Rotary Voices Podcast

March is Women's History Month, a time to celebrate and reflect on the contributions women have made to society. In this episode of Rotary magazine's podcast, we speak with two influential women: U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq war veteran, the first woman with a disability elected to Congress, and a former manager at Rotary; and Rotary International President Jennifer Jones, the first woman to hold that office and the founder and president of an award-winning media production company. 

Last fall, as the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine approached, Rotary magazine’s Wen Huang traveled to Europe to see this humanitarian crisis firsthand. In  Lviv, he witnesses the resilience of the Ukrainian people and the wide reach of Rotary’s global network. This story, which appeared in the March 2023 issue, is narrated by Andy Choi.

As the war in Ukraine reaches the one-year mark, Russia’s continued attacks have caused death and devastation, and created millions of refugees. In this special episode of Rotary magazine's podcast, we speak with Rotary International General Secretary John Hewko, a Ukrainian American who has lived in Ukraine and Russia; award-winning Ukrainian writer Andrey Kurkov, who spent most of the past year in Ukraine, documenting the resilience of ordinary Ukrainians; and Borys Bodnar, a Rotary member in Lviv who is working full-time on the relief effort.  They discuss the current situation, Rotary’s swift relief response, the prospect of peace, and the role civil society will play in Ukraine’s post-war rebuilding.

Well before the COVID-19 pandemic, a University of Chicago professor already was studying loneliness, which he considered a hidden epidemic. His lifework can teach us about overcoming isolation. This audio version of an essay by Wen Huang in the January 2023 issue of Rotary magazine is narrated by award-winning broadcast journalist Linda Yu. (Illustration by Hanna Barczyk)

Exacerbated by COVID-19 pandemic seclusion, loneliness has become a global public health crisis, but Rotary clubs, experts, and governments are tackling it with meaningful interactions. This audio version of a story by Dave King in the January 2023 issue of Rotary magazine is narrated by award-winning broadcast journalist Linda Yu.

The recipient of Rotary's first $2 million Programs of Scale grant, Partners for a Malaria-Free Zambia, is working to eliminate the disease, including training 2,500 community health workers. In Rotary magazine's latest podcast, we check in with Rotarians Martha Lungu and Eric Liswaniso, who are working in their communities to combat malaria. We also explore the science behind malaria with Abigail Pratt, a senior program officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and speak with Diana Schoberg, who traveled to Zambia to report the magazine's December 2022 cover story, "A community cure."

Partners for a Malaria-Free Zambia, the recipient of Rotary’s first Programs of Scale award, is confronting a worldwide malady at the local level by working to train and equip 2,500 community health workers in Zambia’s Central and Muchinga provinces. This audio version of a story by Diana Schoberg in the December 2022 issue of Rotary magazine is narrated by award-winning broadcast journalist Linda Yu.

Trauma, whether from the horrors of war or the loss of a loved one, can feel insurmountable to those experiencing it. In this episode, our podcast team explores stories of hard-won recovery — and even growth.  We talk with Zach Skiles, a veteran of the Iraq war who became homeless, began to heal at a veteran’s facility with support from Rotary members, and is now a clinical psychologist at the Portland, Oregon VA Medical Center; and Michaela Haas, a journalist and author who has researched post-traumatic growth.

An Iraq veteran works through his trauma — and adopts a mission to help others, in this audio version of a story in the November 2022 issue of Rotary magazine. Story by Kate Silver. Narrated by award-winning broadcast journalist Linda Yu. 

The poliovirus is detected in New York and London. A new polio vaccine offers hope to prevent variant polio outbreaks. In advance of World Polio Day, 24 October, our podcast team sits down for a chat with Carol Pandak, director of PolioPlus for Rotary International, Dr. Ananda Bandyopadhyay, deputy director of the polio team at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Jason Keyser, managing editor of Rotary magazine, to discuss the latest on Rotary's efforts to eradicate this disease.

Rotary Magazine Presents: A modified polio vaccine, nOPV2, is offering new hope in the fight to eradicate polio. Broadcast Journalist Linda Yu narrates this story from the Rotary magazine, written by Managing Editor Jason Keyser. 

With his play, Visions, Rotary member Lo Bue has turned his addiction into art and provided new roles for former addicts. Story by Steve Almond. Narrated by award-winning broadcast journalist Linda Yu.

Alongside Rotary and the nonprofit DigDeep, the Navajo are bringing a vital commodity to their ancestral homeland. Story by Geoffrey Johnson. Narrated by award-winning broadcast journalist Linda Yu.

