Well, this is the last message from me... and I’ve found it is difficult to come up with just a single topic each month. Good luck, Rocky! My usual fall back was to provide reminders and review events hoping to engage more of you in the broader world of Rotary.

 

The percent of Rotarians opening the newsletter email has steadily risen since last July and is approaching 50%, so some success! I attribute this to Chris’ hard work and some level of increased engagement by Rotarians. Hopefully you are seeing the benefits of engaging at the District level and will continue to submit event announcements, project reviews, and other
items of interest to folks in our District.

 

During the year I have learned that folks reach out to the Governor for help with items ranging from the most mundane (“can you get me so-and-so’s email?” Yes, I will help but ANY 7170 Rotarian can log into our District web site and look up mails and phone numbers...) to some very serious legal issues. (Some clubs used to, and some do still, sponsor Boy Scout Troops and were touched by the lawsuit). For Rocky’s sake, when you have

questions, please try on-line resources, or reach out to your Assistant Governor first!

 

In the run up to the Conference I heard from one Rotarian, I assumed with regard to the Conference focus and the DEI session, that “if Rotary is going ‘woke’ I will look elsewhere.” I know this is very much a minority attitude, but it is a reminder that some in Rotary do not, will not, accept the reality of achanging world and that Rotary must change with it. 

 

Be that as it may, the rest of us are heading into a future where I feel we must engage more deeply. In my experience Rotary is great at addressing symptoms but not necessarily the root cause of issues in our world. Root causes—climate change, poverty, systemic racism, over population, corporate greed, government indifference—are too often labeled ‘political’ and therefore off limits. I realize we cannot likely fix those root causes, but we must speak to them, address them in some manner, as we do what we can to mitigate the damage they cause our fellow human.