Welcome to the new Rotary year! I want to thank all of you for giving me the opportunity to serve as your President. I’m looking forward to a wonderful year of fellowship and service.

 

This year’s theme is Be a Gift to the World.  

 

You may be asking yourself, can my actions alone really impact the world? My response is – YES! We all have something to give, whether it is time, money, knowledge, goods, or services. Many of you are already giving back through volunteering your time, money, or services.

 

I recently went through the Starbucks Drive thru and the person in front of me paid for my order. As I sat there surprised and holding money in my hand, I decided to pay it forward and paid for the person behind me. It felt great to have someone I don’t even know pay for my order, but it felt a thousand times better to pay it forward.

 

As a club, we provide gifts to others every year in many ways including, but not limited to, serving at the banquet, volunteering our time at other organizations, making contributions to the Rotary Foundation for Polio Plus and Shelter Box. All of our individual gifts make an impact, but when we join together to give back, our impact is much greater.

 

In the spirit of this year’s theme, I challenge all of you to think of ways you can continue to use your talents and expertise and go out and Be a Gift to the World. In the words of Mahatma Gandhi “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

 

Yours in Rotary,

Sabrina Degen