As we begin the month of March do you feel lucky? I hope you answered yes, and that you take a moment to reflect on this month's Rotary International theme of: Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene. We all recognize how critical these essential elements are to health, well-being, and dignity around the world. According to World Vision, 703 million people lack access to clean water. That’s 1 in 10 people on the planet. Women and girls spend an estimated 200 million hours carrying water every day, walking about 3.7 miles every day to haul 40 pounds of water, could you imagine having to do that yourself? It's estimated that 1.69 billion people live without access to adequate sanitation. Looking at these statistics, it's no surprise Rotary International chose this month's theme as one of their top priorities.

In the United States these services are so common that we take them for granted, until we get a boil notice, which are thankfully few and far between. As Americans, we are incredibly fortunate to have reliable access to clean water, proper sanitation, and hygiene facilities throughout the majority of our great country. I want to encourage you to take a moment to pause this month and appreciate the easy access we have to these services in our everyday life. Consider how we are more fortunate than many, to prevent countless diseases because of our water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure. Appreciate the shower you enjoy several times a week and the luxurious hot water that is readily available. I, for one, love to drink cool refreshing water, so I will be reflecting on every pure, clean, glass of water I drink. I will strive to truly appreciate what a gift it is, to enjoy the amazing spring water that is abundant in Idaho. We're not just Lucky, we're abundantly blessed! Do you feel it?

May we never lose sight of how fortunate we are and the fact that millions of people around the world still lack these basic services, As a Rotarian you are contributing to ongoing efforts that can make a profound difference for those in need of these life saving services through your contributions to the Rotary Foundation. I feel very lucky to be a part of such an incredible organization, I hope you do too!

Your friend in Rotary,