I couldn’t let another day go by without writing to thank the Rotary Club of Ann Arbor for the extremely warm and welcoming reception you gave to me on April 30th. I felt like a V.I.P., to be sure! One look around the room told me that you had put out a lot of publicity about my recognition award, because I saw a lot of familiar faces who came to congratulate me. It was such a humbling experience!

Your club places a lot of emphasis on international service–something that is very near and dear to me–and I have always admired Ann Arbor Rotary for its initiative in that regard. The first time I met Ashish Sarkar was when our then-District Governor had invited both of us to speak at a breakout session about international humanitarian work, and Ashish was spearheading a multi-year project on financial literacy for impoverished women in Guatemala. I learned so much from Ashish that day. He was (and is!) definitely my Rotary hero. I was intrigued by his work and inspired by his passion. Knowing him and Norma throughout the years has been one of my most treasured blessings.

Since that time, I have made many friends from the Ann Arbor Rotary Club, and I cannot tell you how much it means to me that my Rotary colleagues chose me to receive the Robert S. Northrup Award for Humanitarian Service. Any Rotarian will tell you that it’s not the awards or the recognition that spur you on to do what you do–it’s the satisfaction of knowing that you have helped someone by offering them a leg up or an outstretched hand. You know my story now–who would have thought that wanting to order a margarita in Spanish would have brought me to this moment?

I appreciate having had the opportunity to tell people about my journey. I hope it touched a heart or two and inspired them to seize the day.

THANK YOU for your kind hospitality and for making the event so special for me. The experience will linger in my heart for decades to come!

Linda Eastman, Rochester Rotary Club