Rotary International District 5500 Annual Conference 2011
Posted by Bonnie E. Palmer
on Nov 16, 2011
October 28-30th 2011 I attended the Rotary International District 5500 Annual Conference in Tucson as the President-Elect of our Coolidge Club. I had not attended for several years, and (as most of us do before making a commitment for three days of our time) drove to Tucson, thinking of all the things I should be doing with the weekend.
Folks – it was so worth it! I know we are all very familiar with what we do as Rotarians in and around Coolidge but I think we lose sight of what Rotary is and does nationally and internationally to make it the Greatest Service Club in the World!!! Going to a workshop or conference – outside of our county – gets your attention quickly to reaffirm what an incredible organization we are all part of. There is so much more within Rotary for us to take advantage of and participate in – but first we have to expose ourselves to it by increasing our own involvement at different levels.
I came back really revived! Perhaps it’s because I’m now retired and have the time to explore new ways to be of service or my personal “hamster wheel” isn’t turning quite so fast with daily deadlines. Whatever the reason – I listened and actually “heard” new ideas for invigorating local clubs; fresh ideas for involving young members; changing ideas about membership, meeting times, Rotary rules, and public image. I learned of an incredible international project a small neighboring club did in Egypt during the turmoil---------we could have been a part of that! And, I learned of dozens of projects being conducted by clubs with Simplified and Matching Grants.
Of course there were mixers, networking times, workshops and speeches, recognitions of current and upcoming District officers as well as an appeal to attend the International Convention in Thailand. There were presentations by the Group Study Exchange Team and the Youth Exchange Students – including our own Koen.
Coolidge was given a special recognition for its 75th Birthday February 2012 and upcoming involvement opportunities were noted:
o November 19, Rotary Tour de Tucson for Polio Plus
o January 28, Casa Grande, Leadership Conference
o April 28, District Rotarians at Work Day
o May 3-5, Rotary Convention, Bangkok, Thailand
o October 26-27, 2012 District Conference, Tucson
o 2013 – RI Convention, Lisbon, Portugal
The three days flew by and I drove home (with Koen) excited about new possibilities for Coolidge Rotary. My thanks to Coolidge Rotary for sponsoring my attendance. It was awesome!