Leading With Gratitude

By JENNIFER JONES 

Foundation trustee chair 

I love the idea of a gratitude journal.  The practice is simple: Write down three things each day that you are grateful for, and watch how it shifts your mindset, your energy, and even the way you move through the world. 

To me, gratitude is more than a feeling; it is a force. 

And in Rotary, gratitude is a reflection of who we are. When we thank our donors, we are acknowledging their contribution and honoring their belief in a better world. 

I write in my gratitude journal often — not every day but enough to keep me grounded. I want to share with you an entry from January, written during the International Assembly.  The assembly is more than our annual learning event for district governors-elect; it’s a gathering filled with inspiration and moments that stay with you long after the lights dim. 

My first entry was in gratitude to Debbie and Russell Doby.  In 2022, Debbie, then a district governor-elect, missed out on that inspiring assembly experience because of the pandemic.  Then, a year later, just a few days before the district conference she was excited to host, Debbie and her husband were in a head-on collision.  The other driver was killed; Debbie and Russell survived, miraculously. Out of tragedy, they found grace.  They created an endowment fund for their district at the Arch Klumph Society level, choosing to transform pain into purpose. 

My second entry reflected on Ravishankar and Paola Dakoju from the Rotary Club of Bangalore, India.  At the assembly, the couple pledged $50 million to The Rotary Foundation, an extraordinary gift representing 85 percent of their wealth. Ravishankar said, “When you give more than you think you can, life returns to you more than you can ever imagine.”  That single sentence captures the heart of Rotary.

My final entry was in gratitude to Moh Eid and Chuck and Carol Stocking.  After Moh’s brother, Ibrahim, a humanitarian aid worker, was killed while helping victims of war, Chuck was moved to create the Ibrahim Eid Fund to support Rotary Peace Fellows.  Their leverage gift was $100,000 toward a million-dollar goal.  That is what it looks like when grief becomes hope. 

And today, my gratitude entry is for you.  For longtime members and brand-new faces, for those who give year after year and those preparing to make their first gift.  Thank you. 

Let gratitude be our compass this year.

_____________ This feature appeared in the July 2027 Magazine Issue.