Kate Kimmer and Hilary Caldis.
By Hillary J. Caldis, Rotary Peace Fellow
I am constantly in awe of the power of connection. This is what Rotary is all about. We unite in friendship to realize truthful, fair, good-willed, and beneficial outcomes in our communities and the world. For Rotary members and people like me, our lives are forever transformed by this powerful network.
I was 17 years old when Rotary became a guiding force in my life. I was a young woman hungry to see the world outside my own country. Thanks to Rotary, I was granted the opportunity to live in Brazil as a Rotary Youth Exchange Student for a year. The experience was transformative for many reasons, the foremost being the people I met along the way who continue to be central figures in my life.
Chance meeting on a night bus in Brazil
One of these important figures is Kate Kimmer, who I first met 10 years ago in the middle of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, on a night bus. Instantly, we become friends —spending hours on end discussing the world and all the things we wished to do to make it a better place.
In June 2008, I reunited with Kate …read more
Source:: Rotary International Blog
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