In the last reflection we spoke of taking action because we Rotarians are people of action. But this next phrase is a little more difficult because it contains that O so difficult word “change.” Now I live in South Central Pennsylvania in the USA and around here the word “change” is not one that is easily accepted. I have a neighbor who still refers to the road at the end of the one on which I live as the “new road”… and it has been there now for almost 50 years! Moreover, as a pastor, I live my life in the church and I learned long ago that the word “change” in our congregations is often to be avoided unless you want a mini battle on your hands.

 

Yet we Rotarians are not called to take action if we are not willing to do it for the sake of making a change…and a change hopefully for the better. When we install a well in some far distant land, we are making a change in the lives of the people who use it and improving their lot. When we sit with children and help them learn to read we are changing their lives for the better. When we undertake a community project, we change that community for the better.

 

Yes change can be difficult to accept at times in our lives; none of really likes things to change. But, even in this 8^th decade of my life, I have come to believe that death and taxes are not the only two confirmable truths in our lives because the reality of change is also true. Change is all around us and it cannot be ignored. We live in a world today which is subject to change not by the decade or the year or the month or even the day but by the minute. To refuse to accept change, deal with change, even embrace change, is to condemn ourselves to living in the shadow of the past which has no meaning or bearing for us. Yes we can hold to our traditions and sometimes to our structures for the mooring they give us in a time of change. But as Rotarians we can both value those traditions and still embrace the change around us.

 

So let us not be afraid of change. Let us use the change to create something new, something better, something wonderful so that our world, our communities and we ourselves are better for it.    

Please plan to attend the next Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) to be held on Oct. 12, 2019, in the Greater Harrisburg Area.

 

As you know, RLI is a leadership and development program to strengthen Rotary Clubs through education, collaboration and the exchange of ideas among its future leaders. A three-part curriculum facilitated by experienced, trained faculty members engaging participants through open discussion, problem-solving and creative role-play.

 

The Rotary Leadership Institute is an opportunity to meet with other Rotarians, share experiences, and learn new skills to take back to your club. You don't have to be in the leadership chain to benefit from this institute. If you want to learn more about this wonderful organization that we call Rotary and find out what you can actually do to start changing the world, PLEASE place this event on your schedule.

 

 

Ready to register for an event?  Look at the schedule on the left-hand menu and click on "More Info".  Then click on Read More below to see the step by step instructions. Dear Presidents, PLEASE bring Rotarians for your club, to learn more about Rotary, engage with other clubs and more importantly help to develop the cadre of leaders that we need to grow Rotary.

 

Register at www.rlinea.org

 

When can I attend RLI? Saturday, October 12, 2019, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Central Pennsylvania College (600 Valley Road, Summerdale, PA 17093).

 

 

Course Levels: Parts I, II, III, and Graduate (The graduate-level will focus on Fundraising)

 

Where can I find more information about RLI? www.rlinea.org

 

Questions? Contact PDG Hector Ortiz, RLI Site Chair at richie1166@msn.com  or 717-608-0444.

 

Visit one of these local establishments to support the 2019-20 Pints for Polio!!

 

Having demonstrated the fundamental tenant of Rotary International of service above self, John Kramb was named recipient of the 2019 Dwight D. Eisenhower Humanitarian Award.

Presented by the Rotary Club of Gettysburg, this award is given to residents of Adams County who demonstrate a lifelong commitment to the local community and to the world community.

After retiring from the United States Army in the rank of lieutenant colonel in 1995, he and his wife, Katherine, purchased the Adams County Winery in 1998. Together they built the winery into a thriving tourist attraction and venue for weddings, family gatherings and other events. Kramb’s trusty four-legged friend, Rusty, hosted an open invitation to his birthday party each year benefitting the Adams County SPCA. The winery is currently the fifth oldest winery in Pennsylvania and is home to the award winning wine, Tears of Gettysburg.

John has been a member of the Rotary Club of Gettysburg since 2005 and served as club president during 2009-2010. He also served in a number of district offices, including membership coordinator, assistant governor for Group I, the district budget committee, two district conference planning committees, Rotary UN Day coordinator and chair of the District Grants Committee. He was elected District Governor for 2015-2016. Kramb is a member of Rotary Leadership Institute and has traveled throughout the zone training Rotary leaders. He has attended eight International Conventions, during which he learned of an opportunity to participate in National Immunization Day in Dhanbad, India. He traveled to India in 2012, 2017 and 2018 to participate in the immunization distribution for polio. It is Rotary’s goal to eradicate the world of polio. Having had polio as a child, John knows first-hand the effects of this terrible disease. John has made it his mission to assist in all ways possible in reaching this goal. Also close to John is his desire to see that schoolchildren Vijiyawada, India have sanitary facilities at school. John has participated with Rotary’s partner in Vijiyawada with installing toilets and handwashing facilities in schools. As Americans take this for granted, the young girls see this as a gift as they are now able to continue their education much the same as young boys.

When John is not traveling, he can be found at the Historic Fairfield Inn. In 2013, John became the 27th innkeeper since the Inn’s founding in 1757.
First presented to Dwight D. Eisenhower by the Palm Desert Chamber of Commerce, the award was transferred in 2003 to the Rotary Club of Gettysburg because of the club’s links to Eisenhower.

Kramb will be honored at the Rotary’s Luncheon meeting on Oct. 21 at the Gettysburg Hotel, on Lincoln Square, beginning at 11:30 a.m. Reservations for the luncheon and award presentation are $14 and can be made by emailing Chris Kimple at cjaj1984@hotmail.com by Oct. 16. Please include Eisenhower Humanitarian Award in the subject line.