DECEMBER 2020 D6840 Newsletter - Rotary Opens Opportunities (Dec 13, 2020)

Message from District Governor Elizabeth

At long last, we say good bye to 2020. We have accomplished so much and together we have reclaimed 2020!

I hope that you and your families have arrived to this moment with a renewed appreciation for all the reasons we are fortunate. As we hold our loved ones tight and are grateful, we also look to our neighbors and our communities and hold them tight through our ongoing support and unflagging dedication. Our membership in Rotary, our service of caring and doing, and our global focus on disease prevention has helped everyone around us to have the confidence to forge a path forward.

Especially I hope that we help the discussions about a “return to normalcy” consider that “normal” wasn’t equally great within our communities. We need no further evidence than our long-standing projects. We feed people; we fund literacy projects; we fund higher education; we teach financial literacy; we are People of Action and we have been needed since 1905. So, let’s re-think “normal” and get involved in the discussions and planning for how to emerge and rebuild from this year of disrupted systems and daily life.

Thinking and innovation and rebuilding take a lot of work. It takes deliberate effort and discussion and listening and throwing ideas out and starting again. But when we renew our commitment as members of Rotary to the core values that unite us: Service, Integrity, Diversity, Fellowship, and Leadership, we understand that we are in a unique position to ensure that the “2021 normal” is thoughtful and inclusive and more equitable.

I am fortunate every day to be a part of Rotary and take pride in knowing that in some way I am helping those you help. By giving what I can to The Rotary Foundation I improve the lives of people served by you and your clubs. As a final act to celebrate 2020, I hope you will join me in giving $125 to The Rotary Foundation and support the important work of Rotary clubs everywhere.

I wish you and your families, your clubs and your communities a happy, healthy holiday season. We will celebrate our impact together soon! Clear your calendars for one heck of a well-deserved party on the beach in Gulfport on May 21-22, 2021!

Planning Ahead:

Report 21-22 Leadership Rotary International requires club elections to be held in November and the leadership slate to be reported by December 31
Virtual Rotary Leadership Institute begins January 23, 2021. Register on the district calendar
Mid Year Check Up is February 6 -- watch for the survey; and register your teams for the Virtual Rotary Scavenger Hunt! Winning teams get a full PR package and social media overhaul for their clubs!!!

We believe good health care is everyone’s right. Yet 400 million people in the world can’t afford or don’t have access to basic health care.