Buena Park Rotary Club President Baron Night

Speech by Buena Park Rotary Club President Baron Night July 13, 2008 at Knott’s Resort Hotel

Half of life is just showing up.

As Rotarians, we show up because we care.

We care, because we show up.

Attending our weekly meetings is a way for us to show that we care.
We should all strive to attend a Rotary meeting at least once a week. We are all busy. Supervisor Chris Norby is especially aware of the importance of regular attendance. I spoke with Chris and he agreed that he can and should improve his attendance record. Chris accepted my offer of help. I am willing to help each and every one of you in your goal of increasing your attendance. If you can’t make a Buena Park meeting, call me.

Sharing the Rotary experience by attending another Rotary Club’s meeting, will broaden your world of Rotary. At your subsequent Buena Park meeting, please share with all of us what you had gained by attending the meeting of one of our other Rotary Clubs. I will set aside time during our weekly meetings for each of you to express what you have experienced.

For me, Rotary is more than just a service club. It is an opportunity to help others and in so doing, I help myself grow as a person. My goals as President are to increase our membership rolls along with the local community’s awareness of our Club. I want to offer to the residents of Buena Park the opportunity to receive that special feeling of fulfillment that only comes from helping others. When you help make other people’s lives a little better, you enrich your own.

Rotary has always been about helping people to lift themselves up. Allowing them to become the best they can be. Rotarians encourage others to have confidence in themselves. We provide educational opportunities. We teach life skills to those in need. Non-Rotarians may ask: Why should I bother helping others? What is to be gained? What’s in it for me? My answer is- gaining the satisfaction of knowing that a complete stranger will have become a better person. Be able to grow and make a stronger contribution to society. Be able to help other fellow travelers in their struggle to make their lives a little better. But most importantly, I will have found a new friend.

The success of a service club is dependent upon two factors: The size of its member’s hearts and the synergistic energy they produce. Our club has been blessed with both of these attributes. Without your efforts, the Rotary Club of Buena Park would not be what it is today. I thank all of you for your service. I consider each of you to be of the highest moral character and, in your own way, a member viewed by our community as one of its’ most prominent contributors.

My Rotary year can be considered an ambitious one. If you don’t try, you can’t succeed. Participating in the projects in Mynamar will be part of our Club’s International Service. Operation One Family, the Christmas Shopping Spree, Fossil Day and, coordination of the Memorial Day services are just a few of the projects we will be accomplishing in the coming year. Our Vocational Service will be partially fulfilled through participation in Savannah High School’s Career Day. Other Vocational Service ideas and suggestions are currently being considered. Any and all input from you will be eagerly sought.

The best hope for a better future always rest with our youth. As mentors, we should accept the challenge and help the newer generations to focus their energies toward personal knowledge creation, compassion for others and, providing them with the tools that building a better world requires.

I am very proud and thankful to have been chosen by all of you to be your President. I will do my best to live up to this honor.

Individuals seldom accomplish things by themselves. I will only have a successful year with your help. Together, we can make a positive difference in our Community. And in so doing, enrich our souls.

Thank you.

Speech given by Baron Night at Rotary Dinner July 13th 2008