I resolve to encourage greater engagement in service clubs

In December 2015, members of a small cadre of non-professional writers met at The Gazette offices to discuss the past year and developed a list of topics that directly affect the local community. We were then tasked to put together articles on these issues.

One discussion centered on professional service organizations and their reduced influence identifying and responding to community concerns. In my article that year, I noted that these organizations tended to be retirees, predominantly white men.

I also noted that local businesses were either unable or unwilling to devote resources for their employees to belong to such organizations. This despite the known benefits that employees come away with when serving in these organizations (project and time management, professional networking, etc.).

A year later, things are changing! In a July 10 article in the Kansas City Star, local service clubs described ways they are strengthening their membership and in the process diversifying themselves to more reflect the trends in the workforce (mostly along gender and racial lines). As the outgoing leader of a local downtown Rotary club noted in the article, '…we don't want to replace ourselves with old, white men.” They are going out of their way to make membership more inclusive.

In turn, they are broadening the experiences of their members which can only improve the ability of the organization to recognize opportunities to positively impact both the community and their members!

Russ Gerst

Cedar Rapids