Allentown Rotary President-elect Kati Labuda, submitted the following message for this issue of the SMILE:
As the new Rotary year approaches it will be unique. The world is a different place today as we know it. I am excited and nervous at the challenges and opportunities before us. I ask myself, “what is Rotary?” Rotary has so many meanings to all of us. Rotary is an extension of our families. We have built many friendships and will continue to do so. We also have the ability to help others. While I believe that this is always important, I think it is more important now than ever before. We can help those in our community and also around the world.
Service may be different this year. As you all know, Allentown Rotarians have participated in many projects
in the past, such as Romper Day, The Dictionary Project, Salvation Army Bell Ringing, Good Shepherd Monte Carlo Night, Camp Neidig, Arbor Day tree planting, Meals on Wheels, Allentown Rescue Mission Thanksgiving Solicitation, Habitat for Humanities, Miracle League, and many others. I think we all hope that we return to our normal schedules and routines without any restrictions.
Currently we have to be ready to act when needed. It might mean modified or new service projects for the club.
With all the uncertainty, there are a lot of unknowns. What we do know is that there will be people and businesses in the community that will need our help. The start of the year will not proceed as it has traditionally in the past. We are going to need to be innovative and flexible in our approach moving forward. How can we collaborate and build teamwork within our club and community with the existing conditions? Weekly meetings will be held via Zoom along with our happy hours and monthly coffee meetings. I welcome creative ideas and thoughts on what you would like to see during this upcoming year.
Rotary International Action Plan for Clubs Around the World
As People of Action, we share a strong sense of purpose.
More than a century ago, we pioneered a new model of service leadership grounded in person-to-person connections. Today, those connections are a network that spans the globe—bridging cultural, linguistic, generational, and geographic barriers—and shares the vision of a better world.
As People of Action, we understand that fulfilling that vision requires a plan.
This is Rotary’s plan for the next five years:
to increase our impact, expand our reach, enhance participant engagement, and increase our ability to adapt.
