Welcome to Rotary International District 6800!
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Rotary International President John Kenny's
theme for this 2009/2010 Rotary year is The future of Rotary is in
your hands. There has never been a more appropriate theme for the
more than 1.2-million Rotarians in the world. When I think about the
theme, Will Allen Dromgoole's poem, The Bridge Builder, first
published in 1900, comes to mind. In this poem an old man builds a
bridge across a chasm, which he has already crossed and will never have
to cross again because there is a youth who must follow him. Rotarians
are bridge builders and, I believe, will always be bridge builders. The
question is, will we be the bridge builders or will we leave the job to
those who follow us?
As leaders, we have the opportunity to develop and maintain a culture for
District 6800 and for our individual Rotary clubs. Culture is the glue
that holds an organization together. Essential elements of culture are:
images, stories, heroes, ritual and ceremony. Examples of images are:
FedEx, McDonald's Golden Arches, the Rotary wheel, and our District
6800 flags of Tennessee and Mississippi, joined together. Examples
of district stories are: Paul Harris visited Aberdeen not once but
twice and planted a tree that is still standing; Stratton Daniel, who
was a member of the Rotary Club of Memphis, a past Rotary District
Governor in Arkansas and a retired Presbyterian minister. Stratton had
42 years perfect
 attendance even though he had been in a wheel chair for
several years. He passed away several weeks ago and at the funeral home
the minister of the small Presbyterian church that Stratton attended
told me that he would drive him to worship but Stratton told him not to
come if it was raining. The minister knew that Stratton never missed
Rotary and asked him, "What are you going to tell St. Peter when you
arrive at the Pearly Gates?" Stratton replied, "St. Peter will
forgive me, but Rotary won't."
Examples of district heroes are:
Jo Ann Denley of the Rotary Club of Bruce, who is the first female
member of District 6800; Paul Parker, a member of the Rotary Club of
Water Valley, who has 72 years perfect attendance. Examples of
ceremony are: Banquets and dinners to reward outstanding members and
reward people for the good that they do in the world. Examples of
rituals are: club singing, as done at the Rotary Club of Tupelo,
Clarksdale and others, the Pledge of Allegiance, the Four Way Test,
prayer, the weekly stock report and official joke that are done at the
Rotary Club of Amory, or Jim Eikner's weekly news update at the Rotary
Club of Memphis.
Being a Rotarian is not for everyone, as RI President Kenny stated
in his August letter in The Rotarian magazine. Some people do
not fit the bill, but for those who do, the rewards are great. It is an
honor to be invited to join Rotary. Where else can you meet weekly with
the civic and business leaders of your community, the people that you
want to emulate and with whom you can work shoulder to shoulder, doing
good in your community and the world? The rewards of being a Rotarian
are great for those who wish to take advantage of them.
The future of Rotary is in your hands.
Mike Moffatt
District Governor, 2009-2010 |
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