OPINION
At the Lake Ray Roberts Rotary Club meeting on Tuesday, club President Whitney Delcourt jokingly asked me to write a 30-second elevator speech that members could use to create their own.
Here is my why I'm a part of Rotary.
On every level, Rotary is a nonpolitical, nonreligious organization that welcomes anyone who wants to make a positive impact on their community and the world.
That doesn't mean there's no place for people who are religious or political.
Our members run the gamut from the not-at-all-religious to pastors, from the apolitical to elected officials.
Being part of a truly welcoming organization matters to me, a person who grew up feeling like I was always on the outskirts of every group I cared about.
In Rotary, we're there to care for one another and to support the community.
For me, Rotary is a service club with a networking component.
For some, the networking is the driver and the service portion is a great benefit.
So long as we're working together, we are all able to have different motivations that drive us toward a shared goal.
From the international level down, Rotary has seven causes it supports— promoting peace; fighting disease; providing clean water, sanitation and hygiene; saving mothers and children; supporting education; growing local economies; and protecting the environment.
Some of the ways we work to champion those causes locally include providing scholarships to four students— two from Pilot Point and two from Aubrey—annually, distributing dictionaries to third graders in those districts, and donating to our fellow local nonprofits such as Shepherd's Storehouse, HOPE Food and Clothing Ministry and Lovepacs Aubrey to help fight food insecurity.
To fund those missions, we place American flags throughout the area for specifi c holidays as our main source of revenue.
Every group is only as good as its members.
That said, I am proud to work side by side with my fellow Rotarians from the local level all the way to the global level.
At the close of each meeting, our members and any guests who join us recite the Four Way Test.
In it, we ask, 'Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendship? Will it be beneficial to all concerned?'
I am far from a perfect person, but I do feel as though that test helps provide a great guidepost for my decision-making, especially in my work at this newspaper.
If you're ever interested in deciding whether Rotary is for you, you're welcome to join us at noon on Tuesdays at the PointBank Community Center in Pilot Point.
Maybe you'll find it's the place for you, too.
Abigail Allen is the Editor & Publisher of the Post-Signal. She can be reached at [email protected].
