District 6440 Governor Bill Ferreira

The speaker at our November 19th lunch meeting was our District 6440 Governor Bill Ferreira. Bill’s visit to our club was his 71st visit to a local club. Bill’s first move was to present our club President Bill Hoff with the 2009 Rotary theme banner which states “Future of Rotary Is In Your Hands.”

Bill commented that everything in Rotary begins and ends with the local club, and he encouraged us to support our “excellent” board as the engine that drives our local club. Our club was chartered on March 25, 1956, and has supported hundreds of local efforts and organizations since that time. Our club also sponsored the formation of the Mount Prospect Rotary Club and the Schaumburg Rotary Club, among others.

Bill was born in Bombay, India and has lived in the United States for 40 years. He and his wife live in Long Grove, where she is the President of the local Women’s Club. They have three children, one who is an attorney in Washington DC, one who is an MBA candidate at Vanderbilt University, and another who works at Fox News in Las Vegas.

Bill was an AFS exchange student and had exposure to Rotary early in life, but no one ever asked him to be a member until only fifteen years ago when John Hurt asked Bill to be a founding member of the Long Grove/Kildeer club. John Hurt’s decision changed John’s life, and has enhanced Rotary. So, “share what you’ve got”, and realize that someone very close to you may just be waiting for an invitation.

Bill recounted the thoughts of a District Governor Elect from Germany, who does not consider member retention and growth to be an issue because every member of his club considers it an honor to be a member, so no one ever leaves the club. Bill reminded us that the fight against polio eradication has not yet been won. Polio still exists in Pakistan, Afghanistan, India and Nigeria, and it is the No. 1 priority for Rotary in 2010. Finally, Bill encouraged us to attend the Annual District Conference, April 29, 2010 through May 2, 2010 at the Grand Geneva Resort.