I don’t think this year would fall under anyone’s definition of “normal”. But rather than dwell on all the bad things that happened this year, I made a list of the good things that we can all be thankful for as members of the Montgomery/Rocky Hill Rotary.
- Though some of our family members have been affected by COVID-19, by and large, our members have remained healthy (and I hope that continues through the recent uptick in cases in our community).
- The Grab n Go project really made a difference for our local restaurants and healthcare workers during the dark days of the pandemic earlier this year.
- Flags For Heroes was a resounding success raising almost $25K (and “building goodwill and better friendships” by helping some other clubs in our District with advice on their Flags For Heroes projects)
- When things started shutting down, we transitioned to Zoom quickly. Then later we moved the meetings in-person at Van Horne Park during the summer and were able to return back to Cherry Valley (and still patch people in who couldn’t attend via Zoom). No matter what happens going forward, we have shown that we can react quickly.
- Due to the wisdom of setting up a rainy day fund many years ago via the Foundation, we actually have money this year to give the charities that rely on our funding.
- In terms of membership, we are only down net one member from the beginning of the year and have a few prospects in the pipeline to where I feel we will be net positive by the end of this Rotary year.
- We are increasing our use of ClubRunner’s functionality and our website and newsletter are providing current and relevant information.
- Our Treasurer is staying on top of dues and bills so we haven’t had any surprises.
- We were able to hold an Installation Dinner that was well attended.
- The Bikes For The World project was a huge success.
- Our speaker schedule is back to being filled for weeks in advance.
- We will be able to fulfill our commitment to Bentley Community Service to help them purchase a desperately needed food transportation vehicle.
- Despite the rancorous political climate, a spirit of civility and respect prevailed in our club.
I’m sure I missed a few things but, as you can see, there were a lot of things to be thankful for. I wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Rotarically Yours,
Zoltan Nagy
President
Rotary Club of Montgomery/Rocky Hill (NJ)
Zoltan Nagy
President
Rotary Club of Montgomery/Rocky Hill (NJ)