Rotary District 7570 Governor George Karnes, accompanied by Assistant District Governor, Gary Christie, met Friday (8/14) with the presidents of the Bedford, Rocky Mount, and Smith Mountain Lake Clubs prior to joining about thirty other officers and members of the three clubs, along with a group of non-Rotarians, for a lunch cruise on the Virginia Dare. It was Mr. Karnes’ first visit to the area since becoming District Governor and he outlined for the group his plans for the District in the coming year in brief remarks prior to the buffet luncheon.
Governor Karnes focused on two themes in his message. First, and foremost, the need to identify and implement new programs at the local level in keeping with Rotary’s credo of “Service Above Self” as well as to continue to strengthen ongoing programs. Local Rotary clubs offer numerous community events such as Smith Mountain Lake’s Annual “Nite at the Races”, Bedford’s Lobster Fest, and Rocky Mount’s “Independence Day Festival” in order to raise the funds for the many charitable programs each offers in its own area. Local Rotary clubs, participating through Rotary International, are also involved in numerous projects around the world, the most well-known perhaps being the joint venture with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to eliminate the scourge of polio in every part of the globe – a program that is nearing it’s goal.
The second of Mr. Karnes’ themes is the need, everywhere in Rotary, to bring in new members to grow the new programs and to sustain the existing ones. Unfortunately Rotary clubs, as is all too often the case with other charitable and service organizations, are experiencing declining or, at best, static membership numbers. To this end, he outlined a number of successful programs used by other Rotary districts to introduce non-members to the goals and activities of Rotary as well as to the satisfaction one derives in serving others. He left the group with a challenge to individual clubs to compete with each other for new members and hinted at some awards he had in mind for the winners.
In lieu of the traditional travelogue narration by the Virginia Dare’s skipper, the passengers last week were entertained by two-hours of steel drum music by several members of the local steel drum group led by Smith Mountain Lake’s own past-president Susan Phillips. Inasmuch as no Rotary gathering is complete without the traditional 50/50 drawing one was held during the cruise. The winner, a non-Rotarian traveling with a group of “Red Hat” woman friends, in the true spirit of “Service Above Self” donated her winnings back to Rotary to continue the organization’s work.
