New President Jeff Wells (left) and incoming board members are ready to serve.
For the 119th time since its founding, the Rotary Club of Norfolk inducted a new president. Architect Jeff Wells took the reins from 2022-23 President Laurie Harrison at a meeting on July 11, 2023.
For the meeting invocation, Mary Raiss noted that July 11 is Make Life Beautiful Day, which seemed appropriate for the club's change-of-command ceremony.
Outgoing President Laurie started the meeting by thanking the past board and committee chairs and recounting highlights of the year, which included awarding $25,000 in grants to area nonprofits; raising more than $36,000 from the Suds & Buds party for Norfolk Botanical Garden, Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters and Norfolk Rotary Charities; winning a district grant for St. Mary's Home's sensory gym; adding 15 new members; providing 21,000 volunteer service hours on club projects; helping build a Habitat for Humanity house in Chesapeake, and applying for a Rotary global grant for a water project in a remote town in Ethiopia.
District Governor-nominee Patricia Edwards and Past District Governor John Padgett installed the new president and board. He noted that over the decades the club has survived wars, depressions, recessions and pandemics but remains a "committed group of individuals making a difference."
The outgoing board surprised new President Jeff with a life-sized cardboard cutout of him as adventurer Crocodile Dundee -- a nod to his recent trip to Australia for the Rotary International Convention. In his first moments as president, Jeff let members know he is energized by the 2023-24 Rotary Theme -- Create Hope in the World. He highlighted that theme with a short video touting the good works of the 1.2 million Rotarians around the globe who are called to action to improve their localities and the world.
President Wells recounted how in his 42 years as a Rotarian he has learned that "we're called for something and are not just here for lunch and fellowship" -- although he enjoys those aspects of Rotary. Wearing jeans and a white shirt with rolled up sleeves, he noted he deliberately did not dress formally but came "with my sleeves rolled up ready to work."
He then narrated a slide show about work he and Rotarians from his previous New Jersey clubs did in Haiti where they helped start a school and provided medical supplies, a bus, clothing, a wind turbine and generator for an orphanage. He returned to Haiti more than 30 times with Rotarians to help improve life for the orphans and others living in their village.
"You train your mind to see the good in every situation," President Wells said. "You never know what Rotary will do for you," he added before having everyone recite the Four-Way Test.
The meeting
- We celebrated July birthdays for John Padgett, Jeff Wells, Linwood Beckner, Kay Stine, Ben Mason, Tristan Warren, Bill Jonak, Dianne Wallach, Bob Heely, Carlisle Wroton, Lisa Chandler and Angela Kerns.
- Guests were District Governor Nominee Patricia Edwards from the Rotary Club of Town Center Virginia Beach, and Louise Ditto, Jennifer Priest's French house guest.
- Members were encouraged to complete and turn in the 10-question survey on their tables.
- Thanks go to Chic and Kathy Robison for hosting the recent social at their home.
- Happy Bucks came from Sigur Whitaker for her fun trip to Europe with her nieces, Joe New for his retirement, Jeff Wells for his grandson turning five and having all five of his grandkids with him recently, and Laurie Harrison for her daughter's June wedding.