Like Amy Nicholson I am happy to give a buck in appreciation for the planners of the NC PETS training event in Rochester in mid-March.  At several meetings we were encouraged to think outside the box.  At one session we worked in pairs with someone from another club to come up with a solution to one of several scenarios where a significant group of members or potential members were unable to participate actively in their community’s traditional Rotary club.  I think everyone at my table came up with plans that included forming a satellite club.

A satellite club is formed based on a common interest, a convenient meeting time or location, and/or a more flexible and informal structure than is normally the case with a traditional Rotary club.  It only takes 8 members to form a satellite club as opposed to 20 for a club that is planning to be chartered.  A satellite club is sponsored by an existing club and it also intends to stay a part of that parent club.  The satellite structure can be more informal and fluid than the parent club.  Members do not have to concentrate on the administrative aspects of running a Rotary club because they intend to remain a part of the parent group.  The benefits to the parent club are it gains new members and diversifies its membership.  It provides another alternative for parent club members to participate in the satellite club’s activities as well as those of the parent club.  The satellite and parent club can cross-fertilize each other’s social and community events.  They can become more than the sum of the parts.

We had an opportunity to talk with members from the Boone club which formed a satellite evening club a couple years ago.  Boone has gained 18 new members from its satellite.  The demographic of the satellite is younger and includes several married couples.  They meet twice monthly early in the evening.  The satellite participates in both social activities and community projects.  The satellite has been a win-win for the Boone club, the community and for Rotary International.

I see the satellite model as being one way AM Rotary can continue to diversify and grow without necessarily increasing the number of people who attend our morning meeting in our limited space.  It potentially could allow us more time to decide about when and where to move as our club continues to grow.

 

Those Hardest Hit Need Our Help – A Call to Action from Open Heartland

 

Coronavirus is changing our world and impacting us in ways we would have never anticipated a month ago.  But with the access to resources that each of has, we’ll weather the storm.  That is not the case for everyone living in Johnson County. Imagine not having a financial safety net, no income, and not qualifying for any government assistance during this health crisis.

 

There are at least ninety families, our neighbors with innocent children, whose futures are in severe jeopardy.  Open Heartland came to know these families last summer during our Mobile Home Community Play Dates.  You’ll remember the help we provided with school supplies and winter coats.  These are families who love their children and work hard at their hourly, no-benefits jobs. They’ve escaped impossible lives in Central America to now live the perilous lives of the undocumented.   Because of coronavirus, their small income has disappeared leaving them without money for food, medicine, and rent. 

 

Please do what you can to help these families survive during this crisis.  Open Heartland will make sure that your donations (tax deductible) go to the families in most need. 

With heartfelt gratitude,

Checks can be mailed to:  Open Heartland,7 Wellesley Way, Iowa City, Iowa 52245