District Governor Nancy's Message - August 2015

Posted 
on Aug 01, 2015
 
And now we are into one month of our Rotary New Year and plans are being or have been made for an exciting year filled with fundraisers, family activities, joint activities and Community projects. These are busy times indeed as we prepare to continue the good work of Rotary.
 
August is named as Membership and Extension month in Rotary. And while we assign a month to Membership focus; in reality Membership and the growth of our Club TEAM is a year round consideration. If we want to sustain our clubs, we understand the importance of building and growing our membership by sharing the Gift of Rotary with more ‘soon-to-be members’.
 
Let’s first look at the word TEAM. We all recognize the significance of sports TEAMS, of building winning TEAMS; of groups gathered together in TEAMS. I have capitalized TEAM for a reason. The acronym of T.E.A.M. is Together Everyone Achieves More.
 
All of us belong to TEAM Rotary. In TEAM Rotary there are no spectators or audience. Every member is in the ‘game’; no one sits on the bench; and everyone benefits. Every member is involved at some level in at least one of the Five avenues of service at any given time; - working the front line, the coaching line, the back line, the outfield. Each one of us is involved in our club taking care of our communities through our programs and projects.
 
Rotary is the best TEAM for making the world a better place and I am pleased all of you are on the TEAM. Rotary provides the opportunity to serve and the opportunity to make a difference in the world. As Rotarians, we are very fortunate. We have opportunities to be inspired every day through our actions in ‘Service Above Self’. We have opportunities to form lasting friendships and acquaintances with fellow Rotarians. Through Rotary we can network with others and gain a broader understanding of our community needs. We have all been given a Gift in the form of being a member of Rotary. Please take this Gift and pass it along to someone else by inviting and asking them to join you and your Rotary TEAM.
 
Most people join Rotary for various reasons: to become involved, form personal relationships and friendships, volunteer their time in meaningful ways, feel they are making a difference, connect with other families, and use their professional and personal skills and talents to help themselves and the club. People come into Rotary for all kinds of reasons; but they stay because they become involved and Rotary is fun to be a part of. So I encourage all of you to have fun in your clubs because our service is more effective when we serve together with our friends.
 
A new Rotary benefit became available to you on July 1. Rotary Global Rewards will offer discounts on many products and services at a discounted price. Some of the participating companies will also provide revenue back to Rotary International with our purchases. This is available through My Rotary. There will be more information forthcoming.
 
George and I have started the Official Club Visit journey through the District. We have enjoyed each of our club visits since beginning our travels on July 14th. At every visit, our welcome has been exceptional and we have enjoyed excellent fellowship and wonderful hospitality. We are looking forward to seeing you soon.
 
And as a person, a leader and a Rotarian - keep growing!
 
Yours in Rotary Service and Friendship
 
Nancy