As we look out into the coming year there is great promise of what our club can accomplish. For many years, Rotary has been known for attracting the top business and service professionals in the community to its ranks. The Rotary Club of Cleveland is no different as we have been blessed with some of the greatest talent that our city has to offer. It is our members that have allowed our club to excel over the 85 years that we have existed and contributed to our Community and to the World.

This year, THE FUTURE OF ROTARY IS IN YOUR HANDS! The Rotary Club of Cleveland, along with Rotary International, faces challenges that present both risks and opportunities for our organizations. From a global standpoint, Rotary International is looking for ways to continue to attract excellent new members, retain current members, improve humanitarian aid capabilities, and create a worldwide organization that can continue to grow and prosper.

The Rotary Club of Cleveland will focus on four goals for 2010. First, we will create VALUE ADDED FUNDRAISERS. Too often we have clung to tradition for tradition's sake. We must move toward fundraisers that will not only encourage more participation from membership but will also be more successful at meeting the fundraising objectives. Second, we must begin to THINK GLOBALLY ON SERVICE PROJECTS. While our club has participated in international projects in the past, we have failed to generate any real excitement within the club regarding these projects and have not built any lasting infrastructure to ensure their continued success. This year, we will embark on an ambitious project in Cambodia that will create sanitary bathroom facilities and clean drinking water for nearly 10,000 people and begin a lasting relationship with a sister club in Cambodia. Third, we must create RELEVANCE FOR THE FUTURE. Change is necessary for survival in most organizations, and our club must embrace change in order to play a major role in our community in the future. This means we must re-envision how we service our community and our members. Finally, we must HAVE FUN! The Rotary Club of Cleveland must be a group of people bound by the common thread of service above self, but no one ever said that service could not be fun. We will foster fellowship within our club and show compassion and concern to those closest to us.

Ultimately, our ability to succeed as a club lies within each one of us. One of my favorite authors, John Eldredge, wrote in his book Wild at Heart about stumbling over a passage that literally changed his life. That passage was written by Gil Bailie who stated, "Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." As a club and as individuals we must do this-we must come alive. In the upcoming year, our purpose will be to open our hearts to our Community and to the World. Indeed, this year, THE FUTURE OF ROTARY IS IN YOUR HANDS!

Service above self,
Michael Estes
President 2009-2010