A little background before I go into the details: I'm an artist, a father, a husband, and an optimist with a strong commitment to activism in the purist sense of the word.

As an artist, not only do I find my work incredibly envigourating (that would be the narcissistic self-interest in being an artist), but I have a clear mandate to contribute tangibly to the world at large. Implicitly, I believe that I have a responsibility as artist-citizen to produce work that is to the best of my ability and that pushes society in a positive direction. In addition, I have the responsibility to communicate my mission as an artist through all of my interactions - talking, writing, presenting, and, of course, through my work.

But this isn't really a post around being an artist. I'll save that one for another day. I could as easily talk about being a new father, and the responsibility I feel to my daughter - in terms of how I'm going to be leaving the world for her and her generation. Will I have made a positive contribution? I sincerely hope so.

This is supposed to be a post around why I joined Rotary. Is the answer starting to become clear? Rotary is an incredible worldwide network of people who, like me, are committed to improving the lot of their communities, their countries, and humanity. They do it by putting their time and resources into this network, and magic happens. When I was asked to join, it was an easy answer.

Now, at 26, I'm the youngest member of Westville Rotary and can only hope to help build on the incredible works that have, are, and will be done by this powerful force for good in our world.