District Governor shares Rotary Strategic Plan
District Governor Lawrence Furbish and his wife Barbara, both members of the Sanford-Springvale Club, were guests at our meeting on October 7. District Governor Nominee Marge Barker also joined us. Larry started with a quote from Confucius that is the inspiration for the 2014-2015 RI theme: Light Up Rotary. “It is better to light one small candle than curse the darkness.” Together, we can light up the world.
Larry shared the Rotary Strategic Plan which had three key objectives: Strengthen Clubs, Increase Humanitarian Service and Enhance Public Awareness of Rotary.
Strengthen Clubs:
Rotary is now losing members faster than they are joining. The bottom line is that we need to ask people to join. Ask your spouse, ask your child, ask your co-workers, as you friends. Rotary now has options for clubs and club meetings. You can have a satellite club that meets at a different time of day. You can have an E-Club. New relaxed attendance rules allow you to think beyond breakfast, lunch and dinner clubs and weekly meetings. All are invited to the October 22 District Membership/Foundation Seminar at the Fireside Inn in Westbrook 3-8PM which includes a dinner buffet. If interested, contact Steve and sign up at the District 7780 website.
Increase Humanitarian Service:
Nothing builds club camaraderie and spirit like a hands-on project in your community. While local involvement is important, mankind is our business, so projects with international scope are also important. In 2008, Larry went to India with 37 Rotarians from all around the world. He told us that being there, placing those drops in children’s mouths, helped bring the importance of polio eradication project home. The Rotary fight against polio began in 1979 with the purchase of some vaccines. In support of the ongoing fight, the Gates Foundation has issued a challenge through 2018 that will double match up to $35M each year.
Enhance Public Awareness:
Host a Rotary Day in 2014-2015. Any club, big or small, can host a Rotary Day. Neighboring clubs can pool their resources and co-host an event -- even entire districts can come together for a large-scale Rotary Day. An example is the Food Packing event that was held at the Maine Mall on September 27. The District Newsletter will have a monthly focus on clubs. Clubs should send pictures and a short article of past and upcoming events. Most importantly, we should have fun while doing good.