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Club Newsletter
The Rotary Club of Wakefield,
Rhode Island
Thursday, 1/21/2021
 
Place & Time:
 
Virtual ZOOM Meeting
 
 
Meeting Thursday @ Noon
 
 
Glen Zibolis, sitting in for President Dick Pike, called the meeting to order at 12:30.
 
Glen introduced the guests and announced that participation by telephone is now possible for people who prefer not to use Zoom.
 
Attendance: 26 members; 6 guests: Charlene Jarest, District Governor; Billy Roberts, District Governor Elect; David Sampson, District Governor Nominee; Fred Evenson, pastor of Peace Dale Congregational Churce, speaker; Alicia Vignali Henry, daughter of Donna; Larry Fortin, former member
 
Club Business and Announcements
 
None
 
Sunshine
None
 
Happy Bucks
  • Chris is happy that a part for his broken dishwasher arrived because they have not been able to use the dishwasher since before Christmas.
 
     Service Above Self
 

These principles have been developed over the years to provide Rotarians with a strong, common purpose and direction. They serve as a foundation for our relationships with each other and the action we take in the world.

Object of Rotary

The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:

  • FIRST: The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service;
  • SECOND: High ethical standards in business and professions; the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations; and the dignifying of each Rotarian’s occupation as an opportunity to serve society;
  • THIRD: The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian’s personal, business, and community life;
  • FOURTH: The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.

The Four-Way Test

The Four-Way Test is a nonpartisan and nonsectarian ethical guide for Rotarians to use for their personal and professional relationships. The test has been translated into more than 100 languages, and Rotarians recite it at club meetings:
Of the things we think, say or do

  1. Is it the TRUTH?
  2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
  3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
  4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

Avenues of Service

We channel our commitment to service at home and abroad through five Avenues of Service, which are the foundation of club activity.

  • Club Service focuses on making clubs strong. A thriving club is anchored by strong relationships and an active membership development plan.
  • Vocational Service calls on every Rotarian to work with integrity and contribute their expertise to the problems and needs of society. Learn more in  and the .
  • Community Service encourages every Rotarian to find ways to improve the quality of life for people in their communities and to serve the public interest. Learn more in .
  • International Service exemplifies our global reach in promoting peace and understanding. We support this service avenue by sponsoring or volunteering on international projects, seeking partners abroad, and more.
  • Youth Service recognizes the importance of empowering youth and young professionals through leadership development programs such as , , , and
PROGRAM
Speaker and Program: Discussion of the implications for our Club of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s philosophy, with Fred Evenson of the Peace Dale Congregational Church and Pete Swain of the Peace and Justice Committee of the PDCC, facilitated by Jim Blackerby.
Jim and Russell explained that our District Governor established a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, which Billy Roberts chairs and on which Bob Cruz and DG Charlene Jarest serve.
Billy told us that the mission of the committee is to provide support to clubs to help them with issues related to diversity. He cited the example of Scituate, RI, whose members told him that their club was all white because the area was all white. With his encouragement, the members initiated outreach to local groups and recently inducted five new members, two of whom have African heritage.
Fred Evenson harked back to Dr. King’s 1963 speech at the Lincoln Memorial, 100 years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Dr. King lamented the fact that 100 years after Emancipation, Black people had come to see freedom as a “bad check” written by previous leaders and urged people to consider the “fierce urgency of now” for racial justice. So Fred challenged us as predominantly white people to try to see the world through the eyes of others, which we can do only by reaching out, listening to the lived experiences of people of color, and serving them. His church hung a banner on the front with a quote from Dr. King and the Black Lives Matter logo to raise awareness of racial justice among the congregation and the public.
Pete shared that his own view of white privilege was shaped by his experiences living in Tanzania when he was a child, observing that the white minority had power over the Black majority. He suggested exploring some of the many resources about racism and racial justice, including How to Be an Anti-Racist, White Fragility, and the writings of James Baldwin and Toni Morrison. He highlighted the good work being done locally by several churches and by Toward an Anti-racist South Kingstown (TASK), which is working with the schools and the police. He suggested that our club could think about how we use our funding programs to further social equity.
During discussion, D. G. Charlene thanked us for initiating this conversation. Members then raised several questions and suggestions for future consideration. Should we have a discounted membership rate for people with lower incomes? How could we be more overtly welcoming to LGBTQ individuals and groups? To people with disabilities? To people with English as a second language? To people with Native American heritage? Billy Roberts told us that our club has a history of inviting people with different backgrounds but if we are to do better we need to be intentional and systematic about our recruitment and involvement of members.
Bob Cruz (who we learned will be an Assistant Governor next year — congrats!) will continue the conversation at our next meeting. He will bring us up to date on the activities of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee and local efforts to further that mission.
 
Here are some more resources on racial justice, (from Jim’s e-mail):

Rotary.org: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs; 
Rotary Magazine - November 2020 "We The People" by Bryan Smith p. 26; found also on web site
Biography of Bernard Lafayette; recent recipient  of the Paul Harris Award from our club
Documentary Driving While Black  by Ric Burns, based on a book by Gretchen Sorin
Poems of  Nikki Giovanni, poet laureate of Civil Right Movement
Book Soul of America by Jon Meacham
 
 
 
Photos
 
 
 
Next Meeting:  Thursday January 28, 2020
 
Many thanks to the reporters and photographers!
 
Please make every effort to attend our next Wakefield Rotary meeting.
Better yet, bring a friend!
 
 
 
 
Upcoming Events
Community Service Committee
Feb 15, 2021 5:00 PM
 
Board of Directors Meeting
Old Mountian Lanes
Feb 16, 2021 4:00 PM
 
Community Service Committee
Mar 15, 2021 5:00 PM
 
Board of Directors Meeting
Old Mountian Lanes
Mar 16, 2021 4:00 PM
 
View entire list
CLUB CALENDAR
Bulletin Editor
Russell Bertrand
(If you have any comments or questions, please contact the editor)
Speakers
Jan 28, 2021
Marth Machnik
Mediation and Collaboration
Feb 25, 2021
Vanessa Venturini, State Program Leader
Master Gardener Progam Projects
View entire list
Russell Hampton
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