My fellow Rotarians and friends of Rotary

In February 2020, as the COVID-19 crisis was beginning, a newspaper columnist's concerns struck me. Would we willingly self-isolate, she wondered, changing our work, travel, and shopping habits so others wouldn't get sick? "This isn't just a test of clinical resources," she wrote, "but of our willingness to put ourselves out for others." Suddenly, the need for virtue was front-page news.

It can be hard to consider others' needs while we are anxious about our own. Thankfully, we're not left with willpower alone, to meet the demands. We as Rotarians always practise our motto, "Service above self". This gives us love to replace our indifference; joy to counter sadness; peace to replace our anxiety; forbearance (patience) to push out our impulsiveness; kindness to care about others; awareness to see their needs; faithfulness to keep our promises; gentleness instead of harshness; and self-control to lift us beyond self-centeredness.

Do we have the capacity to make sacrifices for the sake of others?

At times, it would be interesting to do a self-analysis to see how our club changes and evolves through new generations, diversity and most importantly, an unprecedented pandemic. We, the Rotary Club of Strathfield, as a human service organization, adapt and grow. But we also make sure our community adapts and grows. During the last few years, the nature and the complexity of our community's problems and challenges experienced by them continuously evolved and expanded. These challenges call for us to lead and facilitate social change that can have a lasting impact on communities.

The Strategic Plan we developed to align our goals, is helping our club. It is always good to recall our strategic priorities and the main characteristics of our strategic plan.

We always focus on Our Strategic Priorities:

1.             Increase our impact

2.             Expand our reach

3.             Enhance participants' engagement

4.             Increase our ability to adapt

As we unite and take action to create lasting change, we aspire to be a Rotary club with the following characteristics:

1.             Truly, diverse membership

2.             A strong and sustainable financial base

3.             A powerful fundraising engine

4.             A genuine, warm and satisfying friendship

5.             A pillar of service leadership in our community

6.             A modern club, leveraging technology to do good

A firm plan will always help any institution to stand firm withstanding any adversity and external debacles.

 Yours in Rotary,

Thaya Ponnia