ROTARY CLUB OF KALISPELL presents: A WINDOW ON UKRAINE - November 12, 2024 at 6:30 PM
Featuring a keynote presentation by John Hewko, General Secretary & CEO of Rotary International
**VIP Ticket Price (limited availability) includes a private reception with Secretary Hewko from 5pm-6pm.
This program will feature stories, award-winning photographs, and film illuminating the heart and culture of Ukraine, the historical framework for today’s crisis, and Rotary’s powerful humanitarian response through local club projects and global partnerships.
A limited number of tickets are available for a private reception with Secretary Hewko from 5-6pm.
All proceeds from the evening will benefit Power Up Ukraine, a Rotary project that provides portable, solar and lithium battery powered generators to hospitals, field clinics, and humanitarian hubs in Kharkiv, Kherson, and Mykolaiv.
About John Hewko, General Secretary and CEO of Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation
John Hewko holds a law degree from Harvard University, a master’s in modern history from the University of Oxford where he studied as a Marshall Scholar, and a bachelor’s in government and Soviet studies from Hamilton College in New York. He speaks five languages: English, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Ukrainian.
Hewko served as the vice president for operations and compact development at the Millennium Challenge Corporation, a U.S. government agency, where he negotiated foreign assistance agreements totaling $6.3 billion for 18 countries in the areas of infrastructure, agriculture, water and sanitation, health, and education.
John Hewko has served as Rotary International’s general secretary and chief executive officer since 2011, overseeing a staff of more than 800, who serve Rotary members from Rotary world headquarters in Evanston, Illinois, USA, and seven international offices. As general secretary, he is a member of the Rotary International Board of Directors and The Rotary Foundation Board of Trustees.
A charter member of the Rotary Club of Kyiv, Ukraine, John lives out Rotary’s mission, whether inside or outside the office. He’s immunized children against polio in India, represented Rotary at the World Economic Forum, and bicycled 104 miles (167 km) each year with Rotary members in Arizona, USA, to help raise over $50 million for polio eradication. "It’s an honor to go the extra mile in serving this great organization. I see Rotary as the original social network formed to exchange ideas and resources so we can transform lives. We’re a bold NGO that believed it could end a disease, and we’ve stuck to the cause for over three decades. That thought inspires me every morning."
About Yurii Zinchenko, Rotary International Global Grants Scholar
From Ukrainian Refugee to Rotary Scholar: Yurii Zinchenko, a Ukrainian lawyer with over 20 years of experience, fled his home in Kharkiv with his young family during the 2022 Russian invasion. Resettling in Whitefish, Montana, through the Unite for Ukraine program, Yurii shared his story locally, inspiring collaboration with Montana Rotarians to launch the Power Up Ukraine campaign. Together, their efforts provided critical aid, including solar generators for front-line hospitals. With a Rotary Foundation scholarship, Yurii recently completed a Masters of Laws degree at UC-Irvine’s School of Law and continues to support Ukraine’s recovery. Currently studying for the bar, Yurii's goal is to bridge USA-Ukraine relations for long-term peace and reconstruction efforts.