EDITORIALBy Eric Noel Babaran
The Membership Month is done, but the focus and emphasis does not end with it. Of course we all know Rotarians compose the main pillar that should be given importance throughout the existence of Rotary. I hope we actively participate and do our own share in making our plans happen and maintain a solid membership group for our Club. I encourage all Clubmen to recruit at least 1 new member this Rotary year. I’m very positive there are still a lot of service-oriented people who would join in a heartbeat if only they were invited.
And speaking of potential members, September, as per the RI calendar, is the Next Generation Month. This month, we intend to put the spotlight on our Rotary-in-Action members, one of our constant partners-in-service and underscore their importance and contributions to our Rotary family- our ever-reliable Rotaractors. It is undeniable that their continuous support has been instrumental in the success of our projects.
We have to always give importance to what our Achievers bring to our projects since it is not very common to see young people who are so engaged in promoting goodwill and have that concern and passion to help their fellow men. When I see our very own Rotaractors actively participating in our outreach programs or medical missions, I realized that the future is not just in our hands, but also in theirs. I see them continuing what we have started, carrying the torch long after we have stopped running the race of service. And I just fervently hope that when their time comes as Rotarians, they will have a similar core group of dedicated, caring and involved Rotaractors who will be next in line as future effective Rotarians.
As one of the main potential source of quality members of Rotary, we have to make sure we do what we can to support their development and involvement in being of service to others. The very last thing we would want to see is for them to lose their enthusiasm, commitment and interest in what “service above self” is all about and end up becoming apathetic to the needs of others.
As what RI IPP DK Lee mentioned before, ”If we don’t bring in younger members, we’ll miss out on a great deal of energy and expertise. The strongest Rotary Club is one that is diverse…” Let us increase the involvement of our Rotaractors; let us include them in the shaping of our future…it is both in theirs and in our hands.
