As we are all aware, the past few months have been a trying time for all of us.  The pandemic that we continue to face has disrupted many parts of our lives, especially around our interactions with others.  Our Rotary club has not been immune to this pandemic.  We have seen it affect our weekly meetings, caused us to delay and rethink our major fundraisers, and has us reevaluating how we can best support our local community and continue to make a difference in the world.  

It has been a challenging time to say the least, but Rotarians have never been shy about facing challenges head on.   Rotarians have a history of facing immense challenges, from our efforts to eradicate polio worldwide to continuously working to improve the lives our area youth.   I have no doubt as we move forward, our Sandpoint Rotary Club will find a way to not only survive, but thrive.

Under the leadership of our past President, Mel Dick, our club has never been stronger.  Our membership has increased dramatically over the past year, closing in on nearly 100 members.  We have a clear picture of our financial position with adequate reserves to continue to support our community in both the club and the Trust.    In addition, our club continues to make a major difference in the local community, even during this period, through funding programs like the Book Trust to the financial aid we recently provided the Food Bank.    We should all be proud of the difference we have made and will continue to make in the future.

As the incoming President for our club, I am both excited and humbled to be leading our club for this next year.  I recently had the opportunity to speak to our club about the key initiatives and goals for the 2020-21 year and I’d like to highlight three of the most important. 

1.       Club Meetings – During this time, for the safety of our membership, we have had to alter our weekly club meetings to Zoom calls.  We know this has not been ideal and we all miss the fellowship and comradery of our normal meetings.  It is a major focus of the Board to return to normal meetings as soon as possible, but safety and health of our membership will continue to be our main focus.  As members, please know that this is not a decision we take lightly and it may be some time before we can return to meeting face to face.     

2.       Financial Stability of the Club & Trust – As stated above, our club finds itself on firm financial footing in both the Club and Trust, with reserves available to continue to support programs like scholarships, youth service initiatives, and other community needs.  The leadership team has spent countless hours reviewing and revising the budget for next year.  Being a great steward of our financial resources is of upmost importance to me and I want ensure that our club remains financially stable through these trying times.

3.       Major Hand-On Community Project – If you walk around Sandpoint, you don’t have to look far to see the impact that Rotary has had throughout the years in the community.  From Farmin Park to the Kootenai Playground, the Sandpoint Rotary Club has dedicated countless hours and resources to improving the community.   During a recent membership survey, it was apparent that our club wanted the chance to work together to complete another major community project.  We were recently approached by Pine Street Woods about our interest in supporting and building a “Welcome Center” and shelter.  Our plan is to host our summer picnic at Pine Street Woods in late July so our club members can learn more about this project and the impact it will have on the community.  

Personally, I want to express my gratitude and appreciation for all the time and effort each of you dedicates to our Rotary Club.  These are challenging times for sure, but I know that our club and it’s members will continue to be difference makers in our community and throughout the world.  

In service,

Ken Wood

Sandpoint Rotary Club President – 2020-2021