Dear Fellow Rotarians,

     Gulp. I thought I was ready. And you all have been helping me get ready by asking, “Well, Lexa, how does it feel? Just a few more weeks, right?” 

     This morning, I had my last Tuesday morning conference call with my mighty execs: Mike Waddell, Meghan Reed, and Sal Verrastro. We started these scheduled check-ins a year ago when there were decisions to make about how to handle our response to the spread of the virulent Covid19 virus. It was great to have others at the table when decisions about whether or not to meet in person were being made. More importantly, it became a great way to surface concerns, look at them and all get on the same page. When we returned to Brookside, because we had that regular time to talk, I asked them to eat at different tables and see that everything was steady and to build back that connection of fellowship and service. 

     I think I am finding these last days hard because I am leaving one of the best jobs I ever had. AND it is the best job I ever had because of all of you and your shared leadership. By design, Rotary is never about just one or two people. It is the ultimate model of shared leadership. Everyone has a voice. Everyone has a contribution to make.

     Best of all not one among you is shy about stepping up and doing what you can. And you have done it so gracefully. So over the next few weeks, I will be trying in different ways to say thank you. "Thank you" to our officers and board members: Jim Palmquist, Chris Wills, Don Blose, John Chisca, Courtney Kennedy, Eric Loch, and Rose Galeano-Phillips. The list is l o n g! I feel like I could just print out the roster from Club Runner and cross off my own name!! Here are two unexpected thank yous: to all who have let themselves be drafted like Fred Hermann who regularly sits at the EREY (Every Rotarian Every Year) table to record the five-dollar bills sent his way and to my “kitchen cabinet”-- the past Presidents who give me their best advice when I ask. 

     Rotary year 2020-2021 has been good. We did not just survive the pandemic. We pivoted, reoriented ourselves,  and thrived! Our first challenge was fundraising. The September 2020 Golf Outing set the bar high for the rest of the year. After some brain-storming, we identified some new fundraisers. Our Czar for fundraising, Mike Waddell fleshed out those ideas, staffed them, and got several on the calendar including our pop-up Superbowl fun lottery ("Thanks, Gary Guthrie") and the first-ever combined Beef n Bags (Rick Zayaitiz, Sal Verrastro, Don Blose, et al!). Our second challenge was how to get together while Brookside Country Club was closed. The world was zooming. Thanks to John Chisca we now have Vox Tandem land for hybrid meetings. 

     Meanwhile, while meeting these challenges, Emmaus Rotary lived into our motto of “Service above Self”.  Cindy Hornaman and Rick Zayaitiz led the charge to see that students and families in the East Penn School District facing hunger were helped. The East Penn Food Coalition grew under Emmaus Rotary's leadership. Rotarians stepped up.  And Nicole Steirer and Karen Hobson found new service projects for us like packing kit bags for the men at the Allentown Rescue Mission during a regular morning meeting.

     This year,  Emmaus Rotary logged over 1,000 service hours!

     And people around us noticed. Thanks to Alicia Ruiz- Orbin and her International Women’s Day Committee, Emmaus Rotary made the front page of our local newspaper. Not to be outdone, our Flag Day Celebration Committee brought together several groups like the Veterans, the Scouts. and local schools for a grand old-fashioned patriotic fest. 

     We also have a growing edge as we formed three new committees: our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion task force led by Jim Palmquist and Alicia Ruiz-Orbin; the Centennial Celebration advance group with Roger Whitcomb and Gary Rohrbach; and the Audio Visual Club with John Chisca, Eric Loch, and Wade George who are upping our production values for the times we are hybrid going forward.

     Do you see my problem here?

     I have only named about 20 Rotarians…. 80 more to go! What I have written here is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. I did not even note several fund-raising groups and our Fellowship team. I do not want to leave a single person unnamed. So, I am going to switch screens, go to the Club Runner app, and hit “print”!!   . . .

     Seriously, to all of you,

    “THANK YOU for a great Rotary year.”

Yours in Service,

Lexa H. Shallcross

Emmaus Rotary President 2020-2021