Founded in 1912, the Rotary Club of Jacksonville has established many traditions in its almost 100-year history, including welcoming each district governor to attend a club meeting during the governor’s one-year term of office.
At Monday’s meeting at the Omni Downtown, Rotary District 6970 Governor Clint Dawkins visited, exactly five months to the day until the club marks its 100th anniversary on Feb. 12.
Dawkins has been a member of the Rotary Club of West Jacksonville since 1983 and served as the club’s president in the 1999-2000 Rotary year.
He is a third-generation owner of Big D Building Center, a building products and subcontracting company.
Dawkins said 3,400 Rotarians belong to 61 clubs in the district and he’s proud that the members have had a tremendous impact on the philanthropic work Rotary International and the district have become known for.
“We’re an international leader – fifth in the world with more than $2.5 million contributed toward the eradication of polio,” said Dawkins.
He said the district’s contributions have added to the $185 million devoted in the past two years by Rotarians and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to eliminate the disease worldwide.
In the past 20 years, Rotary clubs have raised more than $1 billion to fight polio worldwide, said Dawkins.
One of his goals for his term in office is to motivate Rotarians to become more involved with projects and to work more closely with other clubs in the district.
“Being a Rotarian means more than paying dues and attending meetings. Rotary clubs need the involvement of their members in order to grow and prosper. Get more involved with activities,” Dawkins advised the group.
“To those who much has been given, much is expected,” he said.
Dawkins said that if anyone in the room had a floor in his or her home made of “anything but dirt, you are in the top 50 percent of the wealthiest people in the world.”
Further, he said, “If your home has a window or more than one room, you’re in the top 25 percent. If you have a pair of shoes, a change of clothes and the choice of two things to eat today, you’re in the top 10 percent.”
Dawkins encouraged club members to “seriously evaluate” their level of individual support of the Rotary Foundation.
He said his goal is to increase charitable giving on the part of the district’s members by 5.5 percent and he’s fully aware of the prevailing economic environment.
“I know we’re just coming out of a recession and we may be going into another one. I’m in the building materials business – I get it,” Dawkins said.
Another goal is to increase the membership of the clubs in the district.
Dawkins said while national membership in Rotary has been declining over the past several years, the membership in the district has remained stable with about 2,000 new members replacing a similar number who are no longer active in their clubs.
Dawkins encouraged club members to add to their ranks, particularly in terms of younger members and women.
Eleven percent of Rotarians are under 40 years old and 39 percent are older than 60. Worldwide, only 15 percent of Rotarians are women, he said.
The 100th anniversary of the Rotary Club of Jacksonville, Florida’s first club, will extend beyond Duval County, said Dawkins.
“We’re going to celebrate your centennial year all over the district,” he said.
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