Since we will not be meeting today, I wanted to touch on Club business. I want to welcome our most recent members to join the Club and share how, over the past two years, the club structure behind the scenes serves you--our members.
I am delighted to again welcome our newest members: Pam Mulumphy from New England Public Radio; Pam Trottweiler and Joe Dupelle from the Children’s Study Home in Springfield have joined their colleague Eliza Crescentini who first joined the club in May 2015. The Children’s Study Home is now a "Corporate Member" of our Club and we look forward to engaging Pam and Joe among our newest members. As we do with new members, we have asked them to share in one of our club’s four areas of organization: Operations, Membership, Service or Fund Raising/Special Events. You may recall this new structure was put in place by board vote in December 2012, after it was crafted by a number of our youngest members after several weeks of planning and discussion led by then president Jay Leib. For a more complete overview of that structure, click the following link:
OPERATIONS: Nothing is more important than ensuring the many details going into each Friday lunch meeting are well executed. I am very excited that the Operations Committee, led by 1st Vice-President Laurie Rosner, is taking our meeting on the road April 22nd to the Clifford Phaneuf Environmental Center in Forest Park. Thank you for Past President Steve Jablonski for making the arrangements. Thank you also to Rowland Hawthorne for reinstating the tradition of a birthday table periodically to our Friday meetings.
MEMBERSHIP: As a Club all we need a robust Membership Comitttee working to bring in new members, welcome them and put them to work in support of one of the Club’s main functions. In the fall, guest passes were distributed to give members a vehicle to invite prospective members to visit a meeting of our Rotary Club. If you have a perspective member who you believe will strengthen the Club, please bring them to a meeting to meet your fellow Rotarians! If you need more passes, let us know.
SERVICE: is Rotary’s calling card and creates a positive ripple effect in our local and global communities. The presence of Rotarians consistently giving their time to serve at the Friend’s of the Homeless in Springfield is among the best Rotary examples. Alicia Garcia is building the Club's service project with the Duggan Academy in Springfield. Since this project will be putting Rotarians in contact with young adults, those supporting this project will need to complete a background check, or CORI form required by the State. If you'd like to be involved, please send your CORI form (hyperlink) and a copy of your DRIVER'S LICENSE to Alicia by 3/24/16. She will need time to finalize logistics with the Duggan Academy so we can begin the program in May.
We will be awarding $4,000 in grants at our Paul Harris reception May 12th. Service Fund co-chair Sue Lavoie is eager to receive grant applications (available on our web page main menu). I will be sending a letter to the organizations that didn’t receive a grant on May 2015 requesting a new application to be considered for the current Rotary Year. We will also be continuing support a global project bringing water filters to the village of Phoum Thom, 48 miles outside of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. We are proud to support the work of our Club member Dr. Maryanne Herron through a global grant.
FUNDRAISING & SPECIAL EVENTS: Every Rotarian is asked to annually support the Club Service Fund (local project focus) and The Rotary Foundation (global focus). The committee evaluates proposed fundraisers and events to ensure alignment with Rotary’s Mission and that it warrants our member's investment of time, talent and treasure. On April 15th, 2016 we will be holding our format check reception from the December 2015 Service Above Luncheon with the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Our membership will soon include a Roteract Club for young adults based at Baypath University that will be hosting a special community event each semester. Each May The Rotary Club of Springfield will hold a Community Celebration event recognizing impactful Springfield community leaders, awarding Community Grants to worthy Springfield organizations and showcasing Rotary’s fellowship and its "Service Above Self" mission.
These four areas of primary focus allow your Club to function in a manner engaging all Springfield Rotarians, presenting engaging weekly lunch meetings, creating a clear direction for your Rotary President in their year of service and allowing each individual Rotarian to maximize his or her potential both professionally and personally--as Paul Harris intended over 100 years ago when he convened the first Rotary meeting.
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