September is Basic Education and Literacy Month in the Rotary World, and normally I would start right in on that topic. But – what if there is something that involves learning, something that doesn’t fit the normal concept we have in Rotary when we consider our Rotary Themes?
What if the teaching moment might involve the very lifeblood of our organization?
I am sharing constantly this Rotary year that the only two concepts that are important in Rotary are friends and projects – Fellowship and Service Above Self, in Rotary talk. The friends aren’t there without membership, and the members needed to do the actual hands-on work that is what Rotary is all about aren’t there without the never-ending need to gain new members in our own clubs. Membership has been dropping throughout the US for years, and yet?
Regardless that our best efforts aren’t working, we keep doing the same things, and we keep watching our membership numbers drop. That means fewer friends, less help to accomplish what we hope to provide to our communities, and less Hope in Action.
With gratitude to Laine Hendricks, our immediate Past District Governor, for bringing this new concept to our district, and with great appreciation to all of the district volunteers working on this project? We are providing a Membership Summit – September 7th – at the San Bruno Senior Center – an all-day, new and intensive deep dive into what actually works in membership. An entirely new curriculum with a Rotary export we’re flying in to help us present this material.
Basic Education and Literacy in Membership for our Rotary District 5150 Members. When we have mastered membership – then we’ll have more help when we tackle our Basic Education and Literacy Projects. We can’t do our projects without our members – we need more members – so let’s learn how to get those members we need as part of our own education.
Then – then we can tackle the challenge. Did you know that Mississippi has a higher literacy rate than California? Mississippi is at a 72% literacy rate, and California is at 71.6%. Only New Mexico at 70.9% is lower than California. There just might be a need for Rotary, with our passion and drive and abilities, to take on some new projects to help out a bit.
One of the best articles I’ve read in The Rotarian magazine was shared by an active member of Rotary somewhere in the Midwest several years ago. He had dodged numerous club efforts to have him serve as president of his club – because he couldn’t read. When he finally shared, with one valued and trusted fellow Rotarian friend that he had this terrible secret, just knowing he’d be ridiculed? This is Rotary. His club, with the expertise we all know exists, surrounded him with love and education, patience and training, care, concern
and sharing knowledge. He finally had his lifetime handicap removed – because he found the ability to trust his friend, a Rotarian, with this secret. He went to work, learned how to read, changed his entire life – because of Rotary.
Where would that incredibly successful club president be if he hadn’t been asked to join Rotary, and where would Rotary be without the inspiration he has provided to all of us with his quest to finally – finally – learn to read?
He put his Hope in Action and found The Magic of Rotary. Come, JOIN us at the Membership Summit. The next member you sponsor may just need to learn Basic Education and Literacy.