This past week, my family and I took a mini vacation to Cincinnati.

It was a great way for us to spend time together and get out of town for a little bit.

We visited sites all around the city and, the more we were out and about, I started to notice something: Rotary International insignia.

I began noticing Rotary license plates, Rotary window stickers, local Rotary Club signs and more.

Then I began to think about our upcoming Rotary year. The new Rotary Year begins July 1. and our theme is “Rotary Connects The World.”

It’s a phrase I had thought about, but didn’t quite let sink in until our trip to Cincinnati.

After seeing all the Rotary International insignia, it clicked — Rotary truly does connect the world. It’s an organization comprised of people from all different walks of life.

We are made up of people with different professions, different ethnicities, different political affiliations, different faiths, different languages and more.

You would think that an organization with so many different people from different backgrounds would be divided, on the contrary. Our differences do not divide us, they unite us.

We are united because, in spite of our differences we come together under one common goal — to serve our communities and the world, to bring peace and wellness to those who need it the most; and we will continue to serve until our service is no longer required.

When there are people who are in desperate need of clean water, we will be there. When there are those that need help keeping their family warm, we will be there and, when there are children, whether at home or abroad, who are in need of  life-saving medical care, we will be there.

We, not as individuals but as one unit, will be there standing side by side on the front lines to fight against the suffering of humanity.

We will be there to promote peace, fight disease, provide clean water, save mothers and children, support education, grow local economies and we will do it by serving together.

We are Rotarians. together we will stand, together we will serve and together, we will connect the world.

So now let me ask, do you have a willingness to serve?

Do you want to connect with leaders from different backgrounds to change your community for the better? Do you want to make a positive difference in people’s lives across the planet?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, then you my friend, would make a great Rotarian.

We are always looking for service minded individuals to join the largest Service Club in the world.

If you would like more information, or to contact us. Please visit www.IrontonRotaryClub.org; and remember, when we serve together and when we are truly united, we are unstoppable.

Nathan Davis is the president-elect of the Ironton Rotary Club.