March came in like a lion for this Brunswick Rotarian. I am a retired music teacher, led by my membership in Rotary to a whole new “career” and set of interests. The last week of February found me pursuing Peacebuilding through Disease Prevention and Treatment in Coventry, United Kingdom. I joined 500 other Rotarians from all over the world to listen and learn about Rotary’s commitment to peace.

In addition to working in our own communities, Rotarians are committed to helping the world in six areas of focus: water and sanitation, disease prevention and treatment, maternal and child health, basic education and literacy, and economic and community development. With these building blocks in place, Rotary helps to build peace. Rotary International President Ian Riseley established six Presidential Peacebuilding Conferences to explore the connection between Rotary’s five areas of focus and the sixth goal of promoting peace. In February, these Conferences were held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Beirut, Lebanon and Coventry, U.K. In March, Rotarians will travel to Sydney, Australia, and in April to Taranto, Italy and finally on June 2, in Chicago, Illinois. All of the 1.2 million Rotarians from any of the 35,700 clubs throughout the world are encouraged to attend these meaningful conferences.

Although I enjoyed travel as a tourist, I find traveling with a purpose more rewarding. When Bowdoin College graduate Lonnie Hackett spoke at the Brunswick Rotary Club, I jumped at the chance to help him with his vision of providing health care for poor and vulnerable children in Zambia. The club joined me in supporting a Rotary Foundation Global Grant which allowed the training of classroom teachers to recognize and treat common childhood illnesses. A few months later, I was on my way to Lusaka to observe the growth of the program.

Lonnie’s progress implementing his vision, including a non-profit called Healthy Kids/Brighter Future, grew to serve over 20,000 children. The program received another Global Grant through the efforts of the Ipswich, Massachusetts Rotary Club along with area clubs. This extended program improved the health and learning of 40,000 school children. Alliances were built between the Zambian Ministry of Health, local community health centers and the schools. The sustainability of the project was assured and Lonnie was ready to pursue training in public health to further his skills and receive a masters degree in International Health and Tropical Medicine.

Again, the Rotary Foundation recognized Lonnie’s commitment to international service as well as his scholarship. The application for a Global Grant Scholar, submitted by the Brunswick Rotary Club, was approved for the 2017-18 academic year as Lonnie was accepted into Oxford University’s Public Health degree program.

My trip to Coventry was instigated by Lonnie’s invitation to be the keynote speaker at the Peacebuilding conference. I was thrilled to listen to Lonnie speaking to the Trustees of the Rotary Foundation’s dinner. His passion for his work in Zambia and his story of going from a Bowdoin football player to founding a non-profit to bring health care to thousands of poor and vulnerable children in the slums of Lusaka, enthralled the attending dignitaries. When Lonnie spoke of growing up in Bangor, Maine, attending Bowdoin College, and receiving help through the Brunswick Maine Rotary Club, I sat up a little straighter and felt pride for my home state and my Rotary Club.

I arrived in Coventry the day before the conference began, and my first adventure was exploring the city of Coventry. As a choral conductor, I was very familiar with Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem which was composed for the consecration of the rebuilt Coventry Cathedral in 1962. The original 15th century cathedral was bombed on Nov. 14, 1940 by over 400 German aircraft. The operation was code-named Moonlight Sonata. The building burned all night and when the all-clear was sounded at 6 a.m., the townspeople viewed a mass of rubble, accented by a gothic tower which somehow survived. On the morning of November 15, the provost of the cathedral declared that the cathedral would be rebuilt and it would become a center for peace and reconciliation. As I attended the noon time Litany of Reconciliation at the altar of the destroyed churched, and followed this by an ecumenical service in the modern new church, I appreciated the choice of Coventry for a Peacebuilding Conference.

My first event for the conference was a reception at St. Mary’s Guildhall, a 14th century building, where Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned. The invitation came from the Lord Mayor of Coventry Councillor Tony Skipper as well as the Vice Chair of the Rotary Foundation. This is the first time that I toasted the Queen! A coach was provided for the 50 guests to return to the conference center, home of Ricoh Arena, and the dinner mentioned above.

The list of conference speakers included Rotary Peace Fellows, representatives of UNESCO, Coventry Cathedral, professors in the area of public health and peaceful resolution as well as Nobel Peace Laureate Dr. Shirin Ebadi. Dr. Ebadi, originally from Iran where she was persecuted and jailed for defending the unfair treatment of women and children, lives in exile in the U.K. Her talk was impassioned and candid. She also went to a break-out session for the 100 Roteract students who were part of the conference. It was heartwarming to listen to the articulate questions of the young people, as well as the respectful and forthright answers of this inspiring peace laureate.

The final speaker of the conference was none other than Lonnie Hackett. Five speakers preceded Lonnie and I was nervous that the attention of the 500 participants would wane as their stomachs growled and the hour of sitting was over. But Lonnie was (as the British say) brilliant! His power point was clear and compelling. This young man with whom I have had the pleasure to assist through Rotary, lit up the room with his energetic speech. Once again, I sat tall.