Louisville Club Speech Contestant Wins It All
By Michael L. Brumleve

Congratulations to Elizabeth Voss, sophomore at Louisville Collegiate, who was chosen as the 2024-2025 District 6710 Speech Contest grand champion! Elizabeth won first place as a contestant in the local speech contest held by our Club back in March, and advanced to the sectional and then regional competition before the final presentation at the District Conference in Hopkinsville. Thank you to Club Speech Contest Chair Karen Morrison and to all the volunteers who made this year's competition a success! Click Read More to read Elizabeth's speech.



by Elizabeth Voss, Louisville Collegiate

I still remember the sheer excitement I felt while reading my very first Harry Potter book. The adventure and magic of it all swept me away. My feelings awakened further as I experienced the live rendition of it for myself at Harry Potter World. It seemed impossible to imagine that a world that was once inside my head was now all around me. Suddenly, I was an incoming student at Hogwarts with glasses over my eyes, a wand in my hand, and a cloak draping down at my feet. The slate-covered buildings, the iconic shops, the cobblestone streets all invoked a sense of déjà vu that was indescribable, other than, it was magical.

Of course, the Rotary Club isn’t made up of British Wizards and fantastical creatures. Instead, the magic of Rotary lies in its over 46,000 clubs and dedicated members around the world. Members working to put service above themselves. Members working their magic to improve lives in their communities and beyond.

To illustrate the magic of Rotary, let's look at some of Rotary's most inspiring causes and the initiatives members have undertaken there.

Three important causes that stand out to me personally are: Rotary's impactful work to eradicate polio, their essential drive to bring clean drinking water to communities most in need, and their academic push to improve education and increase literacy around the globe.

Polio is a disease that can lead to paralysis and, tragically, even death. According to the Rotary website, Rotary's work to vaccinate the community from polio first began in 1979 when they engaged in a project in the Philippines to vaccinate children. Since then, it has become Rotary's number one corporate project. Members have contributed over $2.1 billion dollars and endless, selfless volunteer hours. Thanks in part to these efforts, polio cases have been reduced by 99.9%, protecting nearly 3 billion children. Rotary president Stephanie Urchick summarized the importance of Rotary’s efforts on polio in an interview, stating that it’s “our gift to the children of the world.” That’s magical.

Another example of the magic of Rotary is their work to provide clean drinking water for communities in need. Through water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) projects, Rotary forms partnerships and invests in infrastructure change and training that make valuable life-long changes in communities. Since 2013, The Rotary Foundation has invested over $130 million dollars in over 2,000 projects worldwide. This clean drinking water is crucial for a healthy environment. Women no longer need to walk miles to find clean water with the water filtration systems installed.

Lastly, according to the Rotary website, over 775 million people over the age of 15 are illiterate. That’s 17% of the world’s population. Rotary tackles this problem hands-on through various ways, including in-depth teacher training, community literacy programs, mentoring students, and providing scholarships to promising students, among others.

The results of their Detroit initiatives were impressive. In Detroit, Rotary members partnered with Proliteracy Detroit to recruit and train tutors. The impact of their project was felt when 500 adults raised their reading levels significantly by three grades.

Through supporting causes like the eradication of polio, bringing clean water to communities in need, and prioritizing education initiatives in at-risk communities, the over 46,000 Rotary clubs across the world and their members improve the lives of people in their communities. They make the magic of transforming lives happen.

Through J. K. Rowling and the creators of the amazing Harry Potter World, I’ve learned it’s the behind-the-scenes work at Rotary that creates the magic. Instead of the passion of a writer or set designer, it’s the passion and priorities of all the members of Rotary clubs around the world that create the magic. The magic to make significant lasting change and improve the lives of our community. That’s the magic of Rotary.