HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It is traditional at this time of year for people to review their lives and make resolutions to be a better person.

Perhaps we could also review our Rotary lives and make a resolution to be better Rotarians?

That, of course, brings up the question of what makes or who is a good Rotarian.

Rotary says that a Rotarian is expected: to participate in club activities, to introduce new people to become members and to support the Rotary Foundation.  That seems fairly basic.  I think we could all do that, don’t you?

If you aren’t doing those things, perhaps you could make a resolution to:

1. Increase your attendance at club meetings and projects
2. Invite one person to become a Rotarian
3. Sign up for a monthly donation to the Rotary Foundation

That would be good, don’t you think?  If all 4,200 Rotarians and Rotaractors in District 5020 did those three things, we would have the most outstanding Rotary clubs in the world.

Are those really all that it takes to be a good Rotarian?  Maybe.  However, they may not be it takes to be a GREAT Rotarian.

What else does it take to be a great Rotarian?

I have some suggestions.  You might have some more or different ones.  Still, I think that anything worth doing is worth doing well, so why not aim to be a great Rotarian this year?

Here is my list, in addition to the basic three:

1. Have fun. If it isn’t fun, make it your responsibility to find a way to make it fun.
2. Be welcoming. Learn the names of all your club members and use them.  Go out of your way to say hello to every person who attends your meetings and learn about them.  Sit at a new spot and get to know those Rotarians too.
3. Take a leadership role. You don’t need to be your club president (although why wouldn’t you) but your club needs people to oversee fundraisers, projects, and committees also.  Rotary is a great training ground for leadership both in and out of Rotary.
4. Get involved. You always get more back than what you put in.  Contribute your ideas.    Raise your hand.  Involve your family.  Help with your Interact, Youth Exchange or other initiatives.
5. Get involved with Rotary beyond your club. It’s a big world out there. 

• District 5020 exists to help clubs succeed. We always need more trainers, committee members, area governors and more. 
• Rotary Action Groups give you the opportunity to learn from and work with Rotarians who share your passion. Environmental sustainability?  Eliminating malaria?  Hearing loss?  Economic development?  There are action groups for all of those and more than 20 others.  Here’s a link: https://my.rotary.org/en/take-action/empower-leaders/rotary-action-groups.
• Rotary Fellowships are groups of Rotarians who share an interest or a vocation. Wine?  Engineering?  Scouting?  Music?  Old books?  There are over 100 fellowships. To see the full list, use this link: https://www.rotary.org/en/our-programs/more-fellowships

6. Promote Rotary. Wear a Rotary pin.  Slap a Rotary decal on your vehicle.  Put up a Rotary poster (maybe the 4-way test) at work.  Talk about being a Rotarian.
7. Be proud. You are part of the greatest service organization in the world.

New Year’s resolutions don’t always succeed but you can’t achieve anything if you don’t try.  Let’s make this the year that we all make an effort to go from good to great.