2023-24 – Year in Review - TL Walker Speech
At our installation celebration last year, we talked about hope being a quality that allows us to face adversity with grace, and I challenged us in the last paragraph of my speech. That’s where I want to begin tonight. It read,
This is our task for the coming year, to create hope in our club by standing shoulder to shoulder, committed to each other and our common goals. We will help each other achieve those goals. We will lift each other up and together we will offer our gifts to the world through our dedication to service above self because we are all part of something so much larger than ourselves. We have chosen to be part of a global community of like-minded individuals, and we are blessed with this opportunity to Create Hope in the World.
And oh, my goodness, that’s just what we did. When I read those words last year, it felt like a battle cry. I was prepared on that night, to lead a charge into the unknown, praying that the members of our club would come with me. You did not let me down. Throughout this past year I watched you rise to the occasion time after time, meeting goals, embracing new ideas, and becoming the club we collectively dreamed of being.
And tonight, I say to you “Job well done!”
The program says, “Year in Review”, so let me do that by reviewing some of our citation goals.
We were given a list of 26 possible goals and were required to choose ½ of them to work on. That would have been 13, but we selected 15, and I am proud to tell you that we achieved all of them. I’m going to highlight just a few of the more notable goals and achievements.
Service projects – Our goal was 10. We ended up completing 10 projects with one additional that will be completed in August.
Service participation – Our goal was to have 20 club members participate in service projects. That was an ambitious goal for a club that was starting the year with 28 members. We ended up with 27 members participating in projects.
Our foundation goal was $3,100 in Annual Fund contributions and as of today, our club members have contributed $5,889 to the foundation’s Annual Fund. We also had a goal of contributing at least $500 to Polio Plus. We are currently at $1,814.
Club membership – Our goal was to end our year with 30 members. Not only are we surpassing that goal, but we have gained 9 new members this year. That’s an increase of 32%. We also had a goal of having three members sponsor new members and we have actually had 5 members bring someone new to the club.
Public image – We set our sights too low on these goals so let me just tell you that our website has had updates, there have been 6 newspaper articles about our activities, and there have been more than 30 updates on social media. And, our meeting live streams continue to be an important part of our club culture.
I’m not sure you even realized the magnitude of what you were accomplishing because you were too busy doing it.
There were so many of you who really ‘stepped up your game’ this year. Everyone I reached out to for help came through when we needed them most, and for that, I am so grateful.
There are a few people I want to acknowledge individually:
Brook – Thank you so much for your work on Club Runner and on our Facebook page, including our live streams.
Sharon – It has been so nice to have so many people involved in our inspirational moments. Thank you for taking that on.
Jamie – Thanks for the extra work on our membership records and for filling in with the live stream when necessary.
Kelly – Who could not be with us tonight, but who did an incredible job helping so many of our members ‘level up’ their Paul Harris status.
Darrell – Thank you for leading our Thursday night meetings and helping reach our service project goal.
I would also like to recognize our Assistant District Governor, Mike Trewitt. Not only has Mike helped us stay connected with District activities, but he is also finishing up five years as our club treasurer. Thank you, Mike.
At this time, I would like to ask the following people to stand and remain standing. Darrell, Jamie, Mike, Brook, Don, and Marta Along with Kelly Johnson and Pat Mulligan who could not be here this evening, these are your 2023-2024 officers and directors.
You have been all I could have hoped for. You trusted me and you trusted each other. Without that trust we couldn’t have come this far. In the beginning, there were times we had to just prop each other up, and now we are strong enough to challenge each other. (Not that some of you didn’t challenge me from the very beginning. I think you know who you are.)
These small gifts are just tokens of my appreciation for all you have done and all that you are. Thank you.
If I may take just a moment of personal privilege, I want to say ‘thank you’ to my husband, Zac. I would not have been able to make it through the end of last year and all of this year without his help and support. When I was installed as president in 2004, we had just gotten engaged, and we got married right before the end of my term. It was all new and exciting to him at that point. He probably never dreamed he would be going through another year as the president’s spouse. And, this year was much tougher. He has been by my side every step of the way and I appreciate him so much.
To Zac “Thank you.”
In closing, let me just say how very, very proud I am of this club, and I hope all of you are just as proud. To our newest members, you have joined this club during a transformative year, a year of strength and resilience. We are looking to you to help us maintain that momentum. You bring new energy and new ideas, and we welcome both.
This has been a year that I will never forget. Thank you all for giving that to me.
