DG Frank Adamson, 2020-21

The DG chain (Governor, Governor-Elect, and Governor Nominee) and I have established the Lighthouse criteria for 2020-2021. To earn the Lighthouse Award, a club must first earn the Rotary Citation.  The information is on the District website for both these awards.  Go to www.rotary7090.org, select Club Tools, drop down to President's Page.  If your club has not yet set goals in Rotary Club Central to earn the Rotary Citation, there is no time like the present.  

 

I have had the privilege of virtually visiting the Rotary Clubs of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ancaster A.M., Rotary E-Club of Social Innovators, Welland, and Buffalo.  Although not the same as an in-person meeting the visits have been very productive.  I’m pleased to see that Ancaster A.M., Welland, and Buffalo have already entered their goals in Rotary Club Central.

 

Sadly, a long time Rotarian of 31 years, Dr. Ron Mergl, DVM, Past President of the Rotary Club of Niagara Falls, ON passed away after a year-long battle with cancer.  Ron was a multiple Paul Harris Fellow and staunch supporter of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.  He and his wife June (also a Rotarian in Niagara Falls) traveled to India and Benin, Africa for one month in each country to dispense the polio vaccine at their personal expense. And he also administered rabies vaccines to hyenas and dogs against rabies in Malawi, Africa.  In recognition of Ron’s passion for everything Rotary and in particular, the Polio Plus initiative I asked June if she would allow me to name the Pedal for Polio Plus fundraiser in his honour, which she heartedly endorsed.  I hope that this will become an annual Dr. Ron Mergl Memorial Pedal for Polio Plus event, a bike ride from each side of the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls, ON and Niagara Falls, NY to NOTL for the Cannucks and to Youngstown for the Yankees.  Goal: $200,000 USD.  More to follow.  Date: Saturday, October 24, 2020.

 

Our recently revised and approved Strategic Plan identified Membership recruitment/retention as a major strategy.  Membership is on a downward spiral and the status quo is NOT an option.  We set a goal of an increase of 250 members during the next year.  With 66 Clubs this equates to a net membership growth of 4 members per club.  I am appealing to the District and Club leaders to actively seek out new members.  This includes ME, the DG Chain, AG’s, PDG’s, District Directors, and Chairs, Club Presidents, and Club Membership Chairs, as well as each of us.

 

This year Zone 28 picked up 5 Districts because they fell below a membership threshold set by RI.  If we continue to bleed members in the not so distant future we will cease to exist as a District and will be assimilated by other Districts.  I suspect we will no longer be an International District, which will be a real blow as we were the first International District to be formed over 100 years ago.

 

I do not want to be alarmist, but we lost almost 300 members last year while gaining less than 150.  In 2004-05 we had 3,105 members and 83 clubs.  We now have fewer than 2,000 and have 66 clubs, 15 of which have under 15 members.

 

The District leadership team will be working with a number of clubs to establish new clubs, satellite clubs, and passport clubs in municipalities with no Rotary presence.  In the Niagara Region, we have targeted Smithville, Port Colborne, and Thorold.  In Brant County, Paris/St. George and Port Dover in Norfolk County.  In New York, we are exploring Attica, Buffalo, and Cheektowaga as possibilities.

 

Angela Carter and her Membership Team need our support to stop the bleeding.  There are numerous membership resources on the District Website under Our Rotary Work, Membership, or click here https://www.rotary7090.org/sitepage/rotary-membership and at www.rotary.org.  Please take the time to review these.