Rotarians asked to give more

PRESCOTT – Members of the Prescott Rotary Club learned about being “united” and “together” at the club’s meeting Tuesday afternoon.

Robert Thompson, district governor of district 6170, was the featured speaker. He hammered in the idea of the need for the club to expand and partner with other clubs in the district, telling the members if they are “united together” they can do more.

He reminded the club of Rotary’s motto – “Service above self”, saying it means more than just showing up at meeting. It means, he said, making plans during meetings and working to make those plans into reality outside of the meetings. “I invite you to be part of the team to make Rotary better.”

This, he continued, is an opportunity for the club members to represent Rotary International. Thompson said many of the members live in small worlds and need to expand their outlooks. He pointed out he’s governor over 36 clubs in the district and all of them are supposed to be serving Rotary. Rotary is all about serving, he told the club.

The Rotary Foundation, he said, is the organizations giving piece, and everyone should do more than they’ve done in the past because they can. He urged the members to give $5 more to the foundation than they did last year. This resulted in a motion, which passed, for the club to five $5 more in dues to the foundation than it did last year.

Thompson also reminded the club polio is still around. Last year, he said, there were 33 cases worldwide. This year, the number has increased to 121. He said the club also needs to remember and donate to Polio Plus through the World Fund to help eradicate this disease once and for all. The most important thing, he added, is to make sure all children are vaccinated against it. “It’s still real,” he said of polio, “and it’s important we keep doing what we’re doing.”

The World Health Organization and United Nations asked Rotary International what it did to combat polio when the Ebola problem was becoming epidemic in some parts of the world. This, he said, is part of the scope of Rotary International.

“I see a world where people take action together,” he said, adding everyone needs to work with others because more can be accomplished together than separately. “The world is messed up because not enough Rotarians are working together with others to make a difference. If we all work together the world will be a better place.”

Nine wreaths were auctioned off with the donations going to Polio Plus. The club also voted to donate to Rotarian Ivory Curry’s toy drive and agreed to give money for bicycles. The toy drive will conclude at the monthly community feed from 10 a.m. until noon on Dec. 21 at the Potlatch Building at the Nevada County Fairgrounds.