President Elect Report from PETS

Wow what a weekend!! Our District 5050 has 56 clubs from Chilliwack to Everett. Now imagine 11 like Districts from Alaska to Northern California to Idaho, with all the Presidents Elect, District Governors, Assistant Governors, trainers, Area Governor, trustees of OUR (The) Rotary Foundation, Past RI Presidents and our Rotary International President Elect Ray Klinginsmith, gathered together for training, meetings and inspirational fellowship meeting at the SeaTac Doubletree Hotel That was my weekend for PETS. Six hundred committed Rotarians talking about the next Rotary year. There were nuts and bolts sessions on administration and the Foundation, and there were optional sessions on public relations, service projects and motivating volunteers. As I was going down anyway I chose to attend a couple of extra sessions on Friday starting at 8:30. I left at 5am to get there through Seattle rush hour. And then we went to 9pm, up for 6:30 then again to 9 and again up at 6:30. I took Fridays Vancouver Sun with me . I didn't even look at the front headlines (or the comics before someone asks!). I've met with Presidents Elect from clubs that have dwindled to 15 members to clubs with 150 plus members. Some clubs have a focus only on one or maybe two of the four avenues of service. We should be proud of how we have engaged in all areas, Vocationally with literacy programs, Internationally with containers and Kenya, Local Service projects like the bike park and manor support, and Youth programs like Youth Exchange and RYLA. The Rotary Club of Port Moody was well represented at PETS. Darrell Burnham as Area D Asst. Gov. and Barrie Seaton was there leading training sessions (yes he even had to put up with me for one) I am proud to be your President Elect. Proud that you have the confidence in me to be able to lead you through the next year. PETS has given me a lot to think about. And I would like to share my thoughts with you over the next few weeks. Ideas about where we are, where we've been and where should we go in the future. Some of you may know I've been in Scouting for over twenty years. When I started, my son was in Beavers . He was staring school in Kindergarten. Beavers have an opening that has the leader call to the Beavers, "Who are we, and what do we do?" "Beavers, Beavers, Beavers, Sharing, Sharing, Sharing" is their reply. I would like our club to have as clear an idea of what we do as Rotarians as the Beavers do