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From the Governor's Desk
why we are a singing club!
In the many visits I have made to clubs around the District, I have found that fewer and fewer clubs are “SINGING CLUBS” these days. Singing used to be a mainstay of Rotary Clubs all over the world. Multiple copies of quaint Rotary songbooks filled with fun Rotary songs would be passed out at every meeting and members would stand up and sing together, sometimes multiple times throughout the meeting.
My club gave up singing a couple of years ago, much to the delight of music teachers and professional singers everywhere.
But when I visited the Boise Downtown Rotary Club, one of the largest and most active clubs in our district, I gained some insight as to why they are such a successful club. A club member came up to me before the meeting with a wink and a smile to ‘warn’ me that I better be ready to sing at the appointed time. She’s a newer member of less than one year. She added, “We really like to sing in this club! Even people who don’t like to sing, like to sing here at Rotary. It’s a lot of fun!” Wow! She piqued my interest. The anticipation for me was like a kid waiting for Christmas.
When singing time was announced, everyone quickly grabbed their songbooks. I learned immediately that EVERYBODY in the club sings! They sing loud too! They sing with heart! They like to sing! Of course it has a lot to do with Bill Agler who leads the singing. When he gets going, everyone is affected! He is virus in search of a host! He is the kind of guy who reaches down into your soul and draws out tunes that you didn’t know you had in you. He leads with passion, enthusiasm and gusto.
After the meeting I saw Jerry Schroeder, the club’s pianist, and I complimented him on his mastery of the piano which adds so much to the Boise Club’s musical prowess. Bill then taught me an important lesson about engagement. “Singing is vital to our club”, he said. “We have over 100 members who attend every week. Most members will not participate in the meeting unless we sing together. We want EVERYONE to take an active role in our club. Singing is one way that every Rotarian can be involved in every meeting every week. Participation is one of the highest values of Rotary and singing together is an easy way that helps us accomplish that goal.”
Thank you Boise Downtown for teaching me a lesson and reminding me that participation is what makes Rotary work!
To hear the Boise Downtown club sign click on this LINK.
Rich Kirkham, '19-'20 District 5400 Governor
tip of the month!
Rotary International has created GIFs (looped animated images) and stickers for you to share your Rotary pride and further build awareness! Since being released last month, they've already gotten more than 2 million views!
You can share the GIFs in various ways:
Facebook posts and comments (tap the "GIF" button and search Rotary, Rotaract, people-of-action, and related keywords
Meridian Rotary Club is raising ‘Turkey’ dollars for the Meridian Food Bank.
The holiday season is approaching, and even as th e low unemployment and economic indicators would report good news, there are many Idahoans in need of affordable housing, a hot meal, and little help to ease the day-to-day stress of making ends meet.
The Meridian Rotary Club is pleased to partner with Meridian Food Bank to provide hams and turkeys for the holiday season. What is the goal? To collect and donate as much as possible!
The mission of the all-volunteer Meridian Food Bank is to provide nourishing food to people in need and to connect them to other resources that may assist them beyond their need for food. The Meridian food bank helped feed over 50,000 individuals in 2018 as a 100% volunteer organization. Want to learn more? https://meridianfoodbank.org/
If you’d like to join the Meridian club in the FUNdraising, please contact Janice Fulkerson at jfunifyconsulting@outlook.com. Or, put on a turkey hat and encourage your club to donate to your local food bank, backpack program, or pantry.
Join your friends in the beautiful setting of Idaho State University’s Stephens Performing Arts Center for one of the most delightfully indulgent evenings of the new year: A Chocolate Lover’s Affair, presented by the Pocatello Rotary Club and Cole Chevrolet.
You’ll enjoy samples of chocolate masterpieces from 25 of the region’s finest restaurants, bakeries and confectioners, in all of the ways chocolate is at its best. Walk down lanes devoted to different chocolate marvels:
Cookies
Cakes
Brownies
Pastries
Specialty Candies
When you’re done sampling all of the evening’s wonderful creations, you’ll get to vote on the best in each category, and Best Overall. The vendors will be showcasing their finest work – It’s an evening not to be missed!
And because everything is better with chocolate, expect an evening of perfect balance:
A selection of wines available for purchase.
Hors d’oeuvres.
No-host bar.
Music by Rail City Jazz.
A Chocolate Lover’s Affair is sure to become one of Pocatello’s signature community events.
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Multiple copies of quaint Rotary songbooks filled with fun Rotary songs would be passed out at every meeting and members would stand up and sing together, sometimes multiple times throughout the meeting. 
