BY ALISON PANNELL
Give Peace a Chance
“In many ways, everything we do as Rotarians to improve the human condition supports peace.” In this opening statement, Rotarian Alison Pannell captured Rotary International’s emphasis on “building positive peace” as she explained the Peace Fellowship program to members of the Rotary Club of Los Alamos on December 15.
At the 1942 Rotary International (RI) conference in London, Rotary founder Paul Harris joined leaders from 21 countries to consider establishing an “education and cultural exchange” at the end of World War II. In 1945, 11 prominent Rotarians were invited to serve as consultants at the first conference of the United Nations. There in San Francisco, Rotarians began their role as observers at United Nations meetings with the declared purpose today “to contribute to peace and security around the world by promoting international collaboration.” Since its founding in 1905, Rotary has long been dedicated to “