Greetings 5610 Rotarians!
As I write this, I'm sitting at the dining room table in my dear sister Lori's home in Sioux Falls. Yesterday, I presented to my twelfth Rotary Club, The Rotary Club of Downtown Sioux Falls, then met via zoom with my leadership team (while being serenaded by my sister's dogs). After a whirlwind day of zoom meeting calls, phone calls from a variety of Rotarians, and a couple dozen emails, it's almost time to start to get ready for tonight's joint social being hosted by the Rotary Clubs of Sioux Falls North and Sioux Falls South. There's no better place in my world to start a social than a golf course, and Prairie Green in Sioux Falls will more than fill the bill! I was told by my predecessor PDG Dan that "it can get a little busy" that's more than a little understated! So far, it's been about 3,000 miles and ten nights on the road, and I can't begin to describe the huge sense of fulfillment I feel! The twelve clubs I've visited couldn't be more different, or more alike. Every club that I've visited has made me feel welcomed, respected and loved! I've met cooks peeling potatoes preparing for our luncheon, front desk hotel people who had no idea that Rotary met at their facility, old friends (maybe even distant relatives) that I played with as a child some sixty years ago, and new friends that have reaffirmed that all Rotarians have the same heart and passion that we all share. I've shared a meeting with Rotarians in the ONLY facility in the Rotary world owned by a Rotary club, where they worked all night painting ,and preparing for my visit, in Wagner, SD. Although I'm only about one third of the way through my visitation schedule, it's already been a truly incredible experience, and my visitation schedule will come to an end much too soon! The over-riding issue that is of most concern across our District is how to "re-start" and re-engage our members, and how to rebuild chapters that are suffering from post -COVID hangovers. There are no easy answers, but the one sure answer is reaching out, and then reaching out again and again. As District Membership Chair Carmen Hansen said, the power of a personal phone call or better yet, a face-to-face interaction with an old friend and absent club member, can never be replaced by an email or a text. We all have good friends who are Rotary Members, waiting to be asked to return and waiting to be told how much they're missed. That will be a good start to reaching our goal of positive growth in our District. Let's all choose to be part of the solution and the good and positive growth that TOGETHER we can achieve. Let's remember to "Each one Bring One"!
Doug Lind
District Governor 2021-2022
