Our Club Assembly 2011
President Sandy Nichols started her Club Assembly by showing a video, "The History of Rotary". One of many videos available about Rotary on YouTube, Sandy said, "You can learn a lot about Rotary. We are at the 6 month mark of my Presidency."
"History of Rotary" video: First project in Chicago, building comfort stations. By 1921, there are Rotary clubs on every continent. In 1907, a fund was started and it became the Rotary Foundation. Rotary grew and expanded its mission. The Code of Ethics became the Rotary Four Way Test.
Rotary participated in the birth of the United Nations in 1945, at the United Charter Conference. Founder Paul Harris passed away in 1947. Film spoke about Ambassadorial scholars and health and hunger grants. Rotary International strengthened its commitment to us with the development of Interact Clubs,Rotary Village Corps, World Community Fund, and International Service.
In 1985 Rotary started the Polio Plus Program; Rotary is the largest private sector working on the eradication of polio. In 1989 women were admitted to Rotary. Rotary addressed global issues, literary, drug abuse, has created Centers for Conflict Resolution, and has eight universities have partnered with Rotary for peace studies and international relations. Rotary is dedicated to world peace, clean water and sanitation, and safe dwellings providing a new-found sense of hope by working together making all this Rotary'a legacy for the future.
Sandy said, "Rotary is an amazing organization. I got involved and I helped during Scott's first year as he was a charter member and when he went on the NID trip to Nigeria and it turned out to be amazing I read the e-mails at the club and I saw, when he returned that although he was the same person, I saw how it touched him. And it still makes me cry. I could see that it was an amazing organization. I wanted to be a part of this amazing organization.
"We help with water wells; we help with the organization and I was so proud of being a Rotarian. It is truly Service Above Self. We are worldwide. You need to be proud of being a Grover Beach Rotarian."
Our President then listed our accomplishments: Giving support to AmpSurf; Sponsoring in the Pismo Beach Clam Festival Parade with a float of the 11 Little Festival Queens; Clean Up Day started with the city of Grover Beach; the junk run and yard work for the house overrun with stuff in Grover Beach; the Grover Beach Stone Soup Music Faire; Coats for Kids: the St. Pat's Food Drive; Step-off at the Grover Beach Christmas Parade; our Christmas Party; the GSE group that came with Steve Curry, Steve Schumann and the Nichols hosting; GSE BBQ at the Currys; our first fundraiser; Youth Act; all of our family of Rotary events; our social with our District Governor Deepa; Christmas party with the Boys' and Girls' Club youngsters. Forgetting something? "Oh, the exchange students we hosted, including our little Chelsea who is over in France right now and doing
really well; our Ermasio project; Honduras and the cataract surgery; and we've teamed with the Rotary Club of Los Osos with the Rwanda project!"
"What's ahead?" asked Sandy. "We have more to come. March 1 marks the golf marathon as our one, big fundraiser; the
Lucia Mar Track Meet is the 2nd Saturday in May and a great opportunity for us to help the kids. We have a Rotary workday, teamed with
Couple of other things President Miss Sandy mentioned were our sending students to RYLA, the youth leadership camp, sponsoring the annual Four-Way Test Essay Contest, and the announcement of two new club formations that will have our blessing. Young professionals will be encouraged to join Rotary through an Associate Member Club and an Eco Club, focusing on environmental projects. More information is coming on both soon.
She then split us into three brainstorming groups, and asked each for something that they want our club to do in the next six months. Scott Nichols' group wants to be more visible in the community. Breven Baima's wants toincrease our membership, via a club contest. Bob Perrault said his group wants to continue community service projects like the AGHS FFA site renewal and the upcoming Exploration Station garden creation.
President Miss Sandy wanted all the members to realize that this truly this is their club.