RI President Jonathan B. Majiyagbe took office on 1 July with a call to Rotarians to place the family at the center of their quest for "Service Above Self," and consider it a touchstone of efforts to increase and retain membership.

"I am asking every club to form a Family of Rotary Committee to find more ways to create and nurture an atmosphere of warmth and caring," he said. "This greater sense of a family atmosphere within our clubs is so important to the overall health of Rotary. It will not only make our Rotary membership more meaningful, it will support the work we do outside of our clubs."

To translate the 2003-04 Rotary theme, "Lend a Hand," into action, Rotarians will devote their professional and business skills to serve in their own communities and internationally through emphases on activities that help in alleviating poverty, addressing health concerns, and promoting literacy and education.

Replacing RI presidential conferences in 2003-04 will be 15 presidential celebrations aimed at spotlighting outstanding Rotary projects and initiatives in various parts of the world. To help keep them affordable and maximize opportunities for participation, the one-day events will be planned and organized by local Rotarians.

Venues and dates include Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on 19 July; El Paso, Texas, USA, and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on 26 July; Johannesburg, South Africa, on 2 August; Abuja, Nigeria, on 9 August; Stockholm, Sweden, on 13 August; Seoul, Korea, on 13 October; Antibes-Juan Les Pins, France, on 25 October; Bradford, England, on 1 November; and New Delhi, India, on 9 December. Other celebrations will take place in Perth, Australia, on 16 January 2004; Manila, Philippines, on 31 January; Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, USA, on 13 March; Macon, Georgia, USA, on 18 March; Sao Paulo, Brazil, on 27 March; and St. Petersburg, Russia, on 2 April.

Majiyagbe is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and principal counsel in J.B. Majiyagbe & Co. Born in Lagos, he is a graduate of the University of London. A member of the Honourable Body of Benchers, Majiyagbe is a former member of the interim judicial service committee, Kano State, a past vice president of the Nigerian Bar Association, and a member of the International Bar Association.

He has served as a trustee of the Kano Lebanon Club and the Kano Club. He was a long-time chancellor of the Anglican Diocese of Kano and served as chairman of the Kano branch of the Nigerian Red Cross Society for many years. Majiyagbe is also a member of the Kano Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture.

A Rotarian since 1967, Majiyagbe is a member and past president of the Rotary Club of Kano. He has served Rotary International as district governor, International Assembly instructor, committee member, director and trustee of the Rotary Foundation. He is a recipient of the Rotary Foundation Meritorious Service and the Distinguished Service Awards. Majiyagbe is a past chairman of the African Regional PolioPlus Committee and a former member of the International PolioPlus Committee.

Also assuming office on 1 July were the 2003-04 chairman of The Rotary Foundation Trustees, Past RI President James Lacy of the Rotary Club of Cookeville, Tennessee, USA; RI vice-president Frank C. Collins of the Rotary Club of East Hartford, Connecticut, USA; and treasurer Gennaro M. Cardinale of the Rotary Club of Firenze Brunelleschi, Italy.

PolioPlus Partners program is re-launched

The PolioPlus Partners program, deferred during the past year to allow Rotarians to focus exclusively on the polio eradication fundraising campaign (PEFC), was re-launched at the start of the 2003-04 Rotary year on 1 July.

Founded in 1995 to give Rotarians the opportunity to support supplemental needs of immunization campaigns and poliovirus surveillance, PolioPlus Partners returns with expanded responsibilities that include:
* Providing or locating speakers to update clubs on the status of the global Polio Eradication Initiative
* Helping clubs and districts educate their members, communities, local media, and political representatives on Rotary's involvement in the initiative and the need for their support.
* Providing resources to Rotarians in polio-endemic and high-risk countries. (Please note that these opportunities are not yet available. They will be announced at a later date).

Before its suspension in 2002-03, the program raised US$33 million in contributions from Rotary clubs, Rotary Foundation matching funds, and club members in polio-free countries to support the polio-eradication efforts of Rotarians in nations where the crippling disease still strikes.