The program will discuss common factors which drain our vital energy and demonstrate simple techniques to build vitality daily.

 

 

Ann Marie Chiasson, MD, MPH, is the Assistant Director of the fellowship at the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine; her work includes developing curriculum and teaching Integrative Medicine to medical students, residents and fellows and at AzCIM. She is board-certified in family medicine and completed a fellowship in Integrative Medicine at the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine (AzCIM) in 2004.  She has worked extensively as a Medical Director in hospice in Tucson and as an Integrative Family Medicine physician in Tucson and Canada. Dr. Chiasson has a long standing interest in traditional energy healing traditions and teaches integrative medicine and energy medicine around the country. She is the author of Energy Healing- the Essentials of Self Care (Sounds True 2013) as well as other publications on Energy Healing.

I’d like to start today by asking that you all keep ROBYN FREY in your prayers over the loss of her husband last week. Many condolences ROBYN, we feel for your loss.

 

We celebrated two birthdays this week.  PETER BEAHAN and DARREL STEWART both celebrate another year this month. Happy Birthday to you both!

 

WE had an enjoyable slide show presentation from exchange student Cristina Del Rosso from Italy. She was happy to spend the whole year with the HOFFMAN family, six months with JENNIFER and family and six months with JENNIFER’s parents.  From the pictures she shared, it looks like she had a fun time in Arizona!

 

For our program we had Professor Kathy Short from the University of Arizona. Kathy shared her passion with us, that is, connecting children with books. Did you know that in this day and age of electronics, only 18% of young adults prefer e-books? The old fashioned printed copy is still the choice of most kids. Unfortunately, 48% of high school graduates have not read a book since they left school. Now that is a real shame. If you want young adults to become interested in reading, it is extremely important to get young children engaged in reading by having parents read to them!

 

Last item of note, we had a Happy Jackson for JOHN LEWIS, who is celebrating his 48-year anniversary with his lovely wife!

 

Have a great day!

 

With a club our size, and an international organization so involved in the world, the questions raised about RI and RCOT are more varied that you could imagine. We’ve heard most of them, although new ones regularly crop up. Some can ultimately lead to new club policies and procedures, so that we don’t have to rethink the matter every time it comes up.

 

Here is a sampling (in no particular order) of the less-obscure questions, followed by answers that may stir debate:

 

A. Actually, no. Rotary International just revised attendance requirements worldwide, continuing a long-term trend. Clubs are now empowered to set their own attendance expectations. Like most organizations, you will likely realize more from your membership the more you are involved. Meeting attendance is one way of being involved, but it is neither necessary nor sufficient to being engaged in the club.

 

Think of some spouses of club members who are involved with club activities but rarely come to Wednesday lunch. Then think of a fellow member who comes to lunch, but is otherwise uninvolved in the club. Which person is more engaged?

 

If you find insurmountable reasons blocking club attendance, make sure you involve yourself in other ways. Help with committees, work on service projects, contribute money or goods, mentor a new member, work Car Show events, etc. Everyone has to be more than a Rotarian in name alone.

 

A. Hardly. If that is your sole involvement in Rotary, you are barely contributing. The cost of your meals, if you come to every club meeting, plus your dues to RI and our District, amount to 94% of what a full member has to pay in a year. That leaves very little to maintain our staff, cover credit card fees, file our tax return, and the like, let alone support any of our worthy beneficiaries.

 

It is a testament to the character of our members that they are doing more than showing up for lunch. There are many ways to contribute to the fine work of Rotary; pick those that fit your situation and your abilities.

 

A. It literally means 60 seconds, so count ‘em. Our meetings are scripted to a degree no one anticipates until you are involved in writing that script. If you need 90 seconds, ask for such. If you request 2 minutes and take 5, you may find it tough to get agenda time.

 

A. Typically not. We found that it tends to make our members skip meetings entirely if they were penalized for leaving 20 minutes early, but not dinged for never arriving. Something about human nature. Instead of fines to force you to not leave, we are trying to make the experience one that you don’t want to miss.

 

Curiously, our club has not fined “tortoises” for decades (if ever). So it used to be OK to come 45 minutes late (tortoise), but fine-worthy to leave 15 minutes early (hare), for reasons unknown.

 

A. No, but you might find an improved relationship with your fellow members if you do. Most want to know more about your business, your interests, and the part of Rotary that keeps you coming back. If you take 30 seconds to say “hello,” “thank you,” and “I appreciate your fellowship,” it means a lot. If you just aren’t comfortable in front of the mic, take a pass but ask that your birthday be recognized by the MC.

 

A. You probably can’t. Believe it or not, there is quite a bit of work that goes into our weekly program lineup. Scheduling is done, unapologetically, as much as 10 months in advance. Yes, we move heaven and earth to take advantage of an 11^th-hour opportunity. That involves moving a program, which is not pleasant for staff, program committee, or presenter, and it is very rarely done.

 

A. That’s the prize-winning question for which there is no (good) answer. The local generosity of a Rotary Club is directly proportional to membership and to community support. Yet, without tens of thousands of worldwide Rotary members and clubs caring about humanity’s problems happening thousands of miles away, we lose the most important similarity among clubs – the synergy that makes the whole much more capable than the sum of its parts. Rotary International can accomplish things that a multitude of uncoordinated groups just couldn’t do.

 

It is hard to imagine a club keeping energized without a single, local achievement to be proud of. Yet, without that international presence supported by every locality, who will eradicate a disease? Who will respond to disaster that disables local clubs? Who will work toward peace between nations?

 

You decide which of the many programs, local through international, you have the greatest passion for. At the same time, consider giving a bit to the other good service projects. And in the end, don’t let someone make you feel bad about your decision. One of the huge advantages of Rotary is that you contribute to what you value and your many, many fellow Rotarians do likewise, making the neighborhood – and the world – a so much better place.