The Rotary International Convention, held from 22 to 25 June 2025, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, was life-changing. 
Attending a Rotary International Convention is life-changing. As our first Convention, my wife Sheri and I, and 2023-25 President Karen Fleck and husband Tom Clarke, took advantage of a trip to see Banff, in the Canadian Rockies. We marveled at glacier-fed lakes and rivers and learned about the indigenous history of the region. In Calgary, we participated in a walking tour, watched a mini Calgary Stampede rodeo, attended a Host Hospitality dinner , and celebrated togetherness as District 5340. While the General Sessions were very encouraging, it was conversations with individual Rotarians from many countries, that gave me the full picture of what Rotarians can and are doing. Attending a Rotary Convention, broadened my understanding of Rotary. Learning about Rotarians and partnering organizations working to end Polio, feed the hungry, teach self-sufficiency, help the indigent, and bring factions together peaceably, invigorate the "Rotary why".