October is a busy month for Rotary. The theme for the month of October is ‘Community Economic Development Month.’ October 24th is also World Polio Day when we remind the world, we are still in a fight to rid the plant of polio.
When I think of community economic development I think of Rotary’s avenue of service, Vocational Service. This avenue of service is the most misunderstood avenue of service we have. I suspect that many of our clubs do not even staff a Vocational Service chair. Most of ask ‘What does a Vocational Service committee do?’ Rotary has published a couple of great documents outlining the role of Vocational Service. You can go to Rotary.org and search for Vocational Service and download the information.
Here is an excerpt from one of the documents outlining the concept of Vocational Service.
The Object of Rotary is a philosophical statement of Rotary’s purpose and the responsibilities of Rotarians. The concept of vocational service is rooted in the second object, which calls on Rotarians to encourage and foster:
High ethical standards in business and professions
The recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations
The dignifying of each Rotarian’s occupation as an opportunity to serve society
As a Rotarian, how can you put these ideals into action? Consider these suggestions:
Talk about your profession in your club and take time to learn about fellow members’ occupations.
Use your skills and expertise to serve a community.
Practice your profession with integrity and inspire others to behave ethically through you words and actions.
Help young people achieve their career goals.
Guide and encourage others in their professional development.
By undertaking these activities, you bring vocational service to life. Vocational service is the essence of Rotary and serves as the foundation from which we serve our communities around the world.
Not sure about The Object of Rotary, check out page 60 in the October edition of the Rotary magazine. Think about what you and your club can do to promote Community Economic Development through Vocational Service.
Lastly, please think about what we can do to promote World Polio Day. I know many clubs are planning a ‘Pints for Polio’ in concert with a local pub. Has anyone thought about instead of a pint of brew a pint of homemade soup, a pint of ice cream, a pint of homemade cookies or anything you can put in a pint container. Please consider continuing your donations to Polio Plus through The Rotary Foundation. It is very easy to donate via Rotary Direct where you set up an automatic donation each month using either a credit or debit card. If you go to Rotary.org, sign in and go to the ‘Donate’ tab then follow the directions. You can become a member of ‘Polio Plus Society’ if you donate $100 per year to Polio Plus. To continue to receive the 2 to 1 match from the Gates Foundation Rotary needs to raise $50 million a year. With a membership total of 1+ million members that is a $50 per year per member to reach the goal. That equates to around $4.25 per month which is one less coffee per month to help reach the goal. Please think about it.
Have a great Rotary month.
Steve Gage
