Well, as the saying goes, time flies when you’re having fun, and the last year seems to have passed in nanoseconds.
First, I’d like to thank our board members and committee chairs for flawlessly leading our club to outstanding achievements this year. Secondly, I want to express my thanks to the past presidents and mentors who listened, responded, and provided much-needed insight during some challenging decisions and course corrections. Finally, a huge shout-out to my amazing wife, and Rotary Partner, Lisa Price for your understanding, support, and energy.
When we started the Rotary year last July, we set some targets and milestones that would Expand our Reach, Increase our Impact, and Enhance Club Member Experience. Here’s what you all accomplished:
Membership: We set a minimum goal of 20 new members, and a stretch goal of 25. I’m happy to report that we achieved 20 new members, and have more applications queued up for when Stefanie and the new board take over. Thank you to our Membership Development committee for the excellent work. Take a moment to highlight all of our club builders this year!
Member Retention: Last July we said we wanted to reduce the number of avoidable losses by 20% or between 6 & 10. I’m happy to report that we exceeded that goal, and as of today, we have a net increase of 6 members!
The key component of this success has been through the extraordinary efforts of our Member Engagement Committee and the creative opportunities many of you came up with for members to connect through mission-focused, hands-on, and FUN activities. We hosted a great series of Rotary programs, painted graffiti, did yoga, bowled, rafted class 4 rapids, roller-skated, shared a little wine, and drank even more beer together. We served veterans, artists, and people with disabilities, and were inspired by some amazing local high school students. And that’s just a sample. As I said last July, people join Rotary for many different reasons, but they usually stay because they are engaged. You NAILED IT!
Service Projects: We aimed for 4 service projects and you blew that goal away. Some of these were: you bagged thousands of pounds of groceries for the Bite 2 Go program, vaccinated local children and families, worked with City parks to paint graffiti, responded immediately to the tragic fires in our region with your time, talent, and money, and created beautiful handmade cards for hospitalized children.
Our theme was Intentional Acts of Kindness, and of course, as you’ve heard today, you killed it with kindness within our club as well as in our community and around the world. Thank you for playing along as we highlighted some special acts of kindness by our members.
Looking back on this year, it's clear that our success was driven by the dedication, creativity, and enthusiasm of every one of you. We've made a significant impact, not only within our club but in the broader community. As I step down, I am confident that our incoming leadership will continue to build on this foundation and achieve even greater heights.
Many of you might think the only reason I have this pack on, is to signal my intentions of what I plan to do with my freed-up schedule. While it’s true I plan to do a lot of peak bagging, it’s also a reminder of a saying we had in the Marine Corps, "Don't take your pack off just yet." We've completed some important missions and tasks, but there is still more work to be done. It's a reminder for all of us to stay vigilant and committed until the job is truly finished.
In a conversation with the Dalai Lama, Jerome Kagan, a distinguished emeritus professor of child psychology at Harvard said: “That for every act of cruelty in the world, there are hundreds of small acts of kindness and connection.” His conclusion? “To be benevolent rather than malevolent is the true nature of our species.”
Thank you all for an incredible year, for your commitment to service, and for making my time as president so rewarding. Let’s keep this momentum going and continue to do great things together.
