Fellow Rotarians, Friends, and Partners in Service

 

It is with profound honor and gratitude that I extend this message as we begin a new Rotary year—one filled with opportunity, purpose, and shared commitment.

 

The 2025-2026 Rotary International President Francesco Arezzo’s theme, “Unite for Good”, is more than a banner; it is a call to action. In a world brimming with challenges, unity becomes our strongest strategy. Across generations, professions, and cultures, we will come together to build meaningful, lasting solutions.

 

Building on Immediate Past President Cheru Ross's successes, I am committed to continuing the theme of The Magic of Rotary from the 2024-2025 term. This year, we will “UNITE FOR GOOD”, aiming to strengthen relationships, unite teams, and make strategic decisions focused on solutions.

 

As I welcome the new Board of Directors, I want to emphasize that our strength lies with our members.  Your expertise, dedication, and diverse perspectives are valued and instrumental in shaping our future initiatives.  Together with the President-Elect and members of the Board, we are already working on organizing events this year that will benefit our community locally and internationally.

 

In support of District Governor Bill Aiken’s fight against cardiovascular disease, our club stands united with Rotary clubs across the island to raise awareness, save lives, and create lasting health impact. Together, we will train individuals in the use of AED devices which are already installed in strategic locations throughout our community—because protecting hearts is a cause that touches us all.

 

The Rotary Club of St. Croix West has succeeded in engaging members, introducing innovative programs, offering professional development and outreach.  We will continue these initiatives in the coming year and collaborate with other clubs locally and internationally.

 

This year, our club will be guided by three foundational pillars:

 

Focus on Solutions
We move beyond identifying challenges to implementing practical, sustainable outcomes. Whether it’s enhancing literacy, supporting mental health, protecting our environment, or confronting the serious threat of cardiovascular disease, we will act with intention and measurable impact.

 

Strengthen Community Partnerships
We will deepen collaboration with local schools, businesses, and civic organizations—and foster closer ties with our fellow Rotary clubs across the island. By aligning our efforts and sharing resources, we can amplify our reach and ensure our projects meet the real needs of the communities we collectively serve.

 

Engage Every Member
Each Rotarian brings something invaluable. Through hands-on service, mentorship, and leadership development, we will foster a culture where every member feels seen, valued, and empowered to lead.

 

Signature Projects
We are excited to launch three key initiatives that reflect our mission and will be added to our Signature Project, Service Above Self:

These efforts are more than events—they are expressions of our shared purpose, driven by compassion and powered by collaboration.

Let us lead with empathy, serve with intention, and uplift with enthusiasm. Let us Unite for Good as We Focus on Solutions, turning vision into action and service into impact.

 

With deep appreciation for your trust and partnership.

 

Yours In Rotary Service,

Deborah “Debbie” C Johnson

President 2025–2026
Rotary Club of St. Croix West

Congratulations to President Deborah C. Johnson of the Rotary Club of St. Croix West along with the incoming club executives. To be chosen to lead your club as President is a singular privilege and is evidence that the members of your club feel confident that they can repose their trust in you. With this privilege of leadership comes the tremendous responsibility of ensuring that the club's goals and positive impact on the community are successfully realized for the Rotary year 2025-2026 and beyond.

 

In the 2025-2026 Rotary year, RI President Francesco Arezzo is asking Rotarians to Unite for Good. This presidential message recognizes that Rotarians are people of action, and when we recognize needs in our communities we come together, forming partnerships with other Rotarians, and like-minded organizations to undertake projects that address the needs that will positively transform our communities in an impactful and sustainable way.

 

There 2025–2026 District Theme: Recognize Needs, Transform Lives, aligns well with the presidential message, and, implores Rotarians of District 7020 not to become inured by, and insensitive to the many needs present within our communities and the world at large, but instead to become attuned to the persons affected by them so that, as people of action, we are moved to Unite for Good and together implement solutions that are transformative, stainable, and impactful; in many cases using funding from the Rotary Foundation as a lever to make our interventions possible.

 

As Rotarians, seeking to do good in the world, we are not afraid to think big about solving the pressing problems, our communities and the world faces in Rotary’s seven areas of focus. Rotary’s ideals, guiding principles, and Rotarians themselves are needed now more than ever to help transform our world into the place we would all like to see, one in which we live in peace and harmony, with each other, in which every child has the promise of a good education, where clean water and hygienic conditions are present, where access to good healthcare is not a privilege, but a right, where the environment is respected and treated with in a sustainable manner, where mothers and children can thrive and reach their full potential, and where communities and the people who live in them can feel that theirs is a good place to live, work, raise families, and do business.

 

RI President Francesco is asking clubs to be innovative in the planning and operations, and in tracking and adding new members through the chartering of different club types and models to ensure continuity in our strategic planning by having 3–5 year goals instead of annual ones, and to pursue partnerships with other clubs and like-minded organizations so that we can have greater impact in our communities and the world. By doing so we should be able to align our efforts with Rotary's action plan, which is to increase our impact, expand our reach, enhance participant engagement, and increase our ability to adapt. By doing so, Rotary will continue to be relevant in solving the needs of our communities now and for generations to come.

 

 

William D. Aiken

District Governor 2025-2026 Rotary International