Address by 2026-27 RI President Olayinka Hakeem Babalola
At last Rotary night's meeting, John Lynch played a short video of 2026-27 Rotary International President Olayinka Hakeem Babalola, addressing delegates at the 2026 Rotary International Convention in Taipei. President Babalola spoke about his family and the “family of Rotary” and his theme “Create Lasting Impact”.
President Babalola acknowledged the real impact Rotarians make in their communities, forging friendships and lifelong bonds to help make change for the better in health, education and wellbeing. We measure not just what we did, but what changed and whether that change will endure. That shift is what the message Create Lasting Impact is about.
Nowhere is that distinction more important than when we talk about peace. Peace must be deliberately pursued. It must be built into the design of what we do, not assumed as a by-product.
Last year, Rotary launched a program of scale in Colombia called Pathways to Peace and Prosperity. It works in communities scarred by decades of armed conflict, poverty, and forced displacement. The program trains local leaders in conflict resolution. It pairs economic empowerment with peacebuilding skills. It builds the capacity of communities to manage disagreement and work toward reconciliation, together. By building peace from the ground up — with dignity, opportunity, and trust — we are planting the seeds of transformation that will grow for generations.
As part of everything we do, we must ask: Does this create the conditions for peace? Not just improving lives, but building the trust, the understanding, and the structures that make lasting peace possible.
Because there were many members absent, please find a link to the video on rotary.org