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In the Company of Difference Makers
President's Message

This week's Connections Challenge brought me so many stories, and they had something in common. Each one was about inspiration that turned into action, and about new service ideas taking shape.

Our best work rarely starts with someone rushing in to push an agenda. It grows on its own. A member hears a speaker's message and can't stop thinking about it. Lunch every week slowly turns into friendship. Friends start serving together. Over time, that shared service becomes part of who we are and why we're here. That's Rotary at its best. We don't manufacture purpose. We grow it, one conversation and one relationship at a time.

I saw this firsthand this week at the launch party for Vision Warriors' new documentary. The room was full of Rotarians who came to support PDG Kirk Driscoll and the cause he has given his heart to: fighting addiction and helping men live sober, accountable lives. Kirk's work shows what happens when one person's conviction meets a community willing to stand behind it.

After Dave McCleary's update last week, I said that we are surrounded by Difference Makers. I've been thinking about that ever since. It's a real privilege to watch Difference Makers in the making, at every stage. Some are just starting to put a dream into words. Some are building momentum. Others, like Kirk and Dave, are changing lives.

So I want to encourage each of you to be brave enough to talk about the difference you want to see. Don't wait until the plan is perfect or the path is clear. Saying an idea out loud in a room full of Difference Makers is powerful. Someone will lean in, and someone will offer to help. An idea one person carries alone can become something we carry together.

Let's keep connecting, keep listening, and keep turning inspiration into service.

Yours in Service,

Leslie

Posted by Leslie Bassett
November 11, 2026

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