This is my last newsletter as president of the Rotary Club of Summit County.  I’ve started this message a dozen different ways. None of them felt right, because how do I summarize a year that has touched me in so many ways?

 

There is something I’ve discovered that I want you to know. When I began writing these weekly messages, I thought they were for others – people who were reading them. Somewhere along the way, I realized they were mostly for me.

 

Each week, I searched for a story, an idea, or a lesson that helped explain a world that often feels confusing, divided, heartbreaking… and yet unbelievably beautiful.

 

I found those lessons everywhere. In a Buddhist monk. The Milky Way. A scientist. A child. A stranger. A billionaire. A volunteer serving dinner on a Tuesday night. A person seeking a place to belong.

 

And almost every week, no matter where the story began, it somehow ended in the same place. People matter.

Not the loudest people.
Not the richest people.
Not the ones with the biggest titles.

The people who quietly show up.

 

The people who stand up when something needs doing. The people who speak up with ideas instead of complaints. The people who reach out to someone sitting alone.

 

The people who make the world, their community, and this club just a little better than they found them.

 

This year, I also had the privilege of looking backward as we celebrated our many accomplishments.

 

We served thousands more community dinners. We welcomed more than a dozen new members. We awarded more scholarships. We recycled mountains of plastic. We raised a lot of money. We laughed together. We mourned together. We built friendships that will last long after team assignments and board meetings are forgotten.

 

Looking back reminded me of something I hope I’ll never forget.

 

A handful of committed people really can change a community and the world.  I’ve seen it with my own eyes.  Maybe that’s why I’ve never been totally discouraged by all that is confusing around us.

 

Yes, the world’s problems are enormous. But so is the capacity of ordinary people to do extraordinary good.

 

One act of kindness rarely changes the world. Thousands of them do.

And that’s exactly what Rotary has always been.  Not one big heroic act.

Thousands of ordinary people quietly deciding to help.

 

As I pass the gavel to Dave Farmelo, I am confident he will be an AWESOME president, and I don’t really feel like I’m leaving something behind.

 

Instead, I feel like I’ve had the exceptional privilege of carrying it for a little while.

 

Thank you for trusting me with that privilege.  Thank you for reading these reflections each week.  Thank you for teaching me far more than I could ever have learned without you.

 

People often ask what Rotary does. After this year, I have my answer.  Rotary reminds us who we can be.

And if that’s true for one club…  it’s true for the world as well.

 

I have one more thought for myself and for you:

 

Keep showing up. Keep standing up. Keep speaking up. The world needs more Rotarians—and more people who simply care. 

 

It has been my great honor to serve you for the past, seemingly very short, year. I am grateful for each and every one of you.