Well, life gets stranger everyday. With many of us now firmly sheltered in place, it is time to get Rotary moving again, maybe redefined for 2020. I challenged the Presidents Sunday to go virtual... use Zoom, Vimeo, Facebook Live ... whatever vehicle works. Anyone with a telephone can call in, but on a computer or an IPAD, we can actually see each other! The cost is low for it the benefit received. Rotary gets a discount from Zoom. Call Lynne McNamee, our District Public Image guru, if you need any help with set-up or acquisition. Let’s get back to the Business of Rotary... it is an essential organization!
Several of us participated in a Houston call last week that had over 300 participants on it. So a Large meeting can be done well. The beauty of a video is that it can be interactive. You can have a regular club meeting , feature your speaker, and even have your Q&A for your members. While we might not build our “Happy Buck” or “lucky card“ funds, we can still share what is happening with our members, and that keeps our Rotary family connected.
If you have a phone tree established, use that to call one another. Check on each other, as well as your neighbors. The environment we are in changes quickly, so check on one another. If you do not have a phone tree, do something simple. Take the club roster, and the name before and after each name becomes that member’s responsibility to call. My club has done that trick to check on members missing meetings, and it is no special burden on anyone. Preston Center RC is taking steps to make sure their Clubrunner emails are correct, so they can communicate.
2. Service is still needed, perhaps more than ever. Look for ways to serve, without violating the “gathering” rule for your county. When you shop in the grocery store, pick up an extra essential item when available for your elderly neighbor. Prestonwood RC helped with a food drive, each just dropping off groceries at a central location. If you know of a Veteran, don’t forget them. Check on them and their needs. If your club meets at a restaurant and they now have a drive- thru, go by and get take out, telling you are from Rotary and we appreciate them staying open. OVERTIP their staff... those folks need the revenue. Give Blood... without our Blood drives, Carter and the American Red Cross are in desperate need. Please go by on your way home from work and give, if you can get out. Share your ideas and what you are doing. Write a story and send to our website, while posting it on your own website. We need to inspire one another, and show we are truly People of Action. This can be a time to recruit new members because we show HOW MUCH we do!
One thing: track your volunteer hours. Enter them in Rotary Club Central. PLEASE send your monthly totals of volunteer and service hours to your secretary. We will be wanting this information, especially when we get out of our restrictive environment. But we should track our hours all year long.
Presidents were told of a new Grant opportunity regarding furnishing food. A club may request up to $1250 of District Grant funds to help organizations offering food for the needy, like the North Texas Food Bank and other But there are other organizations that need help with providing food, and those would qualify as well. Uptown RC is doing this, and we are sending a the grant template they used. So I hope your club will take advantage of this; funds are not unlimited - first come, first serve.
3. 😯The following big events have been canceled or rescheduled:
The District Conference in April is CANCELED.
The International Conference in Honolulu is CANCELED.
Roundtable in April will be held virtually via Zoom.
😀😀Our next big gatherings in person we HOPE we can hold:
District Assembly - Saturday, May 16
Installation of John Moser, DG for 2020-2021 - Thursday, June 25
Awards Dinner - our 2020-2021 celebration Saturday, July 18
Foundation Gala- Rescheduled for Saturday, November 14
We will be ready to get out and CELEBRATE! Details will be sent as we get closer to these events! But mark your calendar!
Stay well, stay tuned, and make EACH DAY AMAZING... Covad-19 reminds us of that!