Posted by John Ester on Sep 10, 2019
Today we had the pleasure of hosting District 6290 Governor Dave Thomas.
 
Dave began by saying that local clubs are the foundational building blocks of Rotary--everything in Rotary happens because a local club initiated it. Thus, Rotary became involved in the fight to eradicate polio after a Rotarian in the Phillipines had the idea of using the Salk vaccine to eliminate polio there.
 
Using the analogy of bringing out a new automobile, Dave listed five key elements in developing a successful club:
  • Leadership is the motor that will power the club.
  • Membership is the transmission that will take the power and turn it into movement.
  • Public image provides the style.
  • The club's youth and adaptability will permit generational changes.
  • The Rotary International Foundation--the #1 rated charitable foundation--will give every club member the opportunity to make the the world a more civilized place.
Dave invited us all to a District party in Petoskey in May of 2020.  In answering questions from the floor Dave said that Rotary International would finish the eradicating polio before tackling another big international project.