Dear Rotarians and friends,
Five years ago, I made a plan to retire in 2023. I had a meaningful career supporting access to vaccines in mostly low and middle income countries, but there were not nearly enough vaccines available for those countries. I was frustrated and wanted to do more globally and locally not only to support vaccines but to help wherever it was needed.
Five years ago, I made a plan to retire in 2023. I had a meaningful career supporting access to vaccines in mostly low and middle income countries, but there were not nearly enough vaccines available for those countries. I was frustrated and wanted to do more globally and locally not only to support vaccines but to help wherever it was needed.
I was unsure exactly what that looked like, but I had read several articles that recommended starting a “side gig” to ease the transition into retirement so that I still had a sense of purpose.
I started looking for my “side gig” by starting KAFO, a nonprofit organization for development in Burkina Faso, joining the Keystone Opportunity Center Board of Directors, and joining the Souderton-Telford Rotary Club. My approach to finding greater purpose was to say “yes” to many new opportunities to see what felt right.
Well, it worked, I found that these new side gigs filled my need to do more impactful work and I was ready to commit to them all more fully once I retired. Then, I decided not to retire. A recruiter from CEPI, a non profit organization dedicated to helping low and middle income countries develop, manufacture and distribute vaccines for their own populations, contacted me about working there. It was the perfect way to use my experience to have the greatest positive impact in the world. Now, I have the most meaningful work of my entire career and three very purposeful, impactful side gigs.
So why am I telling you this?
My entrance into Rotary has been a little like my entrance into a pool. I might dangle my feet in from the side for a little, then go down the first step and hang out there for a while. I gradually go in deeper and deeper until I eventually decide to fully submerge. In Rotary, I joined the club, participated in some events, then led a Committee, then agreed to circulate through the Executive positions. I have approached it all cautiously, worrying about how I will do it all in light of all of my other commitments. There seem to be limitless opportunities to participate in Club, District and International projects and events. It can honestly be overwhelming.
However, I am starting to see a remarkable convergence of my career and my side gigs and interestingly, Rotary touches them all. The Souderton-Telford Rotary Club has been a long-time supporter of Keystone Opportunity Center and now Keystone Opportunity Center is a corporate member. My understanding of Keystone’s strengths, weaknesses and needs is so much greater as a result of more frequent interactions with representatives in our Club and feedback from the many community members we interact with.
In two weeks a new middle school will open in Konkourona, Burkina Faso as a result of the combined efforts of Rotary and KAFO. Rotary is as committed to sustainability as I am and what we have created together can improve the lives of generations of students and families.
I have been worried that Rotary’s focus on Polio was helpful in nearly eradicating that disease but it neglected many other issues that put people at risk of polio and other diseases, such as poor access to clean water and sanitation and exposure to disease carrying mosquitoes. Polio Plus expands upon the successes seen so far in Polio vaccination to provide more comprehensive solutions, such as drilling wells for water and providing bed nets for protection from mosquitoes.
The key to the convergence of all of my work has been expanding my connections within Rotary. As worried as I am about fitting it all in, I get so much out of it all. I attended the Vibrant Club Summit this Saturday, along with Sarah, Liz and Al, and we all came away with so many ideas about how to strengthen the Rotary experience for everyone. Just as important, I had the chance to personally thank the many people who helped with the grant for Burkina Faso and hear stories from them about what they are working on now. I also had the chance to check in with Carol Fergusen, who will be speaking at STRC on Thursday about the Polio Plus program in follow up to a discussion she and I had at the District Conference in April.
You know, Brad and Kate’s boys joined our meeting for a while last Thursday and heard District Governor, Katie Farrell talking about the District Conference in Hershey, PA with lots of opportunities to experience fun adventures with family. The boys were immediately thrilled and asked if they could go. There was no careful weighing of options and worries about getting work done and where they could have the greatest impact. It sounded like fun to them and that was all they needed to know. It made me think about my own decision-making process, which was much slower and not nearly has fun and consider another approach. I am going to do my best this year to say “yes” to as many Rotary opportunities as I can and see what happens. I look forward to sharing the results of this approach with you along the way.
In Rotary
Kate