Let’s Talk About Progress
One year ago I wrote the President’s message for the COG. It’s fun to read it now.
We mention forming a “re-start committee” to figure out when we should meet in person again after one year of COVID-induced Zoom meetings. We talked about the growing number of Rotarians getting vaccinated, and how we were looking at new meal options and exploring other places to meet besides the Brookings Activity Center (BAC). We also talked about what technology we would need at the meetings to keep everyone engaged, even if they aren’t comfortable or able to attend in person.
We’ve made progress! Now, our club is meeting in person each week with meals from a variety of great vendors, and after a lot of research it turns out the BAC is still the best location for us. Gregg, Jackie, and Jim have an amazing Zoom set-up on the big screen TV, and with more than 30 people attending regularly in person, we still have about 15 watching the Zoom option – some of those from out-of-state. As I recall, pre-COVID we usually had about 45 attending in person, so let’s call that a break-even.
We had 15 Rotarians and 5 guests at our first Thirsty Thursday social gathering in February – what a fun time! It looks like a new tradition is born. And I am thoroughly enjoying our Tuesday meetings, with spontaneous raffles, sing-a-longs, Students of the Month, and plenty of Scholar Dollars.
There are lots of problems in the world right now, which means the world needs Rotary more than ever. We continue to be a vital part of our Brookings community, doing our part to make this “someplace special.” So let’s talk about progress – as Ralph Waldo Emerson penned, “Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.”
-President Don