Below are the remarks I gave at the Installation Dinner on June 27th. For those of you that were not able to attend, I hope it will help you get a sense of how excited I am for this year and some of the things I would like our club to work toward.
Good evening Fall River Rotarians and welcome to our extended Rotary family. Thank you for the honor of allowing me to stand before you as President of this great club. It is only proper that I begin by acknowledging the many Presidents that have held this position before me, many of whom are in this room tonight. I would especially like to thank Lorraine Travers for serving this club as President over the last year. I am only beginning to understand the number of hours you put in each week to make sure we had the chance to participate in a wide variety of projects and to meet our club, district and Rotary International goals.
Not only is it an honor to have been elected as President, but the team of officers that I get to work with is outstanding. To have Jen Preston, Kim Smith, Jen Vincent, and Lisa Raiche leading this year with me is remarkable. We have already been meeting not only to plan out the year, but to plan for a smooth transition from year to year.
Rotary International President John Germ has set this coming year’s theme as “Rotary Serving Humanity.” He says “I believe everyone recognizes the opportunity to serve Rotary for what it truly is: not a small opportunity, but a great one; an opportunity of a lifetime to change the world for the better, forever through Rotary’s service to humanity.”
So the question is how do we take that theme and make it relevant here in our club? How will we serve humanity over the next year? I plan for us to take a three pronged approach and hope you will embrace this as well. First, we will serve humanity on a global scale, after all the I in R. I. stands for International. We will do this by continuing our efforts to raise money and fulfill our matching grant with the Charlton Foundation to support Polio Plus and the eradication of Polio. We are this close, and we cannot let up on our efforts now. We will support the Rotary International Foundation which celebrates
its 100th anniversary this year. I also hope for us to get involved in either Safe Passages in Guatemala or Razia’s Ray of Hope in Afghanistan; programs that support education in these countries and are strongly supported by other clubs in our District.
its 100th anniversary this year. I also hope for us to get involved in either Safe Passages in Guatemala or Razia’s Ray of Hope in Afghanistan; programs that support education in these countries and are strongly supported by other clubs in our District.
Second, we will serve humanity locally. As a club of almost 90 members, with two strong Interact groups to work with, and four more clubs in our area, we have the potential to be a mighty force. By sharing our many talents and skills, we can make a difference through volunteering. I plan to work with all the committees to make sure we have monthly opportunities to serve the community not just with our money, but with our hands and our hearts. To start with, we are collecting personal care items tonight for those living in transitional housings and shelters. For July we will assist with a WIC Field Day; in August we will stuff backpacks for low-income children as they head back to school, and in early October we will assist my Brother’s Keeper with their work to provide furniture and household items to those in need. There will be something for everyone and if you have an idea, please share it.
And last but not least, I hope that we will all make an effort to serve humanity in our personal lives; that we be consciously more attentive to our family, friends, and co-workers; that we treat each other with just a little more mercy. That we practice Random Acts of Kindness, or perhaps Rotarian Acts of Kindness. You can decide for yourselves what this means, for me I am going to try to express my gratitude more often, to acknowledge the gifts and talents in others. I am going to try to be more helpful without being asked.
So once again, thank you for trusting in me. I expect the very best from each of you, and together we will have one incredible Rotarian year.
Trish Robertson
President, Rotary Club of Fall River
President, Rotary Club of Fall River