Introducing District Governor Scott Carr

district governor end polio now polio rotary international scott carr
Beginning July 1, Scott Carr is the new Governor of Rotary International District 5340. Carr took the oath of office days earlier at the Governors Dinner held at the San Diego La Jolla Marriott on Monday, June 26, 2017.
 
As District Governor, Carr is charged with leading nearly 65 Rotary Clubs within the 112-year-old international service organization. During the 2017-18 year, Carr has identified several areas of focus, including women leadership development, environmental sustainability, active and retired military, and youth. 

 

Scott Carr, 2017-18 District Governor"This is such an incredible honor, to be working together with such an amazing group of individuals,” noted Carr, a member of the San Diego Downtown (Breakfast) Rotary and resident of San Diego's Mission Hills neighborhood. "Rotary is the engine for good, with over 3,100 local business leaders committed to giving back to the community. And over the coming months, we will be aiming a bright spotlight on a number of pressing issues facing our communities, including human trafficking, gender and racial diversity, and challenges facing kids growing up in today's 'always-on' world."

The District Governor’s role is to be the official representative of Rotary International. The Governor’s role is to support clubs and their Presidents within that district, providing strategy, guidance, and leadership development.

Carr had his first experience in Rotary as part of Rotaract. a Rotary-sponsored program designed for college students and young professionals looking to develop leadership skills and career connections while supporting the community. “Rotaract was connecting young professionals together long before social networks even existed, and continues to be an incredible resource in our community,” added Carr. Through Rotaract, he helped launch programs to support foster youth, as well as homeless and low-income seniors in downtown San Diego. It is also the place where he met his wife, Heather Rosing, a shareholder and Chief Financial Officer at the law firm of Klinedinst PC.

Rotary in the region dates back to 1911 with the founding of the 33rd Rotary club in the world, the San Diego Rotary Club. And while Rotary has a long tradition of service to the community, it faces new challenges and new opportunities. “The way we interact with one another has dramatically shifted, especially over the last decade,” noted Carr, "and Rotary needs to reinvent itself as the destination for career-minded professionals. The next generation of Rotary members have boundless energy and enthusiasm, and Rotary is adapting and evolving to meet the needs of tomorrow."

The economic and social impact of Rotary here and across the globe is impressive. In addition to millions of hours volunteered annually, The Rotary Foundation supports humanitarian aid and relief around the globe, including projects dedicated to clean water, maternal health, and disease prevention. The Rotary Foundation has earned Charity Navigator’s highest four-star rating for stewardship and accountability.

Through its flagship End Polio program, Rotary has contributed more than $1.6 billion to eradicate polio, helping immunize more than 2.5 billion children against the crippling disease. As of July 1 2017, only 6 cases of wild polio virus (WPV) have been reported worldwide, a fraction of the cases reported in 2016. Through partnerships with the World Health Organization, concerned nations, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Rotary’s goal of wiping out the polio virus for good is within reach. However, there must be zero reported cases for three years for the world to be declared “polio-free.”

In June of 2017, The Rotary Foundation and its partners pledged another $1.2 billion over the next three years for final polio eradication efforts. “On a global level, we are truly witnessing history in the making,” added Carr. “After smallpox, polio will be only the second disease that we have been able to completely remove from this planet. Over 112 million children have been saved from polio through the direct efforts of Rotary, and we cannot wait to be able to declare polio a disease of the past.”

Rotary is especially active in youth programs, including literacy programs, leadership development for high school students, a joint program with San Diego Youth Symphony called MusiCamp™, as well as youth exchange and study abroad programs. Supporting the local environment is another key focus for Rotary, with clubs committed to adding 5,000 new native trees to the Southern California region in the coming year before Earth Day in 2018.

“I truly feel a personal responsibility to give back to the community that has given me so much,” added Carr. “There is no shortage of need, and Rotary is the vehicle by which I can best give back, while working side-by-side with like-minded individuals who truly want to be a force for change in our world.”  

 

About Rotary International District 5340

Rotary brings together a global network of volunteers dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges. Rotary connects 1.2 million members of more than 35,000 Rotary clubs in over 200 countries and geographical areas. Their work improves lives at both the local and international levels, from helping families in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world. District 5340 encompasses many individual clubs within Southern California, including San Diego County, Imperial County, and a portion of Riverside County. To learn more about Rotary and the impact it is having locally and across the globe, please visit www.rotary5340.org.