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After 33 years at global real estate company CBRE, I can appreciate the importance of community and professional networking. That’s what prompted me to originally join Rotary in 1991; I just wanted to network and didn’t know much about the good things that Rotary does around the world. The club I joined was close to my home, and my friends and mentors all urged me to be in that room.
It was a small club and I quickly found myself being volunteered for board positions. But hey…it gave me a chance to get involved, so it was all good, right?
Then after three years I decided to switch to a more robust club and joined RB Sunrise. It made sense for me, since I had professional friends in the room and it was a better fit for my business goals. Once again I got involved with the board, meeting lots of great people and genuinely enjoying what I was doing.
This stint in Rotary lasted four years…until I realized my kids were growing up without me being around much. Between work, Rotary, and several other organizations I had joined, I was finding I was missing WAY too much…and dropped out.
20 years later I’m back in Rotary for good! The kids are grown, family life and work are both stable, and I have time to do what I want to do. I’m taking it slow as I get re-integrated into the Rotary family and am proceeding carefully to find my proper niche.
I know that niche is there, too. There are lots of good people in this club; some do fundraising, others focus on social media, others make sure the trains run on time. The names have changed since 1998, but the enthusiasm and spirit is the same.
And if there’s one thing that I love about this organization, it’s that I get to work with community leaders and influencers who are like-minded in a non-threatening way. Everyone associated with Rotary is focused on trying to do their part and make the world a little bit healthier. I’ve met people I never would have known any other way, and in many cases I’ve really gotten to know them well. It gives me a warm feeling that I’m helping to make the community, country, and world a better place. One minute at a time, one dollar at a time.
It’s funny; in 1988 I attended my very first Rotary meeting with a client and was told I was too young to join. That club never saw me again. The club in Poway…the one that gave me my start in Rotary… saw the wisdom of youth and diversity.
Today I belong to a group of dozens of professionals, some as young as their mid-twenties, others as old as their mid-nineties. I hear speakers who stimulate me intellectually. I find a room where nobody takes themselves too seriously. And I feel rejuvenated every time I walk out of the room.
Joining Rotary was, without question, the smartest move I ever made. You can also make the smartest move you'll ever make by visiting our club for breakfast one Tuesday morning.