When did YOU become a Rotarian?

"So, when did YOU become a Rotarian?"

My wife Beth and I both joined Rotary because our good friends asked us to. Recently retired from teaching, we both had extra time on our hands and no more classrooms/kingdoms to run; we needed some more to do. Rotary seemed to be full of fun people who enjoyed getting together for both good times AND for doing good works. The weekly meetings gave structure to our calendar and the fund-raising projects and social events added sparkle to lives. Being Rotarians gave us the structure to "Think Globally and Act Locally"; it was great working in our local community on projects that would make life better for folks here and abroad. Rotary was a rewarding and enjoyable part of our lives! Then it happened . . . . we went on a Rotary Service Above Self Trip to Mexico and Rotary took over our lives, for the better!

It started out casually enough; our friends suggested we all join with other Rotarians from our local clubs and travel down to Monterey, Mexico to help with a Wheelchair Foundation distribution day. Beth and I had done a lot of traveling and site-seeing before, but tourism with a purpose was a new and interesting concept for us. So, we happily paid our way, climbed on the bus, met a whole bunch of new friends, boarded the airplane and flew off to a whirlwind of fun, gracious hospitality, interesting sights and exhibits, and most of all: a new sense of purpose and devotion. Yes, I know, this also sounds scary. I mean, WHO IS DEVOTED TO ANYTHING, NOWADAYS WITHOUT BEING A FANATIC?

Well, we are, and it's all because of this little Mexican boy and his even smaller sister. In the midst of all the parties and site-seeing we had been doing in Monterey, we were given the opportunity to assemble wheelchairs in a big auditorium. There were teams of American and Mexican Rotarians working together, putting assembled wheelchairs into row after row across the floor while other teams assembled tables of recycled eye glasses and health kits. This was all good fun, especially racing our friends to see who was the fastest wheelchair builder, of course! But it wasn't until we had built every wheelchair and flattened every cardboard box that the real magic moment arrived!

The recipients arrived! From the city of Monterey, from the suburbs, and from the surrounding rural areas, those most in need had been screened, selected, and transported in one conveyance or another to this gymnasium bursting with hope. As these families arrived, bringing their needy members, young and old alike, Rotarians met them and introduced them to their "new wheels". Among many others, Beth and I were lucky enough to meet little Antonio pictured here, his family, and especially his little sister, Maria. Through translators and with our own stumbling Spanish, we learned from his grateful family that "Tonio" had been lame from birth and was a good but lonely boy who enjoyed his little sister's companionship when she would stay home to play with him rather than with her neighborhood friends. Shy at first, Tonio quickly realized his growing freedom and power with his new mobility and began to smile steadily. But it was little Maria who touched us the deepest when she said, "Thank you so much for giving my brother this wonderful wheelchair. Now I can take him with me when I go outside to play with the other children." Having said that to us through the translators, she smiled at us all and wheeled Tonio off on a whirl-wind journey all around the gym and out into the sunlight outside. Glancing at each other, Beth and I knew that we had just both become Rotarians.

So, now Beth and I devote a lot of time, energy, and resources to Rotary. Rotary structures our social lives because we want to socialize with our Rotarian friends. As Beth and I have moved into different positions of responsibility in Rotary, we spend lots of time, maybe too much time, telling each other the details of our efforts. We often violate the "no talk of Rotary after 11pm" rule, but who cares? After all, we are Rotarians!