August 18, 2020

Rotary’s Four Way Test of the things we think, say or do: 1.) Is it the TRUTH? 2.) Is it FAIR to all concerned? 3.) Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS? 4.) Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

The San Antonio Northeast Rotary Club meeting for Tuesday, August 18th at 6:00 p.m. Zoom meeting - www.zoom.com

Meeting ID: 971 0278 0940 Password: 925593 One Click Link - https://zoom.us/j/97102780940?pwd=WG9CQjZsYStVRlRuZEU0S204RDV2dz09

San Antonio Northeast Rotary Club Chartered May 19, 1987 - District 5840 - Club #24625 www.sanortheastrotary.com

Birthdays & Anniversaries

Lee Powers’ wife, Kathy, is blowing out the candles on her birthday cake today. Happy Birthday, Kathy.

Staying in the Powers’ household, Lee and Kathy will be celebrating their wedding anniversary on August 23rd.

Last but not least, Honorary Rotarian Chelsea Torres will be celebrating her birthday on August 24th. Happy Birthday, Chelsea. We will see you on September 1st.

UPCOMING GUEST SPEAKERS

August 25th Dr. Jeffrey Addicott, Director of Center for Terrorism Law, St. Mary’s University and Author

September 1st Chelsea Torres, KRIS 6 TV Journalist in Corpus Christi

September 8th Mayra Rivero, Endeavors Veteran Supportive Services Program

Our speaker this evening is George Green, CEO and Artistic Director of The Public Theater of San Antonio. George has been a guest speaker for us before. He will be speaking to us about all the amazing ways that The Public Theater of San Antonio has served the community during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A native of San Antonio and former USAF Member, George Green gained his business acumen as a marketing and promotion expert in the radio and print industries. He was a principal founder of Vivo Publications and PRIME Magazine – a publication that is still circulated in the Spokane region. After selling his interests, he followed his passion and began working in the arts fulltime. George has served as the Director of Development for Spokane Civic Theatre as well as the Executive/Artistic Director of The Modern Theaters of The Inland Northwest. He has been involved in the theatrical arts as an amateur and professional dating back to 1977. Mr. Green is an award-winning set designer, director, and performer. Some notable accolades include Outstanding Scenic Designer and Outstanding Director from the 5th Avenue Theater Awards - Seattle as well as the AACT National Best Supporting Actor Award for his portrayal of Lee Harvey Oswald in Assassins. Mr. Green served as the Chairman of the Idaho Association of Community Theater from 2013-2015. George is inspired by this community’s passion and emotional investment to make the best theater possible for our region. He is married to Briane, Harlan High School’s Theater Director, and is father to five daughters, Erika, Lola, Campbell, Zooey, and Sutton.

DG Xavier Toson's August Message

I hope this message finds you all well and in good spirits. I want to applaud you all for finding new ways to serve the communities in which you live and those abroad, fellowship, and fundraise as we navigate uncharted waters. Your willingness to take on the role of selfless service even amid such challenges as COVID-19 is why we are more than mere volunteers; we are Rotarians! Our theme for August is "Membership & New Club Development," and I would like to take a moment to highlight just

what that means and why we should focus greatly on it.

Past Rotary International President, Rick King, once said, "It never entered my mind that day 41 years ago, when someone touched me and invited me to join something higher than self. Who made me a better husband, a better father, a better family member, made me a better lawyer, a better citizen, a better humanitarian. Who gave me the best friends in the world that anybody can have, the people in my club, who didn't even know my mother when she died, but all showed up at her funeral to support me. When that man came to my office and said "I'd like you to be part of Rotary," I did not know then that he was introducing me to the best people in the world, of every race, and religion, and color, and culture, and language, and ideology, and nationality."

In his quote, PRIP Rick is talking about the importance of camaraderie, an extension of the family, and the unconditional support of fellow Rotarians that has made his journey worth its weight in gold. He's talking about what it means to be a Rotarian and the benefits it offers. Membership is more than attending meetings, eating lunch, joining a Zoom, listening to a speaker, paying dues, and showing up to service projects. Membership is knowing that your fellow Rotarians genuinely care and are there when you need them the most. It's knowing that fellow Rotarians are by your side (with social distancing in mind), and working alongside you to accomplish great acts of service to benefit humanity. This is what I believe will retain our members and create vibrant clubs that will draw new members into Rotary.

Here are a few action steps for Clubs:

• Develop a plan for recruiting, retaining, and educating club members

• Build a membership committee and make appointments for multiple years

• Maintain open lines of communication between committee members and club

leadership

• Create membership goals in Rotary Club Central

• Create a "No Member Left Behind" challenge (meaning find a way to keep

members engaged, connected, and supported.

Here are a few actions steps for Members:

• Call a member you haven't spoken to in a while

• Find a way to support a members business or professional endeavors

• Have a virtual happy hour (perhaps with a round of bingo)

• Plan a trip post-COVID

• Reach out to an inactive member and let them know their help is needed

New Club Development

The organization of new clubs is vital to our District and Rotary's growth as an organization. Starting new Rotary clubs increases our ability to improve lives in communities around the world. In the world of Rotary today, we have many different club models to choose from:

- Traditional Rotary Clubs - Professionals and aspiring leaders who meet regularly for services, connections, and personal growth.

