Our District Governor Abbas Rajabi reminds us that Rotary began in 1905 as a networking group, long before that term arose. Chicago attorney Paul Harris created a club in which professionals with diverse backgrounds could exchange ideas, form meaningful, lifelong friendships and give back to their communities. Rotary's name came from the group's early practice of rotating meetings among the offices of its members. 

 

That's Rotary today, as well. Somehow, along our history, the networking function got a bad name in Rotary, and we were told, It's NOT a networking group. It's Service, Service, Service Above Self. But the reality was that my dentist and my insurance agent, and, time was, my travel agent were all Rotarians. It's only natural that you seek the professional help of people you know and trust through Rotary.

 

District Govenor Rajabi encourages us to deepen our networking connections. So I am planning a program in March in which we will have a structured networking exercise. Now, a great many of us are retired, so you won't be needing the services of, say, a retired urologist! But this is also a way for us to know each other better. Some of our best programs have been from our own members. Susan on recycling. Peter on his amazing life all over the world. And next week, we'll have Diane Arave, who has had a career in health education, advising us on how to live more healthily. 

 

So, this is the bottom line for this story: Networking is good. Let's do it!