A Message from the Club President

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"Service above Self" is the theme of all Rotarians.  Many of us would like to be more active in service to our club and community but are constrained by the time available to meet the demands and the challenges of providing for our families.  We cannot and must not neglect these important responsibilities.  Yet there is a part of us that say that says we can create a better world through our service in Rotary.

Kalyan Banerjee, President of Rotary International, has asked each of us to "Reach Within To Embrace Humanity".  To look first at ourselves and to understand that all of us, everywhere have the same dreams, the same hopes, the same aspirations, the same dilemmas.  When we understand and truly feel that others' needs are the same as our own we begin to understand how important our work is.  The family and the home is at the core of all our work - all of our service begins here and where we learn of humanity as an extended family in which all members care for one another. 

As a Club, we need to focus on our current community projects such as Rotary Baseball, Share the Air, Third Graders Dictionary Project, and insure they are timely, beneficial and a proper use of our resources.  We need to be looking for new avenues of community service and receptive to changing how we serve others when it is warranted.  Further, we must, as individuals, find a way to make time available to support these activities that reflects to those we serve a spirit of concern and commitment to them.

As a Club, we must actively support our Fund Raisers, The County Fair Booth, Golf Tournaments, etc to make them successful to support our projects and gifts to other service project efforts in our community.

This Club has a great heritage to maintain and to add to in our support of our community and it is made up of great families that understand and practice the need for service.  In closing, I ask that you join with me in making this year of service in Rotary memorable and one in which each member is proud to be called a Rotarian.

Bob Phillips

President 2011-2012

Lebanon Rotary Club