Honolulu Sunrise joined fellow Rotarians at the Hale Koa Hotel on November 9 to welcome Rotary International President-elect Larry Lunsford and his wife, Jill. More than $300,000 was pledged that evening toward Hawaiʻi Rotary District 5000’s $1 million goal for The Rotary Foundation.
From Rotary scholar to president-elect
At the dinner, Larry shared how he first came to know Rotary. A Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarship took him to the University of Newcastle in Australia during the 1981–82 academic year. Just two days before the Honolulu dinner, he returned to that campus as Rotary International president-elect to unveil a peace pole. Read about his return to Newcastle.
A $1 million challenge for Hawaiʻi Rotary
Larry also recalled asking his own district to raise $1 million. He told the room that when you put a goal like that before people, the ways they find to give can surprise you.
District Governor Benson Medina launched District 5000’s $1 million effort at the dinner as part of E Ulu Kākou, or “Let’s Grow Together.” The district aims to raise $1 million for The Rotary Foundation by June 30, 2027. The pledges made in the room that evening were a strong start. Read about the district’s fundraising goal.
Mahalo to everyone who came together at the Hale Koa and to those who made a pledge. Larry’s story put a face to what Foundation giving can make possible. For him, it began with the chance to study in Australia.