• Dues announcement - if you have not yet paid your dues, please do so. You may call the Rotary office and provide your credit card information or send a check made payable to the Rotary Club of Canton at: 116 Cleveland Ave., Suite 307, Canton, OH 44702.
•  
• Oktoberfest - our biggest fundraiser is approaching and we need everyone's help. Please consider a sponsorship or volunteering for this event.
•  
• RubberDuck Fellowship game - a video was shown with President Mark throwing out the "First Pitch"
•  
• Centennial Plaza Groundbreaking - taking place next Tuesday, August 27th at 3:30 pm in the "green space" aka Market Square aka Kresge Square....featuring Mayor Tom Bernabei, State Senator Kirk Schuring, David Baker from the HOF, as well as a number of other dignitaries from around our area and the country, kicking off the new Centennial Plaza. This is a once-in-a-lifetime investment in the City of Canton. The impetus for this venture was a $100k contribution from the Rotary Club of Canton Endowment Fund, that led to the original conceptual design of the area.  All Canton Rotarians are invited to attend to be part of this celebration of which our Club has played a significant role. *Please follow this LINK to view the invitation flyer
•  
• Calendar of Events - President Mark noted the number of civic activities that are ingrained in our Club. Some are already completed. Many are well-established. Some are ad hoc. There is a part of the year (February thru April) where there are opportunities to do more events...if a project makes sense and can raise money for a good cause.  *Please follow this LINK to view the 2019-2020 Calendar of Events
•  
• Character Counts Scholarship Overview - in concert with the YMCA of Central Stark County. In collaboration with Tim Shetzer CEO of the YMCA, and under the direction of Rotarian Mike Brown (also with the YMCA), Canton Rotary will contribute $2,500 this year and the YMCA, in coordination with the Mayfield Endowment, will contribute $3,500 this year, for a total of $6,000 in scholarship monies. Twelve (12) Character Counts Champions (two each month from October through April) will be honored at a Rotary meeting and will receive a $500 grant for post-high-school pursuits (college, trade school, apprenticeships, armed services, etc). These students will be selected in coordination with counselors and advisors at McKinley High School. As part of this enhanced program, we would like to pair up a Rotarian for each student honored with these scholarships. The Rotarian would meet the student at the meeting in which they are honored. Then he or she would serve as a key contact for the student in coordinating the scholarship. In addition, the Rotarian would potentially engage with the student as a mentor or advisor, perhaps taking him or her to an event and/or just being a friend and advisor. President Mark will be recruiting volunteer Character Count liaisons over the next few weeks.
•  
• Priority for President Mark's Year: Member Recruitment and Member Engagement
•  
• Change Exercise - President Mark did an exercise to show everyone how difficult making changes can be, asking everyone to please participate. He asked anyone wearing a belt to please stand. He then asked,  "How long did it take you to put on your belt this morning?" After many estimated times were offered, President Mark asked all those with a belt to take their belts off and then be seated. This process was quickly done by the members. President Mark then asked everyone to stand once again, but this time asked them to put their belts on from the opposite direction. The point of this exercise was that change, no matter how small, can be difficult. It takes a conscious effort and energy to bring about positive change. The status quo is easy. Our goal as Rotarians is to bring about positive change...and it can be fun. At this point President Mark did not want to exclude those members out who did not wear a belt, so he asked those remaining members to please stand up and cross their arms. He then asked them to cross their arms in the opposite direction. About 1/3 did it and held it reluctantly. Another 1/3 couldn't quite figure it out (future board members, I guess?)
•  
• Survey - President Mark then turned everyone's attention to the survey portion of the assembly. He told us that his wife often tells him that he has an opinion on most things, even when his opinion is not solicited. He stated, "Here is a chance for all of you to give your opinion on our Club and it IS solicited. In front of you is a survey. We have done these before and sometimes it may seem that your comments are ignored. I will commit to you that your comments and suggestions will be read and that I will summarize the "findings" for you at a Club meeting in the near future. This could become a source of positive change for our Club".  *For those of you who were not in attendance and would like to provide your opinion via the survey, please follow this LINK . You can forward your survey to mark.rojek@raymondjames.com or to the Rotary office at info@cantonrotary.org.

• NO MEETING next week, Friday August 30th, due to the Labor Day weekend;
• The Rotary office will be closed from Friday, Aug. 30th - Monday, Sept. 2nd. Normal business hours will resume Tuesday, Sept. 3rd.
• Our next meeting on September 6th will feature keynote speaker U.S. Congressman Bob Gibbs, who will be updating us on events in Washington that impact our community;
• SAVE THE DATE: Oktoberfest will take place on September 19th. Please submit your sponsorship commitment, if you can, to the office or Committee Chair Raquel Raderchak.
•  

Mark Daniel Maloney
President 2019-20
September 2019

Here in the United States, another summer is winding down. And for the Maloney family, every summer ends with a return to my hometown of Ridgway, Illinois, for the annual Popcorn Day festival, where I am honored to serve as the “Popcorn King,” the master of ceremonies for the day’s events. 

Regardless of the season, every family has its own traditions. I would like to suggest a new one for yours: Find an opportunity to introduce your family to Rotary. One of my family’s traditions is to take our daughters and grandsons to the Rotary International Convention. The 2020 convention in Honolulu will be a wonderful way to introduce your children and grandchildren to the internationality of Rotary. We are planning many family-oriented events for everyone to enjoy.

Any time is a fabulous time to bring family members on a Rotary service project or to a fundraising event. But perhaps you have not seen many family-friendly events at your club. That is precisely why one of my top priorities this year is to make most Rotary events welcoming to family members.

We must foster a culture where Rotary does not compete with family, but complements it. We should never expect our members to choose between the two. That means being realistic in our expectations, considerate in our scheduling, and welcoming of children at Rotary events on every level.

Often, the young professionals that Rotary needs to attract in order to remain a dynamic 21st-century service organization are the very people who have the greatest family responsibilities. We must not keep these prospective young members away from their families by holding events on evenings and weekends at which their children are not welcome.

For too long, we have closed the doors of many Rotary events to children and sometimes even spouses. What wasted opportunities these are! Every chance we have to pass on the gift of Rotary to young people is one we must take if we are going to grow Rotary and ensure that the next generation is fully engaged in our mission.

So let us open our doors and do it in a fun way, with opportunities that make our children and grandchildren want to learn more about Interact, Rotaract, and Rotary membership. Start small if you must — perhaps by holding some of your meetings at more family-friendly times — but think about how you can continue these kinds of events for years to come.

Bringing children to Rotary events is not just fun; it also exposes them to the world! Make this a memorable year for your family — and an unforgettable year for the ever-expanding family of Rotary as Rotary Connects the World.