Rotary Overload

OK, I have been remiss in my posting for the last month or so. Partly because I have been very busy, and partly because I was having a case of the post basketball blues. Actually, the busyness has helped me forget that there are no more basketball games to go to. That busyness is primarily attributable to Rotary.

I am committed to my Rotary work, and it is taking lots of time lately. I am the newsletter editor for my Club, and so I produce a 4 page bulletin every week. This is a relentless job. I actually enjoy this more than many other Rotary tasks, but it can be very difficult at times. Especially when you need information from others!

I am also on the Club Board of Directors, and have had several tasks to complete recently. Revising our club bylaws and constitution, putting on a vocational program, and helping to organize a fundraiser for scholarships.

Another responsibility is the District training cadre. I am a facilitator/instructor, and have been working on a three hour training session for incoming club officers for several months. This session took place last Saturday. Whew, it is great to have that one in the bag, but it did consume me these last few weeks.

RYLA, that's Rotary Youth Leadership Awards is a leadership camp for students just completing their Junior year. It is a week long camp and we put on two (back to back) every year. I am a Co-Director (and occasionally a counselor), and so I have numerous responsibilities to prepare and put the camps on. This one is just starting to accelerate. Purchasing supplies, selecting counselors, signing agreements, coordinating with clubs and our neighboring district.

This year (as last) I have also taken on gathering info and putting together a memorial slide show for Rotarians who have departed this year. This entails contacting 54 clubs via email (repeated) and phone calls (as a last resort) and building a Powerpoint to present. This will take place in June at the District Conference. Unfortunately, the day of the memorial is the same day as the first day of the RYLA Camp. Oh well, no matter what, I can't be in two places at once!

OK, that seems like a lot to me. However, I'm not finished. I am currently the District Governor Nominee (DGN). That means I have other responsibilities in the district. One is being on the RYLA Board of Directors. OK, what does that mean? Just another meeting to attend once each month, and several more assignments related to Camp RYLA. On top of that I am on several other "committees" and attend occasional meetings.

So, as DGN in all my spare time I am supposed to be planning for my District Governor year (2012-2013). This is the biggest job I have taken on, certainly in Rotary, and perhaps since I took on the Sierra Nevada Framework Review in 2002. This May Kim and I will be attending the International Convention in New Orleans. I will get to meet the man who will be President of Rotary International, Sekuji Tenaka from Japan. The convention will be very enjoyable, and Kim and I are really looking forward to it.

One thing I know for sure, the governor's job will take priority over all other tasks after the Conference in June. Wow, that makes me feel better just to say it! Don't get me wrong, I am committed to Rotary. It is a way for me to make a positive difference in the world in a very significant way. So I am not complaining, just processing.

That's All!