CRANBERRY TWP — Rotary International President-Elect Ray Klinginsmith, who is set to take the helm of the world humanitarian organization, said the two most important things Rotarians can do is to make sure their own clubs stay strong and for those clubs to continue to do community service work.

Klinginsmith attended the annual president-elect seminar Friday and Saturday at the Pittsburgh Marriott North.

The training seminar, which was for three districts from Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia, involved 135 local Rotary Club president-elects and 42 assistant governors.

Rotary club membership represents a cross section of business and professional men and women in communities. The clubs meet weekly and are nonpolitical, nonreligious and open to all.

In more than 200 countries, about 1.25 million Rotarians belong to more than 31,500 Rotary clubs.

Klinginsmith of Kirksville, Mo., who is marking 50 years as a Rotarian, was an ambassadorial scholar to Cape Town, South Africa. He is the first Rotary alumnus from the many youth programs to become Rotary's top official.

Klinginsmith's theme for the year starting in July is "Building Communities, Bridging Continents" with the underlying theme of making Rotary "Bigger, Better and Bolder."

Klinginsmith said it will be his job to make sure Rotary International's mission for 30 years, the eradication of polio, become a reality. Since the Rotary took on the mission, the number of polio cases has dropped from 500,000 to less than 2,000 cases in four countries.

Nearly two years ago, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation pledged $555 million toward the Polio Plus campaign to rid the world of crippling diseases such as polio and other life-ending diseases.

On the community level, Klinginsmith said Rotary now has clubs in more than 200 countries and has spent more than $1 billion on community and civic projects.

"There are so many projects going on at the local level, we'll never know all of them," Klinginsmith said. "Rotary club members are community leaders. They got an idea to do something, look out, because they're going to get it done."

In a tough economic climate, Klinginsmith said Rotary International has been fortunate as the group's membership base has stayed stable and kept the annual dues at $50.

He did acknowledge the Rotary Foundation has taken a financial hit with the stock market decline a year ago, but added it is slowly beginning to rebound.

Michael Peuler, president of the Cranberry Rotary Sunrise Club, said it is exciting to have the president-elect in Cranberry.

"I have been a Rotarian for 24 years and have experienced many great things from being part of Rotary. I expect that he will continue to show leadership to an organization that the world looks to for great things," Peuler said.

"The local Rotarians and our community will benefit from his presence, training and presentations here. I expect him to inspire his membership to grow and to continue to honor our theme of 'Service Above Self,'" Peuler said.

Dave Hilliard, president-elect of the Cranberry Noon Rotary Club, who will take over for current club President Linda Andreassi later this year, said it is always good to meet and hear the top person in an organization you are involved with.

"We are fortunate in Rotary to have this opportunity this Friday evening when Rotary International incoming President Ray Klinginsmith addresses the group at our president-elect training in Cranberry, Hilliard said.

"One of Rotary International's strategic goals is to help the local clubs enhance their public image while making the community more aware of what Rotary is all about. Having Ray here to speak will certainly help draw attention to all of the good service that the local Rotary Clubs provide their communities."

At the training session this past weekend, Hilliard was looking forward to meeting other incoming presidents from the three Rotary districts.

"I know how well our Cranberry Rotary Club operates and how well we serve our community here. I'm hoping to learn from some other clubs that may do things a little differently than we do. As well as I hope to share some of the ways our Cranberry Rotary Club is successful with them," Hilliard said.