Season’s greetings to all of you. 2020 is drawing to an end and half of our Rotary year is behind us. I commend all our members and clubs for meeting the challenges of this year with such optimism and for discovering new opportunities to help our clubs grow and to serve our communities and the world.
My hope this holiday season is we all do a little more than usual to serve those who have been isolated for months, others who have food insecurities or are running out of means to care for their families.
As Rotarians, we are so fortunate to have the spirit of service and the ingenuity to make things happen. Our district leads our zone in membership growth!
I had the opportunity yesterday to meet with RI President, Holger Knaack and thirty other district governors from zones 25 A and B, 29. This includes Mexico, Central America, and up the middle of the U.S. from Texas to Canada.
Holger’s message was very heartfelt and positive as to how impressed he has been this year with the creativity of the Rotarians around the world in the midst of the pandemic. He wanted to hear from each of our districts on best practices and how we were doing. We each had 60 seconds to report. Here are some of the highlights I think will be informative and helpful to our clubs.
All districts are dealing with the ever-changing precautions of the pandemic, membership retention, adapting to technology, and finding new ways to serve our communities.
District 4250 in Central America is not only challenged by the pandemic but also recovering from being hit by two devastating hurricanes this fall. The District Governor said the resilience of his members and their tenacity to help rebuild has been inspiring. Teamwork among districts has helped them tremendously.
Several of the districts in our zone are focused on training in areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion. I reported on the success of our recent sessions headed up by Carol Horner, DGE and Jared Bakewell.
Many new club models that were mentioned— forming clubs in senior living centers, family clubs, Spanish speaking clubs. Cause- based clubs including veteran clubs and focusing on human trafficking, and human rights. These types of clubs are fast growing because they focus on specific topics people are passionate about. Another club model some districts are forming are passport clubs. A passport club gives its members a more flexible club. Encouraging its members to visit other clubs and participate in their club activities regularly, relaxing the attendance policy. One district has focused on former members and invited them to rejoin under the passport model, which has proven very successful.
Polio was a major topic in many reports. Districts are finding new ways to raise public awareness and create virtual fundraising.
Holger reported that contributions to TRF have stayed strong despite speculation they would decline due to the pandemic. He encouraged everyone to continue to promote Foundation contributions as the need is growing greater with the pandemic.
A question was asked about more details on the new seventh avenue of service, the environment. Holger said the Board of Directors would announce details soon.
Another question asked was if Rotary will play a part in the distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine. Holger said that it was being discussed.
The meeting was very interesting and Holger hoped we would meet again in the near future.
The ease of virtual meetings has opened opportunities for all of us to share ideas and to create new working partners throughout the Rotary world.
In closing I wish all of you a safe and joy filled holiday season. “Look for The Good in Everything.”
Warm regards
Roxy Orr, DG
Roxy Orr, DG