Let me offer you a simile - Rotary International is like a car. Our 1.2 million members are the myriad parts, and our Five Avenues of Service are the major systems. When all of us are actively involved and our clubs are providing service in all five areas, the Rotary car runs incredibly smoothly and covers an amazing amount of ground. It is highly efficient and highly effective. But what if the car is missing a wheel or a tire is flat?

     I invite you to look at the organizational structure of Rotary as the car’s four wheels. Just as all four wheels are needed for a car to drive smoothly and straight, knowledge of and participation in 1.) your local Rotary Club, 2.) your Rotary District, 3.) Rotary International, and 4.) the Rotary Foundation are all required for both an individual and a club to be fully “grounded” in Rotary life. Understanding and supporting these “Four Pillars of Rotary” makes us complete Rotarians.

    I challenge every Rotarian and every club to ask yourselves whether you are missing that fourth wheel or whether it’s seriously under-inflated or even flat. We should all know what the Rotary Foundation does and how it operates. Our clubs should all develop a position about how we will support the Foundation, and we should review that position regularly. Lastly, we should all contribute, both as individuals and through our club budgets, to the programs of the Rotary Foundation, working to increase our giving every year if our circumstances allow it.

     Each Rotary Club in District 7170 has a Foundation Area Director, or FAD, assigned to it to answer any questions you may have about the Foundation and to help you and your club in any way we can. Use us!

Marty Winsor

Edmeston Rotary Club

Area 8 FAD