Rotary 13 members and invited guests gathered on the lower level of the Crowne Plaza Hotel at 1301 Wyandotte Street with select individuals participating remotely via Zoom and Facebook Live. President Jared Campbell brought the assembly to order at 12:12pm with a tap of the bell—his first meeting in the office of president. The group stood for the Pledge of Allegiance, and Ruth Ann Clurman’s invocation drew upon Psalm 91 as she wished safety for all in the face of natural disasters. Tom Woolwine then led the monthly birthday song for those club members born in July.
Meeting guests included Holmes Osborne of Metropolitan Community College, invited by Blake Fry. (Mr. Osborne acknowledged being a Rotarian before he moved to Missouri.) It was announced that prospective member Ron Hicks had submitted his application to join the club. Club anniversaries this week included: Scott Holsman (6 years) and David Hanzlick (13 years). President Jared noted that the door greeters today were the July birthday members.
Pete Sotta spoke to the need for volunteers at the Westside Community Action Network’s Back to School Pep Rally. Filling backpacks with supplies is the principal task, with a commitment window of 3:30pm to 6:00pm on Friday, July 25th. The meeting scribes have announced a vacancy on their team to prepare Buzz Saw content, usually once a month. Those interested in assisting with meeting notes should contact Patrick Donnelly.
Mandy needs Bagel Run volunteers for the coming weeks, specifically July 12 and 26 and August 2 and 9. See her directly to sign up. The annual picnic at the camp is on the last day of this month, July 31st. The pool will be open and entertainment is planned. The club will provide sandwiches, sides, and sno-cones, but the request is that attendees bring a dessert to share at the picnic.
Happy bucks this meeting gave attendees the chance to trumpet their good news. Members rose to speak about a new club president, a new grandchild, and good sailing weather—all reasons for being happy.
Upcoming Club 13 activities include:
- 20 July, Commodore’s Kickoff Party at Aixois South
- 31 July, Camp Picnic
- 22-23 August, RYC Regatta at Lake Jacomo
At 12:25pm, President Jared began his inaugural speech. He noted that Past President Carl Dicapo introduced him when he became a club member and shared that it was almost exactly 10 years ago. He further noted that, if the count is correct, he is the 125th president of Club 13. He expressed gratitude and surprise for these very round numbers.
President Jared quickly recapped the Rotary International Convention this year. Calgary, Alberta hosted the conference with a Yahoo! theme linked to its western culture (as demonstrated by the Calgary Stampede each July). Actress Geena Davis gave a memorable keynote address. President Jared underscored how Kansas City was the site of the RI convention in years past, and that previous Club 13 leaders have gone on to chair the organization.
For the 2025-26 year, President Jared would like to focus on three areas with the club. They are building fellowship, strengthening membership, and increasing community presence. As participation demographics change for Club 13 and for Rotary as a whole, these areas will help counter that trend. Building fellowship entails more member engagement, through improved meeting attendance, involvement with committees, and meeting content derived from Rotarians or directly about Rotarians.
Strengthening membership will be a recruiting push, to counter Club 13’s rolling average decline of -4.9% in headcount. President Jared asked the assembly to bring in one new club member each for the year. He provided this guide from his work experience: 10 leads will become 3 prospects who will become 1 joiner. While finding that one person isn’t difficult, it isn’t easy, either. He hopes that fall and spring information sessions and business cards for club attributes will assist the group with their efforts. Thirdly, increasing community presence requires a better reach on social media and more new projects that focus on downtown Kansas City. Lower-hanging fruit will be the Rotary Clock outside of the TMobile Center and World Cup opportunities, with new ideas to follow.
Questions and group discussion began at 12:47. Notions shared included clock project volunteers, using the youth camp as a source for social media presence related to the club, a Rotary presence on the interstate roof project, how downtown churches have pivoted to attract parishioners, more transparency into club board meetings, and Rotaract ties to community colleges.
President Jared thanked the group for their attention and announced next week’s meeting speaker (Rita Cortes, KC Board of Education) and other July events. In lieu of a quotation, he shared an act of kindness: “Pop over to an animal shelter and enjoy some playtime with the furry residents!”
At 12:58pm, the 4-Way Test closed the session, followed by the bell.
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