New setup to allow attendance in person or via Zoom
The Rotary Club of Wilsonville will resume its customary in-person meetings for the first time in more than 15 months, starting on Thursday, July 1, 2021, but there will be a new twist. The club will offer “Virtual In Person (VIP)” hybrid meetings, whereby people can choose to attend either in person or via Zoom.
“No matter where you go in the world, Rotary is always interpersonal at its core,” said incoming club president Curt Kipp, who will take office in July. “Our members have missed having the chance to see each other in person. Although our club has seen tremendous growth over the past year of Zoom meetings, with 10 new members joining during that time, now is the right time to resume offering the in-person experience.”
Although the lengthy COVID-19 pandemic is ebbing, the club is still taking measures to ensure health and safety for members and guests. The in-person meetings will start out with a “Mask, Vax or Zoom” policy. Those attending in person must either wear a mask or be fully vaccinated. This will be done on the honor system. Guests are welcome to attend on these terms as well.
Members and others will also have the option to attend the meetings via Zoom. Through this option, they will be visible and audible onscreen in the live Rotary meeting. They will be able to see and hear the members in the room and the speaker at the podium, along with any visuals the speaker presents onscreen. The link to attend each meeting will be posted on the club website, www.WilsonvilleRotary.com. The club also hopes to stream the meetings for viewing on Facebook Live, but this will be on a 20-second delay with no interactivity.
Upcoming meetings for July
The club has an engaging set of speakers lined up for the month of July. All of the following meetings will take place at Al Kader Shrine Center, 25100 S.W. Parkway Ave., Wilsonville:
- July 1 — Serve to Change Lives — Incoming Club President Curt Kipp will give an inaugural speech on the new Rotary Year, which runs July 2021 through June 2022. He will talk about club goals and organizing principles for the coming year.
- July 8 — Concerts in the Post-Covid Era — Jason Fellman, owner of J-Fell Presents and co-owner of Sterling Talent, will share insights about the impact Covid-19 has had on live music, the current state of the industry, and a forecast for what lies ahead in 2022 and beyond.
- July 15 — Life After a Rotary Youth Exchange — Former Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) student Anna Knill, who attended Wilsonville High School in 2016–17 and was sponsored by the Rotary Club of Wilsonville, will share her thoughts on her experience, as well as updates on her life since then. (Ms. Knill will be appearing live from Switzerland via Zoom.)
- July 22 — Activism is Ageless — Claire Sarnowski, a 16-year-old high school senior at Lakeridge High School in Lake Oswego, will discuss her activism on behalf of Holocaust education, her friendship with Holocaust survivor Alter Weiner, and her forthcoming book on the experience, published by Little, Brown.
- July 29 — Stop Recruiting, Start Attracting — Bill Wittich will be the presenter at one of the club’s periodic Club Assemblies, which focus on member education and training. He is a speaker and author in the field of non-profit management, with a dozen books to his credit. He will discuss why people join Rotary and how the club can attract new members and energy. Guests are welcome to attend.
For more information on club meetings, including how to attend each meeting on Zoom, visit the club website at www.WilsonvilleRotary.com/calendar.
About Rotary
Rotary brings together a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges. Rotary connects 1.2 million members of more than 36,000 Rotary clubs in over 200 countries and geographical areas. Their work improves lives at both the local and international levels, from helping those in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world. Through Rotary’s disease treatment and prevention programs, members educate and equip communities to stop the spread of life-threatening diseases like polio, HIV/AIDS, and malaria. For more information, visit Rotary.org
About the Rotary Club of Wilsonville
The Rotary Club of Wilsonville was founded in 1975 and is dedicated to friendship and service projects. The club carries out several signature service projects throughout the year, including the innovative Through A Child’s Eyes program at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, the annual Wilsonville Rotary Summer Concerts, several Good Eggs omelet and pancake breakfasts throughout the year, the Wilsonville First Citizen awards program, and much more. The club meets weekly, Thursdays at noon, and has 35 members. Log on to www.wilsonvillerotary.com for more information.