“Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass… It's about learning to dance in the rain."
- Anonymous
Greetings Rotarians! I am sure many of you have been weathering this storm known as Covid-19. As I have said in prior Rotograms, our club has felt the wrath of this pandemic. Social distancing has essentially cancelled many of our springtime events and fundraisers, causing a financial challenge to our club. And with no ability to meet in person, we lose the connection with friends that is so important to us all.But despite these storms, we have somehow found ways to stay engaged and make an impact in our community. This is our attempt to dance in the rain. Here’s an update on what is happening.
Our First Virtual Meeting. We had a very successful first virtual meeting last Friday, May 1st. Nearly 40 Rotarians joined our Zoom videoconference and the interaction was lively and helpful. I took some time to give all of you a detailed update on our club and the financial challenges we face this year. Several good ideas were discussed, including reaching out to our membership for financial support to help us get through this storm.
Helping the Community in this Time of Need. Despite the financial challenges facing our club, there has been a clear consensus that we need to help our local community during this time of need. This challenge has been met by our Endowment Committee, who have quickly assembled a group to see if this fund can help local organizations create an immediate, positive impact. This team of Rotarians is working with the Stark Community Foundation to help identify organizations and programs most in need. We expect to have some very clear direction within the next few weeks.
Our Next Virtual Meeting – May 15th. We are planning our next full meeting for May 15th. This meeting will include a featured speaker, in keeping with our weekly tradition. We are confirming logistics as I write this, so more information will be coming next week. We hope to have a great turnout for this event, so please plan on attending.
For those of you new to Zoom meetings, or any of you, please join in on our Rotary “Meet-up” this Friday beginning at 11:30 am. You should have received an email invitation from Past President Michelle Charles (fna Mullaly). Please try to drop-in for some interaction with your Rotary friends and get used to ZOOM! Just click on the link in Michelle’s email invitation and virtually connect.
The willingness of Rotarians to reach out and help during trying times never ceases to amaze me. Stay connected with your Rotary friends during this tumultuous time of change. We will weather this storm together… and maybe even dance in the rain.
Warmest regards,
Mark