Posted by John Weiss

January in the Rotary world is the month of Vocational Service, click here to link to the MyRotary page which contains The Object of Rotary, The 4-Way Test, and the Avenues of Service. Vocational Service is the second Avenue of Service.

May I suggest offsite club meetings at businesses of a few of your members or a vocational school program. Or to foster Vocational Service and Membership, may I suggest inviting non-Rotarian business leaders to talk about their businesses for two minutes. They are often good candidates for your club!

Goodbye to 2017
December marked the end of our calendar year and the mid-way point of our Rotary year.  As we head into the New Year, it is worth noting that we are finishing the year up 27 net new members which is a positive trend.

December is traditionally a month of family reflection, and hope and, looking back, you can’t help but appreciate the time of year when many clubs ring the bell to help local families, enjoy festive music, and perhaps a light show in the neighborhood.

Foremost in our minds this year is the pain and suffering of so many because of the Thomas Fire in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties and recent relief that the fires have subsided. Rotarians and our communities have suffered great losses. Our hearts go out to each of you who lost your home and all of its treasures. Fortunately, loss of life was minimized and the spirit of so many was inspiring in the midst of such adversity. I’m grateful that so many Rotarians answered the call within hours to share their homes with others displaced by the fires. Thousands of dollars have been raised by individual contributions and the generosity of our district’s clubs! It’s not too late to give!

Recently I spoke to a good friend who celebrates all the acts of giving, kindness, and holiday spirit. It occurred to me how cool it is when we think of others. And is that not what Rotary is all about?

Christine and I have visited 50 (48 Rotary and 2 Rotaract) Clubs. The cool projects of our clubs are inspiring. If you have not already, I encourage you to visit other Rotary clubs for ideas, opportunities for joint service, and to develop friendships. Hopefully your clubs are thinking about and compiling this information for our annual awards which is June 16th this year.

Recently, I met in Pasadena with my District Governor classmates and the President of Rotary International Ian Riseley and his wife Juliete and our partners for lunch to discuss our service projects, club visits and the planting of trees. RI President Ian shared that Romania is providing 1.2 million trees and Rotarians in Romania will be planting them.  Of course, the world-wide challenge is to plant 1.2 millions trees. With the recent fires that have devastated camps for our youth, tree planting is a part of these projects. If your club has not yet planted a tree for each member, an opportunity will be forthcoming --- details to follow.

Save the Dates

Mark your calendars for these events in 2018. Details to follow:

Feb. 24th    Interact District Conference in Oxnard Pacifica High School.

May 4th     Our Foundation Fiesta (right before Cinco De Mayo) in Santa Maria. 

 

Best wishes for a Happy 2018!  As with my own health, I’m convinced that in spite of what challenges we face, our best days are still ahead!