July 2, 2012

Hello. I am Fay Rouseff-Baker, your new President of the Rotary Club of Champaign.

Are you ready?

The Rotary Journey

I want to start with a thank you to all past presidents and leaders who have come before me. Additionally, I thank the presidents and leaders who have met with me for the last year to share their wisdom. I also thank my parents who raised me to believe service is a responsibility and to whom much has been given much is expected.

Also, a special thanks to Paul Harris who was a lonely, young lawyer in Chicago in 1905 and wanted to meet some people. So, he grabbed a couple of guys and began a club that rotated meeting places – hence the Rotary was born. I encourage you to read the history of Rotary International. It is a fascinating read.

Thanks to the men who decided to let women become Rotarians which I think was a fabulous decision. Without Rotary being an organization that adjusted to change, we would no longer exist.

Thank you, The Rotary Club of Champaign for sending me to Bangkok, Thailand to represent you at the Rotary International Conference. There were over 30,000 Rotarians attending from over 220 countries and territories. The flag ceremony exemplified the essence and power of Rotary International. Flags of countries that historically and presently war against each other were there on the stage side by side in peace and service. We, Rotary International, circumvent the negative in humanity to allow the positive to happen.

My Rotarian journey started in 2006 when I joined to support ParklandCollege during a presidential transition.At the time, I was Associate Vice President of Teaching and Learning and ran the faculty learning center –The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. In the beginning, I cameto the meetings just in time to start, put my dollar in the cup, said hello to a few folks and left as soon as possible to get back to work. Actually, I was part of the back of the room chair group. We had formed a posse of “early outers.” A wee bit later, I started attending social events, volunteering for service projects and getting involved in my committees, working in orientation, cleaning Mattis Avenue and building parks. And before I knew it, I was invited to be on the board, said yes,and you can figure out the rest.

Presently, I am a professor Emeritus and teach freshman composition classes at Parkland. I love my work and I love my students. And, as your new president, I think there are a few things you should know about me.

I believe in and practice servant leadership. I ask for input from you the members and from my team on the Board and their Committee chairs. I am thoughtful and prayerful. I believe in shared governance and shared responsibility. Talk to me, talk to your Board members, talk to the chairs of your committees about your ideas, passions and concerns. How can we grow? How can we remain excellent and the World’s Greatest Rotary Club? We have a system that allows voice and participation for all, please use it and we will continue to be a healthy, sustainable organization.

I am passionate about the principle of Rotary which is service above self. The Rotary International President Sakuji Tanaka’splatform of Peace through Service fits my spirit perfectly. So that will be our theme this year, also.

Rotary involvement and level of commitment is a journey. Please look through the document I have handed you – also published through ClubRunner. This handout is an overview of the club as a whole and states the areas of service for all of us.

Continue to look it over at your convenience. If you have been inadvertently left off or have been placed someplace you do not want to be, or have been placed in too many places, let me know soon.

In conclusion, being a Rotarian is a journey. For many of our members, it has been a life-long journey, for some of us, a few years or a few months. Participate as life permits.

Tap your passion. Get to know how truly wonderful our members are. We are kind, hard-working, dedicated human beings – who can become friends and create business alliances. Have fun. It is going to be a fabulous year.

Thank you for selecting me as your President. I will give it all I have and with your help, we will continue to change the world one service project, one donation, and one act of kindness at a time.

Have a fabulous week.