(Top) MT Sunrise Rotary club member Seth Duhnke was our speaker. Seth, who works at Sommer's Automotive, updated us on the state of the auto industry post COVID.

(Lower) Sunrise Rotary club President Cori Guerin accepts the "Azinger Cup" from Sam Azinger of the TM Noon Rotary Club. This traveling trophy is presented annually to the club with the most donations to the Rotary Foundation.

Photos by Dean Johnson.

By Arnold R. Grahl

In the festive atmosphere of a gala dinner, Rotary members raised glasses in toasts and kindled friendships in Lviv as they welcomed a group of Ukrainians to the International Fellowship of Flying Rotarians. The next day, the Ukrainian members showed visitors former Eastern Bloc aircraft at a military base that had become a general aviation field.

Just a few months later, Russian forces invaded Ukraine — and the new friendships became critical connections for support and supplies.

Rotary's global network has sent millions of dollars' worth of relief and medical supplies to help the people of Ukraine. Rotary Fellowships, which bring together members who have a shared interest or hobby, have amplified the impact of these efforts.

Members of the flying fellowship leapt into action to help their fellow pilots as soon as the war began. George Chaffey, then-world president of the fellowship, says he and other members quickly contacted the Ukrainian members, who have been instrumental in identifying the most effective ways to channel the assistance.

One of them has been Olha Paliychuk, a member of the Rotary Club of Cherkasy, Ukraine. Paliychuk, who is a doctor and working toward her pilot's license, has helped coordinate response plans through both the flying fellowship and the International Fellowship of Healthcare Professionals.

"Within a week we raised more than $12,000 and a large volume of medical supplies, all cleared through Olha," Chaffey says. "We collect what the Ukrainians tell us they need and direct it to exactly where it is needed."

Rotary International’s recent member survey reveals where Rotary is today, while suggesting where it needs to go tomorrow

The motive power of Rotary is friendship,” said Paul Harris in his address to the Rotary convention held in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1921. His remarks were greeted with a round of applause — and were endorsed 100 years later by current members of Rotary.

In the most recent annual survey of Rotary members, 45% of respondents cited friendship as the reason they remain in Rotary, and 84% said they were satisfied with their ability to connect with friends through Rotary. Meanwhile, 42% of respondents cited the opportunity to make an impact on their communities as the reason they remained in Rotary — another response that would have delighted Rotary’s founder.

Gathering this kind of information is one of the reasons we survey Rotary members every year. The 2021 all-member survey, which was conducted last fall by Rotary International and drew nearly 70,000 responses from Rotarians and Rotaractors, will contribute to the long-term success of Rotary’s Action Plan and its strategic initiatives. It also ensures that Rotary leadership understands and responds to the expectations and experiences of new and longtime members. On a more local level, clubs and districts can use this information to attract and engage new and current members.