Posted by Diana Martinelli on Aug 27, 2018
In our latest program, we hear the actual voice of Rotary founder Paul Harris and learn why some people give so much to support Rotary's work.

E-CLUB PROGRAM

PRESIDING TODAY IS: Diana Martinelli

bellDing! We’re now in session.

Welcome all – Visitors, fellow Rotarians and guests alike to this E-Club program!

Remember the smiling pot. Donations to our E-Club help support our service projects.

We’d like to respectfully remind all visitors that if they would like to contribute the normal cost of a meal for your makeup meeting, we would be grateful. These funds go directly to support our varied service projects. You may make a contribution in the Donation box on the homepage or you my write a check to:  Rotary E-Club of District 7530 and mail it to Treasurer MSRE, 405 Blackberry Ridge Dr., Morgantown, WV 26508.

 

Four-Way Test

At the beginning of each meeting we remind ourselves of the The Four-Way Test.  Therefore, please remember to ask yourself always . . .

Of the things we think, say or do:

  1. Is it the TRUTH?
  2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
  3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
  4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
 

Reflective Moments (from Paul Harris)

 
“In the clashes between ignorance and intelligence, ignorance is generally the aggressor.”
 
“Segregation never brought anyone anything except trouble.”
 
“Whatever Rotary may mean to us, to the world it will be known by the results it achieves.”

 

Light Moments

 
1.   The fattest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi.
2.   I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian.
3.   She was only a whiskey maker, but he loved her still.
4.   No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.
5.   A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.
6.   Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.
7.   A hole has been found in the nudist camp wall. The police are looking into it.
8.   Atheism is a non-prophet organization.
9.  Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other: 'You stay here; I'll go on a head.'
10.  I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.

 

Program:

“Mighty Oaks from Tiny Acorns Grow”; “Rotary Stands for Tolerance”: 

The voice and legacy of Rotary founder Paul Harris

When preparing a presentation for the District Conference about our E-Club last spring, I realized that nearly 30% of our members are Paul Harris Fellows. This is certainly a point of pride, as Paul Harris Fellows have donated (or had donated in their names) at least $1000 to the Rotary Foundation in a fiscal year. These donations can be designated for Rotary International’s Polio Plus efforts and/or its Annual Fund. 
 
Although our E-Club may be a little smaller than most Rotary clubs (the most common number—or mathematical mode—of members is 20*), we can be proud of our high percentage of Fellows. Because we have a number of members who are relatively new to Rotary and we are still early in the new fiscal year, it seemed appropriate to review a little about who Paul Harris was and his legacy today.
 
Listen to the actual international radio broadcast (visuals have been added to give it greater interest) in which Paul Harris speaks about Rotary at a 1933 international gathering in Boston: its start, its credo, its values. Today, more than 35,600 clubs boast 1.2 million members who believe in good will and good works toward others. And today, the birthplace of Rotary (the U.S; specifically, Chicago, where only four men gathered for the group’s inaugural meeting back in 1905) is not where the most Clubs exist; instead, 32% of Rotary clubs are in Asia—the center of large populations—and 30% are in the U.S., Canada and Caribbean.
 
Although most Rotarians probably can’t afford $1,000 a year to be a Paul Harris Fellow, an annual donation of only $100 per year will make you a Rotary Foundation Sustaining Member and will help Rotary continue its important progress in health, peace, and education around the world. And, when a person’s cumulative donations over time reach a quarter million dollars (yes, $250,000!), they become a member of the Arch Klumph Society. Klumph, a Pennsylvanian, was Rotary’s sixth president and the founder of the Rotary Foundation. Please watch the brief but compelling video (just over a minute) about why these elite members give so much: https://www.rotary.org/en/donate/recognition
 
Although Paul Harris died 71 years ago, in 1947, and Arch Klumph passed away four years later, their legacies live on in us and in those who are saved, educated, and nourished through Rotarians’ work everywhere. With Polio Day coming up in October and Foundation Month in November, please consider donating a little something extra when you pay your next Rotary dues invoice.  Any amount is appreciated, for when pooled together, small amounts—like small Clubs—truly do help change the world.
 
*Club membership statistics taken from the Rotary Training video “State of Membership.”

 

Thanks for attending our E-Club meeting! We hope it helped to inform and inspire you! Please remember to leave a comment below.