- Satellite Clubs - A Rotary club sponsored by a traditional club but with its own meetings, projects, bylaws, and board.

- E-Club - A Rotary club that meets primarily online.

- Passport Club - A Rotary Club that allows members to attend other Rotary club meetings as long as they attend a specified number of meetings in their own club each year.

- Corporate Club - A club whose members (or most of them) work for the same employer.

- Caused-Based Club - A club whose members are passionate about a particular cause and focus their service efforts in that area.

- Alumni-Based Club - A club whose members (or most of them) are former Rotary or Rotary Foundation program participants.

- Rotaract Club - A club members 18 and up that is sponsored by a Rotary club and often works with that club on projects.

As you can see, the possibilities are endless when it comes to new club development. Right now, in our district, we are working on developing two new Rotary clubs:

- Veterans Rotary Club - Rotary eClub of Equity and Justice

If you know of any prospective members who would be great fits for both, please email clubdevelopment@rotary5840.org

Not just one hour a week,

but a way of life. 8/11/20

Jan King was our guest speaker on August 11th. Being both a Rotarian and a

Toastmaster, Jan spoke to us about the Alliance between Rotary and Toastmasters to help grow

professionally and make a difference in our communities.

ROTARY HISTORY Chesley R. Perry: Rotary’s first general secretary

Chesley Reynolds Perry, a Spanish-American War veteran and former Chicago Public Library employee, served as Rotary’s first secretary and is known as “the builder of Rotary International.” While Rotary’s president changes every year, only 12 people have served as general secretary, a role that’s equivalent to a chief executive — and at 32 years, Perry served the longest.

In August 1910, the newly formed National Association of Rotary Clubs (now Rotary International) unanimously selected Perry for the role then known as secretary. He accepted the part-time position at $100 per month, with an agreement that the amount of time he’d devote would remain unspecified. By 1912, the job had evolved into a full-time executive role, and Perry’s pay was increased. Perry’s own office on LaSalle Street in Chicago, Illinois, USA, served as the first headquarters of the association. By 1911, Rotary had established an office in the First National Bank Building at the intersection of Dearborn and Monroe in Chicago. Perry concurrently served as editor and business manager of The Rotarian from 1911 to 1928, and he opened Rotary’s first international office, in Zurich, Switzerland, in February 1925. He oversaw the expansion of Rotary as it grew during his tenure from 16 clubs in the United States to more than 5,000 worldwide. His title was officially changed to general secretary in 1941-42, his final year in office. Perry had announced his plans to retire in 1940, but agreed to remain in his post while the organization trained his successor, Philip C. Lovejoy. A number of clubs sought to nominate Perry for RI president in 1942-43, but he declined, saying, “I am gratefully conscious of the high compliment thereby being paid to me.”

After retiring, Perry remained a member of the Rotary Club of Chicago, which he’d joined in 1908. But he wasn’t done being a leader, and served as club president in 1944-45. In 1954, Rotary offered him the title “secretary emeritus” to honor his years of service, but he again declined, preferring the role of ordinary Rotarian. Perry died on February 21, 1960 at the age of 87.

Have you signed up for the San Antonio Northeast Rotary Club team that will be participating in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s? The event will take place on Saturday, October

24th. This annual event is held in over 600 communities nationwide and is the world’s single largest fundraiser for Alzheimer care, support and research.

Although there is no fee to register for the walk, each club member is encouraged to join the team through the link listed below. This will help track our individual donations towards our club’s goal of raising $1,000. The page also has multiple ways to forward the donation link through social media and other forwarding sources which will make it easier to get our team’s donation link out and will help us out towards that goal.

https://act.alz.org/site/TR/Walk2020/TX-SanAntonioandSouthTexas?team_id=624034&pg=team&fr_id=13878

If anyone has any questions, please contact Russell Sturgeon at: Russell.Sturgeon@frostbank.com

There was a great turnout for Rotary District 5840’s first VIRTUAL DISTRICT TOWN HALL!! Our first guest speaker was Assistant Governor Gloria Wilson for your presentation. Your passion inspired us all!

The next DISTRICT VIRTUAL TOWN HALL MEETING will be hold on Thursday, August 27.

Fundraising is about to get personal at Rotary with a new online and mobile-friendly program for members and supporters, called Raise for Rotary. Initially only available in English and U.S. currency, Raise for Rotary gives members, donors, and participants a new opportunity to create custom fundraising pages to share with their social networks and raise funds for The Rotary Foundation. The new platform will be promoted in September. Make plans now to start a virtual fundraiser with Raise for Rotary to celebrate special occasions and share it with family members and friends. Athletic pursuits, tributes, and responses to current events are also popular reasons to garner support for a favorite Rotary cause. This new fundraising platform will help increase our impact with more contributions collected for Foundation funds, such as the World Fund, Polio Fund, Disaster Response Fund, and Rotary's areas of focus. By sharing these fundraising pages widely on social media, email, or text messaging, more people will learn about and support the good work that Rotary and Rotaract clubs do in local communities and around the world. Raise for Rotary will be available in more languages and support additional currencies in the coming year.