District Governor 2010-2011 Val Leivers

Val is a Founder Member of the Rotary Club of Sherwood Sunrisers which received its Charter in 1994 and is a Paul Harris Fellow.

She has held various positions in Rotary locally and nationally including being a member of the RIBI Foundation Committee for two years as the District Grant Specialist as well as being a Facilitator at two RIBI Assemblies. Val is passionate about the work of the Rotary Foundation and has been awarded their Citation for Meritorious Service.

An athlete and dancer who became Deputy Head Teacher in a large Comprehensive School, Val now teaches English and Mathematics to adults in a secure establishment. Her hobbies include most things which do not involve sitting still for long!

Val is married to Terry, who is a member of the same Rotary Club.

District members can also view Val's details via APAC

DG Val's Inaugural Address at the District Changeover on 4th July 2010

Can you remember when you learned to swim or ride a bike? Although you got better at it at some point you had to have the courage to take off the armbands or stabilisers and then set off. You were fine once you had done it. The build up though was nerve racking. You knew what needed to be done and you did it. It was a bit like becoming District Governor really!

So, what makes a good leader? Good leaders don’t give orders, they supply inspiration. They encourage others to do their best, demonstrate respect and gratitude – and they gently, but firmly, direct attention in the right direction. They also listen carefully to what people are telling them. A good leader is one who looks at things from other people’s perspective and takes appropriate action. I hope that I have some of these qualities and I feel that sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.

In Rotary we all know that we need to move forwards. This is difficult if we are constantly looking in the rear view mirror. Progress takes effort and no progress was ever made by holding on to both sides of the fence.

Every day brings us a new challenge - which is inspiring – unless you are clinging on to the past. People with a preference for the past tend to find the future threatening. Things, though, won’t ever be the way used to be and they certainly won’t stay the same way that they are now.
Why is it that nowadays everybody tells you what is wrong but few people have the courage to put it right?

We have to change with the changing times. The past cannot be changed but we can certainly reshape and improve things for the future.

I am sure that the coming year will pass quickly. I have learned that life’s a bit like a toilet roll. The closer it gets to the end - the faster it goes!

On visits to the clubs I will be telling the club Rotarians that they are the most important people in Rotary. All Rotary projects and programmes start at club level.

Club members are like bones:
Wishbones – those who wish something would happen
Knucklebones – those who try to decry all ideas and knock them down.
Funny bones – those who always see the funny side of things
Jawbones – those who just talk a lot about making things happen
Backbones – those who DO make it happen

Which category are you in?

I bring greetings from this year’s RI President, Ray Klinginsmith from Missouri. He is probably the most approachable RI President we have had and he has been involved with Rotary for 50 years. When choosing the theme he looked at the things that Rotarians are best at doing. He decided that the theme “Building Communities – Bridging Continents” answered the questions. We need to keep a balance between our local community work and our international projects.

The RIBI President, Jim Moulson from Scotland is a larger than life retired policeman who is passionate about Rotary.

There is only one thing worse than dying in poverty – and that’s living in poverty. I therefore make no apology for inviting all clubs to join me in building a Rotary District 1220 community in District 3150, Andhra Pradesh, India. This project embraces many of the areas of focus for this year and full details will be on the website shortly.

Polio eradication is to continue. Foundation grant funding is almost back to normal after a difficult year. I will be speaking in more detail on these items on my visits to clubs.

I am lucky to have a Personal Assistant whose filing system is so organised that things get lost in alphabetical order! Terry says “OK you are the DG, but I am the GD – General Dogsbody to the DG!”

I intend to work closely with our colleagues in Inner Wheel who do a fantastic job both at home and abroad and I am sure that we will all benefit by having a closer liaison. We all wish the Inner Wheel President, Elaine Harrison, a successful and enjoyable year in office.

Life is a journey and it is my privilege to travel part of the way with you as your District Governor. Give me the courage to change the things I can change, the grace to accept the things that I can’t and the wisdom to know the difference.

Let us all work together to make District 1220 Bigger, Better and Bolder!