Our own members John Jones, Steve Herron, and Dick Perman were the speakers for our April 23, 2020 meeting. Their topic: Implementation of the Corona Virus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES). These speakers have intimate knowledge about what this law was supposed to do and how it has been administered. Very generally, Congress passed the CARES Act to provide relief to businesses suffering from the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic. Among other things, it authorized the payment of $2 trillion (I can’t even count the number of zeros here) to businesses and in some cases individuals. The main “small” business provision was the Paycheck Protection Program, which authorized up to $349 billion to businesses with less than 500 employees, sort of. In fact, John mentioned that multi-location companies could qualify if particular locations had less than 500 employees (Is this how Ruth Chris Steakhouse qualified?) John also mentioned that the PPP turned out to be “like an Oklahoma Land Grab” and a “government give-away.” This “give away” was so great that they ran out of money in 12 days! (but additional money was authorized later last week).

Steve Herron detailed some of the problems with the PPP from a banker’s perspective. Exchange Bank received between 1500 and 1700 applications and processed between 1100-1200 SBA approved loans. Exchange Bank and most other banks were completely overwhelmed by the sheer number of applications and simply could not process them all. The application itself wasn’t particularly onerous, but the necessary proofs took time. The key issue from Steve’s perspective was certifying the payroll records, including the form 940 payroll report. Problem areas included whether partners’ income can be included in the payroll number (yes), what expenses could be included in the initial ‘expense’ computation (payroll, not rent or utilities), and what constitutes a small business. Steve also noted that the PPP can only be obtained by applying with a bank such as Exchange Bank. Another CARES Act provision, the EIJLA, allows businesses to apply directly to the SBA, although the loan/grant itself is small in comparison to the PPP.

Dick Perman is a member of SCORE, a national business mentoring group. SCORE has published a variety of articles, facts sheets and webinars dealing with the CARES Act and Dick has been involved in the effort to help small businesses through the process.

Final note: per Leroy, Women’s Recovery Services has been granted a PPP loan!!

Thank you to our speakers for helping us put all of this in perspective. Well done! Is anyone taking bets on how long the second batch of money lasts?

On a regular basis, our resident photo pro Warren Smith, submits pictures of what is going on at the weekly meetings. You can always find the most recent pictures at the websites photo journal called "Meeting Sighting" Please note that all the meeting photos for the entire Rotary year are at this location with the most recent on the last page.

Thanks for all the great pictures Warren! Link to Meeting Sightings. The most recent are on the last page!

with

Maria Arcocha White

Rotary Club of Toledo, Ohio

Founder and CEO of Inclusity LLC

1. What does the phrase “diversity, equity, and inclusion” mean to you?

I immigrated to the United States from Cuba in 1962, when I was three years old. Growing up, I was the only person like me, and I was called names. So I’ve always been very sensitive to exclusion.

When I started my career in the 1980s, women and people of color had begun to come into the professional workforce, and U.S. businesses were starting to realize that there were growing minority populations they needed to appeal to. For me, that translated into a personal passion around diversity. But after working for almost 30 years in the diversity-training space, I realized that we were not focusing enough on creating cultures of inclusion. I started my own company to take a different approach.

I lead with inclusion, because I believe that if you create an inclusive environment, then diversity will come. If you focus only on diversity, you’re just focusing on checking boxes of people who are visibly different. You’ll never change culture because you’re not focusing on behavior.

Diversity is a fact. Inclusion is an act — it takes effort and practice. But over time, it should lead you to a more equitable place, with equal opportunity for all people.

2. How can an organization create a culture of inclusion?

It’s all about the way people behave toward one another. To be inclusive is to be open to difference. So you may need to behave in a different way than you’re used to. One sign of an inclusive culture is that people are listening for assumptions that reflect bias and they feel comfortable saying, “Why do you believe that to be true?” It’s not taken as a judgment. It’s just people trying to help each other and the organization to be successful.

Another sign is that people notice when others are excluded and then do something about it. Like noticing when somebody looks lost. You go up to them and say hi. It seems like such a little thing, but it’s huge! Be approachable. Smile at people. Learn their names. You’d be amazed at how many people don’t do those things.

3. What can Rotary members do?

First, clubs need to put this on their agenda. Even if you don’t think it applies to your club, it absolutely does. Diversity is so broad; it’s not just about race and gender. Just think about how you would describe the majority of people in your club, and then identify people in your community who are outside that norm. If you want your club to grow, then you need to think about this, because the world is becoming a more diverse place all the time.

Second, clubs need to find ways for members to feel included and engaged. My club used to put a lot of effort into recruiting folks but not so much into getting them involved once they were there. This year we created a program in which new members are assigned an “ambassador” who gets to know them and eases them in.

4. How can we ensure a positive outcome?

Change is uncomfortable for everyone, so we need to lead gently and sensitively and to remember our mission. No organization should welcome people who don’t share its mission and values. We’re not going for diversity of values. The way we’re going to grow is with people who are aligned with the values of Rotary. But helping them all feel included is important to success.

— JOHN M. CUNNINGHAM

• Read Rotary’s diversity, equity, and inclusion statement.

• Illustration by Viktor Miller Gausa

• This story originally appeared in the April 2020 issue of The Rotarian magazine.