Australia is made up of hundreds of different Indigenous nation groups; each with their own culture, customs, language, and laws. The Adelaide City Rotaract Club, based on Kaurna land on the Adelaide Plaines, is among the first within Rotary to have developed a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), endorsed by the not-for-profit organisation Reconciliation Australia. Katey Halliday, a member of Rotary International’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Taskforce, narrates this blog post she wrote for Rotary Voices explaining why reconciliation is important to Rotary.

Genshitsu Sen is former grand master of the Urasenke tea tradition and a member of the Rotary Club of Kyoto, Japan. Sen's father introduced him to Rotary in 1954. "Rotary's values fit perfectly with the tenets of our Urasenke chadō tradition, such as Wa (harmony), Kei (respect), Sei (purity), and Jaku (tranquility)." Upon the death of his father in 1964, Sen acceded to the position of Urasenke grand master, representing the 15th generation in the Urasenke line. Despite his new responsibilities, he remained a dynamic member of Rotary and was elected president of the Rotary Club of Kyoto. This story, from Rotary magazine, was written by Go Tamitami and Wen Huang and is narrated by Andy Choi.

Jennifer Jones, Rotary International’s 2022-23 president and the first female president, is the perfect leader to spread the word about the good Rotary does in the world, and inspire its members to keep going. This profile by Diana Schoberg appears in the July issue of Rotary magazine, and is narrated for Rotary by former broadcast journalist Linda Yu. 

Music, it turns out, is medicine for the mind. In this story for the May 2022 issue of Rotary magazine, Kate Silver explores the good things music does for the aging brain and some Rotarians who have been using it to help others. Narrated by award-winning broadcast journalist Linda Yu.

Can an all-female anti-poaching unit stop wildlife crime in an African game preserve — without guns? The following story, narrated by award-winning broadcast journalist Linda Yu, appeared in the April 2022 issue of Rotary magazine.

Ignacio Gonzales Mendez discovered Rotaract as a law student in Chile, and became charter president of a new club in his town. He is one of the first Rotaractors to receive the Service Above Self Award, as one of the main architects of the plan that ushered in a new era of cooperation between Rotary and Rotaract. In this podcast, he shares his story, also captured in a blog post for Rotary Voices. 

Rotary Community Corps (RCC) are groups of volunteers who work alongside Rotary clubs to make a difference in their communities. The Rotary Community Corps of the Aghan Community in Minnesota assist the more than 1,000 refugees who have recently moved to Minneapolis and St. Paul from Kabul, Afghanistan. In this blog post for Rotary Voices, Tom Gump, a past district governor and organizer of the RCC, explains how we can create positive peace right from our own backyards. 

Past and current conflicts have had a significant impact on Rotary in Ukraine — which has only made members there more resolute. The following story, narrated by award-winning broadcast journalist Linda Yu, appeared in the April 2022 issue of Rotary magazine. 

Why are you a member of Rotary? Why is it important to you? The membership committee for District 6690 (Ohio, USA) realized the answer to these questions vary from person to person and can be very personal. In creating a membership drive in response to the Each One, Bring One initiative, they knew their campaign had to challenge members to share their experiences with others, include a personal touch, and inspire a little friendly competition. Jenny Stotts, district membership chair, reads a blog post she co-authored with District Governor MaryJane Shackleford and Matt Wideman.

A decade ago, Jackie Huie and members of the Rotary Club of St. Joseph & Benton Harbor, Michigan, USA, launched a program that has helped hundreds of local high school students learn more about their dream careers by connecting them with professionals in those fields. The program is still running strong. And Huie talks about the value of the program, and what she loves about Rotary in this podcasts. Learn more about the program at https://www.rotary.org/en/rotary-pairs-students-top-mentors

Then Governors-elect Sandy Sava of District 5180 (California) and Dawn deFuria of District 7450 (Pennsylvania) sat down to talk about the current and future state of women in Rotary in this podcast from 2017.

In some areas of the world, women already make up more than 30 percent of Rotary’s members and leaders. However, in some areas, that percentage is much less. But we all have a responsibility—men and women in every club and every district in the Rotary world— to help our organization diversify and grow so that we can remain relevant for future generations. Read the blog post by Kathleen Rose on Rotary Voices

When Debbie Vance moved to a new town and began doing service on behalf of Rotary, she drew the interest of neighbors and new friends who wanted to know how an organization could inspire someone to jump into action. Together, the charter members are forming the club culture, establishing its unique traditions, setting its service priorities, and making it their own. Corey Lopardi, membership development chair for District 5020 (parts of British Columbia, Canada, and Washington, USA) interviews Debbie about chartering the new club.  Read the blog post on Rotary Voices

Jill Johnson shared her experience at a vaccination center in Skokie, Illinois, in April, in this blog post for Rotary Voices. Read by Jill Johnson. Rotary is taking action in response to the pandemic as our clubs support COVID-19 vaccination and continued prevention efforts around the world. Learn more