Weekly Update 4/28

The President’s Message.

I would like to take a moment to reflect on the position of President of the Jaffrey-Rindge Rotary Club. My first thought is that it has been a memorable experience that I will never forget and am grateful for the opportunity to serve our community. I am hopeful that other Members of our Club would consider this life enriching experience. It seems pertinent to point out the attributes that the Leader of any organization should possess. One should recognize people’s talents and delegate responsibilities accordingly, be thoughtful, humble, respectful, trusting and always appreciative of others efforts. The “4-Way Test” will be your best guide in being a Rotarian Leader.

Last week I accepted the resignation of Tom Doane from the Executive Board of the Jaffrey-Rindge Rotary. Please respect his decision which should be considered personal. Tom has done some fantastic work for our Club including his work on multiple committees, the photographs for the “Quest Yearbook” and an incredibly successful “Reverse Raffle” fundraising campaign. My hat goes off to Tom.

Your Incoming President for the 2015/2016 Rotary Year will be Sheila Bergeron. I am very excited for Sheila and no doubt she will be a model President. Sheila will surely be able to count on the same support that the Club has shown to me over the last 10 months. Please do not be apprehensive about approaching Sheila in offering to serve as a Committee Member.

More than one member of OUR Club has asked me this question; “Are we the Quest Club that does Rotary on the side or the Rotary Club that promotes the Quest Program?” I guess this may seem to be a fair question and my response is always the same. The Jaffrey-Rindge Rotary Club has created and continues to maintain a Nationally recognized Community Service that few Organizations could consider tackling. Our partnership with the School District and Franklin Pierce University has helped us as Community Leaders to make a difference in the lives of 80 Middle School Students  annually that may otherwise be left behind. This project is a huge undertaking and does require “all hands on deck” for the month of July. Perhaps someday this will become a school function that Rotary helps support but for now this is Our project and I plan to support its success.

Thank You to all that helped with the Roadside Clean-up! Bruce Edwards and myself got a little carried away and extended the highway we maintain by another ½ mile. It was a good thing we did as not only did we find the usual bottle, cans and Styrofoam cups. We also found a 2 gallon paint thinner container in a drainage ditch that drains directly into the Contoocook River!

Tom Bennett has the speaker for this Thursday’s meeting. He has asked John Harris of the Monadnock Institute to speak to us.

Jeff Clark-Kevan has the invocation.

Yours in Rotary,

Andy Lawn

President

Jaffrey-Rindge Rotary