The annual election of officers and directors was held last week, as was a Club Assembly featuring discussion of opportunities for committee service.
Those elected for the 2018-2019 Rotary Year were:
President: Om Sukheenai
President-Elect: Corey Zielsdorf
Vice President: Dave Parker
Treasurer: Terry Weldon
Secretary: Paula Radich
Chair, The Rotary Foundation: Mike Caruso
Club Service Director: Leah Griffith
Community Service Director: Jeff Lane
Vocational Services Director: Jim McMaster
International Service Director: Laura Tilrico
Public Relations Director: Becky Ankeny
Youth Services Director: Judy Robinson
Membership Director: Shannon Buckmaster
Congrats to all!
No matter what your area of interest, there are opportunities to serve in the club and have fun. A signup sheet with 11 major categories, and over 25 sub-categories, was routed around. (So if you missed the meeting, please get a sheet and sign up!) Some key committees were discussed in more detail, including the annual Auction, Membership, and Public Relations.
Mark your calendars! The Auction is scheduled for April 28, 2018. The theme will be “Eat Drink Play Yamhill County.”
According to Denise Bacon, chair of the Auction committee, the focus next year will be on obtaining higher-value auction items and on a wine market. She hopes to draw more attendees from both Yamhill County and the Portland area, and to maximize the amount of revenue raised for scholarships. Lots of volunteer opportunities are available, including planning, procurement, decorating, set up and clean up, so please consider where you might be able to help.
When it comes to attracting new members, Shannon Buckmaster reported that recruitment and retention are both important. She believes the key, though, is retention She would like all new attendees to feel welcome and enjoy their experience. She is personally doing a timely follow-up call to all guests to invite them back. She sees more collaboration between the membership committee and the Morning Club to meet the needs of prospective members and expand the Rotary brand. She also plans to further develop the new Friends of Rotary program. In a sense, we are all members of this committee, in terms of how we interact with new attendees. But if you can donate some time, opportunities include the Friends of Rotary program, coordinating mentors and social activities.
Om and Past President Leah Griffith discussed the PR Committee’s work in Becky Ankeny’s absence. One current initiative, led by Marge O’Connell and Judy Robinson, is ordering club tee and polo shirts to help increase visibility and awareness of Rotary members in the community. (See below for more info.)
The website, Club Facebook page and other social media, and the newsletter all remain important communication vehicles that continue to evolve. If you have an interest in any of these areas, please contact Becky.
A SNEAK PEEK AT JANUARY PROGRAMS!
Interesting, relevant programs are an important way to draw new attendees and promote the club. A great-sounding “Lunch and Learn,” two-part series on “Effective Use of Social Media” has been scheduled for our Jan. 3 and Jan. 10th meetings, and will be open to the public.
Local “celebrity” Brandon Porter, host of the “Brandon Porter Show,” a weekly show on Facebook that combines business reviews with vlogs to highlight what life is like in Oregon’s wine country, will be the presenter on Jan. 3. Brandon will discuss how to use social media to grow your business, and the differences between social media platforms.
On Jan. 10, Marketing/PR expert Ashley Mumm will touch on the importance of branding and marketing, and how they affect your appeal to your target market.
This Wednesday marks a very special day in the history of our club. December 20, 1935–82-years ago– was the day the club was organized. It began with 22 charter members and was the 3,910th club in 79 different countries. The Newberg Rotary Club was the first service club in Newberg. Art Strickland served as the first President. For more great background, check out the “Club History” section of our website.
GUESTS:
Gary Stewart, president of the Morning Club, was a guest at our meeting. He reported that Santa Claus is coming to their meeting at 7am on Thursday, the 21st, at the Cultural Center. If you have small children or grandchildren and would like to attend, you must RSVP to Gary.
HURRY! TIME TO ORDER YOUR CLUB SHIRTS!
Marge O’Connell has graciously offered to coordinate our club’s order for tee-shirts and polo shirts. She is setting a cutoff date of January 3rd to receive all orders. Following is more detailed information:
- The shirts would come from Russell-Hampton and are trademarked by RI so cannot be purchased locally.
- Tee Shirts—(regular and customized). Regular has Rotary and the Rotary logo on the front; customized differs only by adding the club name (Newberg) to the front for a $4.00 added cost. Both are pre-shrunk 100% cotton; navy blue with gold lettering. The regular was washed in cold water and dried on low without shrinkage. Men’s and women’s sizes could be mix/matched to increase the order and qualify for lower than the base price. You can’t mix/match regular and customized in the same order.
Women’s sizes range from Small to 2x; Men’s sizes from Small to 4x. PLEASE check the link at:
http://www.bestclubsupplies.com/Navy-Rotarian–at-Work -Tee/productinfo/RTEE4M for size and other details. - COST: Base price for regular: $13.95 each. Order 25: $11.85: Order 50: $11.15 We already have a guaranteed order of 20.
Base price for customized: $18.00. Order 48: $12.00 each - Polo Shirts—While the Tee shirt is good for actual physical activities, the Polo is dressier and better for many to wear to work, soliciting for the auction, scholarship interviews, etc. It is 55% cotton and 45% polyester. The regular has only the Rotary logo on the front; the customized has the club name and a selection of Rotary logos. The cost is also significantly higher ($15.00 one time only cost for embroidery tape and $4.00 each shirt).
- Women’s sizes: Small to 3x . Men’s Sizes Small to 4x Please check the link at:
http://www.bestclubsupplies.com/custom-RP51.asp for details.
COST: Regular base price: $34.95 Order 6: $33.20 Customized: $38.95
Order soon! You can email Marge at: margeloconnell@gmail.com.