In November, over a hundred years ago, the grade was completed on the Nebraska side of the Missouri River to what later would become the “Meridian Bridge Project” and the founding of the Yankton Rotary Club. A Sand Pump used to complete the grade was being moved to the Dakota side of the River before ice flows had gotten significant enough to shut the entire job site down for the winter. The temporary hundred yard pontoon bridge used for river crossings during the summer was removed and the river left open to allow for “slush ice” movements downstream.
If a person needed to cross to Yankton from the Nebraska side, they went all the way to Sioux City. It was said to be “too dangerous” to make a river crossing at Yankton as winter started to approach. By 1924, the Meridian Bridge was completed and the community benefited greatly from those Rotarians who listened to their local community, met the challenge to “Create Hope”, and accomplished a pretty phenomenal achievement.
The Meridian Bridge is a good Rotary story. Many plots and subplots can be found because so much about the building and history of the bridge was captured in the newspapers and periodicals of the time. Fast forward 100 years. Though newspapers and periodicals are still used, they’re less likely to be seen beyond
a local audience or interest group. Most District Clubs capture stories to a personal social media account but even these outlets are limited to “Friends and Likes.”
a local audience or interest group. Most District Clubs capture stories to a personal social media account but even these outlets are limited to “Friends and Likes.”
Our challenge today is how do we get our Rotary Stories out there? Our redeveloped website will become a “best tool in the toolbox” to help. It’s modeled similar to the website used by District 5870 which is Club-focused and considered to be one of the best websites in Rotary. By design, our website will link all Club social media
accounts with the District so Club stories and events can be shared to the widest audience available; will clearly link Rotarians to the catalogs, resources, and information provided by Rotary International; will provide easy access to calendars and Club fundraising events; will contain information in a more useable format; and most
important, the website will be updated and maintained every two weeks to keep everything current and organized. Expect to see our redeveloped website starting February.
accounts with the District so Club stories and events can be shared to the widest audience available; will clearly link Rotarians to the catalogs, resources, and information provided by Rotary International; will provide easy access to calendars and Club fundraising events; will contain information in a more useable format; and most
important, the website will be updated and maintained every two weeks to keep everything current and organized. Expect to see our redeveloped website starting February.
Within the coming weeks, I will be reaching out to all Club Presidents requesting content and I will also be providing information regarding where to send their content so it’s available on our website. Since the redeveloped website is going to look and feel different, I’m going to need feedback so our website can be tailored to better fit our needs.
Just like implementing a District-wide challenge, another top five priority from the Clubs was improving our District website, so I’m excited to announce this achievement. More goals and challenges lie ahead. I appreciate the efforts and ways we work together to “Create Hope in the World”. Thanks to everyone for their openness and willingness to help. Collectively we are making our entire District better.