President's Message

May 21, 2013

Fellow Sertomans,
The National Convention in St. Louis was exciting and informative for everyone that attended based on the feedback I have received.  To recap, we elected Don Bartelmay as Jr. Vice President, Kay Telford as the At-Large Director for a three-year term, and Judge Pat McArdle as Treasurer for a two-year term.  We heard inspiring speakers who epitomized what it means to be committed to the welfare of others and received first-rate training from fellow Sertomans. We also announced the Sertoman of the Year, gave the Service to Mankind award, and recognized the Presidents Lifetime Service Award recipients. A summary of the convention will be in the summer Sertoman magazine, and I hope you will be inspired to get next year’s meeting on your calendar!

In this month’s message I will address two beliefs that are critical to our future as a service organization. One is club survival, and the other is the growing and supporting of our Sertoma mission.  On the subject of survival of our clubs, I recently read in the April 24, 2013 Reno Sertoma Club Bulletin  an excerpt that was reprinted from the April 11, 1992, Sertoman magazine entitled: “What’s Expected of a Member?” Although the content is over 20 years old, it is as relevant today as it was then.  In short, members of Sertoma are expected to be in attendance at meetings and functions, to be involved by sharing their time and their talents, and to pay dues promptly and regularly. They are to be committed to growth by introducing others to their service work and to fulfill the club’s need for them to be an active part of all fundraising efforts. Sertoma members need to help cultivate fellowship within their clubs, they are expected to share talent and expertise, and they must take initiative and lead in some way, large or small. Don’t these just seem to make sense when you read them?

Coincidentally, I just recently addressed my own club on the dangers of complacency and mission drift. This is a natural challenge in any organization, and we should take steps to address this drain on our energy and effectiveness. I want to recommend that every club consider completing the “Club Assessment Survey” that is on the website. This type of instrument allows leaders and members to discern the strengths and weaknesses of their club and to take stock of the investment of the membership, both individually and collectively. As an organization, we are actively and enthusiastically moving forward with growing, branding and marketing our mission, making our communities better, bringing needed awareness to the issue of hearing health.  Let us continue to strengthen ourselves with the abundant training available to us and reach out to introduce others to our work. In this way, we become the true embodiment of Service to Mankind.

Serving our communities,

Chris T. Weston
President, Sertoma Inc.