DISTRICT GOVERNOR MESSAGE FOR OCTOBER

Posted by Jacquie Gibson 
on Oct 03, 2015
 
DISTRICT GOVERNOR FELIX N. STUBBS
OCTOBER, 2015 | MONTHLY MESSAGE
 
 
 
Dear Fellow Rotarians,
We are now entering the second quarter of our Rotary year. No doubt, the first quarter was hectic and challenging as we all tried to implement the brilliant ideas we had planned at the District, club and personal level. For Carla and me, it has been extremely rewarding as we continue to visit clubs and see all the marvelous work Rotarians do across our District. We hope you are equally as proud and carry a sense of satisfaction that you are giving your best.
 
To date, we have visited one half of the clubs and we have seen clubs and projects of varying sizes. No matter the size, each project we’ve visited has left an indelible mark on us. It is truly amazing to witness, firsthand, the outstanding projects that we do. We need to make every effort to better promote our good work so that more persons will come to know Rotary and want to lend their support. The more help we get, the better able we are to address the needs of the communities where we live.
 
Rotary has designated the month of October as Economic and Community Development month. It highlights one of our six Areas of Focus and may be the one that probably gets the least attention in our District. This year, however, we have a dynamic District Chair focused on working with clubs to develop economic programs that benefit our communities.
 
A high level view of our District suggests that we are experiencing sluggish economies, high levels of unemployment and rising poverty. These conditions lead to crime and health issues. As Rotarians, we should all be concerned about these trends and think about ways that we can help. Is there something that we can do to help spur income generation and savings? Can we develop projects that will help with job creation and entrepreneurship? What if we were to, as Rotarians, engage other community and business leaders as well as stakeholders in the public and private sectors to work together to develop and implement such initiatives? Here is an opportunity for us to check the classification list in our clubs to identify those members with the skills best suited for economic development and put them to work. I am sure that we would come up with amazing solutions.  If we do nothing else but create an awareness of the opportunities in our communities, we could positively impact the lives of the residents around us. Can you imagine a District where Rotarians helped to influence the reduction in crime, the improvement in job opportunities and the general well being of our neighbors? I can. And just think about the number of future Rotarians that we might be creating! That, my fellow Rotarians, is Significance. So let’s make October a month to remember.
 
During this month, Carla and I will continue to visit clubs and meet as many Rotarians as possible. Our experience has been exhilarating and we can’t wait to meet more of you. While we travel, there is a team of Rotarians in The Bahamas hard at work preparing to welcome you to District Conference next year. Just recently, we released the website for conference registration. If you haven’t already done so, please go to www.7020.org or to our District Clubrunner homepage, locate the link to register for conference and do so early. We are looking forward to the opportunity to host you in Nassau, May 2 - 7, 2016!
 
Thank you for the great work you do and continue to Be a Gift to the World as you move from Success to Significance.   #unleashtheawesome7020
 
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