Good Evening Everyone,

I am honored to share in this celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the Rotary Club of Tokyo Edogawa. When I was asked to speak on this very special occasion, a few questions immediately came to mind. What about Rotary resonates with me? What supports the relationship between the Rotary Club of Tokyo Edogawa and the Rotary Club of Burlingame? What is meaningful about our Student Exchange Program?

Initially, these questions seemed somewhat independent from each other. The more I thought about them, however, and with Rotary’s motto, “Service Above Self,” as a starting point, the more I realized that they shared the common thread of enriching not only our communities but also my own life. Prior to the pandemic, I really enjoyed getting to know the Edogawa Rotarians on our reciprocal visits to each other’s countries. Some memorable moments include the time when Taga-SAN and I, on the drive from San Francisco to Half Moon Bay to play golf, discovered that we could effectively communicate through our shared language of Mandarin. Or the embarrassing time when I left my passport behind in Yamamoto-SAN’s car when he dropped me off at Narita airport, only for him to have to drive all the way back from his home to the airport again so that  

I could make my flight home to America. Thank you, Yamamoto-SAN! While we may live many miles apart, we are still connected by our shared experiences.

As for our Student Exchange Program, I will never forget when one Burlingame High School student returned home from her trip to Japan and shared her experience with our club. For her presentation, she was asked to choose only one photo from her entire trip and to explain why it was meaningful. What she shared was a photo of her Japanese host family, together at dinner. That was it. Why was this meaningful to her? Because she wished for her own family, with both parents busy from work, to have dinners together more often. Her one week in Japan had given her a new perspective, and she returned to America eager to foster more quality time with her own family.

It is my hope that many more Rotarians, from both Burlingame and Tokyo Edogawa, will continue to enrich communities around the world and to make a positive difference in not only the lives of others but also their own.

On behalf of the Rotary Club of Burlingame, it is my honor and privilege to congratulate the Rotary Club of Tokyo Edogawa on its 60th Anniversary. We wish you many more anniversaries and milestones in the years to come, and look forward to celebrating them with you!