Sylacauga AL Rotary - A Message from the Club President

Please let me start this message by thanking you for allowing me to serve as your President, it is both an honor and a privilege. For many years, I have worked in our club planning for the day when the opportunity would be given me to join the ranks of past Rotarian Presidents such as Leon Archer, Bill Jessup, Jay Pitts and James Hobson. These men served as role models for all of us by defining the phrase, "Service above Self".

With these men in mind, the present Board of Directors and I would like to invite you to join us in a new venture - the planning, designing and implementation of a signature Sylacauga Rotary Club project for our community. This project would be in addition to our present charitable support. What will this project be? We are asking our members to help us find and identify the project that defines - who we are, what we do and why we do it. This new signature project has been made possible by the foresight of our past President Gary Smith who implemented the progressional board system. This progressional board fills the elected President position through the President Elect, Secretary thence President. Our goal is to serve this community and Rotary International which affords each of us a greater opportunity to practice,"Service above Self." Rotary International President John Kenny has adopted the slogan, "The Future of Rotary is in your hands." Indeed the future of Sylacauga Rotary is in our hands.

Another great concern for the Board is our current members. At this time we have 38 members. We have established a goal of 50 members by this time next year. Surely the question will be asked,

"How do we get new members?" It has been said that the best nine letter word to get members into Rotary is to "Ask, Ask, Ask." Who do we ask? We will be filling slots in our classifications that are vacant, getting those we do not have any longer such as physicians, pharmacist, along with leaders in our community, and business owners. The task at hand will be to ask men and women who desire to serve with us to reach the goals of Sylacauga Rotary as well as Rotary International. Our board members will be speaking to each of you about potential members. This work of Sylacauga Rotary, this service to our community, is good. Let us be inspired by the words of King Solomon in Ecclesiastes Chapter 12 verses 13-14:

"Fear God and keep his commandments,

For this is man's all.

For God will bring every work into judgement,

Including every secret thing,

whether good or evil."

May God bless our work,

Sincerely,

Paul C. Golden

President