A Message from the Club President

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President Susan Perkins

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Aurora Rotary

June 30, 2009

Message from Past President Debbie Lynch 

On Wednesday, July 1, we will celebrate the people who contributed to a successful Rotary year. The following report provides information I believe is of interest to members.

The Club was awarded a Presidential Citation via the District and RI. The citation recognizes our efforts to establish a new water project at Llakamate, efforts to retain and add members, our partnerships with the Cherry Creek schools related to ethics and childhood obesity and the dictionary project. While we fell slightly short of our stated goal to raise the equivalent of $100/member for the Rotary International Foundation, we exceeded the requested pledge to the Polio Plus program by several thousand dollars.

Our web site is useful to members and non members alike. In the first six months of 2009 we documented a total of 2947 visitors, 1689 of whom were non members. Jerry Allen and Gene Spanarella have cross trained so we have options for continuous use of the site if one of them is unavailable. I am deeply appreciative of the 35+ Rotarians who volunteered to do invocations during the year and especially thankful to George Peck, Ken Hostetler and Susan Perkins for their efforts to start us off in the singing of God Bless America each week.

Club Finances

The Club will end the fiscal year with a carryover balance of approximately $15,000. It is approximate, pending year-end bills. This was achieved via reductions in spending as outlined last December and assistance from the Club Foundation in reimbursing the club for expenses related to RYLA, Shots for Tots and the foreign student exchange program. I am most appreciative of the help from the Foundation Board of Directors. In addition, we will enter the new fiscal year with the dues of all club members current. Thanks to Skip for her diligent follow-up and assistance in this area. Thanks also to all members who paid promptly each quarter to ensure our cash flow remained strong.  

Changes for Fiscal 2009-2010

With concurrence from the Foundation Board of Directors, all of the funds to be raised from the State of the City (SOC) program in the spring of 2010 will be handled by the Club. The Club will budget the funds as revenue and it will be up to the Club Board to determine what portion of the funds, if any, will go to the Foundation. Proceeds from the golf tournament and the First Responders luncheon will continue to go to the Foundation as in past years. This is an important shift in policy that reflects the feelings of many members and assures the Club Board of Directors retains decision making authority for money raised by the club without the necessity of seeking permission from the Foundation to fund projects or programs. While the two boards, in my experience, have worked very well together, the Foundation is legally a separate organization, governed by a separate set of by-laws and rules and accountable for funding decisions within the perimeters of their 501(c)3 status from the IRS.  The change in the accounting for the SOC revenue restores a balance to the decision making process that should benefit the entire organization. This works as long as we work to continue to make the SOC event a success. George Peck, as outgoing chairman of the Foundation Board of Directors, will provide a more detailed report to the Club on Wednesday, July 1.

I am honored to have had the opportunity to serve as President of the Aurora Rotary Club and look forward to the new energy, perspective and leadership to be provided by Susan Perkins in the coming year.

Respectfully,

Debbie Lynch, President

2008-09