September-11- Regular Club Meeting

Discussion followed about other Rotary projects, like international projects in which we participate. Those include water projects in which we help create sustainable clean-water systems which are maintained by the Rotarians and people we work with in those countries. Or Shelter Boxes, in which we are very active. There was also discussion of Every Rotarian Every Year, in which donations go annually to Rotary International.

Mitone said she had lots of announcements for the club. There will be a Bike & Hike to End Polio in West Marin on Oct. 5, and she will be biking, and invited others to join her. There will be a Rotary Foundation dinner scheduled for Nov. 16, at which Sue Rokaw will speak. She also announced she will hold a Rotary Club of Half Moon Bay club social at her  home, for which she will circulate a signup. She sees that as a chance to socialize with other club members over a couple of hours, discuss what's happening in our club, and get reinvigorated to keep on doing our Rotary work. She has ideas for it that she will keep us informed about. She spoke about Rotary Zones. Our club is part of the newly-defined Zone 27, which covers California to Wyoming. Membership has been down, she said, which called for some re-zoning. The upcoming District Governor-Elect and District Governor-Nominee will be trained in the new zoning arrangements.

 

 

Mitone described a relatively new Rotary movement called Emerging Leaders, which she has joined. Each district will name two individuals who will be part  of Emerging Leaders.This zoning work, which she dubbed "PETS on steroids," will serve to remind you why you are in  Rotary. It will be similar to professional development conferences, in which you can get reinvigorated, retrained and refocused. She recounted her own experience with it -- she had found it exhausting, but when she walked to the dinner, she realized it was a setting in which Rotarians would meet like-minded people who are striving to do good in the world. She also spoke of meeting, during that event, Past RI President Ian Riseley and RI President-Elect Holger Knaack from Germany, who said something which intrigued her: that where he came from there was not a problem with dropping membership because of the care that is taken with retention, or making sure new members stay in Rotary. She said that sixty percent of Rotarians only stay active in Rotary for about five years, and retention is a major issue. "We need to fix how we take care of new Rotarians," she  said,  summing up the thinking on this issue, so that new Rotarians can feel that they just met their new best friends and new family, and have gotten involved and active. The problem is not so much bringing new people in, she continued, but giving them something to do -- i.e. new projects. Everyone is incited to do their part to strengthen their clubs.