Looking Around the Room
It is such an honor to stand at the lectern in front of the Rotary Club of Brookings. April 20th was the first time I’ve had that opportunity as your president. As I looked around the room, I noticed the scholars and educators, financial experts, non-profit managers, business owners, public servants, distinguished guests, and those retired from their magnificently accomplished and dedicated careers. And there were even more equally impressive members on the big-screen TV Zooming in.
The women and men of our club are an accomplished and capable group. So many long-term members and so much dedication to Rotary!
In a broader sense, looking around our meeting room, I could see our potential to reach the fullness of our purpose. We’ve accomplished much this past year. We reimagined the traditional way of conducting our meetings. With respect to restrictions, we completed important service projects. With dedication to purpose, we fed the hungry and gave clothing to the needy. We have done so much in spite of these extraordinary circumstances, yet we really haven’t fulfilled one of our more important purposes.
What is our purpose as Rotarians? The answer is to ensure that our club thrives for the future of our community, so that all may know Service Above Self and live out the principles of the Four-Way Test. We need to do even more to ensure that our club is sustainable.
2020 taught us the importance of and the need for our club to change the way we meet and the way we engage our community. We can keep the camaraderie of our existing membership, but we also need to grow: in the number of members, in dedication to service projects, and in our commitment to our community and our world. Looking around the room and on the screen, I can see the people who can make this happen.
Leadership educator John Maxwell put it this way: “Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.” We certainly have changed. Let’s make sure we continue to grow!
President Don