arnold Mugasha/Shot by Mu • Crossword 64 LAST LOOK July 2020 The Rotarian | 3 rotarian-JUN20-REVISE-p03.indd 3 5/19/20 8:46 AM General Officers of Rotary International 2020-21 President JOHN REZEK Editor in chief HOLGER KNAACK Herzogtum Lauenburg-Mölln, Germany President-elect JENNIFER MOODY Art director SHEKHAR MEHTA Calcutta-Mahanagar, India JENNY LLAKMANI Managing editor Vice President JOHRITA SOLARI Anaheim, California, USA GEOFFREY JOHNSON Senior editor Treasurer BHARAT S. PANDYA Borivli, India HANK SARTIN Senior editor Directors DIANA SCHOBERG Senior staff writer TONY (JAMES ANTHONY) BLACK Dunoon, Scotland MÁRIO CÉSAR MARTINS Santo André, Brazil JOHN M. CUNNINGHAM Associate editor DE CAMARGO VIRPI HONKALA Raahe, Finland Copy editor NANCY WATKINS SUSAN C. HOWE Space Center (Houston), Texas, USA JAN LUCAS KET Purmerend, The Netherlands VANESSA GLAVINSKAS Contributing editor KYUN KIM Busan-Dongrae, Korea MARC DUKES Production manager AIKATERINI KOTSALI- Pendeli, Greece PAPADIMITRIOU JOE CANE Design & production assistant PETER R. KYLE Capitol Hill (Washington, D.C.), District of Columbia, USA CYNTHIA EDBROOKE Senior editorial coordinator FLOYD A. LANCIA Anthony Wayne (Fort Wayne), Indiana, USA ROGER LHORS Pont-Audemer, France KATIE MCCOY Circulation manager CHI-TIEN LIU Yangmei, Taiwan KAMAL SANGHVI Dhanbad, India KATSUHIKO TATSUNO Tokyo-West, Japan STEPHANIE A. URCHICK McMurray, Pennsylvania, USA VALARIE K. 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AZIZ MEMON Karachi, Pakistan Unless otherwise noted: All images are copyright ©2020 by Rotary International BARRY RASSIN East Nassau, Bahamas or are used with permission. IAN H.S. RISELEY Sandringham, Australia GULAM A. VAHANVATY Bombay, India Published monthly by Rotary International. The Rotarian® is a registered trademark of Rotary International. Copyright ©2020 by Rotary International. All rights reserved. Periodicals postage paid at Evanston, Ill., USA, SANGKOO YUN Sae Hanyang, Korea and additional mailing offices. Canada Publications Mail Agreement No. 1381644. Canadian return address: MSI, PO Box 2600, Mississauga, ON L4T 0A8. This is the July 2020 issue, volume 199, number 1, of JOHN P. HEWKO General Secretary The Rotarian (ISSN 0035-838X). Publication number: USPS 548-810. Kyiv, Ukraine 4 | The Rotarian July 2020 jul20-masthead-v1.indd 4 4/27/20 7:01 AM You’re on the go. Take The Rotarian with you. 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