President Dan's First Club Meeting

In Montreal there were approximately 22,000 people associated with Rotary and to impress them, all we really had to do was tell them about the work we do in the Swan City Rotary Club. I find the best part about conventions is meeting and talking to other Rotarians. You meet many of them at the sessions but you can actually have a conversation when you meet them on the street. Even after the convention when Cheryl and I were in Quebec City, most of the people we had the opportunity to meet were other Rotarians who had made the trip up from Montreal. Rotary is rich and full of traditions, however Ray Klinginsmith challenges us to review our practices and determine if they are still working for our club or if it's just tradition. So we have a plan to review what we do and get your feedback as to whether or not we still need some things and listen to what new things you would like to see in Swan City Rotary. I'd like to give you a bad example of tradition; as you know Rotary has expanded our horizon's and allowed ladies to join in on the fun and of course you started with Arlene Miller. Today, there is a lady on the Rotary International Foundation board of Trustees, who was a big hit with the ladies at the convention. While Cheryl and I were in Quebec City, we were having a pop on a sidewalk cafe. Beside us sat a group of Rotarians from Whales, don't insult them and call them English. As we discussed Rotary, one gentleman asked if we were having problems with our membership. We explained no, we have about 120 in a city with about 300 Rotarians. He said their numbers were dropping and they were struggling with membership, but in the conversation we learned that they don't allow women. Well our advice was easy from there, let the ladies in and your numbers will grow. He didn't like the answer. That's just one example of how we allow our traditions to hinder growth and progress. The 4 words Ray uses to describe Rotary are "Building Communities, Bridging Continents". In Montreal, they had a strong group of keynote speakers that included Father Marciano "Rocky" Evangelista - Founder of Taloy Foundation, who helps by offering schooling to the street children of the Philippines. Dolly Parton - Founder of the Dollywood Foundation's Imagination Library program, providing age appropriate books each month, to children from birth until the age of 5. Bob Mazzuca - Chief Scout Executive, Boy Scouts of America, talking about leadership and teaching it at an early age. Jo Luck - President and CEO of Heifer International, whose goal is to help end world hunger and poverty through self reliance and sustainability. Greg Mortensen - Author of 3 cups of Tea - discussed his mission of building schools in war torn Pakistan and Afghanistan. He had a strong quote I would like to share with you. He said "Rotary is not about helping, but it is about empowering", and he's right. You don't have to look any further than Chris' efforts in Ethiopia or Delayne's in South America or Miguel and Dan's in Chile to see examples of giving to empower. I really enjoyed a speaker from Cypress who was not on the agenda, so I missed his name. I apologize. He talked about Cypress is divided with the Turks to the north and the Greeks to the south and a UN peacekeeping line in the middle. He talked about how they hated each other and how the hatred was passed down from generation to generation. The new generation hated people they had never even met due to the peacekeeping line. Well to make his story short, today they allow people to cross this line through a designated opening. Today Rotarians cross this border to meet in English to help heal the wounds of the past. If you are looking for a powerful example of Rotary, may I suggest joining Felix in New Orleans next year. As for what Ray said about making our club bigger, better and bolder. When you look at our club, some might say we are big enough, we are good enough and we are bold enough. If we say that to ourselves enough we will become complacent very fast. From my short speech at the turnover meeting, I believed that looking towards the future we need to ask how we can become a stronger and more productive club. We may come up with some new projects this year, but we will always consider the impact of those projects on our members and their time. People join Rotary for many different reasons. I very much enjoy the pride that comes when we are able to empower someone by giving them the necessary tools. We have a good balance of community and international projects in our club. In the community we are often just giving a helping hand, but internationally we are empowering others and their appreciation seen firsthand is powerful in itself. I joined Rotary for the fellowship that comes with being a member. I have moved a lot in my adult life and learned at an early age that a service club is a great way to meet people in the community. Always keeping in mind our motto of "Service above Self". Kalyan Banerjec, RI President 2011/12 talked about service and I quote "Through service we are able to look within ourselves to find reserves of generosity, of grace, and of care and concern and to seek a deeper meaning to our daily lives. We discover what it means to help a human being and in doing so we become more fully human ourselves." Over the past 4 years as a Rotary member, Dave it could have been 5, I have made some very good friends, I have found a city I'm proud to call home. Therefore over the next year while the board and the committee's are taking care of a lot of important things, my focus will be on the line "will it build goodwill and better friendships". I would like to see our club become more familiar with each other. If you were to look around the room now, how many people do you see whose names you don't know. For the long term members, maybe only a few, for the newer members it could be many. As we discuss projects or fundraisers through the year, my question will be how will it encourage fellowship and how can we ensure everyone is involved sometime though the year. So please, my ask of you and my challenge to you is to sit at a different table, go to a stranger's house for dinner. Shake as my hands as possible, learn something about each person. Be involved, the reward is endless. Thank you.