Dear Friends,
"Rotary opens opportunities." This is the annual theme of Rotary for the year 2020-2021. Being or becoming a member is not just another fact to put on our record, but it opens up a lot of opportunities. Opportunities to maintain and build friendships, and opportunities to put ourselves at the service of those who really need our help. I would like to work with you on these two basic principles of Rotary during my Presidency, and I asked two members to take one of the two themes to heart.
But I need your help to make this happen. We can do a lot alone, but together we can achieve infinitely more. That is why your presence at the weekly club meetings is so important. You cannot become a friend of an empty chair. In order to convince you to come regularly, we will try to make the program attractive by doing something different every week:
- the first Thursday is an apero meeting: partners and friends are welcome and it is an ideal time to invite people you think are eligible to join our club;
- the second Thursday of every month will be a working meeting and will be preceded by a committee meeting. The 2 working groups on community service and membership recruitment / program are intended to meet at that time and explain their plans to the other working group at the end of the meeting;
- on the third Thursday there is a speakers corner. During this meeting the aim is to discuss aspects of Rotary. A better knowledge of Rotary is essential to learn the many opportunities Rotary offers to improve our service to the community. We will regularly invite speakers to inform you about this;
- our dinner meeting will be held on the fourth Thursday. We already have a number of guest speakers on the program who will speak on various topics. But the list will be supplemented. Here too partners and potential members are very welcome;
- and if there is a fifth Thursday in the month, we will provide a 'magical event'. Sometimes spectacular, sometimes quite common, but with the intention of surprising you in a positive way.
The full program can be found in the list in attachment and will be forwarded monthly in our newsletter (see link below). Those who cannot wait that long can always consult the latest version via this link. Make a note of the following dates in your agenda to which partners and possible new members are welcome: 20.08.2020 a speaker will talk about the social work Youthstart; 17.09.2020 is our official transfer of power and from 16 to 18.10.2020 we will be crossing the border on a weekend in the Netherlands. As always, you can find more information in our agenda on Harmony.
Oops, my first letter has gotten a bit longer than I thought. Hopefully, one of you has continued reading until the end. We will continue to be committed to serving the community and increasing our circle of friends, because 'Rotary opens opportunities'.
I wish you all a splendid holiday period,
Eric
