Dear Readers,
We continue our coverage of the RI President-Elect's trip around our district. Tuesday May 14 was an extraordinary day. After the morning work program in Košice, we visited Stephanie Urchick's ancestral birthplace — Jakubova Voľa in the Sabinov district —before meeting with RC Poprad. Alongside Stephanie, our friends from RC Prešov, who prepared the program in Jakubova Voľa, enjoyed a beautiful noon and afternoon together.
And on Wednesday May 15 we had an interesting programme waiting for us with our Polish friends in Krakow.
I wish you an interesting read.
Your DG Katarína Čechová
The RIPE Stephanie program commenced on Tuesday, May 14, at 8:30 AM with a meeting with the Deputy Mayor of Košice, Ms. Lucia Gurbáľová. Representatives from all three Košice Rotary Clubs were present at the meeting. The Deputy Mayor was very familiar with the activities of the clubs and in her speech highlighted several specific projects of the Košice Rotary Clubs. Both parties emphasized the significance of collaboration and mutual support between public administration and well-established non-profit organizations like Rotary. The incoming President upheld our Rotary legacy by making an entry in the Chronicle of the City of Košice.
The incoming President upheld our Rotary legacy by making an entry in the Chronicle of the City of Košice.
This was followed by a short walk to the Presidential Library in the East Slovak Gallery in Košice, where a press briefing with incoming RI President Stephanie took place, attended by RTVS and several East Slovak media outlets. The journalists were primarily interested in the contributions of Rotary clubs to local communities. Additionally, several questions focused on Stephanie's connection to Slovakia, noting that her roots trace back to eastern Slovakia.
Stephanie is pictured here with the Deputy Mayor of Košice, Lucia Gurbáľová.
After a brief stop in Sabinov to visit the renowned Oscar-winning "Shop on the Main Street" and the statue of the unforgettable Jozef Króner, we continued our journey to Jakubová Voľa, the birthplace of Stephanie’s grandmother on her father's side.
Yesterday was an amazing visit to the village where my maternal grandmother was born, Jakubola Voľa. The RC Prešov, the Mayor of Jakubova Voľa, the local folk tradition ensemble, geneologist Martin Rázus, area residents, DG Katarina Cechova, as well as members of my extended family (who I met today for the first time) gave me an experience I will never forget. Yesterday was a true example of the magic of Rotary....great friends, great food, great song and dance, great meeting of family members and family of Rotary members....all because of Rotary.
RIPE Stephanie A.Urchick
Our next trip was to Poprad - Spišská Sobota to visit RC Poprad. Among their successful projects, the Poprad Rotarians decided to show Stephanie the result of their efforts in making a dilapidated building into a Red Cross House, which is now a real home for the bedridden elderly and a source of boarding care for more than a hundred pensioners in the area.
Spišská Sobota continues to serve as a regular meeting place for Rotarians from Poprad. Among the attendees was Andrej Kiska, the immediate past President of the Slovak Republic. He did not miss the opportunity to join the gathering alongside the incoming RI President Stephanie Urchick. RC Poprad had numerous achievements to highlight, including the delivery of additional ambulances to Ukraine and extensive activities in youth services.
The best news and gift for Stephanie was welcoming three new members to RC Poprad during the meeting she attended. The board demonstrated their shared commitment to the world’s largest charitable organization by pinning the Rotary badge on the new members.
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