“Hello Rotarians and Friends. Welcome to the Rotary Club of Canton, the finest Rotary Club in the World, where we engage leaders, to exchange ideas, and take action in our community, as we strive to achieve our motto of Service Above Self”. |
Over the past nine months, I’ve enjoyed welcoming you to our Rotary Club of Canton (RCC) meetings each Friday with these words. I just couldn’t resist sending you this greeting from a distance. It is intended to remind you that you are involved in a great organization that will continue to do great things for our community and the world, despite the short-term challenges we will experience
The Coronavirus pandemic we are fighting has certainly altered our lives. The impact on our club and district has been significant. We have cancelled our weekly meetings through the end of March and potentially for a period of time after that. We have postponed our Board of Directors Meeting until April. Our Health Screen and Wellness Fair, scheduled for May 2nd, has been cancelled to protect community health. In addition, our District Conference originally scheduled for May 16th, will not be held to reduce the risks to Rotarians throughout the district.
For a club like Rotary that thrives on the social interaction of its members and the community, the concept of social distancing is a tough pill to swallow. But it is something we must do. To that end, let me bring you up-to-date on what we are planning to do in the near-term:
- Executive Committee Board Meeting. I’m working with the executive committee to conduct a remote meeting and discuss some options for keeping our club functioning well during this period of social distancing. As many of you who have served on the Board of Directors knows, there is a lot club business that needs to be addressed. I am thankful to have the leadership of Drew P., Mark C., Tom C., Julia D., Paula M., Bob P., Dave E., Bob M. and Lauri, to help our club. This work will continue and we will keep our members apprised of important plans and actions.
- Keeping the Club Engaged. The executive committee and board will be discussing ways to keep our members informed and engaged. We will be considering things like Virtual Meetings, Engagement through Social Media and Service Project plans, and other creative ideas we can try to keep our club active.
- Social Media Interaction. We will use our RCC Facebook site for keeping our members informed. For those of you who use Facebook, please make sure to friend us at the RCC Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/ROTARY-CLUB-OF-CANTON-OHIO-191449020995/ For those of you not quite up-to-date on Facebook, we will also use email for these communications.
We’re fortunate to live in a time where “virtual” interaction is possible. Keep looking for weekly updates on our Rotagram, via email, and Facebook. Above all, be safe.
Warmest regards,
Mark