Ac-Cent-U-Ate the Positive
It was great to hear Past President Jennifer Soma at our June 30th meeting recount her year as Brookings Rotary Club President. What a year it was!
- We celebrated its 100th birthday proclamations from the Mayor and Governor;
- We gifted to the city a clock that will stand tall on Main Avenue – celebrating 100 years of Service Above Self;
- We concluded giving “Brain Game” books to more than 400 families of newborns;
- We began installation of the Born Learning Trails in Hillcrest Park;
- We continued the tradition of giving six, $1,000 scholarships to area high school seniors attending SDSU in the fall;
- We acknowledged our 4-Way Test contest winners;
- We rekindled a Rotaract Club at SDSU;
- We now have a club consisting of 100% Paul Harris Fellows; and
- At our meetings, we heard from inspirational speakers, and club members who shared the joys and milestones of their lives by giving “scholar dollars” to continue with our philanthropic work.
Notice that up until this point, there’s been no mention of a global pandemic.
We’ve learned much over the past few months. COVID-19 is serious, but it has not deterred our purpose. If anything, Rotarians here and around the world have found new ways to make lives better. We recently thanked front-line healthcare workers for their dedication in our skilled nursing centers by giving $20 gift certificates from local restaurants to 250 professionals who are keeping our older citizens protected. And we’re ready to move forward with District Governor Dan Little from Brookings at the helm.
This is an interesting time to be stepping in as President of the 100 year old Brookings Rotary Club. While we aren’t meeting in person, it’s important for each one of us to remember what Rotary is about. In the Johnny Mercer song, he points out some really tough situations in the Bible that were solved when people “accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, and latch on to the affirmative.” We will move forward by finding new ways to serve the Brookings community, and my goal, now more than ever, is to honor our friendships and tradition of Service Above Self.
President Don