Personal Interest

Gut and Gumption

by roland mirabueno
Saturday, October 22, 2005. 01:41AM
1,117 Views 1 Comment

October 20, 2005, a relatively temperate Thursday morning, I was getting ready for then Philippines very first National Youth Forum at the Aliw Theater. It will take me an hour to go there from my house. I woke up very early, eventhough I had such an ample amount of sleep, because of immense excitement. No one from my mother club was available that day so I made plans with our Rotaract Club. I went to the bus station at six in the morning. I already rode the bus and await their usually late arrival. The bus slowly got full and I was contmeplating what to do if the bus leave without them. And it did. I didn't know where the venue was, but I still got there in high spirits thanks to my familiarity of the city. The forum started and the Rotaract club from our community wasn't there yet. Luckily I decided to go when I did. My last article was about my dream of becoming the RI President one day. The guest of honor on the forum was non other than the RI President himself, Carl Wilhelm Stenhammar. We were given the opportunity to ask him a question. With my confident smile, wearing my club shirt filled with signatures from our members, I stepped up to the stage in front of nearly two thousand delegates and declared my inquiry. I ask the president what I should do to become rotary international president. Using the famous phrase of sportscasters, the crowd went wild. He gladly explain to me the step by step. After my exciting endeavor, I ask him to sign my shirt which drove everyone in ecstacy. When I went down the stage everyone was shaking my hand and congratulating me. Some rotarians called me Mr. RI President. Upto this day, the memory of my act gives joyous chills on my stomach. Although I regret that I fail to ask for President Carl's contact details.

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Saturday, October 22, 2005. 10:22AM by Geof Lambert
Bravo! Well done and reported. Great job! Here is the contact info to reach President Carl: Rotary International One Rotary Center 1560 Sherman Ave. Evanston, IL 60201, USA Telephone: 847-866-3000 Fax: 847-328-8554 or 847-328-8281 Office Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central Time