22 Nov 2015 'Be A Gift to the World'

by Carolyn Ishee

“That’s when we learn we are more alike than different.”

This is an observation of Bill DeVore on one of the best things that Rotary International does. And Bill should know. A longtime member of the Conway Morning Rotary Club, he is currently serving as district governor of Rotary District 6170, which includes many clubs and cities within the 501.

Rotary International is a service organization whose motto is “Service Above Self.” While the goal of the international organization is world peace and understanding, it is the job of each individual club to determine how it can best serve its community.

DeVore’s term as district governor began in July, the beginning of the new Rotary year, and he will serve until June 30. The first half of his year revolves around visits to each club, 36, and meetings with the boards of each club and a presentation to each club. Each Rotary year has a new international president and a new presidential theme. DeVore recently met with International President K.R. “Ravi” Ravindran of Sri Lanka, whose presidential theme this year is “Be A Gift to the World.”

Bill and his wife, Sandra, have made Conway their hometown for more than 30 years. A graduate of Harding University in Searcy, he is a certified public accountant, retired and inactive. His career has been as an accountant in various industries, including automotive and aerospace manufacturing and retail insurance agencies.

A Rotary member for more than 20 years, DeVore is an active member of his current club. He served as club president in 2010-11, during which his club earned the Rotary Presidential Citation with distinction and received recognition for its commitment to The Rotary Foundation’s Every Member Every Year program.

He believes that too many Rotarians are under appreciative of the vast impact that Rotary has on the world beyond the local clubs. He wants Rotarians in District 6170 to focus on getting more involved in the ways that Rotary connects people of different nations and cultures to build universal friendships and goodwill.

“My participation through my club and district in Group Studies Exchanges, Ambassadorial scholarships, Rotary Youth Exchanges, as well as global grants, has aroused in me a growing passion for the potential of Rotary to help bring peace and understanding in the world,” DeVore said. “I want more of us to know about that.”

The DeVores have two grown children and two granddaughters, 12 and 10. They like to travel, including frequent visits to see those grandkids, and they are taking up golfing together. In addition to Rotary, Bill and Sandra both are involved in other community activities, such as church, youth mission projects, senior food distribution programs and a local food pantry program.

District 6170 includes clubs from Clarksville, Morrilton, Russellville, Dardanelle, Conway (two clubs), Benton/Bauxite, Bryant, Hot Springs, Hot Springs Village, North Garland County and Malvern. The Little Rock Rotary clubs are in District 6150. The district governor in District 6150 is Paul Ford. He and his wife, Jo, live in Searcy.

DeVore said the most rewarding part of his year as district governor has been getting to know the communities, clubs and memberships. He observed that each club is meeting a specific need in their communities. And in addition to the work Rotarians in District 6170 are doing in their communities, they are also a part of Rotary International’s goal of eradicating polio worldwide.

The PolioPlus campaign of Rotary International was launched in 1985 and was the first initiative to tackle global polio eradication through the mass vaccination of children. Rotary has contributed more than $1.3 billion and countless volunteer hours to immunize more than 2.5 billion children in 122 countries. In addition, Rotary’s advocacy efforts have played a role in decisions by donor governments to contribute more than $9 billion to the effort. DeVore is proud of 6170 Rotarians who have pledged ongoing financial support to the program and who have participated in the immunization efforts.

The World Health Organization (WHO) issues weekly reports on polio diagnoses. A country without a diagnosis over one year’s time is declared polio free. DeVore shared that the weekly report for the week of Sept. 25, after more than a year without a case of polio, the WHO removed Nigeria from the list of countries where polio is endemic. The count is now down to two countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan. The week of Oct. 7, Pakistan only had four cases, and Afghanistan had zero.

But what is distinctive of the Rotarians in the 501? According to DeVore, there is a spirit of generosity and a desire to be of service in the local communities. And, there is also an awareness of the needs of the world beyond the local community.

The Rotarians in the 501 are living the theme, “Be A Gift to the World.”

For more information about Rotary District 6170, visit ridistrict6170.org or the Rotary International website, rotary.org.