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Group seeks to organize Rotary Club
NEW MADRID, Mo. — “I feel like this is a community that is kind and where people want great things to happen,” said Sam Duncan as he explained why he and Aaron Griffin sent out invitations to various people in New Madrid and the surrounding towns to come learn about Rotary International.
Now after several months of noon luncheons, some of those original invitees along with others who have since learned about the group have signed on as charter members. Although they don’t have an official name for their Rotary Club, they are already formulating ideas about what they might do.
“This is the kind of organization that can give a group of people the opportunity to get together and to do some things that are good for the community and good for other people,” Duncan said.
William (Bill) Dees, Rotary District 6060 membership chair from Hannibal, Missouri, has worked with the group since its initial meeting in March. Dees told the group while Rotary is a worldwide organization, each club sets its own meeting dates, by-laws and projects.
What Rotary does require, he continued, is that members work within the organization’s code of ethics – is it the truth, is it fair to all concerned, will it build goodwill and better friendships and will it be beneficial to all concerned?
And, Dees added, Rotary is about fellowship, service and fun.
Duncan, who was a member of a Rotary Club several years ago, said he believed it is a good fit for those in the county.
“From my prior experience Rotary is an organization that anyone who wants to serve the community can be a part of,” he said.
Griffin said while he was unfamiliar with Rotary the more he has learned the more he excited he is about being a part of a club.
“I feel like part of my job, both personally and professionally, is to serve this community. So this fits in with with both my mission and my goals for the city of New Madrid. I really want to see this community grow and succeed and have more to offer,” he said.
Both men emphasized the club is neither political nor religious oriented. Everyone is welcome, they said, pointing out the first few members signing up represent a variety of businesses and industries as well as ages and backgrounds.
“We have had new people at every meeting. We are still getting the word out that this is happening, that this is forming, that this is something that is real and we plan to sustain,” said Griffin.
“We already have members from New Madrid and Lilbourn and we would welcome members from anywhere but especially New Madrid County who can get here for a meeting,” Duncan said.
Currently the group meets at noon two Thursdays a month at the New Madrid Country Club.
Meetings typically last an hour. Some will have speakers while others will involve planning a service project. All meetings are an opportunity to network, they emphasized.
Currently the New Madrid group is considered a Local Rotary Action Group by the International Rotary Organization. As an informal club, Dees encouraged the group to determine a list of projects to meet local needs.
He also encouraged some of the new club members to attend the Rotary District’s fall meeting in Sikeston. There they will meet other Rotarians and learn more about their projects.
As the club grows, the membership chair explained it could then become a Rotary Satellite Club, operating under the guidance of an established Rotary Club. Once the local group has 20 permanent active members it could become a chartered Rotary Club.
Duncan describe the new organizatiwon as an opportunity to serve and improve New Madrid and the broader New Madrid County by bringing in new business and industry, helping meet the needs of others and gathering around the table with like-minded people who feel that way.
“There is power in that and it is a good feeling to be part of something where you don’t have to do all the heavy lifting by yourself, rather it is a team effort,” Duncan said. “It doesn’t have to be a big effort, it can be something very small that you do together and yet everything that is done adds up to improve the quality of life for our communities. We have the potential to do a tremendous amount of good over the years to come.”
More information about Rotary International is available online at rotary.org. Those interested in learning more about the local club can contact Griffin at Aagriffin13@gmail.com or Duncan at sduncan@nmcr1.org.