Stone Oak San Antonio Rotary - Four Avenues of Service

We have adopted the Club Leadership Plan, and have folded Vocational Service into every category. See "THE 4-WAY TEST" on this web site for more details. http://www.stoneoaksarotary.org/FourWayTest.cfm

Also read this June 2011 letter from the RI President:

This letter is to ask you to consider giving added emphasis to one particularly important Avenue during your Official Visits and in your Governor’s messages: Vocational Service. Vocational Service is what makes Rotary unique. It is the foundation of all of Rotary.

Remind your clubs that professional relationships are founded upon the integrity, sincerity, and honesty of individuals and a cooperative attitude in relations among people. Also, please remind your clubs that in this contradictory world in which many people appear more concerned with "having" than with "being," that promoting meaningful Vocational Service is a challenge entrusted to Rotary and to each of us!

Perhaps you recall the story I told during our International Assembly of an architect friend of mine who had spent his career designing and building homes for a major housing company. My friend went to his boss one day after 35 years of service and said he wanted to retire to spend more time with his family. His boss was sorry to see him go but asked him to design and build just one more house as a personal favor. It would take four to six months.

Though my friend agreed, his heart was not in his work. As a result, the design was inferior, the materials used were poor, and the workmanship was shoddy. When the house was done, the boss came to inspect the place. “This is your home,” he said to my friend. “This is the company’s gift to you for your years of hard work,” and then he handed him the keys.

Sometimes we build our own lives in just such a distracted way, reacting instead of acting, willing to put up with less than the best. Then, with a shock, we look at what we have created with this lack of commitment and integrity and find that we have to live in a place that could have so much better. Vocational Service is the Avenue of Service that helps us always do our best, and to help others to excel as well.

You may already have ideas about how you will encourage Rotary clubs to give special emphasis to Vocational Service. But here are some of my ideas that might be helpful:

Consider planning special activities for October in celebration of Vocational Service Month.
Conduct a program to recognize high ethical standards and public values in the community.
Organize at least one professional networking event in which club members can meet other local professionals and introduce them to Rotary.
Sponsor a career day in which club members bring young people to their places of business to inform them about career opportunities.
Promote The Four-Way Test to New Generations programs in at least three educational institutions.
Work with district Rotaract leaders to develop mentor relationships between Rotarians and Rotaractors. If your district has community-based Rotaract clubs, encourage clubs to invite Rotaractors to give a "classification" talk at a Rotary club meeting based on their profession.

If you would like other helpful information:

• Link to An Introduction to Vocational Service: http://www.rotary.org/RIdocuments/en_pdf/255en.pdf

• Link to the sign up page to the e-newsletters: http://www.rotary.org/en/mediaandnews/newsletters/morenewsletters/Pages/ridefault.aspx

I look forward to working with you as a valued team member as we work together to “Reach Within to Embrace Humanity.”

Sincerely,

Kalyan Banerjee

President Rotary International 2011-2012