“Some people cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go”
– Oscar Wilde
Good day, Rotarians! I came across this quote and found it quite appropriate for my last message as your club president. The 19th century Wilde was noted for his brilliant wit and so I couldn’t help but borrow some of it. In reflecting on this past year, it was my hope that I could bring some happiness into your lives. We did this through events like Oktoberfest (beer fun), the McKinley Massillon luncheon (football fun), our Holiday Dessert Raffle (sweet fun), and incoming president Drew Pelger’s Polar Plunge (freezing fun).
Happiness can also be found in the service we perform for others in our community. We as Rotarians can feel good about our club’s involvement in Rotary Scouts (thanks to Amanda Tietze), Pack the Bus (thanks to Michelle Charles), Health Screens (thanks to Bob Matthews) and our Character Counts Scholarship grants (thanks to Mike Brown). The gratitude from the individuals these programs helped was palpable and very real… and should lift our spirits knowing we were able to do our part.
Along the way, there were some times where we just had to work hard. The Covid-19 pandemic forced us to change virtually everything about how our club operates. We had to scramble to find ways to connect with you … without being able to see you in person. We had to close our office and reduce our costs, but still keep the lights on. We had to keep getting things done, without being able to go anywhere. The work of our Executive Committee and Board of Directors and, of course, Lauri Coy, was the glue that allowed us to keep moving forward despite the obstacles in our way.
I leave you with the last fun event of the year. Lucky for me the last meeting of my presidential year is our Golf Fellowship event! Thanks to the efforts of Bill Liber and his group of golf-lovers, I get to spend the last Friday of the year hitting the ball around the Sanctuary Golf Course with my friends. Now that is something that makes me happy… and is a perfect way to finish my presidential year.
(Editor's note: There is still room for two more foursomes for Friday's golf outing/fellowship event. Please see article below for info on how to participate.)
Thanks, Rotarians for all your help and support this year. ‘See' you again soon,
Mark