President Kelly Ricker called our virtual meeting to order at about 7:35am. However, not before she shared a few really cool pictures of some of our members in high school. I noted, none of us have changed a bit!
Many members attended this morning and we were honored with our one guest, Savi Bhim, our Rotary District 5240 Governor. She was our speaker today and offered some very inspirational thoughts. More on this later.
Roger Ridley presented our Moment in History with events from as early as 1199 through 2016 that occurred on this day. Here are a few highlights:
1199: John Lackland, brother of King Richard, became the King of England
1837: James Butler Hickok, better known as Wild Bill Hickok was born
1927: Ford Motor Company ceases production of the Model T
2016: President Barack Obama is the first President to visit the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima
Ed Harris enlightened us with a Rotary Minute from the publication The ABCs of ROTARY. The topic, located on page 25, is titled, No Personal Privileges. In essence, this ethical belief of Rotary states that no member of Rotary shall receive personal or business benefit as a result of membership. The primary purpose of Rotary membership is to serve others. Having said that, members develop personal relationships and friendships that will naturally lead to increased business and this occurrence, is not inconsistent with the ethics of Rotary. For more info on THE ABCS OF ROTARY: https://www.google.com/books/edition/ABCs_of_Rotary_Fifth_edition_2012/LDiDDQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover
Nicely done, Ed!
Our speaker and Governor of Rotary District 5240, Savi Bhim, gave a moving presentation on the current challenges facing our society and Rotary in light of COVID-19. She shared that this is not the first time Rotary has faced challenges due to global issues. Governor Bhim highlighted 3 global events wherein Rotary rose to the occasion and helped others in need. These events were World War I in 1914, The Great Depression in 1929 and World War II in 1942. In all events, Rotarians overcame the challenges of these times and found ways to help others in need.
For example, during WWI, Rotary founded the Boys to the Farm Program. This program sought out teen boys to work farms to ensure there was enough food for the needy. In the midst of the Great Depression, Rotarians promoted home improvement/hardware store sales to support local businesses. And during WWII, Rotarians supported The Red Cross and helped the injured. Governor Bhim emphasized that Rotary survived each global crisis and came out stronger. We evolved and she encourages us to do the same as we navigate through the current COVID-19 crisis.
She closed with stating the Rotary is the strongest and largest and most impactful world-wide organization in existence today. Thank you Governor Savi. You made me proud and humble to be a Rotarian.