President's message

Since, our Rotary club is celebrating 75 years of service and this theme seems perfect for an Anniversary tribute to our community!

 

And, we still have lots of work to do!  In my term, first as vice-President and then as President elect, both Carole and Matt started a number of projects, some are still ongoing today!  Now it's my turn to keep the momentum going!  So, now that our club bylaws have been revised, Carole and her committee will continue to do the same for the Glen and the Charity.

 

We are hoping to unveil our new website – one that's designed for the general public to view, to showcase what we've been up to and encourage inquiries about membership and getting involved with Rotary!  Matt, Tim and I should be finishing this up in the very near future!  

 

For the most part, the club will continue to operate as we always have, meeting on Mondays for lunch, enjoying great speakers, participating on committees, and generally getting the job done!  However, there is one request that I am asking of all our members.  In all our efforts to “Be a Gift to the World” - in every committee, we need to ask ourselves a simple question, Is what we are doing a Rotary relic, something done from habit, or is what we are doing relevant?

 

To that end, I propose that we take a look at the visioning that was prepared five years ago to see how we are doing.  We need to see if we are on target as well as examine the vision to ensure it's still relevant, tweaking our vision if our ideas have changed, and if our deeds aren't reflecting our vision, asking if we have the right vision.
 
On another Rotary Relic versus Relevant front, it's no secret that Service club membership is declining in North America.  This was quite the hot topic in Sao Paulo.  At one time, Rotary was sought out by young professionals as the service club of choice, one where a young businessman could distinguish himself in his field by being associated with Rotary and wearing the Rotary pin.  You just have to look around the room to see that things have changed!  

But now Rotary is competing with the clock – and people not having enough time to attend meetings.  Rotary is competing with the demands of a new work environment and people being transferred around the province and country and holding as many as seven different occupations.  Rotary is competing with family and social demands, as well as family finances.  

 

Where in the past it was easy to delegate club responsibilities to a secretary or assistant, many entrepreneurs are now solo-preneurs and don't have the luxury of delegation.  The workplace has certainly changed, but Rotary has been slow to adapt.

We are brought to a time of reflection – whether our model and membership requirements are leading us to become a Rotary Relic or a Rotary Relevant club!  We certainly have a legacy in this city worth protecting and in order to do that, we may have to change the way we do things.  We can't rely on our past deeds to speak for us.  

 

We need to get out into the community and show everyone that we are not only a viable club to join and support, but that we are a thriving club where every member is engaged and makes a contribution.

 

I know that every one of us are all very proud to be a part of Rotary.  We are all proud of our 4 way test and what Rotary stands for, Service Above Self – it's time to share our ideals and our goals with our community.  

 

At our 75th Anniversary open house, District Governor Will Pugh challenged me to do ten new or different things during my year!  Of course, as your President, I think it's only fair for me to share this challenge with all of you!  

 

I hope that didn't translate into “this is going to be a challenging year”

 

I challenge you to get involved with social media – social media can be our best ally in building relevance!  I challenge everyone to share a Rotary moment on our facebook page.  Imagine our friends and colleagues reading about what Rotary means to us, about the smiles on the children's faces at our annual Christmas party, or the crowds enjoying Rib n Roll.  Don't you think they might want to be a part of this?

 

I know that we don't belong to Rotary to get recognition for our deeds, that the service we do is what's important – but there are benefits to joining Rotary.  Everyone here knows the benefits aren't tangible – none of us are here for the money, heck we pay for the opportunity to serve our community!  

The truth is, we all want to contribute to a better world .  We do what we do to make the world a better place!  Let's share that experience!  After all, who wouldn't want to be a part of eradicating polio world-wide?  For the first time ever, we are less than one month away from being polio free in Africa!

I have some more challenges for you!

I challenge each of you to join a different committee – one that interests you and one that you haven't been a part of before!

I challenge each of you to find a worthy recipient of a club grant or award and present your idea to the Grants and Awards Committee for consideration!  This is your club – your volunteer hours – let's keep it meaningful!

I challenge each of you to find a great speaker or come up with an interesting topic for a meeting – I am sure Barry would appreciate the help!

I challenge each of you to invite a friend out to Rotary – I think we all know someone who would enjoy the weekly lunch and camaraderie of our meetings, who might also be proud to become a Rotarian.

I challenge you to organize a social event outside of our regular meetings, to build upon our connections as like-minded service oriented professionals who care about our community.

 

When you think about it, it's really easy to get engaged with Rotary!  Remember our six avenues of service,
peace and conflict resolution,
disease prevention and treatment
water and sanitation
maternal and child health
basic education and literacy
economic and community development

 – maybe you already have a great idea that you've been mulling over.  Together lets “Be a Gift to the World” and make it happen through Rotary!

 

Thank you!