2018 was an exciting and challenging year for the Rotaract Club of Treasure Valley. Exciting because we officially became an established club, challenging because as with any foundational efforts in starting a club there’s a lot to figure out. With that being said, we’d like to thank those who continually support us. Thank you to our Rotary Club Sponsors, Boise Southwest, Boise Downtown, Boise Sunrise and Boise Centennial as well as Marie Baker, Katie Gaston and Jennifer Deroin. Your involvement has been imperative to our growth, sustainability and success. 2018 taught us many invaluable lessons but four continually appeared throughout the year, and we hope to utilize what we learned in 2018 to better improve Rotaract in the New Year!
Lesson one—the success of our Club strongly correlates with our relationship with Rotary Clubs. We continue to need the support of Rotarians in our efforts. Support comes in many forms, and what we’ve realized is that the best support Rotarians provide us with is through recruitment efforts. A majority of membership stemmed from Rotarians sharing our Club with young professionals they personally know. So please continue to share our Club’s information with young professionals in your work places, churches, community centers and pretty much anywhere young people exist.
Lesson two—young professionals crave networking opportunities. Therefore, as we grow as an organization, we hope to develop a mentoring program between Rotaractors and Rotarians. Our vision is to pair those in similar occupational fields. Often, we “young folks” aren’t sure what we want to do when we grow up, but we think exposure to occupational fields of our interest is key in helping us through this process. As with any mentoring program, we like to think the learning experience translates to both the mentor and mentee. We all have so much to teach one another, so we hope this is an advantageous and rewarding program for both parties involved. Please reach out to us if you are interested in becoming a mentee or mentor! We look forward to developing this program with each of you. Also, please provide us with any suggestions or advice you have for the program.
Lesson three—consistency is key to success. Therefore, in 2019 we will implement a third meeting time. In addition to our service project and social meeting each month, we will have a formal meeting called a “Serial Meeting.” We will meet every first Monday of the month at 7 PM at Idaho Pizza on Broadway. Our “Serial Meeting” will feature a speaker series featuring speakers across a variety of professional fields. Please mark your calendar for Feb. 4th, 7 PM at Idaho Pizza (more details to follow). We look forward to implementing this new meeting format!
Lesson four—people in the age demographic of 18-35 move around. We transitioned multiple officer positions in 2018, because life for people in their 20’s isn’t always predictable, and we don’t always know where we want to live and/or work. In 2019, we’d like to nurture our current officer team but hopefully also expand our officer team. Some positions we hope to develop are historian, communications director, and community outreach chair. Our entire officer team is open to all suggestions, so if there is another position you’d like to develop and fulfill, don’t hesitate to contact us. Elections for President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer will be held at our “Serial Meeting” on Feb. 4th. Please see interest indicator attached if you are interested in this exciting leadership opportunity!
Thank you again for your continued support. Our officer team is extremely grateful and look forward to 2019! Noelle, our Treasurer will send out dues later this month, and we hope each of you will continue to work with us in our efforts of making our community a better place to live and play!