Asst. DG Jane Howard told us that it is an honor to introduce Deb who was with the Sheriff’s Dept. for 18 years before being hired as SLO Police Chief in 2003. She served until 2011.
Deb asked us to take a minute to imagine what our community would be like without our Rotary Club. What would have happened if we didn’t provide scholarships, food for families in need, volleyballs for kids whose volleyball camp was cancelled, etc. Please know you are so relevant and important to the community during these difficult times.
Our focus this year is Rotary Opens Opportunities, selected long before COVID. We are being challenged to find opportunities despite what everyone is facing. Check out RI’s video at https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Rotary+International+video+%22What+we+see%22&docid=607995961547360068&mid=E8E94660AA081FD017F0E8E94660AA081FD017F0&view=detail&FORM=VIRE.
Our District-wide focus. Membership is a priority. Look for opportunities for new clubs. We can create satellite clubs that meet at different times and places; cause-based clubs; clubs that cater to different demographics. Do you have any ideas for opportunities for new kinds of clubs. We need to keep in touch with members who are not attending meetings to keep them engaged. Continue doing community service projects to keep members involved.
The second focus is the Rotary Brand. To quote Maya Angelou: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”. This is true of our club meetings. Getting word out about our club through social media is important.
Deb also reminded us that we are still working to eradicate Polio. One of the speakers at this year’s conference is a man who was raised by a mother in an iron lung due to polio. She told us that he has an amazing and uplifting story and encouraged everyone to attend the virtual conference to hear him speak. You can check out the agenda for the entire conference at https://www.dropbox.com/s/2pcdtsu2729ayfn/Agenda%20for%20Website%202020.pdf?dl=0
Finally, DG Deb reminded us of a quote by Charles Dickens, “No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of another”.
Deb then presented the District 5240 People of Action Award to Linda Sherman for her tireless and selfless service.