President’s Quarterly/Yearly Update: The Brain, the Heart, and the Muscles of Roswell Rotary

As promised in my article at the end of September, I wish to provide our members of Roswell Rotary Club a second quarterly update on three of our major focuses this year: Membership, Giving, and Community Service.

As I share this quarterly update, I find myself returning to a fundamental question—one worth pausing over before we examine any numbers, milestones, or metrics: How do we truly measure success?

Is success felt in the palpable energy that fills the room each week—the conversations, the laughter, the sense of belonging? Is it measured in a single life changed through a donation made or a service project carried out? Is it reflected in how we stack up against other clubs in our district or across the state? Or is success something far less tangible—an obscure, immeasurable metric rooted in purpose, connection, and personal growth?

If I were to pose that question to the Club as a whole, I suspect I would receive as many answers as there are members in the room. And perhaps that is the point. The truth may lie in what each of us values most for Roswell Rotary—or it may lie in the quiet, deeply personal impact this year has had on you individually. What I can say, without bias or hesitation, is this: the first six months of this Rotary year have been an undeniable success. Not just in outcomes, but in momentum, engagement, and shared commitment to our mission.

As I outline our quarterly and midyear accomplishments—our progress, our impact, and our measurable results—I want to frame our Club through a simple but powerful lens: the mind, the body, and the strength of Roswell Rotary. Together, these elements reveal not just what we have done, but who we are becoming. To help frame this report, I want to use the analogy of the human body—an incredibly complex system that thrives only when all its parts are working in harmony.

In many ways, membership is our brain, giving is our heart, and service is our muscles. When those three systems function at full strength, Roswell Rotary becomes the vibrant, capable, compassionate force we are known to be. As Aristotle once wrote, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” This quarter has proven that once again.

1. Membership — The Brain That Drives Everything

The brain is the command center of the body—it keeps everything alive, aligned, and growing. In Rotary, that is membership. Without people, passion, and participation, nothing else flourishes.

This first half of the year has been historic.

We have:

• Added a record 24 new members in just six months.

• 2 additional members are lined up to be inducted at our December meeting.

• AND potentially 10 additional applications are already in process for approval in January.

• Only lost four members—a turnover rate of under 2%, remarkable for a club our size. For perspective, we typically experience 15–20% attrition.

This tells a powerful story: Roswell Rotary is thriving because of you. Our growth is not accidental. It is intentional. It is the result of club members actively inviting guests to our meetings, welcoming them into our culture, introducing them to our service projects, and showing them—by example—what Service Above Self really looks like.

As legendary coach John Wooden said, “Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.”

Our membership success is simply us making the best by doing our best. I ask you to continue this momentum. We are currently #1 in the district in membership growth and being recognized by Rotary International’s leadership as a club that has an incredible membership gain year.

Please remember my challenge: Each member pledges to bring in at least one new Rotarian this Rotary year. And, as promised, anyone who sponsors a new member will be entered into a drawing for me to either:

• Pay your next Paul Harris Fellow level, or

• Cover up to $1,000 of your dues for next year.

Let’s keep this brain sharp, growing, and forward-thinking.

2. Giving — The Heart of Who We Are

If membership is our brain, then giving is absolutely our heart. It is what we feel. It is where our compassion resides. It is what pumps life into every program, every child we help, every veteran we support, and every family we touch.

This year, in our 75th Anniversary season, our goal is to cross $2 million in lifetime giving as a club—a milestone very few Rotary clubs ever reach. (Please see Cheryl if you would like to contribute or learn more about how giving flows through our club to make an impact.)

This quarter, we recognized 29 Rotarians who either became Paul Harris Fellows or advanced to a new Paul Harris level. That is an extraordinary number and something our Club should be immensely proud of.

We also celebrated the generosity of 5 Rotarians who achieved Major Donor status, representing $10,000 or more in lifetime giving to The Rotary Foundation. I am equally pleased to share that we anticipate four additional Rotarians reaching the Major Donor level next quarter—an inspiring sign of our club’s continued commitment to service and impact.

With respect to our annual fund giving, we are currently showing a total of $49,370, which puts us around $215 in giving per member and solidly in second place in the district. Our PolioPlus giving has not yet reflected the full $15,000 raised during our Cornhole Tournament, but as it stands, we are averaging $31 per member, with $7,269 currently recorded on the district site.

Our fundraising efforts this quarter were extraordinary:

• We announced the results of the The Roswell Rotary Golf & Tennis & Pickleball Tournament total fundraising which raised over $240,000 to support local charities.

• Our PolioPlus Cornhole Tournament raised nearly $15,000 toward ending polio worldwide back in Oct and Sid Disher’s challenge to the club was answered well!

• Most recently, at our last meeting, we once again heard from our November Hero of the Month, Chris Cathers, who shared the stories of nine veterans in urgent need during this season. Inspired by a moving and eloquent message from William Brown, and propelled by the generous personal challenge issued by John Michael, our club rose to the occasion—and then some. In just 30 minutes, we raised just shy of $40,000 to support veterans in our community. It was an extraordinary moment of compassion and generosity, far surpassing all expectations.

As Winston Churchill reminds us, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” Roswell Rotary continues to live well.

3. Service Projects — The Muscles That Makes the Difference

Service is where our intentions become action—where the muscles of Roswell Rotary reach out, lift, build, clean, pack, support, and transform lives.

The past 6 months have been one of the most active and impactful service seasons in our club’s history.

Major Events & Achievements:

• Our Golf, Tennis & Pickleball Tournament: A massive success due to countless Rotarians that gave their time and effort to make this tournament a HUGE success Thank you to each and every one of you that volunteered. Your work touched thousands of people through the charities this tournament supports.

• Farm Day Honoring First Responders: A beautiful, heartfelt event—so meaningful that Fire Chief Pabel Troche called it “the greatest event he’s ever been a part of honoring first responders.” That is the impact of Rotary.

• All-Star Nurses Meal Delivery: This touched hearts citywide. Because of the publicity of our ONE night of donating, Outback Steakhouse manager, after seeing Roswell Rotary’s example, stepped up and helped deliver a second dinner for the nurses. That is service that multiplies.

Our Muscles in Action -- We have…

• Swept the riverbanks for Rivers Alive

• Packed backpacks for Huskies Helping Huskies

• Packed backpacks for homeless veterans

• Packed boxes for an entire platoon of sailors

• Supported 14 Interact clubs, shaping future leaders

• Helped bring the Roswell Youth Council back to life

• Honored a Hero of the Month—first responders, veterans, teachers, healthcare professionals

• Installed a Peace Pole at Roswell High School

• Supported children when SNAP funds were halted due to the government shutdown, providing gift cards for snacks

• Continued our commitment to Meals on Wheels

• Worked with RUMC’s job fair

• Hosted successful blood drives

This list is long because our impact is deep. Service is what we do, but more importantly, it is who we are. As Helen Keller said, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” This quarter, Roswell Rotary has proven that again and again.

Closing Thoughts

Our brain is sharp. Our heart is beating with purpose. Our muscles are working harder than ever. And together, they form a Roswell Rotary that is healthy, growing, respected, admired, and—most importantly—impactful. We have so much to celebrate, so much to be grateful for, and so much more we will accomplish in the months ahead. In this season of gratitude and light, I leave you with the words of Marcus Aurelius, which speak to both our mission and our momentum: “What we do now echoes in eternity.”

Thank you for what you do, who you are, and what we will continue to become—together.

Sic Vos Non Vobis

Trummie Lee Patrick III