District Governor's December Message

Dear fellow Rotarians, Rotaractors and Family of Rotary,    

 

Michelle and I have just returned from two contrasting but equally fulfilling visits to the tremendous Rotary Clubs of The Bahamas and North/North West Haiti. Here, as always, we were made to feel totally at home and part of our unique Caribbean Rotary Family that spreads across 10 countries and 16 Islands and 83 clubs we call our District. Everywhere we went it became clear to us that there is a deep passion for Rotary and clubs and members working closely together delivering much needed service to the community, especially during these difficult economic times.

December is “Family Month” for Rotary International and appropriately so at this most family focused time of year, where we celebrate together with those closest to us. Family however is at the very cornerstone of what we do year round so whllst we pay special recognition to it this month the concept of the “Family of Rotary” is one that we are encouraged to recognise and value all year round. Although the concept is a fairly recently introduced one to our vocabulary, it is a very valuable and appropriate one for our great organisation. In these three simple words it sets out a number of points:

Firstly ”Family of Rotary” emphasizes that we are, or should be, than just a random group of individuals serving above self – we are bonded, if not genetically or by blood with common aims and goals, with a common philosophy that we exemplify by our behavior and standards in our day to day lives. We also have a responsibility to support each other especially in our times of need just as we would a family member. In this way Rotary gives us an opportunity for us to developer deeper, longer lasting relationships – Rotarians become our brothers and sisters, there is the opportunity for our more seasoned Rotarians to take on paternal/maternal roles as mentors to our less experienced and younger members. We have the opportunity to build and nurture just as we would expect in the typical family environment.

Of course, just like families we may not always see eye to eye! Rotary brings our strong feelings and rightly so. Many Rotarians are passionate about what we stand for as well as about the causes they feel should be given most attention and sometimes this can cause rifts within our family. However we are also good at rising above this and as all good families should, resolving our differences in the best interests of our wider goals, to ensure that our internal issues do not distract from our primary focus of Service Above Self.

On another level the term “Family of Rotary” enables us to understand that Rotary is wider than just our members. We have a wide array of sons, daughters and grandsons and daughters that we’ve given birth to over the years and remain responsible for: Starting with the Rotary clubs we’ve most recently sponsored, who need our support especially during their sensitive first three to four years of existence. It’s simply not good enough to form these clubs then walk away. They too need careful nurturing if they are to have a good chance of success.

Then of course there is our “New Generations” or “Youth Service” family of Rotaract, Interact and Earlyact Clubs, as well as programmes such as RYLA. As a district we can be tremendously proud of these younger family members and for risk of further that well-worn phrase, these young people really are our “Future”. As tremendous energetic group ranging from 5 to 30 in age who understand and respect the value of Service above Self and the essence of what we do, having grown up with it around them. In our District we have one of the high ratios of Rotaract and Interact Clubs to Rotaract Clubs in the world so this bodes well for our future. Regardless of whether their members will eventually transition into Rotary, our hope is that they will remain a member of our Family and keep with them the spirit of what we do which one day may be reactivated with their reengaging as a full fledged Rotarian.

Another group that we as a District are focusing on bringing into our extended family are those who have the spirit of Rotary, who help our clubs deliver projects but either are not necessarily ready or qualified to become full-fledged members. We all have these individuals around our clubs and whether or not they are potential members they have great value to us and we need, especially at this time of year, to make sure that we properly recognise their contribution and that they are indeed still part of our Rotary Family. These of course include Community Corp members or perhaps “Friends of Rotary” groups as some clubs have smartly named these important individuals, giving them a sense of belonging and significance, inviting them to meetings as guests and making them know that they are also an important part of our family.

 We have all heard the argument that Rotary needs to grow and you will know that I agree with that, but only if we do so with quality new members. In fact I would rather see our clubs become stronger than larger and the two do not necessarily go hand in hand.  Part of the push for an increase in membership comes from the argument that Rotary has stayed the same size at 1.2m members for the past decade. Whilst there is some validity in this, I would argue that Rotary as a whole has become significantly larger and, from what I see as I travel from club to club, more effective in what we do. If we count the members of our Family of Rotary then I have no doubt we are much more substantial organisation than we were 10 years ago. We are also a stronger one, with greater depth through our extended family and I would argue one that is closer to and has a better understanding of our community needs because of it and a better ability to serve than ever before. So let’s use our Family or Rotary to strengthen our clubs. Work with them, support them and build so we can all Serve above Self better than ever before.

Michelle and I wish you all a joyous Christmas, one where your family circle will be wide enough to include your Rotary Family as we together we celebrate and give thanks for the year we have just enjoyed and fortify ourselves for the busy year to come.

Yours in Rotary Service,

 

 

Jeremy Hurst

 

Governor 2013/14

District 7020

Rotary International