Pam Lightsey's Rotary Journey: 6 Club Visits in 4 days

This week was a PACKED few days. But what a GREAT time getting to know many of the Rotarians in our district. The week started with the lunch meeting at the Rotary Club of Perry! WOW! I enjoyed finding out more about Rotarians that were on the board for this club. The Rotarians of Perry have been involved in our district conference for years....they have a long time tradition of handing out the door prizes. It is a club that has a lot of fun and they are making an impact in their community! I was very honored to be here for lunch. Not only did they have a few new members, they had several new Paul Harris Fellows, they made a donation to Broken Shackle Ranch in honor of my visit, they will be celebrating 75 years this year and I was up for a treat after the meeting to tour Perry.

Acknowledgement of the clubs donation to Broken Shackle Ranch in my honor.

Presenting the 75 Year patch to Club President Shrad.

Rotary Club of Perry

After the club meeting it was off to the Guardian Center in Perry. I had never visited or even heard of it, but fell in love! WOW.... https://guardiancenters.com/ We have a jewel in our own backyard in Georgia and I'm pretty proud to say it is in District 6920. Disaster Preparedness on steroids! And they have fun there too with the Zombie Run the weekend before Halloween. If you haven't seen it take a look at the webpage or just get in your car and go find out what it is all about! AMAZING! We went from there to the fairgrounds to see some of the behind the scene and what they are doing to get ready for the fair!

That evening it was dinner and what a great time to share more about Rotary with a small group of Rotarians and spouses. It was truly an evening of sharing of what Rotary means to each of us. I was able to share more about the trip to Jamaica and the girls home project that we did on the second day of the trip. Club President Shrad asked for each person to share something with us and it was a great evening of dialogue shared among everyone. And all while his mother was in the hospital, because you see earlier that day his received news his mother was admitted to the hospital. We met the police chief in the middle of our tour so he could be taken to be with his mother. And I was surprised to see him there, but he was among friends and the support was evident. That is what Rotary is about....it is the Family of Rotary that keeps us all focused. It is the Family of Rotary that helps us when we need it.

Tuesday was a two club meeting. I had breakfast with the Rotary Club of Centerville! A GREAT way to welcome someone in the morning! This is the home club of Past District Governor Bob Griggers. It is nice to be at breakfast with folks that are happy to be up early!! They are doing some GREAT things for their community. I received a key from the mayor, the club contributed $26.50 from every member to the Annual Fund, and they ARE making a difference in the lives around them.

What a great sign to see early in the morning!!

New member and Mayor presenting me with the Key to Centerville.

I said "no personal gifts" but they felt I needed some bling to go with the boots.

$26.50 contribution from every member to the Annual Fund.

What a GREAT breakfast club - Rotary Club of Centerville

Assistant Governor Roland Berry, whisked me away to our next meeting. We were on the way to the Rotary Club of Warner Robins. Another very interesting board meeting with vast knowledge of Rotarians serving the community. And it is a club full of retired military and what a honor to be in such company of men and women that wore the uniform to fight for our country. Their GRSP student was in attendance and many visitors too!! I was filled with excitement. I did try to recruit a few to join while I was there. No, I didn't get the bomber jacket they typically give to District Governors, but they did take the money that they would have spent and presented in check form to a local charity. I asked for clubs to take those funds and lets do something different! They did EXACTLY that! Thank you so much!