It was in 2006 when I was first approached by a Past District Governor (PDG) who suggested I consider serving humanity as a District Governor in our Rotary District 6960. District 6960 is in Southwest Florida running from Palmetto to Marco Island and inland to Lake Okeechobee. In 2006 the district contained 52 clubs and about 2500 member Rotarians.
The idea of serving Rotary at a higher level was appealing to me but I had a conflict in that I was also being encouraged to run for State Commander in The Veterans of Foreign Wars after many years of serving at the local, state and national levels.
Since I became more active in Rotary in January of 2002, actually I should say since becoming a Rotarian since being a member or Rotary and being a Rotarian are two different things, this conflict became more apparent.
I enjoyed my service in the VFW and made, literally, thousands of friends and acquaintances. Since relocating full time from Wisconsin to Florida in January of 2002 it was expected that I would run for VFW State Commander in Florida - it had also been expected in Wisconsin but I knew my move was imminent so I did not - and, at that time, it was also my plan to run.
However, as I became more involved in Rotary I found myself drawn to the organization by the impact it made on local communities as well as those around the world. I accepted tasks like being President of my club and Chairing the District's Ambassadorial Scholarship Committee.
The more I did in Rotary, the less I could do in the VFW until, finally, it balanced out. And that's where I was in 2006 when I was asked to consider moving up in Rotary. I could do what I needed to do in both organizations but could not take one even one more thing - I was booked solid. It I were to become the State Commander in the VFW, I would have to step back in Rotary. State Commander is a full time job, on top of my full time job in the real world, there would be no time for Rotary beyond my club attendance. The reverse was also true. District Governor responsibilities would require me to give up my service to the VFW beyond post attendance. So I cruised along, maintaining this balancing act for three more years.
2009 was a difficult year for my manufacturing company as the recession took its toll. But as I restructured my company in the face of this new reality I also watched the effects of the recession on the world and, in particular, those that had little prosperity to start out with. Charitable giving started contracting and those that depended on it started suffering even more. The most basic needs of food, clean water and medical care, were being denied to more and more people from Florida to Nigeria.
The veterans I served all these years needed help also, but they did have somewhat of a safety net in the U.S. Government. Their most basic needs would be taken care of even though there were many serious breaches is their rightful benefits and entitlement that effected entire family units.
By the early spring of 2009, after having spoken to many people in both organizations I determined that hour for hour, my volunteer time would have a more positive impact on humanity if I spent it with Rotary. My decision was made but there was still the question of when.
One of my dear Rotary friends, from my Area but not from my club, had also decided he'd like to serve as DG for 6960. His club had recommended him in 2008 but he had not been selected, by a narrow margin of the nominations committee. I felt certain that he would be selected if he chose to run again as he had excellent credentials and few get selected their first year. I was advised to also put my name in that hat to get some name recognition that would hopefully serve me well and result in my selection at some point. I sat down and talked with my friend and he said I should go for it whether or not he decided to try again or not. I will not detail his comments but they were spoken as a true Rotarian.
So there it was, spring 2009. I took the notion to my club and they passed a resolution supporting me and suggesting my name to the District Nominating Committee.
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