Image

On October 24 we had a visit from Mike Yesner, District 6440 Governor. Mike has an extraordinary wealth of information about all things Rotary and is a fascinating man to talk to. Mike spoke to us about the "big picture" of Rotary.

In the last 2 years Rotary worldwide has grown by 10%, but in North America it shrank by 12%. The problem: Clubs are not retaining new members. More attention needs to be given from transitioning new members to Rotarians.

Mike addressed the benefits of maintaining continuity within clubs by storing important club documents online. That way, when new officers take their positions, they won't be starting from scratch. Over the years it's easy to lose a club's "institutional memory" if the club hasn't documented its practices and procedures. He also noted that the District website lists a Speaker Exchange - clubs are welcome to use it to help find speakers, and they should also be listing their own good speakers as a resource for other clubs.

One thing Rotary does well is train, Mike pointed out, and especially in this district. He mentioned some upcoming training opportunities for members, including one on November 10.

Many thanks to Mike for his informative comments. We also thank Lake Forest Academy for hosting us this time.