Register for the 2020 convention now and save up to $200. The early registration fee is $450 for Rotarians and $120 for Rotaractors through December 15th. Register at riconvention.org. While there, download the promo kit to encourage your fellow Rotarians to attend Rotary’s biggest event of the year — or watch and share an enticing video that previews the Rotary Convention.

 

Experience the culture of Hawaii at events planned by the Host Organization Committee in Honolulu; they include a concert at the Waikiki Shell, a sunrise walk for peace, an ancient fishpond project, and a meal with local Rotarians.

 

 

Mahalo – greeting not just for hello, good-bye, but also love, peace, compassion and mercy | ‘Ohana, or family, is very important, whether that’s your blood family, your work family, or your neighborhood family, much like Rotary! | The gourd drum is called an ipu heke | Speaking Hawaiian in schools was banned in 1896, three years after the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii | Pōhuehue vines, an indigenous morning glory found on sand dunes, that Hawaiian surfers slapped at the water’s edge to implore the gods for bigger waves | Early in the 19th century Hawaii had no large mammals, nor precious metals or stones, so feathers were used to display wealth and power | From the Pu‘u ‘Ualaka‘a lookout, we can see Diamond Head, Punchbowl Crater, and downtown Honolulu — the same view enjoyed by Chad (Elvis Presley) and Maile (Joan Blackman) during their abbreviated picnic in “Blue Hawaii” | Street art in Kaka‘ako, a former industrial neighborhood about 2 miles from Waikiki now filled with craft breweries, coffee shops, restaurants, and, most famously, murals | The Rotary clubs of Pearl Harbor and Hiroshima, Japan, formed a sister club relationship in 1982 to turn scars from the war into bonds of peace  |  Oahu’s North Shore, often called Turtle Beach for the green sea turtles that feed here. The turtles, called honu in Hawaiian, reach lengths of 3 to 4 feet and weigh in at 200 to 500 pounds | People here don’t use the words “east” and “west” as directionals. Instead they reference geographical landmarks: “Diamond Head” for east and “Ewa” (pronounced eh-va, for Ewa Beach) for west. And then there’s mauka and makai, which mean “toward the mountain” and “toward the sea |  Can’t wait to see you in Hawaii in June 2020 – Mahalo!