This week at Rotary we heard from six different Rotarians about “What Rotary Means to Me”. What struck me the most was not the age difference of our speakers, easily a 60-year gap, but the commonalities all of them shared about their experience with Rotary. The Rotary Creed is “Service Above Self” and this was evident in all six of the speakers. That, and hope. One of the youngest members spoke of her hopes, for her personally as well as for the Club. She witnessed, and became a symbol herself, of both hope and service above self as she helped others navigate through the difficulties faced from Hurricane Ian. One of our oldest members spoke about his many years of community service through Rotary.
Rotary provides such a rare opportunity for some beautiful intergenerational relationships and dynamics that can rarely be found anywhere else. Seeing people in their twenties socializing and working alongside people in their nineties is such a beautiful, and unfortunately, rare sight. Rotary is a place where people can speak openly and respectfully about their differences of opinion, work to create harmony from misunderstandings, and forgive mistakes that may have unknowingly been made, all while embracing the differences of people of all ages and of all sexes.
The Sanibel-Captiva Rotary will be holding hybrid meetings both on Zoom and in person at the Community House, 2173 Periwinkle Way. Doors open at 7:30 a.m., the meeting begins at 8:00 a.m. For more information about Rotary, please visit sanibelrotary.org. All are welcome!
