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Sharing Rotary

Sharing Rotary with New Members Are you aware of the responsibility or obligation most Rotarians fail to perform? Paying their dues? Attending meetings? Contributing to the club's service fund? Participating in club events and projects? No - none of these! Of all the obligations a person accepts when joining a Rotary club, the one in which most Rotarians fail is "sharing Rotary."

The policies of Rotary International clearly affirm that every individual Rotarian has an "obligation to share Rotary with others and to help extend Rotary through proposing qualified persons for Rotary membership." It is estimated that less than 30 per cent of the members of most Rotary clubs have ever made the effort to propose a new member. Thus, in every club, there are many Rotarians who readily accept the pleasures of being a Rotarian without ever sharing that privilege with another qualified individual. The Rotary policy on club membership states: "In order for a Rotary club to be fully relevant to its community and responsive to the needs of those in the community, it is important and necessary that the club include in its membership all fully qualified prospective members located within its territory/" One merely has to glance through the yellow pages of the local telephone directory to realize that most clubs have not invited qualified members of all businesses and professions into Rotary.

Only a Rotarian may propose a customer, neighbor, client, supplier, executive, relative, business associate, professional or other qualified person to join a Rotary club. Have you accepted your obligation to share Rotary? The procedures are very simple, and everyone must know at least one person who should belong to Rotary. August is Membership and Extension Month "By increasing Rotary membership, we strengthen Rotary... We must attract new members, retain existing members, and organize new Rotary clubs" There' no better time to give your club a dose of fresh vitality derived from the enthusiasm of new club members. You could find no more appropriate occasion than Membership and Extension Month to fill those remaining openings in your classification roster.

Who is the District Governor? The Rotary district governor performs a very significant function in the world of Rotary, as the single officer of Rotary International in a Rotary district. The 500+ district governors, who have been trained at the worldwide International Assembly, provide a "quality control" for the 26,000 Rotary clubs. They are responsible for maintaining high performance within the clubs of their district. The district governor, who must make an official visit to each club in the district, is never regarded as an "inspector general." Rather, as a helpful and friendly adviser to the club officers, and a useful counselor to further the Object of Rotary among the clubs, and as a catalyst to help strengthen the program of Rotary. The district governor is a very experienced Rotarian who generously devotes a year of life to the volunteer task of leadership. The governor has a wealth of knowledge about current Rotary programs, purposes, polices and goals. Rely on your governor for assistance, and support your governor through service.

Governor Ray Den Adel became a member of the Rockford Rotary Club in 1977, served on nine committees (as Chairman of five), a Director for two years, Vice-President and President. in 1989 he received the club's Service Above Self Award. He is a Paul Harris Fellow, A Rotary Foundation Benefactor, and a life member of the Paul Harris 711 Club. He has been a member or chairman of several district committees and served as Governor's Representative from 1989-1991 and 1994-1997. He has attended the Rotary International Conventions in Melbourne, Australia and Glasgow, Scotland. Governor Ray Den Adel served as Chairman of the Classics Department at Rockford COllege for 30 years. He has served as President of the Illinois Classical Conference and of the Chicago Classical Club, Secretary of the Vergilian Society of America and of the Classical Society of American Academy on Rom and as Vice-President of the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA.) He is founder of the Rockford Society of the AIA and a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Ray is a supply organist at his church as well as other churches in the area. He enjoys travel, photography, musical concerts, reading, sports events and philately.

Clubs in Action So Others Can Read by Page Bellinger

The Parks Journal newspaper published a photo and report of Loves Park Rotary CLub president Rod Meyers's presentation of the District 6420 Literacy Providers Award to the Rockford Area Literacy Council. Connie Frazier, Executive Director of the Council, accepted the award at the club's May 20 meeting. Parks Journal newspaper serves the Loves Park and Machesney Park communities. Loves Park Rotary had nominated Rockford Area Literacy Council (RALC) for the award. Then-DG Chuck Engel announced seven Literacy Providers Award recipients at the Annual District Conference in Rochelle. During that announcement, DG Engel noted that "...Rockford Area Literacy COuncil provides facilities and volunteer tutors to serve adults who need greater reading skills." The Journal, in its May 28 issue reported that RALC "...has served over 1800 adults and trained over 1300 volunteers in the teaching of reading. The Journal also noted that PDG Stu Smith has been a volunteer tutor for RALC for two years. Dixon, Galena, Peru, Sandwich, Sterling Noon and Twin Cities Sunrise are the other clubs who nominated local literacy providers for the District Rotary Literacy Provider Awards presented at the Annual District Conference. We hope to receive reports of their award presentations soon. It's not too late for the presentations. The nominees deserve it; and the publicity is good for the clubs and communities. Send news clippings and glossy photos to Page Bellinger, 2447 28st Moline, IL 61265