On July 10, 2019, we inducted a new board and president for the Folsom Lake Rotary 2019-2020 year. Below is El Presidente's acceptance speech.
The full meeting was broadcast on Facebook Live here.
Let me begin by thanking you for entrusting me to be your El Presidente for the 2019-2020 Rotary year. It is an honorable privilege and a responsibility I accept humbly and seriously.
I became a member of Folsom Lake Rotary in the summer of 2017, eager to make a difference in my community. I did not know what I was getting into. I knew you did community service, and that was great. But I was not prepared for the scope of Rotary. Rotary connects us not only within our club and within our community, but at our district in all of Sacramento, and across the world. As Rotarians, we are “citizens of the world” and our impact is global. In a few days, your board and I will meet in a short retreat to plan out the Rotary year so that 2019-2020 is a year of well-planned action and intention. We will discuss how we will meet the goals of our club, our district, and Rotary International.
There are Eight Areas, or categories of activities, that will guide our actions this year.
- Membership: We all know that increasing Membership is paramount and a major goal of Rotary, especially in the United States, where Rotary membership is declining precipitously. Our main goal is to have a net gain in membership between July 1, 2019 and April 2020. To meet this goal, we need at least THREE new Rotarians to join our club this year.
- Administration: We will pay our dues on time, our data is synced with Rotary International, and we will send at least 2 members to the District 5180 Conference in Reno in October 2019.
- Foundation: Our goal is to exceed our total giving, as a club, to the Rotary Annual Fund and Polio Plus over last year.
- Marketing: Our goal is to share with the world our stories and the impact that we make, primarily through social media and our website.
- Community Service: We will participate in at least one local community service project, a literacy project, a project with another club, a Rotary at Work project, and participate in the district blood drive.
- International Service: Our goals are to participate in an international project, in Rotary Friendship Exchange, Rotary Fellowships, Rotary Action Groups, at least one member going to the RI Convention in Honolulu, and participate in a district Rise Against Hunger project.
- Vocational Service: Our goal is to connect with local business at a deeper level, participate in the District Speech Contest, and provide career mentoring to local youth.
- Youth Service: Our goal is to sponsor an Interact club, send a student to RYLA, participate in a Rotary Youth Exchange somehow, and do projects that benefit local schools and involves children.
Starting now, I want you to think about how you want to contribute to your club in each of these eight areas. How will you show up to Rotary?
Rotary International President Mark Maloney’s theme for 2019-2020 is “Rotary Connects the World.” The theme for District 5180 is "Connect and Inspire,” which is a combination of last year’s RI theme and this year’s. Our club’s theme will be, “Connect to Grow.”
What does that mean, Connect to Grow?
It means, Connect with yourself, your community, and the world, so that you can grow as a person, a professional, and a Rotarian. So that you can grow Rotary’s impact, grow Rotary, and grow our Club. Talk to your friends, co-workers, and family about Rotary. Keep your eyes and ears open for problems that we can help solve. Opportunity is all around us. How can we help children or teenagers in our area? How can we help the homeless?
I ask you to close your eyes, think back, and connect to yourself when you first joined Rotary. Why did you join? What attracted you to Rotary? What did you hope to achieve? Reconnect with that innocence, that passion, and re-ignite it.
You know that saying, “Hi, I’m from the government. I’m here to help.” You’re supposed to run away when you hear that. Well, when people hear, “Hi, I’m from Rotary. I’m here to help.” Which direction do you want them to run?
In 2019-2020, let’s Connect and Grow together!