MONTREAL: 2 July 2010 -- Towards the last week of June, Fr
Rocky Evangelista of the FIN Province was in Montreal, Canada to speak
before a gathering of 18,000 Rotarians from 154 countries. During the
four days of plenary sessions which ended on 23 June 2010, Rotarians
listened to “an impressive lineup of speakers”.
The chief executive of the Boy Scouts of America
spoke about giving young people viable alternatives amid an array of
downright dangerous choices facing them today. Queen Noor of Jordan
said that the environment and nuclear weapons posed the biggest threats
to peace in the world today. Best-selling author and co-founder of the
Central Asia Institute Greg Mortenson stressed the importance of
building relationship and involving local leaders as they build schools
and eradicate polio in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Fr Rocky Evangelista, founder of the Tuloy Sa Don
Bosco Street Children Village and a member of the Rotary Club of
Alabang, a suburb of Metro-Manila, Philippines, told Rotarians about
the urgency of helping street children. "Children in distress cannot
wait", he said. "For you or me, what is a day or two? But for a child
who is slowly being toughened and hardened by the harsh realities of
the school of the streets, waiting is just a luxury that he or she
cannot afford". He insisted: "But we cannot sit back and relax. I know
the smell of misery from wandering the streets at night with volunteers
to seek out street children… And let me tell you, the smell never
leaves you. I will never forget that there are still children in the
street".
It appears that Fr. Rocky’s speech had the longest
coverage and one of the most applauded of speeches. Adding to the glitz
and generosity of the Rotarian affair was American country music singer
and philanthropist Dolly Parton, who did not only sing her hit songs
but also thanked Rotary for partnering with her foundation’s
Imagination Library that promoted children’s literacy. Likewise, the
attendees were dazzled by the entertainment numbers of Celtic Thunder,
an Irish singing group known for its combination of solos and
ensembles; the daring acrobatics of Cirque du Soleil; and the soaring
songs of British tenor-pop artist Russell Watson. _________________ AustraLasia is an
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