The subject of age recently drew a large number of replies in the General list, so I thought it a worthwhile topic for this month’s report. This comes from a previous post which has been edited to protect the innocent; or guilty as the case may be.

This subject of age in Rotary came up about two years ago, and will probably continue to do so. If you look at age vs. youth, you see experience vs. energy. These are the same qualities that many sports teams weigh when they recruit. This is true in business and even churches.

In Rotary we find the older members are in positions to more easily take time away from their jobs to do Rotary projects. The younger Rotarians may not have enough seniority in the workplace to do so.

The older Rotarians may be financially able to become PHFs and thus increase district funding for matching grants. The younger Rotarians may be able to provide the energy and expertise with grant writing to win approval for the project. The older Rotarian may be able to pick up the phone and speak to the mayor, governor, or congressman to get assistance for Rotary projects. The younger Rotarian may be able to gather a group of younger people that are willing to assist in implementing the project.

One suggestion would be for the Rotarian that is a senior executive in their company to recruit one of the bright young junior executives as a Rotarian. Bring them to your Rotary club a few times and see how they mix with the group. At first they may feel glad to go because their boss asked them. Hopefully they will soon see why Rotary is important to the community and recognize the organization’s ability to provide assistance where needed.

I guess what I am trying to say is there is a need for both the young and ambitious, and the more experienced in Rotary. John Challenger said in an earlier email that he did not join Rotary until he was 51. I was 49 before being asked to be a Rotarian. A social friend and state judge in Louisiana called me shortly after I assumed the position as GM of a public radio station. Judge Covington said, “Ron, congratulations on your new job, and I want to take you to my Rotary club next week to meet some of the people that do a lot for the community.” Since my father had been a Rotarian, I was familiar with Rotary, but had not given my membership much thought. Twenty-two years later, I still appreciate receiving that telephone call.

This is not an issue of 'either/or,' but an issue of using the attributes of both to help Rotary continue to be the great organization we desire it to be. The measuring stick should not be one of years, but how willing and able members are to help those in need.

The following reveals interesting data re Rotary membership in 2006.

Here are some other numbers for you:

The largest club in the world is San Antonio, Texas (USA) with 668 members. It is closely followed by Seattle, Washington also in the USA. The largest club outside of the United States is that of Tokyo, Japan with 335 members.

And since Gloria is nearby, I better provide some numbers for the female gender:

June of 2007 found:

178,050 women Rotarians; 14.54% of all Rotarians 25,228 Rotary clubs had women Rotarians, or 76.58% of all clubs 51 women held the office of District Governor, or 9.59% of all the DGs.

That’s it for this month’s report from your ROTI Chair. The big news is that the motion to amend the ROTI By-Laws passed by over 90%. By the time you read this, you will have seen the exact ballot count and a great deal of information on how our members can expect to get more out of their membership in ROTI.

Ron