Vol. 66 No. 10 Notes from the Podium

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President's Time

President Debbie shared the podium today with Linda Singer, President of the Rotary Club of Miami. They joined us at the Country Club today to meet, greet and have an opportunity to hear Rotary International Director, John Smarge.  We were pleased to have so many people in attendance today, not only from  the Miami Club but District honchos too.

Just for the record, gracing us with their presence today was Past RI Director Bob (Godfather) Menconi, Past District Governors Robin Shelly and Doug Maymon.  Current District Governor Todd Dayton and District Governor Elect, Ted Eldridge.  District Membership Chair Joe Roth came too.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR THE SEPTEMBER 5TH FRIDAY.  

Under the heading of Vocational Fellowship be sure to mark your calendar for what is sure to be a unique 5th Friday in September.  Thanks to Eddie Snow, the venue for this social is Snow's Jewelers at 299 Miracle Mile.  Eddie's been a member of our Club for some 28 years. It will be fun to finally see what he does for a living!  Ladies bring your husbands.  Husbands bring your checkbooks.  You'll be spending two hours with your Rotary friends in a Jewelry store.  Don't miss it.  $10 per person.  Cocktails and hors s' oeuvres by Lovables.  Sign up now.  Bring your spouse, significant other, best friend or a prospective member.  

Introductions of Visitors &Guests

Walter Alvarez

Besides all the Miami Rotarians in attendance today, we had lots of other visiting Rotarians including former RCCG members Mike Baird, now a Palo Alto Rotarian and Past President/Past Mayor Keith Phillips II who turns 90 this week. Also Denise, a visiting Rotarian from South Africa, District 9400 Morningside Club.  John Smarge brought his wife Cindy. 

Rotarians who brought guests today included Walter himself who introduced us to Sean Harriman. Lorraine Sheldon and his wife Annette.  Richard DeWitt brough his lovely wife, Luba.  Rodney Langer brought his dad Roger and his wife Lynn, his brother Roger and his wife Blanca.  Chris Tyson brought his oldest daughter Natalie.  Gary Sisler (Miami Club) brought two UM students from Germany, Katrina and Nina Lange. Andrea Fusero brough his friend Andrea Covre once again.  Thanks for coming. Please come back again soon.  And often.

Virgos are meticulous, practical, conservative perfectionists like Bear Bryant, D.H. Lawrence, Tom Landry and our very own Jim Roen, all celebrating their birthdays on Sunday, September 11.  Happy Birthday to all the fussy worriers.

Rotary Foundation Minute

Roger Langer has been a Rotarian in the Rotary Club of Miami for a long time.  His son, Rodney is a relatively new member of our Club who has distinguished himself with lots of hard work since he first joined a couple of years ago.  Roger is SO PROUD of his son that he made him a Paul Harris Fellow for the first time today. He said that now he expects Rod to work even harder for Rotary and our Club.  Congratulations Rodney.  

Happy $$ -A-Thon-Challenge

President Debbie announced that today we would have a Happy Dollars Competition to see which club could come up with the most happiness.  Diane was the go-to-for happiness person from the Miami Club, Dick Golden stood in for the good Doc who wasn't here.

Happy from the Miami Club included Linda Singer, Robin Shelly, Scott Richy, Ted Eldridge, Marcy Ullom, Robert Lindsey, Robert Marshall, and Ron Gersti.  They raised $70 despite the fact that Robin Shelly talked so much he had to give more money!  He wanted everyone to know about the Miami Mangoes, their team that's involved in the Race Across Africa, a Rotary Water & Sanitation project.  www.raceacross.org.  Check it out!

Happy Rotarians from our Club included Trish Hoffman who when given the choice between a vacation in Italy or the U.S. Open - well she went to the Open last year.  President Debbie was cheerleading for more happiness.  Dan Scipione was just donating.  Yoli Woodbridge gave another $20 for Robin's long message.  Andrea Fusero was happy to be back from Italy and brought us a flag from his old Rotary Club.  Former member of our Club, Mike Baird was happy to be here.  Jim Roen is happy to be 67 on 9/11 and that LSU kicked the Ducks butts!  Ana Fournaris was happy for all the people who advised her that her email address was sending out Viagra ads.  Pastor Perry went to the Miami line because it was shorter!  He wanted us to help out one of his staff members who lost everything in a fire.  They're having a spaghetti dinner for her.  Please come. Rick Tonkinson was happy to see John Smarge at our Club.  Gloria Burns invited all interested parties to join her at the Freedom Run for the US Military on Saturday morning.  Chris Tyson touted the value of a good education, Yale, Yale, Yale and Carlos Ruiz de Quevedo had a wonderful weekend visitng their new granddaughter.  Rotary Club of Coral Gables won the Happy $$ Challenge, raising $85 today for Scholarships for our Club.  Happiness pays so keep on smiling.

