[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 165 (Monday, December 3, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Page S12310]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         HONORING WILMINGTON ROTARY FOR PEACE CENTER INITIATIVE

 Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, it is with tremendous pride that I 
rise today to salute the Rotary Club of Wilmington, DE, for its 
leadership in the worldwide initiative of Rotary International to 
establish eight Centers for International Studies in Peace and Conflict 
Resolution.
  Recently, the Chairman of the International Rotary Foundation, Luis 
Giay, visited Delaware and presented an award to the Wilmington Rotary 
Club for being among the very first Rotary Clubs in the world to raise, 
sua sponte, $50,000 for the International Studies in Peace and Conflict 
Resolution project. The funds will be used to pay the two-year tuition 
costs for a graduate student to attend one of the newly-formed Rotary 
Peace Centers.
  In this time of war and strife, my colleagues might find it 
interesting to learn more about these new Centers. The goals of the 
Rotary Peace Centers are: Mediation, Conflict Resolution, and Peace 
where there is war; understanding where there is disharmony; food 
security where there is hunger; health Care where there is disease; 
education where there is illiteracy; conservation where there is 
environmental degradation; sustainable Economic Development where there 
is poverty.
  As Rotary's major educational priority in the 21st Century, the 
Rotary Centers for International Studies will provide opportunities for 
our next generation of leaders and scholars to focus on dealing 
effectively with obstacles to international cooperation and peace.
  Educating such promising future leaders will help Rotary fulfill its 
long-standing mission to promote global peace and understanding.
  The Rotary Centers have partnered with some of the leading 
universities in the world. The eight Rotary Peace Centers are located 
at: Duke University and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 
in North Carolina; the University of California-Berkeley in California; 
Sciences Po in Paris, France; the University of Bradford in West 
Yorkshire, England; the University of Queensland in Brisbane, 
Queensland, Australia; the International Christian University in Tokyo, 
Japan; and, Universidad del Salvador in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
  Like most big ideas, the fundraising initiative grew from a seed, in 
this case a seed planted by a small group of Wilmington Rotarians. Past 
Presidents Joe Melloy and Bruce Beardwood knew that with the Wilmington 
Rotary Club's 86-year history of service that its members would want to 
be pioneers in the Rotary Peace Center project. Wilmington Rotarians 
then set out to meet the $50,000 goal. They held a very successful 
silent auction to raise nearly half of the money. Generous, individual 
contributions put them over the top.
  Even more impressive, the Wilmington Rotary Club then challenged the 
other 43 Clubs and 2,000 Rotarians in the Rotary District that 
encompasses Delaware and the Eastern Shore of Maryland to raise money 
for the Rotary Centers for International Studies. I am proud to say, 
challenge issued, challenge met.
  I think it is appropriate and important to publicly recognize the 
efforts of the Rotary Club of Wilmington to do its part to help make 
our world a better, safer place to live. Not only is the Wilmington 
Rotary Delaware's oldest and largest Rotary Club with about 250 
members, it continues to be among the leading Rotary Clubs in the 
United States. Its leadership as a pioneer Club for the Rotary Centers 
for Peace and International Studies is a great example of the Rotary 
tradition of service and of the part each one of us can play in 
advancing the goal of world peace.
  To the members of the Rotary Club of Wilmington, congratulations and 
thank you.

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