Greetings Rotarians!
It's a beautiful day and PERFECT weather for the community's Clean Sweep!
Please join us between 3 and 5 pm today (Tuesday, May 11) at either of our sites to assist in the effort. Whether you have 10 minutes to contribute or up to all 2 hours, "many hands make light work." We have two locations. The first is Woodbury Avenue. Parking is at the business plaza on Woodbury. The second location is McPherson. Parking is at the the old Cox Communications building parking lot.
As you know, Protection of the Environment is Rotary's newest focus area. Clean Sweep is one of the ways our club and our members can demonstrate its investment in this cause. The other six focus areas are Promoting Peace, Fighting Disease, Providing clean water, sanitation and hygiene, Saving mothers and children, Supporting education, and Growing local communities. To learn more about each of these area, please visit the Rotary International website at www.rotary.org.
Caring for our community will also be demonstrated this week as we honor a member of the fire, police, and sheriff departments at our meeting on Thursday, May 13. Our appreciation goes out to all members of these public safety entities, with this year's recipients being representative of the collective dedication and commitment. Justin James...Thank You for coordinating and hosting the upcoming recognitions!
Several members of the board of directors participated in a conversation about the Rotary District 5650's proposed budget that will be voted on at the upcoming Annual Meeting on May 20 at 7 p.m. It is anticipated that there will be a reimbursement to clubs again this year due to certain expenses not being realized due to the pandemic. In addition to the proposed budget, there is a request to use funds from a multi-year surplus to fund a public relations initiative to promote Rotary and in turn, support membership growth. As shared in meetings the past few weeks, membership development is a high priority as it is through our members that the work of Rotary is done. A digital presence is an essential component, and this proposal is an additional targeted effort intended to reach out to potential members in new ways. Carol Horner, Incoming District Governor champions aggressive membership growth efforts, and this is one of the strategies. The conversation was very thoughtful and there was at least one "take away" for each person in the Zoom meeting. Our thoughts and feedback were shared in a follow up conversation with DGE Carol Horner and via email. Our club will have four electors at the Annual Meeting to vote on behalf of the club. The consensus was supporting an affirmative vote to approve the use of surplus funds (approximately $9,000 - $13,000) for a campaign. The details may change based on feedback from clubs and members. The intended outcomes of broadening our awareness, expanding recruitment efforts and bringing in new members is a must. This is one of the was we can support Carol as she dives into her district governor year. Thanks again, Carol, for your leadership, passion and purpose.
Please join me in extending condolences to Cieandra and Jared Tripp on the death of Cieandra's grandfather and also of an uncle. We are thinking of you and your family at this time of grieving and celebration of lives well-lived.
Respectfully,
Carol Wood