On Monday, April 6, Rotary Del Sol held its first meeting via ZOOM in this new coronavirus era. It was held at the usual meeting time for the Satellite group (Monday, 5:30 pm) and, like all RDS Thursday morning and Satellite meetings it was open to all RDS members. 24 members attended. Jeff Weinrach and Dave Simon did a great job with the ZOOM technology which is a bit of a mystery to most members.
The purpose of the meeting was a Club Assembly to discuss how we will proceed during the Covid-19 Pandemic. Among the items discussed was an update from the Albuquerque-area Presidents and Announcements. Two-thirds of the Clubs in the area have had online meetings, but most have not yet integrated guest speakers back into their meetings. The District 5520 PETS training was held online as a virtual meeting at the end of March, with our President-Elect Ed Robertson attending every minute of the session. Tony Pino reported on RYLA which has not been canceled as of now. They still need counselors and volunteers. A decision will be made later as to whether to proceed with RYLA or cancel it. Tony also reported on Governors Ball which is now scheduled for August 8 at Sandia Resort and Casino. He said until the situation with the coronvirus is clarified, the participating clubs are not contacting donors and sponsors.
RDS itself will resume meetings via Zoom for now. As previously reported, one meeting per week will be hosted during April: two Monday night meetings (April 6, April 13) and two Thursday morning meetings (April 16, April 30). We will be trying to add program/speaker elements into the meetings.
Dave Simon reviewed three of the main Club goals for 2019-2020. The Club membership number is at 56 (goal: 60), with one or possibly two new members ready to be inducted. The Club goal for annual giving to Rotary Foundation is at $11,725 (goal: $15,000) and the Polio Plus giving is at $1,292 (goal: $2,500).
There was robust discussion about how RDS could make a difference through service in our community during this challenging time. Chris VanDyck, Service Chair, reported that the Club may do our Medians Project work scheduled for April 25, but will wait to make a final decision until closer to the date. It is possible to do the project with a few members and maintain "Social Distancing," but RDS does not want to send the wrong message by having members out of their homes while the "stay at home" order in still in effect. The Club service project to assist the Women To Be project that was also scheduled for April 25 may also need to be postponed. Members were very happy to learn that Christine Glidden has safely returned from Nepal, and Dave Simon will discuss with her whether the kit assembly needs to go forward right now.
Dave Simon posed a couple of other service opportunities, such as supporting the Presbyterian fund for healthcare/medical personnel impacted by Covid-19 (a suggestion from John Heck), or supporting healthcare/medical personnel by providing food through a partnership with Steve Reynold's restaurants. Steve Reynolds had raised the idea of using the Cinnabun store and Jimmy's Cafe to produce food for medical personnel at hospitals, and this could be a partnership with RDS if the club assisted with the production costs and food delivery. Steve estimated that for $250-$300/week, he could produce a lot of food for medical personnel on the front lines. There was a lot of support voiced by members for such a project. President Dave Simon will contact the hospitals to see about the logistics of such program, which could use some of the club's Meals-on-Wheels drivers for delivery.
Dave Simon reminded everyone that the Club is not billing members for Thursday breakfast, and that breakfast fees could be a source of funds for either/or annual giving or service projects. The cost for breakfast starting April 1 is $12, so breakfast costs are $44 per member per month; total breakfast fees for our 44 breakfast members equals about $528/week or $2,112/month. There was general agreement that instead of automatically billing members for breakfast, all members be asked to consider voluntarily contributing their breakfast money during April to the Club or directly to RI to either support service or help meet our goals for annual giving or Polio Plus. Satellite members could also consider donating what they normally might spend at Nexus on Monday night toward these causes.
Members who wish to voluntarily contribute the equivalent of their breakfast dues or Monday dinner costs in April should notify Treasurer John Gordon at reggordon@comcast.net. We will try this on one month at a time, since we do not know the date regular in-person meetings will resume.
Sergeant at Arms Mark Abramson did his first Virtual Fines and Happy Bucks.
Lets all have a Great week in Rotary putting Service above Self. Be Safe, Be Well, Be Happy.
