President-Elect: Rotary Is Truly Amazing

The Rotary President-Elect Training Seminar, PETS for short, I recently attended impressed on me once again how lucky we are to be Rotarians for a variety of reasons.

The annual seminar which includes our District 5440 as well as four other Districts comprising Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, most of Nebraska and part of Idaho provides comprehensive training for incoming Rotary President-Elects and President Elect Nominees. It's designed to help incoming Presidents get the most out their year. 

This year was not quite the "deer in the headlights" experience is was for me last year and I was thankful I was really able to focus in and enjoy the many activities, social events, workshops, keynote speeches, delicious meals and opportunities for fellowship with fellow Rotarians offered over the two day seminar. 

Of course, a lot of time was devoted to providing the "nuts and bolts" training that is so crucial given the complex multi-faceted organization we are, but my favorite thing about PETS is that it reminds you what an amazing, worldwide organization we are fortunate to belong to! Rotary is truly a family and there are so many ways clubs can connect and work together. It was inspiring to hear about the variety of creative events that take place in all of the separate clubs and to hear accounts of ambitious service projects helping improve people's lives in local communities as well as in countries all over the world. 

It also really brought home to me what an amazing effort we have collectively undertaken to defeat Polio. Of course, we haven't brought the disease to the precipice of eradication alone - worldwide governments and giants of philanthropy like Bill Gates have contributed massive amounts of funding but Rotary International is widely acknowledged as the organization that led the way and that the effort is most indebted to. I don't know about you, but this makes me very proud to be a Rotarian! 

Finally, we were very fortunate to be joined by incoming Rotary International President, John Germ, a member of the Rotary Club of Chattanooga, TN, Mr. Germ has a warm, down-home sense of humor and humility which belies his seemingly endless resume of achievements that were rattled off during his introduction. His theme for the year is "Rotary Serving Humanity" and everyone I spoke with was inspired by his expansive vision for fulfilling Paul Harris' credo that serving humanity "...is the most worthwhile thing a person can do." 

I'd like to give a "shout out" to our excellent Assistant Governor, Billie Addelman and incoming District Governor Barb Redder for their leadership at the seminar and for their devotion to making our individual Cheyenne clubs successful. 

I assure you, fellow Sunrise Rotarians, at whatever point you are called to do your turn as President, the PETS experience will be one that will transform your sense of what it means to be a Rotarian!