Serve as a Rotary Club Member
“I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve.”
–Albert Schweitzer
The Rotary Club of Saugatuck-Douglas is one of over 30,000 Rotary Clubs worldwide. If you are called to become a Rotarian, you will join the ranks of 3.2 million other men and women from every country who have decided that service above self is their pathway to purpose, meaning, and happiness.
As of late 2020, our Club had 45 active Members from a broad range of backgrounds and professions, reflecting the lively diversity of the Saugatuck-Douglas area. Our Club Members include physicians; educators; well-known artists and writers; retired veterans; business owners and entrepreneurs. Membership dues are $71 a quarter or $270 if paid in full annually.
We intend to increase our Membership to around 50 active problem solvers by mid-2021. We are looking for men and especially women who see the problems in our towns that are going unaddressed by government and want to join an effective team of friends to do something about them. Our Club leverages the worldwide scope and resources of Rotary International, bringing global perspectives and resources to bear on local issues. In this, Rotary is unique.
If you have skills in finance, organization, or management and are called to leadership, we need you. If you are computer savvy, have a knack for communication, or possess know-how in marketing and social media, we need you. If you are willing and able to mentor, coach, or guide young people, we need you. If you are unafraid of rolling up your sleeves and getting to work, we need you.
If you are the kind of person whose heart beats a little faster to the thought of uniting to take action and create positive lasting change in out towns, in our world, and in ourselves, Rotary may be for you.
We invite you to inquire about serving as a Rotarian by leaving us a short message and your contact information HERE.
Help as a “Friend of Rotary”
“Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art… it has no survival value. Rather, it is one of those things that gives value to survival”
–C.S. Lewis
The Rotary Club of Saugatuck-Douglas simply could not do what it does without the many friends and volunteers who have rallied to help us over the years. If you’ve been one of them, we’d like to say “Thank You!” Our communities are stronger when “we unite and take action to create positive lasting change in our towns, in our world, and in ourselves.” That’s your Rotary Club’s purpose.
Starting in 2019, the Club is enlisting local folks to form a new organization in support of that purpose called the Friends of Rotary, (“F.O.R.)” If you lack the time or interest right now to become a full Rotary Member but are interested in helping us in any sustained way, you are already a friend of the Club. Let’s make that “FORmal!”
What might becoming a Friend of Rotary look like?
- Time: are you willing and able to volunteer for one of our events such as the July 4th Waterfront Festival or the Mt. Baldhead Challenge in September? Do you have a heart for young people in need of mentors, tutors, or stable adult guidance? If so, you sound like a Friend of Rotary!
- Talent: might your “mad skills” be put to use to help us with managing our social media strategies? Or are you good with spreadsheets and numbers? We have a range of periodic tasks that benefit from specialized expertise our Members may lack. If you’d like to offer your skills to us, it’s likely we have a job for you as a Friend of Rotary!
- Treasure: perhaps you applaud the initiatives we support and want to lend a hand but your schedule precludes it. If you are interested in sharing some of your financial resources with us, know this: over $0.95 of every $1.00 we take in goes directly to our neighbors in need. We are all unpaid volunteers so our overhead is light. Check writers are Friends of Rotary, too!
Friends of Rotary will be supported and coordinated directly by the Board of Directors of the Rotary Club of Saugatuck-Douglas. F.O.R. will have its own social media communications; a quarterly email newsletter; a distinct brand identity (complete with F.O.R. wearables); and an annual Friendship Celebration over the Memorial Day weekend to kick the summer season into gear.
We hope to draw around 100 active problem solvers into the new Friends of Rotary team by mid-2021. We invite you to inquire about serving as a Friend of Rotary by leaving us a short message and your contact information HERE.