Wednesday noons are meeting days for this club – they meet at Dickie Joe’s in Eugene. When I arrived, President Theresa Thompson and Past President Dean Martin were setting up around the clutter of their venue being remodeled. Another example of Rotarians adapting. After she rang the bell, Theresa opened the meeting with a couple of jokes.

Emerald Valley is a smaller club, but don’t let their size fool you – their projects address food insecurity, mental health, helping homeless youth and more. They partner with other Rotary clubs and various local organizations, and leverage their club foundation to fund their work.

I was excited to see that my long-time friend and fellow Rotarian, George Rode, is now a member of the Emerald Valley Club. We met when I was a bank teller and he fixed cars! Today he’s active in the community and serves on several boards, including the Shedd Institute. A true “Service Above Self” kind of guy.

Every one of their members has served as club president. Can you say “leadership fatigue?” Does this sound familiar in your club?

Like most clubs I visit, Emerald Valley is very interested in attracting new, younger members – not just to amplify their impact, but to help with their club leadership succession.

We discussed membership challenges and considered whether clubs with an older demographic might benefit from first recruiting recently retired professionals, adding vibrancy and energy that could appeal to younger people.

News Source : https://rotarydistrict5110.com/on-the-fly-with-dg-chris-eugene-emerald-valley-club/