However, in spite of all that was accomplished this past year, there is still much that remains to be done. After 15 months of pandemic, this year will very much be a rebuilding year for our club and a test of our commitment, to its ideals and to one another. We have committees that require chairpersons. We have chairpersons who have become the sole members of their committees. There is no shortage of work to be done. But how committed are we to doing it? There is an old story about a tribe that never lost a battle. Every time they fought, one of its members proudly held its banner aloft as they defended their homes. The legend was that so long as someone carried that banner into battle, the tribe would never be defeated. One day an invader came and the tribe took to the field of battle once more, its banner held high and crackling in the wind. The first banner-carrier died and scarcely had it touched the ground before a second swooped down and bore it aloft. That person also died. When none of the others would touch the banner, the chieftain of the tribe grabbed it out of the mud and tied it around his waist before wading back into the thick of battle. He also died. No one else would pick up the banner and the battle was soon lost. What do we learn from this story? - There is no magic to success. Success depends upon the level of commitment of every member of an organization. There was nothing magic about that banner. It was the fact that someone always picked it up and carried it forward that made the tribe so successful. Until the day no one did. And on that day they were defeated.
- Organizations die when members see the furtherance of their mission as somebody else’s responsibility. Everyone was responsible for the tribe’s success. Someone needed to carry the banner. Anyone could have picked it up. No one did. And on that day they were defeated.
- Leaders by themselves cannot make an organization successful. And leaders that try to carry the banner forward alone do not last long. I cannot be the club for you nor do I want to be. But I will promise to do everything in my power to help this club succeed in its mission of service to our community and larger world if you will make the same commitment with me.
Our club now finds itself at a crossroads. And whether or not we succeed, whether or not we will still be serving our community in the not too distant future, depends entirely on how many of us right now are willing to pick up and carry the banner of Rotary forward. Some of us may be called to serve who have not served much before. Others have been looking forward to a well-deserved rest after serving actively for many years. All of us will need to renew our commitment to our mission in order for this club to succeed. My hope and prayer is that each of us will not wait to be called, but wherever we see the need, will pick up the banner and carry it forward. It’s not just that our club needs us; our community needs our club. The theme for my presidential year will be “Carry Our Banner Forward.” Let us now pick up our banner and let us carry it forward together. Rev. Jeff Ugoretz, President Rotary Club of Corning June 19, 2021 |
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