Meeting 7-7-2014

President Leigh began to set the tone for the 2014-2015 Rotary year with a saying from Confucius, "It is better to light a single candle than to sit and curse the darkness." This saying was all the more highlighted when Leigh lit a single candle and set it on the podium for the Club to see while she continued her speech. She was excited to read incoming RI President Gary C.K. Huang's take on the opportunity of this year which he connected in many ways to the teachings of Confucius. Click this link to read President Huang's letter from the most recent Rotarian http://www.rotary.nl/nieuws/president/2014-2015_presri/ President Leigh sees this coming year as an opportunity for the Exeter Rotary Club to continue to let our light shine within the community. As part of that effort it will be important for the Club to address the challenge of membership that Rotary International faces. Worldwide President Huang is looking to increase membership from 1.2 million Rotarians to 1.3 million by the end of the year. Locally, the Membership Committee will be working to find out why our members join Rotary in the first place, what makes them stay and what can cause someone to leave. These three details will help the Club engage every member so that our Club continues to be vibrant, giving our members everything they seek from their membership and enjoy putting back in just as much. President Huang will also look to lead Rotary International to eradicating polio once and for all. President Leigh will ask Exeter Rotarians to talk about the fight against polio- make sure your friends know about the work Rotary is doing- and participate- on any level- in Polio Plus. In the coming year Exeter Rotary can expect committees to meet more often and will see some opportunities for working meetings during Club Assemblies. President Leigh underlined the fact that she is here for the members and is always never more than a phone call  away... just remember to keep the phone calls between 4 a.m. and 7:45 p.m.! In closing, President Leigh returned to the overall theme for 2014-2015; Light Up Rotary, by asking the Club the following question, " Do we want to see the sun rise or set on our Club?" We know what our answer is, don't we Exeter Rotary?!