Rotary has a new vision statement. It’s right at the top of the page, but it bears repeating:
Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in our communities and in ourselves.
 
Baldwinsville Rotary is really living that vision this month! We have so many activities, covering so many topics and that makes it a great time to get involved.
 
We’re creating lasting change across the globe by hosting an event the week of World Polio Day. B’ville Pints for Polio is a happy hour event at WT Brews that is going to be a lot of fun. We have celebrity bartenders, Lil Twisted Food Truck on site and will have pumpkin painting (for $5/pumpkin). For every beer sold, WT Brews will donate $1. Not only will we be raising money, but we are working to raise awareness. Join the Facebook event to follow our posts all about polio and why we need to eradicate it. Come to the event and you will learn a lot about the importance of eradication and how we will reach our goal! Click here to learn more.
 
We’re creating lasting change in our community with two awards programs in October. First is our Students of the Month awards that will resume on October 8th. Each month during the school year we recognize two students, chosen by their guidance counselors, for their hard work and commitment to service. We invite the students and their families to attend, give them an opportunity to share about their passions, and we present them with a certificate of achievement and cake! It’s really rewarding for our members to meet young people also interested in helping others. They often have very busy schedules, yet consistently make time to do good!
We will also host the Pride of Workmanship awards dinner on October 17th at The Reef. We will honor several members of the community that were nominated for being great employees and hard workers, exhibiting integrity in all that they do. Rotary really believes that not only our volunteer efforts, but our professional efforts have a profound impact on our communities. We will highlight this at the dinner, providing these hardworking award winners with the community recognition they deserve!
 
And finally, we are always hoping to create lasting change in ourselves. Every meeting where we gather, every dinner we attend, every conference we partake in and every service project we collaborate on is an opportunity for our members to experience personal growth. When you do the hands-on work, you get immediate reward. When you volunteer side-by-side with people who are also just there to do good, you build relationships. When you take the time to learn about Rotary and all that we can do with the power of our 1.2 million members worldwide, you invest a little piece of your heart into service. When it comes to Rotary, the key to creating lasting change within ourselves is to be present!
 
Consider making yourself present at an upcoming meeting. We literally have a line of people waiting to formally become members of our group and are so excited to be growing. It says a lot about you when you decide to join and it says even more when our members approve your application. It means we think you have integrity, enthusiasm and a heart of service!