Posted by Denise DiNoto
Happy New Year! It seems strange to think about a new year when we are in the exact middle of our Rotary year.       How is your Rotary year going? Are you and your club still Imagining Rotary? Have you met a personal or Rotary goal? Or are you just trying to dig out of the holiday hoopla and find your way through the new toys littering the floor so you can go enjoy winter?      January is Vocational Service month. Vocational Service is one of the five avenues of service upon which Rotary club activity is based. According to the Rotary website, “Vocational Service calls on every Rotarian to work with integrity and contribute their expertise to the problems and needs of society.” 

Vocational Service is the way Rotary fosters and supports the application of the Ideal of Service to the pursuit of all vocations. It is the shared responsibility of both you and your club.      The role of your club is to develop and implement projects that enable members to use their vocational talents in the service of the community. Your role is to conduct yourself and your businesses in accordance with Rotary principles and support the Vocational Service projects your club has developed.      Each of you have expertise in many areas - it is the reason someone invited you to become a Rotarian! Someone in your club noticed you and thought, “They have a skill we could use at our next project.” My questions to you are meant to help you continue to Imagine Rotary. Are you using your skills to better your club and its service projects? How are you fostering vocational development in your community?      

We all have various ways to contribute. Some of us have social media experience and knowledge. Every club seems to have event planners who enjoy coordinating gatherings. I like public speaking but the idea of having to do accounting makes me break out in a sweat. And when my club asked me to be President, I was willing as long as I didn’t have to run the golf outing (I would almost rather do accounting than run the golf outing!). Take an assessment of your current members and their talents, see what you are missing and go find someone to fill that need.    

However you serve your club and community, don’t forget to keep an eye out for people who may have the skills to help your club be successful with a new project. They may be looking for an opportunity to give back, and Rotary is a perfect avenue!  

Yours in Service,
DG Denise