Governor's December Message
Dear Friends,
One of our priorities this year is to achieve vitality and continuity in our service. To do this we must maintain a vigorous schedule of activities through the end of this Rotary year while laying the foundation for an early and ambitious start when the next leadership team takes the helm. We ought to look forward to April, May and June, 2007, as months when we, as experienced Rotary leaders, can do our best work.
Our constituents, those in need in our communities and abroad, look to us every month of the year for the help that Rotary provides, and I know we will continue to find innovative ways to serve these good people throughout this Rotary year.
Before we embarked on our mission of service in July, our club presidents considered the manner in which we would recognize excellence in our service projects. As you may know, we acknowledge our accomplishments at the District Conference. This year our conference will take place from April 26 through April 29, 2007, at the Bahia Resort in Mission Bay. The reports on our club projects and other activities are due to the District Office on March 16, 2007. Our task as leaders was to determine how we could encourage activity throughout the Rotary year and still recognize all of a club's endeavors. Your club presidents decided that reports can be submitted not only for projects completed by March 16 but also for projects which have been carefully planned and scheduled to take place during the final three and one-half months of our year. This will allow us to recognize the full year of Rotary work and encourage serious and focused activity right up to the time of inauguration of the succeeding administration. Of course, we are all on our honor as Rotarians to complete that which we plan or to return the certificates for that which we are unable to carry out. If you have not yet begun the preparation of your reports, please begin as soon as possible in January. You have all accomplished much already. We should never hesitate to proclaim the extraordinary service our clubs perform.
I have now completed thirty-eight of my scheduled forty-five club visits. This has been an exceptional privilege. I have met outstanding men and women who serve in our District, become well acquainted with leaders in whom I have great confidence, and learned more about the creativity, energy and devotion our clubs and our Rotarians bring to the Rotary table. You all do magnificent work for mankind. I look forward to my seven remaining club visits. I know I will long remember this year and the many friends I have made in Rotary. It is a blessing for which I am most thankful during this special holiday season.
This is a season for rest and reflection. It is that special time of the year to give thanks for our blessings, rejoice in our accomplishments, contemplate new challenges, and refocus our efforts on the goals we have set. It is a season for faith, for friendship and for family. When we return to a vigorous pursuit of our objectives in January, we have a calendar of important events for your schedule. On Tuesday, January 9, we will meet for our third District breakfast at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. This is our first youth-led breakfast, and I know you will enjoy it. We are counting on your support. If you have not already done so, please make your reservation with the District Office promptly after the New Year. On Saturday, January 20, we will present our mid-year leadership seminar. This meeting is for the current presidents and District leadership team as well as those who will lead in the coming Rotary year. It is an essential training seminar for all our leaders and will assist us to make Rotary in our District an effective twelve month enterprise. Finally, on Thursday, January 25, we will travel to the Rand Corporation for our third presidents' dinner, which is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Santa Monica. Our first two dinners, one sponsored by the Rotary Club of Rancho Park, and the other jointly sponsored by the Rotary Club of Beverly Hills and the Rotary Club of Westchester, were both delightful events. Please look for the flyer from President Jim Dyer of Santa Monica and mark your calendar for the last Thursday in January.
Have you had the opportunity yet to meet our two very capable District Office Administrators, Rochelle Toutounchian and Tori Hettinger? These women have done a remarkable job keeping our Rotarians well-informed and our District operating effectively and efficiently. If you haven't had the opportunity yet to introduce yourself, give our District Office a call. Rochelle is at work in the morning from 8:30 to 11:30, and Tori is on duty from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. You will have to make the call after the New Year, however. Our office will be closed from December 25 through January 1 to give these two outstanding employees a well deserved rest. If you have questions or need assistance during that week, please give me a call at my home or my office.
I wish you all a very joyous holiday and I look forward to seeing you next year.
Warmest regards,