Rotary Club hears about training program

By Emily Banks Wooten
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Mark WatersHaving recently attended Rotary Lone Star Presidents-Elect Training Seminar (P.E.T.S.) in Dallas, Mark Waters, president-elect of the Rotary Club of Livingston, shared information about the program with the local club recently.

P.E.T.S. is Rotary’s training program for Rotary Club presidents-elect and president-nominees throughout the State of Texas. The goal of Lonestar P.E.T.S. is to prepare presidents-elect and president-nominees for their upcoming roles through provocative plenary speakers, in-depth breakout sessions and informal fellowship and networking with Rotary peers throughout Texas. Lone Star Presidents-Elect Training Seminar is a joint effort of ten Rotary International districts in the State of Texas.

Each year, over 550 presidents-elect attend Lone Star P.E.T.S. and leave well-prepared for their Rotary year.

Waters referenced some of the influential people who have been Rotarians over the years, including Winston Churchill, FDR, Walt Disney, JFK, Margaret Thatcher and Bill Gates.

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He said one of the resounding phrases he saw over and over during his training was that Rotarians are in the business of going about helping humanity.

Waters reviewed the following duties that Rotary International recommends for the presidents. These include presiding over the club and board meetings, appointing committee chairs and members, conducting club assemblies, creating a budget and managing club finances, developing a safe space for youth participants and working with the district governor and assistant governor.

He also stressed the importance of having a good board by finding out about people’s strengths, tapping newer members, looking for doers, looking for those that are busy and connected in the community.

Giving a brief history of the Rotary Foundation, Waters said that in 1917, Rotary President Arch Klumph proposed the establishment of an endowment for doing good at the Rotary convention. The first contribution was $26.50 from the Rotary Club of Kansas City, Mo. He said that in 1930, $500 was awarded to the International Society for the Crippled Children (polio). The recognition of Paul Harris Fellows was introduced in 1957. In 1985, the PolioPlus program was launched. In 2007, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation contributed $100 million to PolioPlus.

“I think that’s amazing to go from $26.50 to $100 million,” Waters said.