Club Day
The Three Garys
Gary Miller kicked off the presentation by reintroducing the concept of a monthly Club Day. Starting in August, the last meeting of every month will be held at FAVARH. These will be Club Days so that we can do a better job of getting to know each other and reestablish why we are Rotarians.
Gary Roman followed with a comprehensive discussion about the Community Service Committee. He described the committee as the recipient of the hard work of the club's members in making the fundraisers a success. The beneficiaries of the committee's work are primarily nonprofit groups which meet the needs of our local communities.
The mission statement includes the areas the committee believes are important to our communities. They line up very well with Rotary's areas of focus.
The committee has set criteria for the charities who are eligible to receive grants. They must be primarily serving members of our communities. There is also a dollar limit of $2,500 for grants. Of the requests in the last year, 21 of 28 were approved. However, the committee's budget allowed for less than half of the amounts requested. One exception in the past year was the donation for Ukrainian refugee relief. The committee provided some of the funds sent for this purpose, matching club members' donations.
The committee meets on the first Friday of the month after the regular club meeting. In addition members may be asked to learn more about specific grant requests and the operation of the requesting entity.
The budget for the committee depends on the resources of the club, which come largely from the club's fundraising activities - the golf tournament and Tastes of the Valley. The budget took a dip in fiscal 2021 due to the Covid pandemic and the need to cancel the Tastes of the Valley in 2020. The budget for 2023 is tentatively the same as 2022, which supposes a successful golf tournament.
The grant request requirements have been developed over the years and provide consistency among the various requests. They also encourage representatives of the requesting group to make a presentation to the club, so that members can better understand how the grant will be used and the ways the charity benefits the community. It is also good when members can provide service or support to the charity, thereby strengthening the club's ties to the charity.
One of the organizations which has received grants from the club, as well as providing opportunities for service is the Veterans' Base Camp. There was a work day for club members last year, and there will be another one on September 24. This meets the club's desire to benefit veterans and reminds us that Rotary is indeed a service organization. The projects members will undertake require minimal skill and benefit from more people being involved.
Gary Hyde, club treasurer extraordinaire, presented the financial summary shown below. A few items which were noted:
1. Moving to QuickBooks online will enable the club to have more than one person handle the finances of the club. This is a good financial safeguard.
2. The lower dues to the district and Rotary International were an aberration caused by the pandemic. The $10,000 budgeted in the current year is the same amount as before the pandemic.
3. When the club met at the Avon Old Farms Hotel, we were able to charge a bit more for breakfast than we paid the hotel, which resulted in club income for the year. Now we pay Golf Club of Avon exactly what members pay for breakfast. In fact, the club is charged for a minimum number of people, which we haven't always met recently.
We appreciate the years of dedication Gary Hyde has given to the club as treasurer. A standing ovation at the end of his presentation was a small tribute to his service.