2013 Rotary International Convention in Lisbon, Portugal

In June, President Peter attended the Rotary International Convention in Lisbon, Portugal.  Lisbon is the capital and largest city in Portugal.  Lisbon is built on 7 hills and is one of the oldest cities in Western Europe.  The population of Lisbon is about 600,000 and if you include the surrounding area it is 2.5-3 million.  Ninety four percent of the population is Roman Catholic and the official language is Portuguese.  Peter shared photos of the Monument of Discovery, the

Christ the King statue, the Vasco da Gama Bridge, street cars and how every street/sidewalk consists of individual pieces of granite.  Lisbon is considered the world sardine capital. 

The convention took place at the Feira Internacional de Lisboa and the plenary sessions took place at the neighboring Atlântico Pavilion.  The Feira International de Lisboa is a modern space with 4 pavilions. The opening ceremony consisted of the Presentation of Flags.  There were 20,000 people from 164 countries that attended the convention.  Breakout sessions offered a chance for Rotarians to share project ideas and tips. These sessions addressed topics such as membership, Rotary Foundation grants, club and district leadership, public relations, New Generation and Rotary’s new strategic partnerships.  Rotary is looking to raise the last funds to eradicate polio off the face of the earth.  Peter met Aziz Memon from Pakistan where some of SAMP’s shipments are sent.  Aziz hopes to come to Appleton in the near future. 

Rotary has 1.2 million members from 34,000 clubs and over 200 countries.  All putting the 4 way test into practice impacting their local communities and changing the world.