Dear Members of the Marion East Cedar Rapids Rotary Club,
It has been a crazy couple of years since the MECR board first voted to take a chance and see whether an evening club could be a viable option for our community by forming an evening satellite club. The members of the satellite are all very indebted to you for doing so! The evening club format allows people whose schedules do not accommodate a traditional meeting format an opportunity for service above self that they would not have had otherwise. The hope of every club in forming a satellite is the eventual launch of that satellite into a full-fledged club able to operate on its own. We had a ton of momentum early this year and the goal of launching as an independent club by July, but we experienced a setback with the social distancing. Alternatively, a different approach to launching the club came in the form of a partnership with the Rotary Club of Mount Vernon-Lisbon, which has many worthwhile programs but a smaller membership. Recognizing the common interests, the members opted to support a merger to form the Rotary Club of Linn County IA, with a focus on Rotary youth programs, health promotion, and food and shelter insecurity especially among youth. We look forward to continuing on alongside you in service to our community and our world!
Kisti Dimki