Members attending discussed the results of the questions that committee members asked of Club members over the past 2 months, as they met in groups of 2 to get better acquainted and find out what Club members are thinking about the Club. In general, most Club members were introduced to Rotary through friends and colleagues. The other avenue for joining was having a relative who was a Rotarian.
Reasons for being in Rotary revolved around the service that we can offer others and the friendships that are built. From the results submitted, no one is thinking about leaving the Club, although there are improvements that some would like to see: a stabilized location for meetings, preferably with a meal included. It was felt that, without a meal, a degree of camaraderie has been lost. Members would also like to see more diversity in the Club, as well as diversity in the projects we do. It was suggested that anyone who has a desire to work on a project, just bring it to the Club, find others to help, and just do it. There is no formalized procedure for initiating a community project—just find willing hands to help and go for it. Contact the Community Service Committee Chair, Dennis Erno with your ideas.
Projects that have been considered most enjoyable are, of course, the Taste of the Hops and Vines (a suggestion was made to have an apprentice assigned to Ken Hola!), pollinator garden, the Human Trafficking program, business tours, and the variety shows.
We hope to have more results at the next meeting.
We also discussed the plan for the orientation of new members. We will determine which night or nights is most convenient for the new members, then invite each Service Area Committee Chair to present a brief explanation of their committee and current programs, along with the President, the Officers, the Fundraising Chair, Membership Chair, Foundation Chair, and Public Image Chair. We hope to accomplish this in November, so please be as available as possible. I will be looking for dates right away. We would like to hold these in a home setting as it is more convivial atmosphere, but can also incorporate Zoom for those who can’t attend.
Members are invited to bring guests to the holiday party who might be interested in membership and would like to get to know us.