Working Rotarians - September 8, 2011

Greeters - Steven Spann, Margarita Tonkinson & Robert Marshal (Miami)

Registration - Aaron Glasser

Collections - Bill Forshee & John Porro

Head Table - Rodney Langer

Special Needs - Lan Nghiem-Phu & Frank Sexton

Open the Meeting - Jack Witty

Invocation - Dick Anderson (Mami)

Pledge - Aaron Glasser

Singers - Bill Quesenberry & Dan Scipione

DeWitt Law Silver Dollars - Trish Hoffman

Given to - Terry Long  Gary Sisler

Pin Drawing Gift - Rodney Langer

Pin Drawing Winner - Felix Pardo

50/50 Raffle - Gloria Burns

50/50 Winner - Mike Baird

4 Way Test - Robin Shelly (Miami)

Today's Program

Rotary International Director, John Smarge

Mr. Smarge is the owner and president of Ray the Mover, a moving and storage company he purchased at the age of 22 that is now the largest relocation business in Southwest Florida.

A member of the Rotary Club of Naples, he has served Rotary as a committee member, regional Rotary Foundation coordinator, president’s representative, and Council on Legislation representative. He counts National Immunization Days in India, medical missions to Ukraine and humanitarian trips to the Caribbean among his most rewarding experiences in Rotary.   He has received the Rotary Foundation Distinguished Service Award and the RI Service Above Self Award. He and his wife, Cindy, are major donors and Bequest Society members.

District Governor Todd Dayton introduced John Smarge to us as the "Future of Rotary".  He is the youngest RI Director ever. His ideas for growing Rotary were congruent with his generation.  He told us that he wears his Rotary pin every day.  Didn't used to but he wore the pin that he received as President of his Rotary Club every day for 16 years.  People notice.  So they ask what's the pin.  This gives you the moment of truth, the 30 second "elevator speech" when they ask you the next question ... "What is Rotary?"   The answer to that question can be a pretty emotional conversation.

He used a couple of coffee cups (Starbucks and McCafe) to illustrate the fact that people identify an emotional experience with the brand  It's a kind of elitism. It's about what being associated with that brand says about them.  It evokes a positive emotion.  Well, Rotary is a brand.  It's not just an on-line charity that you can click to support.  It is unique and has a distinct position.  It's' members are business, community and professional leaders from their community.

He mentioned at study done in a Buffalo Rotary Club that pointed out there are distinct stages to a Rotarian's membership life.  If they've been in the club for less than five year their motivating factor is business networking.  People in Rotary between tive and 20 years are mostly there because they want to be active in their community and give back.  People who are still members after 20 years are there because it's where all their friends are.  People get out of Rotary exactly what they want.

And based on this information people should be clamoring to become members.  But clubs are losing members.  The statistics are scary.  On June 30 2003 Rotary had 31,500 clubs with 1.2 million members.
On June 30, 2010 Rotary had 34,100 clubs with 1.2 million members. Despite the fact that Rotary added 2,550 clubs in seven years, we had a net gain of only 226 new members worldwide.  Yet in those seven years Rotary Clubs around the world inducted 1.1 million new members.

Next year we celebrate 25 years of Women in Rotary. Rotary believed that women would re-energize the membership and keep the organization growing.  So they have but not enough.  So now Rotary is focusing its efforts on young people - New Generations.  The next target market for new members.  Smarge said he doesn't want any of those gender specific or age specific groups.  We should be targeting business, community and professional leaders in our community as new members.  If we don't we will miss the boat.  Rotary, like Starbucks, isn't for everybody.  If it was that would only dilute our "brand" and the value of membership in the organization.

He closed by telling us a quick story about one of his more recent visits to Haiti with the District Governor of 7020.  They went to visit the Rotary Club of Jeremy.  The Club, since the earthquake meets in the park under a tree. The District Governor, fulfilling his obligations, threatened to yank the Club's charter if they didn't begin reporting what they were doing to District.  After thinking for a moment, the Club President, Rupert, told them that they were coordinating the distribution of food to children so they wouldn't die.  John Smarge had spend several weekend in the high school gym in Naples, Florida packaging 285,000 meals which Ray the Mover shipped to Haiti.  He was actually standing with the man who was giving all that food to save children's lives.  Rotary in action.  He asked Rupert why he wasn't wear a Rotary pin.  It's because they can't afford to buy them and so John took off his own President's pin which he had worn everyday for 16 years and gave it to President Rupert.  Because of who he is.  The moral of the story ... the question is not WHAT IS ROTARY.  The question should be WHO IS ROTARY. That's the secret.  Rotary is people. "Rotary is the single, greatest humanitarian organization in the history of the world."

NEXT WEEK'S MEETING:  We are hosting the Rotary Clubs of South Miami and Miami-Dadeland-Pinecrest in a joint meeting here at the Country Club.  The Speaker/Program is 2011-2012 District Governor Todd Dayton.

Thought of the Week

by Abe Horowitz

"Before you criticize someone else, 

you need to walk a mile in their shoes.  

Once you're a mile away and you have their shoes,

you can say anything you want."

Scene Scenes 

See you next week.

Same day. Same time.

Same place.

Same great bunch of Rotarians.