TENETS OF ROTARY: EDUCATION

e-Musings: Rotary’s commitment to education is another reason I love being a Rotarian. Our fund-raising efforts open doors that might otherwise be closed. I attended college and seminary thanks to scholarships given by the church, so I know that any scholarship given by a church or a club such as Rotary helps a young person who might not otherwise have attended school. I was the first one on both sides of my parents’ families to graduate from college. My mother, as brilliant as she was, never finished grade school because her mom died when she was 11 and she took over the chores of the household. My father chose not to finish middle school, but was and is, a very smart man. I only wonder what those two might have done with a college education. I am proud of their hard work and their insistence on my attending school beyond high school. As the oldest of five kids, I’m proud of the fact that all five of us finished college. Scholarships helped us all.
So, those hours we might spend in the hot sun working a golf tournament or inside an air-conditioned setting serving shrimp may not seem like the most attractive thing to do at the time, but if we remember that we’re there not for ourselves but for the needs of others in our community, those hours will pass quickly and we will be the better for it. Speaking of hot hours working a golf tournament, I know that Tim Elliott has several slots that have yet to be filled and could be filled if we volunteer our time and talent to help raise money to open doors!
Long live Rotary and our commitment to helping dreams become reality in the lives of those who dream of a college education!