What do you believe will be the greatest challenge you will face as President this year?
I’m not sure it will be the greatest challenge as you never know what will come your way, but, right now, it’s the return to in-person meetings. And the reason it’s a challenge is because I see it as an opportunity to possibly change the way we meet - but people don’t like change! Dealing with COVID has shown us that we are adaptable as a club and ZOOM allowed the engagement of everyone, including those who were not in our area. It was very positive for the club and I’d like to see that continue.
Rotary's founder, Paul Harris, almost a century ago, stressed that Rotary would need to change with a changing world. "The story of Rotary will have to be written again and again". So, it’s a good time to reflect and see what, if any, change we should make to ensure our meeting format reflects the future needs of our club.
What do you see are your highest priorities for 2021-2022?
I’d like to explore new fundraising opportunities, grow our membership and promote the great work of our club. We have some great fundraisers - golf and Lobsterfest, but I have read about so many other creative ways to raise funds and engage members that I’d like time to explore some. Growing membership is critical too, for the future of the club. We seek a younger, more diverse demographic, reflective of our community, who are committed to Service Above Self. Finally, our club does tremendous work but we don’t shine the light enough on our achievements. The plan will be to increase our social media presence and promote ourselves more! This has the potential to attract new members as well as garnering support (financial and otherwise) for the club.
What are the most important goals you want to see the Club achieve this year?
We are such a well-organized club that many of our projects just keep going from year to year so those will continue, but I would like us to reflect on how we can grow and enhance these projects so that we have an even greater impact in the communities we serve. I also hope that we will be able to implement projects which will help our communities but require minimal financial support. For example, helping seniors with small projects in their homes, mentoring youth, Rotary Days of Service at non-profits, etc. I would also like to see us engage individuals in our community who are unable to make a full commitment to Rotary at this time but want to support us. The concept of “Friends of Rotary” is something I’d like to explore – people we can turn to if we need help at an event, or would like to buy presents at Christmas for Atira houses, etc. These people may be past or prospective members or individuals who just support the ideals of Rotary. For various reasons not everyone is able to commit to the club, but we need to harness their enthusiasm for our good work. And finally, I’d like every member to feel that the great work of Rotary International will inspire them to make a contribution to the Rotary Foundation.
What changes do you want to see this year?
While administrative matters tend to be boring as well as a challenge in volunteer organizations, it’s critical for a club to maintain it’s records. So, we have embarked on a project to enhance the use of ClubRunner and our records maintenance. Finally, in addition to achieving the goals I have mentioned, I’d like to see engagement by every club member in some capacity during the year.
