Dear Fellow Rotarians,
Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all of you….. I have heard that on March 17th, everyone is Irish. Is that true?
How about you?
Our identity, what we call ourselves matters. All of us are Rotarians…. Not just on any one calendar date, but all year long-- all 365 days. This is especially true if it is your habit to wear your Rotary pin most days or if you have pasted a Rotary wheel decal on your car.
Last Thursday, I heard my dental hygienist ask, “What does Rotary do?” I swallowed, cleared my throat, and said, “LOTS!”
Then, I could almost hear the four-part harmony as I went into all the verses of my "Let me tell what Rotary does" talking blues song….. “Scholarships for the high school. Putting in athletic fields around the area. We are the ones leading the fight to End Polio. And because of the connections we’ve made giving polio shots, we are now able to help the world get vaccinated against Covid19. We have Peace Academies. Each week we are giving out food to students and families in East Penn School District. 150 this Wednesday.”
She asked, “What age do you have to be?”
And we talked about the Interact Club.
“Do you remember when the Nobel Peace Prize was given for micro-loans?”
“No,” she answered, “what are they?”
So, I gave her the history of how Emmaus Rotary helped start one of those banks where unsecured loans for $400 or $500 are given out so that someone can start a small business and climb out of poverty. The loans are overwhelmingly paid back and the money recirculated within the community.
Just then, my dentist walked in, asking, “What bank is this?”
A few minutes later, they knew a lot more about Emmaus Rotary and Rotary around the world. And I knew I have a small cavity which has to be filled. I made a follow-up appointment for April 1st. Please do not assume I am only having my tooth taken care of that day!
Why do I tell all of you all of that? Two reasons. First, to encourage you to be prepared when someone asks you, “What does Rotary do?”
Second, as a segue into saying “thank you” to Alicia Ruiz-Orbin and her committee which did such an outstanding job bringing us our fourth International Women’s Day Recognition program last week.
THANK YOU!!
Oh, the connection? As I was climbing into my car to come home, I remembered that I had forgotten to tell them about our two award winners-- Linda Mayger and Prabha Sinha - and how much those women have done for our community and the world! I wanted to go back into my dentist’s office and brag more on Rotary! When was the last time you heard about someone being eager to go to their dentist!!
Next week, Thursday, March 25th there will be a Board meeting after our regular breakfast meeting. Please let me know if you have agenda items, questions, concerns, or ideas for the Board to consider. It will be a hybrid meeting at Brookside and in Vox Tandem land. Everyone is welcome to join us.
Yours in Rotary,
Lexa Shallcross
Emmaus Rotary President, 2020-2021