What a difference a month makes!
Due to the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic, we have gone from
  • having our Rotary meetings in person last month to holding them online using Zoom.
  • planning a fun District conference in Corpus Christi to planning a virtual, but still fun, District Conference using Zoom over 4 Saturdays in May.
  • working at the office to working at home.
  • being “this close” to being 6 feet apart in order to social distance.
  • going anywhere we like at anytime to being limited in our travels around town.
  • our old comfortable world to a new world filled with uncertainty yet also filled with hope for the future.
Because of these changes Rotary still Connects the World, but in a different way than last month.
One result of these changes is we have had to re-imagine the District Conference this year. As you are I’m sure aware we had to cancel the events at the Omni in Corpus Christi and move the Texas State Aquarium event to October 3. More on the Aquarium event later but be sure to save that date for a fun celebration of this Rotary year. The decision has been made to present the District Conference in a new and innovative manner using Zoom videoconferencing. There will be no charge and the events will be held as follows:
 
                May 2 – District 4 Way Test Speech Contest
                May 9 – District Business Meeting
                May 16 – Telling our Rotary stories
                May 30 – An interactive Rotary survey exercise using a fun program called Kahoot!
 
We are also working on a District-wide service project with Coastal Bend Troop Support.
 
The area 4 Way Test Speech Contests are either underway or have already been held. Tim Dowling of the Corpus Christi Club is coordinating getting the area winners together in a Zoom environment to individually present their speeches on May 2 from 9am to 11am.
 
The District Business Meeting will be presented via Zoom on May 9 from 9am to 11am. At this time we will vote on who will represent our District at the Council on Legislation, hear a presentation of a resolution for a seventh Area of Focus that our District will approve to be presented at the Council on Legislation, and approve financial reports from 2 past Governors. All District 5930 Rotarians are invited to participate in this meeting.
 
We will have more on the Rotary storytelling and Kahoot! exercise on the website soon.
 
Turning to service opportunities during this pandemic, we are looking for ideas of how we as a District and as clubs can help others during this trying time. The Rotary Foundation has created some flexibility regarding how we can come up with projects to help those affected. What this will give us as a District and as clubs is the ability to quickly request and receive funds to help. We will be getting more information out on these developments soon. In the meantime, I would encourage you to assess your communities and start developing some ideas Rotary can help out. If you have an idea please contact me or DGE Eddie Bartnesky.
 
By the way, speaking of the Rotary Foundation, please don’t let your donations go under quarantine as well. You can still go to rotary.org and click on the give button to get your gift in for this Rotary year. And while you are at it set up a recurring gift using Rotary Direct. Your financial help is needed now more than ever. I know I am continuing to give this way on a monthly basis.
 
It is indeed a changed world we live in. Who could have imagined at the start of the Rotary year this would be our situation today? Certainly not me. Regardless, we need to be flexible and continue to safely serve our communities as we demonstrate we are Rooted in Service.