We’re excited to kick off another year of service and fellowship! The Changing of the Guard is a cherished Rotary tradition—marking the transition of leadership, celebrating accomplishments, and setting the stage for the year ahead.

As outgoing President Tyler Briggs passed the gavel to 2025-2026 President Jim Counsellor, we usher in a year full of service locally and abroad. President Counsellor will honor his years of service in the United States Marine Corp with a focus on military veterans and first responders. Always-organized President Elect Angelica Nieman has already planned a full year of programming with monthly themes that remind each of us why we are Rotarians. 

Here’s to building on our history and continuing the good work together!

Disclaimer:  Angelica prepped this newsletter for me, but the lack of captions and any other errors are all mine -- Rachel Muchin Young

From e-waste to empowerment

How a Rotary initiative turns old computers into new opportunities

By Seoha Lee

Millions of children around the world lack access to digital tools for learning. At the same time, millions of electronic devices end up as waste every year. But in southern Taiwan, a broken computer is no longer at the end of its life. Thanks to a Rotary-led project, it can become part of someone’s future.

The initiative, called Digital Waste to Digital Hope, addresses the dual challenges of e-waste and digital inequality. Guided by university mentors and teachers, students at Shoushan Middle School in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, disassemble, clean, repair, and reassemble used computers. The refurbished machines are then donated to elementary school students in rural areas, many of whom have never had a device in their homes.

“In Taiwan, like in many countries, electronics are being discarded at an alarming rate,” says Jackie Shih, a member of the Rotary Club of Kaohsiung, Taiwan. “This project tackles that waste while empowering our youth to take action through knowledge and service.”

The program is funded by a Rotary Foundation global grant and sponsored by the Rotary Club of Pingtung Feng-Huang, 11 other Taiwanese clubs, a Korean club, and National Sun Yat-sen University in Sizihwan, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

Hands-on learning is at the heart of the program.