WE ARE PEOPLE OF ACTION

September is Basic Education and Literacy Month for Rotary.  There has been no time in our past that children in our schools have been in greater need.  Schools are turning to virtual learning, but kids must have computers and internet access.  Sadly, many families do not have the basics.  Schools fund what they can, but it never seems to be enough.  I have seen many clubs step up efforts to help people in communities that are under-served.  Please help your clubs in their efforts to support literacy throughout the district.  Your club can also consider applying for the District 5020 Literacy Achievement award.  It is on the district website rotary5020.org

Our clubs in District 5020 support literacy initiatives in many ways. Whether donating books, acting as tutors, donating dictionaries, building neighborhood library boxes or reading via Zoom to students (try that with your grandkids, they love it).  District 5020 Rotarians are extremely active in efforts to bolster literacy.  Please join Mary and me in making two books per club member a goal to help our literacy efforts.  Collect new or gently used kid’s books and donate them to your local schools or nonprofits.  Today’s kids will become tomorrow’s leaders.  They should have all the help we can give them to start them off on the right foot.  

RI President Holger Knaack’s theme is Rotary Opens Opportunities.  As this year has taken Rotarians on a course like no other, I’m taking advantage of every opportunity I can.  I’m trying to Zoom into every club meeting before I do my official club visits so I’m not a stranger.  I’m finding out so many things that our 91+ clubs do that are amazing; like the Sequim club donating adaptive bikes to special needs kids.  One person had an idea, and the Rotary club backed him.  Now countless kids have had their lives positively impacted by the kindness of others.  Sequim Rotary produced a short PowerPoint to show how this came about.  

One person had an idea… reminds me of a quote by Edward Everett Hale:  

'I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.', 'I am only one, but still I am one.’

One of the greatest gifts I have found in Rotary is having an idea and watching the power of Rotary turn it into a reality.  What is your one idea?

Lastly, I am asking you to please share our award-winning district news magazine with your club, family and friends.  How better to show them that Rotarians are people of action, or maybe you’ll get some ideas for your own club?  This magazine is the “best in the west”!

Stay safe, wear a mask, and grow Rotary,