2020-2021 Made Super Heroes of Us All!Dear Super Hero Rotarians of District 6840:
I want to thank you for sharing this year of growth, innovation, and adaptation with me. I learned something every single time we had the opportunity to exchange ideas and that is a fantastic way to spend the time we have: learning and growing.
It has been my great honor to have served this year as District Governor. The dash between 2020 and 2021 when we write out this year in Rotary terms, 2020-2021, is difficult to sum up.
Please take a minute to reflect on all we were able to do for our communities through Rotary and take a deep breath before harnessing all of this positivity and applying it to the start of a new Rotary year with Bob Vaughn and the leadership team who assume their new roles on July 1. We are turning over to them clubs that are strong and vibrant, with Rotarians who are fully engaged and ready to apply what we learned this year about service versus meals; collaboration between clubs; accessing and making better use of the larger Rotary network; utilizing technology and human resources in new ways. Together we rallied to provide relief to our front line workers, our friends in the restaurant industry, and all those in our community who continue to need a helping hand. We partnered with health care and government agencies to promote vaccination campaigns knowing full well the particular health care and education and access challenges of both Louisiana and Mississippi. We partnered again with public health and the hospital sectors to hold blood drives throughout District 6840, and when weather permitted, we took district conference and fundraising activities outside where we could take our 2D relationships back into the 3D world. Our partnership with Shelter Box continued a long tradition of advocacy and assistance for those displaced by natural disasters; our District Foundation raised funds for direct assistance to our many neighbors affected by our long hurricane season.
Over the course of this year, I asked you all for a great deal of information to help guide me as District Governor in making decisions about where and how to lend support. Now that I will have time to look at the information more closely, I will prepare a “State of the District” report and video we can all use to show the world and our neighbors “what Rotary does.” It is my hope that we all collaborate even more as Rotarians and Rotary Clubs to make the best use possible of the truly incredible resources, skills, ideas and initiatives that are already available and in play across the district.
Again, I thank you all for your inspiration and enthusiasm. Your actions as Rotarians have Opened Opportunities for one another and also to the many people you serve locally and across the world as People of Action. As we go forward together in Rotary, please include me on your invitations to service and fellowship opportunities. You’ll find I am as willing to swing a hammer as I am to troubleshoot data maintenance, judge at your next chili cook off or serve beer at your golf tournament. Beware that I will probably show up with my Rotary Super Hero cape on!
I wish you all peace, good fortune and long lives of Service Above Self. As we turn the page to the 2021-2022 Rotary Year, in which we Serve to Change Lives, I wish District Governor Bob Vaughn and the leadership teams of our district and clubs all the best.