President Joyce Hunter rang the opening bell at 12:30 and quieted a very noisy meeting. Jody Tull’s piano mellowed our singing of The Star Spangled Banner.
Ella Dunajsky shared her personal story of being the daughter of Hungarian immigrants who were displaced persons after World War II. She expressed gratitude for the values her parents instilled in her, such as hard work, treating people well, and humility. She also highlighted the importance of valuing diversity and cultural contributions.
Don Duquette put us in the mood to hear from our District Governor, Sharna Hatcher, by leading us in singing, “It’s a Great Day To Be A Rotarian,” an original song by our own Jim Irwin.
President Joyce thanked the people who make the meetings run smoothly and read a long list of anniversaries and introduced guests. One guest was brought by Jake Phillips, a member so new that he hasn’t been inducted yet!
Jody Tull talked about the second Yoga Retreat, which will be Saturday, May 10 at the Kensington Hotel. All levels of yoga experience are invited to this day to learn about yoga and the many ways it can enhance our lives. Contact Jody or Sam Kottamasu for more details.
Bob Mull gave a talk about the VITA project, assisting low-income people file tax returns.. This is the seventh year he has led this project, which involves Rotarians and non-Rotarians. The two most important exemptions for low-income people are the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit. This project helps hundreds of people and gets refunds for many in the thousands of dollars.
Dennis Powers talked about Rent A Rotaractor, which matches people needing some help with seasonal chores (and computers…) with UM Rotaractors. Rotaractors are raising money for their Spring Trip and are paid whatever the ‘renter’ decides (be generous). Dennis announced that to Rent A Rotaractor, people must contact him and he will pass the opportunity to the group.
Barbara Eichmuller and Leo Shedden practiced their elevator speeches about Rotary. These are short ‘pitches’ we all need to develop and keep handy so we can be ready to tell our story and hopefully, interest the listener in coming to a meeting, and joining. All that is needed is a heartfelt sentence or two about whatever is special to you about Rotary, what brings you to meetings, and the projects we do around town and internationally. And invite them to Happy Hour, the next of which is February 12 at the Session Room on Stadium.
Notes from the Program
Lead Assistant Area Governor, Clubs Paul Schissler introduced District Governor Sharna Hatcher. He has great admiration and affection for this hard-working, energetic, totally Rotary attorney.
Sharna expressed her appreciation for the warm introduction and acknowledged several club members who have contributed greatly to the district, our club, and Rotary International. She included the immediate past District Governor Collyer Smith and past president Ashish Sarkar who was recognized with a Change Maker Award for his work in support of the international foundation. Sharna emphasized her commitment to membership growth and engagement. She shared a quote by Paul Harris, stating that Rotary allows ordinary people to do extraordinary things. She also highlighted our club’s involvement in providing service to local and global communities.
Sharna emphasized the importance of Rotary’s core values, particularly fellowship, integrity, diversity, leadership, and service. She highlighted the need for clubs to engage in service projects to gain members and engage existing ones. She also discussed the expansion of the marketing team to support clubs, the creation of new Rotaract clubs, and the focus on DEIJ. She encouraged members to share their authentic selves and interests with their clubs to foster meaningful connections. Lastly, she urged members to elevate their Rotary experience to stay engaged.
Download DG Hatcher’s PowerPoint presentation.
- Is it the TRUTH?
- Is it FAIR to all concerned?
- Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
- Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
