President’s Message

For a very long time I wanted to be a part of a non-profit organization that would fulfill my desire to give back to my community. My wish finally came true when I had the opportunity to join our club. To be honest, at the time I had very little knowledge of Rotary. I had certainly heard about it and knew it was a well-respected organization, but I didn’t have even the slightest understanding of just how widespread Rotary’s reach is all over the world and most of all, it came as a complete shock to me that being part of Rotary meant I was a part of a very special global family. Then, I was offered the greatest opportunity and honor of all, which I will cherish forever – to become the president of our amazing club.

Very soon after being selected as president elect, I started thinking about what my goal will be as the president of our club? What message do I wish to convey? What do I wish to achieve in my role? The answer did not immediately present itself and my attention was then diverted when we were all presented with a huge surprise – the global pandemic.

It was amazing how quickly our club responded and transitioned into the zoom world and continued our meetings virtually. Despite all the uncertainty we each faced in our personal lives, the focus of our meetings circled around three primary questions and concerns: (1) who needs help? (2) what kind of help do they need? and (3) what can we do to provide them the help and support they need? This was extraordinary, it was almost like we were in a safe zone, in an indestructible bubble where our personal worries became secondary and we were laser focused on helping those in greater need. I soon realized that what I was witnessing firsthand was “service above self” and I started to better understand what it means to truly be a Rotarian.

As my president elect training continued, I met other Rotarians and learned of the amazing services they were offering to their communities during this pandemic. I learned of Rotarians who put their lives at risk by providing vaccines to people all around the world. Suddenly, the answer to my questions regarding what I wanted my goal, my message, and my achievement as president became very clear to me – and that is: To spread the word about Rotary, to educate people about what Rotary is and what it does, to make sure that this incredible organization continues to grow.

The world we live in is not perfect, the certainties we have in our lives sometimes crumble, not everything we witness is just or fair, but I want everyone, especially our children, to know and believe that there will always be more good in this world than bad, there will always be more help offered than harm done, and there will always be more bliss than despair. This will be true as long as there are people in this world who continue to live their lives by:

Is it the TRUTH?

Is it FAIR to all concerned?

Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?

Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?