As I look back to when I started planning for my journey as District Governor, I envisioned meeting many new people, traveling all around the District and shaking hands with everyone.
But the world has changed and continues to change in ways that we never imagined. Sue & I attended International Assembly in San Diego this past January and we met people from all around the world. What a wonderful experience. We not only learned more about Rotary but also had the opportunity to experience the different cultures of Rotarians from around the world. Little did we know that this COVID-19 pandemic was growing and about to change our lifestyles for some time to come. At the International Assembly, Holger Knaack, incoming RI President, revealed his Rotary theme, “Rotary Opens Opportunities”.
As we embark on a new Rotary Year, we will be facing many challenges. But with every challenge comes an “opportunity”. So the focus for District 5930 will be to not stress over the challenges but to embrace the opportunities that will present themselves . We are People of Action and the world needs Rotary more now than ever before.We must increase our ability to adapt in the areas of automation and communication. This will enable us to broaden our reach in ways never envisioned before. In order to attract new members and retain our current ones, we must find ways to adapt and meet the needs of our busy lifestyles. For some, the traditional Club meeting will change to a virtual platform and others will be a combination of virtual & in person.
Future Rotarian Caleb - DG Eddie's newest grandson at his first Rotary Zoom meeting. >>
Regarding membership, we must select our new members carefully and make sure they are a good fit for our club. We have implemented a Community Service Team at the District Level with the purpose of assisting the clubs to develop ideas on impactful service projects to be initiated every month. An active club will be a successful club. And with impactful projects, membership will grow. People want to be involved with clubs who are making a difference in their communities.
The Rotary Foundation is the means by which we are able to fund the many projects that we are doing both locally and globally. A strong and vibrant membership base will help us grow the Foundation financially so we can continue to good in the world.
A tradition of our District is for the incoming Governor to select a “theme” for his/her Rotary year. As I thought about what I should use, the decision came to me very quickly. Personally, I love the service aspect of Rotary. My passion is to roll up my sleeves and help out in any way I can. So my theme for 2020-2021 is “LEND A HELPING HAND”. And this theme seems so appropriate at the present. There are so many people in need of a helping hand.
I look forward to this opportunity to serve as your District Governor. “Rotary Opens Opportunities” for us to “Lend A Helping Hand”.
Eddie Bartnesky, DG
Video Created for the new Rotary Year by Tommie Buscemi