Page 4 - Gears and Ears January 2014
P. 4
Rotary Leadership Institute
Story of a Rotarian Transformation
by Marti Trieschmann
When asked by Jeff Calvert if I would write for our newsletter
regarding Rotary Leadership Institute, I could not have been
more thrilled! As some of you may or may not know
I am a
new Rotarian, it has been just over two years since I joined
the Rotary Club of Lake Buena Vista, and I truly believe that I
would not be your President-Elect had it not been for Rotary
Leadership Institute, it transformed me into the Rotarian that
I am today.
When I joined the club in November, 2011, the only thing I knew about was Rotary was the following:
• Sonny Buoncervello (whom I had never met/seen before in my life) handed me the famous blue
What is Rotary card;
• The club met every Thursday (really early) in the Wyndham Lake Buena Vista;
• Jay Leonard told me that I was going to join because the club needed young females, and
evidently I fit the bill, and;
• I was not happy about being told to join a volunteer organization
did not seem like I was
volunteering, but rather being volunteered!
I attended the first couple of meetings with quite frankly a closed mind. I was going to go to the meetings because I
had to, but that did not mean that I was going to like it! However, that very quickly changed. As I was getting to
meet everyone (and fall in love with the members), had my fireside chat with Dawn Grigsby I wanted to learn
more
I was hooked. It was such a fantastic organization that did so much good, and I could finally be a part of
something where I felt that I could make a difference. I have always wanted to help others, but never knew how to
do it on my own
Rotary was the answer!
So my induction was closely followed by lots of questions about What is Rotary
for everyone that received the
ABCs of Rotary, I took it home and read it cover to cover - highlighting sections, making notes and wanting to find
out everything I could about Rotary. I found out about Rotary Leadership Institute and knew I wanted to attend, it
was the place to get more of the answers
and the club reimbursing you did not hurt either!
For those of you who have never attended I cannot stress enough how beneficial and transforming it is as you
become a better Rotarian. There are three levels, and just recently they added a graduate course which I will be
taking on January. Cant seem to stop myself from learning more!
A brief overview of each course is listed below:
RLI I: Object of Rotary
Membership Retention
Rotary Opportunities 9 Structured Rotary International programs
Ethics and Vocational Service
District Overview
Rotary Foundation I