Greetings to the Members of the Rotary Club of Ames,
It was good to be in Ames again to renew friendships with many of your members and to meet some Rotarians for the first time. Your club is friendly and inviting and clearly focused on serving others. Since 1921 your club has demonstrated an outstanding Service Above Self commitment to others. You are doing so many things right! Your venue is perfect; convenient location, good parking, and great food!
I enjoyed meeting with your board. It is clear you have board members who are committed to Rotary and want to try new things to not only grow the club in numbers but to make it stronger and healthier. Several of the board members took notes during the meeting so hopefully in the coming weeks you will review the suggestions and guidelines that were presented. As Rotary International President Ian Riseley has repeatedly stated, you are encouraged to try most anything in your club if you believe it will make it stronger. Take his words literally and try out new formats and activities.
You have a strong past, current, and future club president lineup as well as a solid board. Your club’s presence on the district level, combined with excellent local leadership, is commendable and makes for a very healthy, active, and vibrant Rotary club. Kudos to George and others who spearheaded the effort to train local staff on how to spot human trafficking and for developing the training manual that is placed in area hotels. Awesome project!
Hopefully many of your members will attend the Toast to Rotary District 6000 on Saturday evening, April 14, 2018 at the West Des Moines Marriott. Your support is needed to make this pilot a homerun success. More detailed information about the Toast will be in the December newsletter, along with the registration form.
As mentioned in my presentation, hopefully some of your members will give serious consideration to include The Rotary Foundation in their estate planning. It is a fantastic way to continue “planting people” in perpetuity long after one’s death. It is such a simple process to do: fill out the short form in the Your Rotary Legacy brochure, send one copy to Rotary headquarters, give a copy to your attorney, keep a copy for yourself. It is evident that many of your members understand the importance of The Rotary Foundation and willingly support it. Thank you!
Suggested areas for the club to focus on this year include:
- Beef up the orientation and club involvement for new members to get them well informed and engaged early.
- Implement the 3 goals of the Rotary International President Ian Riseley: a) report volunteer hours and b) money spent this year on projects in the name of your club. and c) plant 1 tree for each of the members in the club. It sounds like you have come up with a way to gather the hours and money and report it to RI on a regular basis. Go to www.rotary.org – My Rotary – Rotary Club Central (Under Manage tab, then left column – Service tab.
- Encourage your members to attend the One Rotary Summit at Shive-Hattery in West Des Moines from 5:30 – 8:30 on Thursday, Oct. 12. Free supper at 5:30. Must register at www.Rotary6000.org (right column). A club your size should have at least 10 members present, especially since it is so close to you.
- Look at ways to make the club even more visible. The signs you currently have around town spotlighting your projects are great but even more visibility can be accomplished with the large metal signs that we discussed.
- Develop a relationship with the Young Professionals Network. They are a fantastic source of potential new members for you as they are already civic minded and know the value of networking.
- Concentrate on ways to deepen the diversity within the club.
- Think of new ways to add fun to each meeting; perhaps appoint a “fun committee” as discussed at the board meeting.
How can you farm your “Rotary soil” a little deeper this year? When that happens your club will be stronger, healthier and more vibrant. Also, don’t forget to share the newsletter with others when you are finished with it and remember to give non-Rotarian visitors and speakers a copy of the newsletter so they can learn more about the wonderful world of Rotary.
A big, well-deserved pat on the back for the RC of Ames. You really have your act together with many outstanding leaders who definitely show a passion for Rotary. Your support and interest in the World Bicycle Relief project is very much appreciated! It’s a great way for your club to get involved in a global project without the hassle of applying for a global grant. Remember, this is also a really cool way for scout troops, school clubs, or church youth groups to get involved in a global project. Any funds they raise should be funneled through your Rotary club.
A special thank you to President Don Borcherding, Del & Georgia Bluhm, and Don & Doris Goering for providing us with a first-class “Chamber of Commerce” quality tour of Ames to see so many projects your club has been involved in over the years. The plans you have to work with the city on the “Miracle Park” are incredible. What a fantastic signature project to celebrate your centennial year in 2021! You truly have made a significant impact on the city of Ames in so many ways. It was a most enjoyable, and extremely well organized tour with a fun ending at Hickory Park for ice cream, where Karin Sevde met us.
A big thank you for the “Ames, A Ride Through Town on the Dinkey” book. We look forward to reading about the wonderful history of Ames – a city you can be very proud of. The gift was very thoughtful of you and much appreciated.
Remember, your AG, Michelle Cassabaum, and I are fully committed to give you the support you deserve. Please do not hesitate to call on us anytime as it is a joy for us to work with clubs like yours. You truly have a Service Above Self mentality and it shows.
It is a joy to serve as your DG. Together, as a team, we definitely can implement this year’s theme of Rotary; Making a Difference. Your club is certainly one of the crown jewels of District 6000 and you make all of us very proud.
Sincerely,
Mike Ruby, DG