Posted by Jerry Nelson
It’s hard to believe that we are half way through the Rotary Year!   In a couple of days, we will have our annual meeting where the officers for Rotary Year 2018-2019 will be elected.  As the only eligible candidate I’m looking forward to being elected to the esteemed position of “Immediate Past President” 2018-2019 😊   It also reminds me that this is a good time to reflect on what we have done and what needs to be done.
 
When I became president, I said that membership, membership, and membership would be my top three priorities.  This is still true; only with our outstanding members do we accomplish the wonderful community service work that we are known for.  We are looking for Chiang Mai residents who wish to give back to the community, good people from all walks of life.  The experience of former Rotarians from other countries is sought.  You should know that our emphasis is on service, meeting attendance requirements are much milder than in the past, dues are affordable, and we have built a team of people who truly enjoy what we do.  Our members do amazing service work and understand that results are the main benefit of membership in CMIRC.
 
One of the best things about our club is the many service opportunities available to members, in fact it is a privilege of membership to be a part of these great projects.  A very popular service project is at the BCMF B.K.Kee Patient House (See “Tooth Brushes, Tooth Paste, Facts and a Preview” )
Nalagay and Rotarian Maliwnan
While our service projects are designed to facilitate member involvement, there are some noted situations where their success would not be possible without the support of former Rotarians and other kind and generous people in our community.   For example, this year’s Winter Clothing Appeal campaign would have been very difficult without the generosity and Rotary spirit of Peter Barlow.
 
Going forward, we hope to establish a Rotary Community Corps involving the 11 Tessaban schools of Chiang Mai where we will continue to support the students in the Thai public schools.  We are also working to establish a community based Interact club.   We will also be exploring further opportunities to work with the other Rotary Clubs in Chiang Mai.    These efforts will require members who live by our Rotary motto of “Service Above Self”.  If you are a Chiang Mai area resident, or soon may be and you are looking for an opportunity to give back to the community, please contact us.  One of my very favorite things to do is have lunch with a prospective member.   It that you?