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I am writing my first draft of this week’s message as I travel back home to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, US after attending the 2018 Rotary District 5495 Club Leadership Academy in Phoenix, Arizona, US. I am simultaneously tired and energized. I am tired because of traveling back and forth through two times zones in a four-day period. I am energized because I was able to reconnect with my friends in Rotary District 5495. We were able to catch up on what had happened since we last met.
In some of the conversations, my friend would share his/her perspective on the value that your Rotary Club brings to the district and beyond. As an example, John Wintersteen’s Rotary service goes way beyond servicing our board as Youth Services Director. John is very active in many of the district’s youth programs and projects. Through John’s connections, we are exploring ways to enhancing our web experience with the talents, skills, and passions of these young leaders. Another example is Jim Bissonett. Jim spends many hours each week helping the clubs in the district with Global Grant projects that are to be funded through The Rotary Foundation.
In most of my conversations, I learned how other clubs were making a difference in their communities. I find that working on the daily, weekly, and monthly tasks necessary to keep the club operational I can sometime lose focus on the big picture. District and international opportunity like this past weekend help me remember all the good work that done throughout the work because of Rotary. Our next opportunity will be the Rotary District Conference on June 1 & 2. If you have already registered, I look forward to seeing you there. If you have not registered, I encourage you check the district website and register.