President Bill Message for 5/2/2016

I have had certain moments in my life that stand out and will never be forgotten.  For example, I will never forget my oldest son’s first varsity lacrosse game when he ran down an opponent, laid out and checked the ball from the opponent’s stick to keep it in the offensive end. It was a pure show of determination.  I remember my son, Andy, who had a small part in Westside Story at Thornton, but he stole his primary scene with sheer enthusiasm.  Finally, I will never forget my daughter Erin’s heartfelt valedictorian speech when she graduated from TA in which she acknowledged the contributions of her standout teachers.  All of those events and many more like them caused the pride and me to well up from my toes until the pressure seeped out around my eyes.  My skin prickled in a good way, and it took all that I could muster to keep from screaming how much their actions meant to me (truth be told I was screaming at the lacrosse game).  

    I had the same sense of pride and a deep feeling of appreciation on Tuesday night at the community kickoff event for Red Ribbon week.  As I watched and somewhat participated in the evening as it unfolded, I was blown away not only by the substance of the presentations but also by the sense of accomplishment – we did this.  Of course, by “we” I mean Jim Godbout, Andy Greif, Karen Chasse and the rest of the Red Ribbon Committee.  It was an incredible first step in what I hope will be a long and successful journey.

    Just as I have continued to have those moments of tear generating pride associated with my children, I am confident that I will continue to be equally proud of all of the efforts of our Club.  Red Ribbon is the most recent shining example of the power of our Club and what we can do as a team.  I thank you all for your hard work on behalf of the Club and on behalf of our communities.

On an unrelated topic, the Fireside Chat was a fun and I hope educational event for our new members.  A big thank you to Ken Farley for putting the agenda together and thanks to Bernice for keeping the meeting moving along.  Thanks to the veteran members who provided the education and thanks to the new members who came and participated.  I hope that the chat was a good lesson about the power of our club and its ability to have a good time while doing good things.

Thanks Bill