The Irvine Spectrum Rotary Club has always maintained active relationships with clubs and Rotary leaders from other countries. This is a reflection of the diverse membership of our club where more than 30% of the membership was born in a country other than the USA.
On June 16, during the Rotary International Convention in Los Angeles we had an evening of sharing with more than 30 Rotarians from around the world. A bus load was brought from the Convention Center, while the Japanese contingency came by van and the Indian group was brought by Pannkaj Kummar, our new club president. Almost 100% of our club membership along with spouses and the guests all met at the ranch of outgoing club president, Cisca Stellhorn. We had guests from five continents who immediately discovered how much we all have in common.
Southern California was in a heat wave, so it was a warm evening which required more than average liquid consumption prior to dinner. The advantage was this helped everybody to loosen up and explore the lives of each other. Dinner was a huge spread of meat, chicken and salmon prepared by our own club member, Diane Braasch.
The highlight of the evening followed dinner. While we were all sitting around tables on the front patio, enjoying the fragrance of the rose garden, Cisca stood on the steps of her home expressing our appreciation for our guests in taking the evening to share with us. Then one by one guests from Japan, Sweden, Kenya, Nigeria, Vermont, India, etc. each arose and stood on the steps of Cisca’s home and spoke about what a wonderful evening they had and their respect for our hospitality. Small hospitality gifts and club banners were exchanged.
It was late with the sky alight with stars when they begin to embark on the trip back to Los Angeles. The hugs and tears revealed how great an experience the evening had been. Ed Hardenburgh, who accompanied the group on the bus, said that he expected them to all fall asleep during the hour-long drive back to Los Angeles, but they continued to express how much the evening meant to them. It was an opportunity for each of them as well as for our club members to discover how much we have in common in spite of our diversity.
