There are a lot of fun and interesting things to do right here in Allen County that you may not know about.
Not planning to travel for your vacation this year? There's plenty to do right here in Allen County. Tina Koester from Visit Greater Lima played a fun game with club members called Never Have I Ever. She showed us 20 local attractions ranging from axe throwing to a swinging bridge, to gourmet cupcakes. We got points for places we had visited and activities we had done and the prize for the person gathering most points was an Amazon Echo . Congratulations to our guest, Ahmad Houston, who won with an amazing 22 points!
Tina told us that Visit Greater Lima's mission is to encourage visitors to come to Allen County and inject dollars into our community, but with people not wanting to travel because of Covid, "We've decided since we are limited from reaching people outside the county to come in, we would encourage our local residents to experience what we promote to visitors. Our hope is to be able to create a positive perception within our own communities so they can help promote a positive image to their friends and their family who may eventually visit Lima/Allen County." You can find all the details about local attractions and events on the Visit Greater Lima website.
Also at Monday's meeting, we welcomed Tommie Harner as our newest member. Tommie is the new CEO at the West Ohio Food Bank. She is replacing Linda Hamilton who is retiring at the end of this month. Please make her welcome!
Golfers! Register now for the Rex Perry Memorial Golf Outing on August 26!
This year marks the 20th Anniversary of the annual Rex Perry Memorial Golf Outing. The date has been moved to Wednesday, August 26th at Hidden Creek Golf Course with lunch from Western Sizzlin Steakhouse. The Golf Committee is working closely with Hidden Creek Golf Course to ensure our participants' safety. The Committee is also staying abreast to the most current recommendations set forth by the Ohio governor regarding the best practices for staying safe during the on-going Coronavirus pandemic. Since standards and protocols are continuously being changes and updated the format and what happenings that will take place on the day of the event are still undergoing planning, but rest assure that the day will be both exhilarating and competitive. Contact Andy Wannemacher today to register as an individual or team at 419-231-3209 or andyw@wanntl.com.
Last year we had 21 teams competing and raised over $43,000, all of which went to benefit the Rotary Foundation Scholarship Fund. The Rotary Memorial Scholarship Fund selects persons who live or work in Allen County who are in pursuit of a degree or certification and will attend a school or college in Allen County. The intent of the scholarship is to encourage Allen County employees and residents to work and plan for their futures within our county. As of March 2020, over 1,046 adults wishing to continue their education have received scholarships from the Lima Rotary Club. These scholarships total over $776,250. Degrees or certifications can be achieved at the Apollo Career Center (Adult Education), Bluffton University, Rhodes State College, The Ohio State University at Lima and the University of Northwestern Ohio. All residents who live in and employees who work in Allen County are eligible.
Honor Vince Koza by volunteering at the American Cancer Society golf outing.
The good friend of the Lima Rotary Club, Vince Koza, is being honored again. Every year Vince would come to Rotary to lead the boys & girls fall and winter sports coaches showcase. We all enjoyed his interviews with the coaches. A Jefferson Award nominee for 2020, Vince Koza is the honoree for this year’s American Cancer Society’s (ACS) Golf Tournament of Allen County. The event is happening on August 3rd at Shawnee Country Club. Vince was a member of the Volunteer Leadership Council for ACS for about 10 years. He served with several Rotarians on that board. He was chairperson for 2 years ending in 2018. Before his own battle against cancer, Vince also helped his father and mother deal with the disease. This was his emphasis in becoming active in the area council. He, along with wife Holly, have been spokespeople and committee members for ‘Making Strides Against Breast Cancer’ and ‘Celebrity Waiters’ fund raiser ACS events. This year’s golf event is almost the 40th year of the event. The event has honored other Rotarians such as Jonalee Schmidt, Jack Crouse, and Chuck Osborn. If you are interested in helping honor Vince on 8/3, you can volunteer as a course spotter in the morning or afternoon, you can buy a ticket to the cocktail reception/celebration of life & charity auction starting at 6 pm, or you can find a 4some of golfers. Contact Andy Farley for details.
Each year around this time, we put out a form at the club meetings that offers all club members the opportunity to select the activities and committees they would like to be a part of for the upcoming year. Do you want to help with the Salvation Army Bell Ringing or the Special Needs Christmas Party? Or would you rather work on the Program Committee? Maybe you would like to be a part of Fellowship this year. How about the Golf Outing?
This year, to simplify the process, Anne has put together an electronic version of the Committees. You will be receiving it in a few days through your email or you can find it here.
Once you complete your selections and hit submit, your form will be returned directly to me. I will enter your selections into our Club Runner Lima Rotary Club database.
Doing this is so helpful to the Committee Chairs and also ensures you have the opportunity to share your time doing the activities that interest you most!
Take a minute to read President Holger Knaack's August message to Rotarians.
The year 2020 has brought monumental changes that have already included a global pandemic and a renewed call for social justice. We are reminded that we live in a constantly changing world, and Rotary is a reflection of that world.
We must be ready to listen and adapt, always drawing upon our core values of service, fellowship, diversity, integrity, and leadership. If we live these values and apply The Four-Way Test to all aspects of our lives, we will be prepared to lead at all times.
I am proud of how we have proven our ability to adapt. Faced with a pandemic, Rotary has not stopped. We moved meetings online and found new ways to serve. We turned the canceled 2020 Rotary International Convention in Honolulu into our first virtual convention. Each week, we are proving that Rotary is a flexible gathering that happens anywhere — in traditional meetings, on cellphones, and on computers. Rotary offers a way to connect for everyone who wants to, at any time, and will continue to do so.
Some have even told me that they enjoy Rotary's mix of online and in-person meetings more now than before! How can we build on this momentum and seize the opportunity to embrace change so that Rotary keeps thriving?
For me, supporting new types of clubs is key. They are no longer just experiments but a real part of Rotary today. In addition to traditional clubs, we have e-clubs, Rotaract clubs, cause-based clubs, and passport clubs. These help make Rotary more inclusive, more flexible, and more attractive to new members. Visit these clubs, exchange ideas and partner with them, and promote them to one another and to our communities.
We all agree that we need to grow Rotary, but sometimes we can get caught up in the numbers game and lose sight of the bigger picture. After all, an increase in membership is meaningless if next year, those new members leave our clubs. Let's grow Rotary sustainably. Rotary's flexible options for participation will engage members and show the community how we're different from any other club. Let's celebrate that Rotary is now less about rules and more about joining together in a variety of ways besides traditional meetings.
I recommend that each club hold an annual strategy meeting to ask — and honestly answer — if we are doing all we can for our members and if our club reflects the community we serve. We are taking this approach at the international level, too. I am proud that six women are serving with me on the RI Board of Directors this year, the most we have ever had. Let's keep Rotary moving in this direction at every level. We need more perspectives, more diversity, for Rotary to thrive.
It's fascinating to imagine how we will find new ways to adapt and stay nimble this year and beyond. But I am also inspired about what hasn't changed and never will in Rotary: the friendships, the networking, the ethics, and the service. Indeed, these are the values that make Rotary attractive to all.
As Rotary's founder, Paul Harris, said, we have to be revolutionary from time to time. Now is such a time. Rotary Opens Opportunities — countless ones — for us to embrace change that will strengthen us even as we remain true to our core values.
