A father’s example opens opportunities to connect with Rotary ideals today
By Jay Pennie
The following is my address to the members of the Rotary Club of Philadelphia yesterday at our virtual meeting:
Welcome everyone. I’m honored to serve as your club President again next year.
With Father’s Day approaching, I’m devoting my short talk today to my late father. Here’s why:
I grew up in a working-class neighborhood in Philadelphia, the youngest of six children. By any measure, my family was poor and in fact my parents did not own a house, car, or very many possessions. For a time, six children and two adults lived in one small row house with three bedrooms and one tiny bathroom. Do the math. However, my parents provided everything a child really needs— food, shelter, fun, discipline, and of course, love.
Among the attributes that my father possessed, and which had a profound impact on me, was his strong work ethic and sense of volunteerism. Though he worked tirelessly every day at a printing company for more than 45 years (he never called out sick), he actively helped my mother raise a family of six from changing diapers to washing dishes. Yet he still found the time and energy to volunteer for our church three times a week and regularly helped feed the homeless at a mission house in Center City Philadelphia.
Until my early thirties, my motto was more the reverse of Rotary’s—“Self before service.” I prioritized money, career, and enjoyment as number one. But, by my late thirties, I felt something was missing in my life. That is also the point at which I decided to leave the for profit business sector for the nonprofit world. Although my father has passed away many years before, I think his influence was already imprinted on me.
My first introduction to Rotary came from one of our former members, Lynmar Brock who was a bit of a legend in Rotary. I remember well his elaborate induction ceremonies that he held. After a few weeks attending meetings as his guest, he asked me to join the club. Lynmar is a great salesman and he is hard to say no to. So, I joined the club in August 2010.
What impressed me most about that first lunch meeting still stands today. The Rotary Club of Philadelphia members were smart, accomplished, generous, and friendly. One member, Sandy Goldberg, asked me right away to join her on the fundraising committee and I said, sure, why not. It was the best thing for me because it helped me get to know the members and got me involved. I had no idea what I was doing.
In addition to volunteering for Rotary, I serve as a Panelist and Grant Reviewer for the Philadelphia Cultural Fund, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and as a visiting evaluator for the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. So, I try to keep myself busy.
The theme for the New Rotary Year is: “Rotary Open Opportunities.” For me, that means an opportunity to lead, serve, and help our community both here and around the world.
When I was asked last year if I would consider serving as President, like anyone, I tried to anticipate what challenges I might run into. I can tell you that I never planned on a global pandemic, economic cratering, and international social unrest. Like many people, I have concluded that the pandemic did not cause these issues. It shined a light on the problems that were already there.
Philadelphia has the highest poverty rate of any large city in the U.S. at 26% compared with the national average of 16% or over 400,000 residents. The poverty rate is considered at $19K household income with one adult and two children. Poverty is linked to many other problems: unequal access to quality education, increased homelessness, poor diet, inadequate healthcare, hunger, neighborhood violence, mass incarceration to name a few.
At the same time, Philadelphia has tremendous wealth concentrated in areas such as Center City Philadelphia and the suburban Main Line areas. These local issues create a tremendous need in which the Rotary Club of Philadelphia can continue to help and perhaps help more. We could use 100 Rotary Clubs right here in this area to just put a dent into the problem.
We are also actively working on challenges in our own club. We surveyed the membership last year to obtain a candid opinion on the club’s strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats. Our strengths and opportunities are many. But, we also have to evaluate our weaknesses and potential threats to better plan for the future and position ourselves to maximize our impact into the community. We need to plan farther out than just next year. We need to think both tactically and strategically.
So, MY vision for the upcoming year is OUR vision. Otherwise, it will go nowhere. Our club’s vision statement reads:
“The Rotary Club of Philadelphia focuses its outreach on those in need and those less fortunate primarily in its community and also via international activity. Our goal is to be one of Greater Philadelphia’s most active humanitarian organizations that improve lives.” But how to we realize this vision? I have five ideas.
We need to continue to develop and implement service projects that actively engage the membership and the community while enhancing and spreading the mission of the club. We need to be known in the community for our work, perhaps a signature project? That brings me to the next point.
We need to tell people about what we are doing. We need to enlist the members to enhance public image to share Rotary ideals and the vision and activities of the club. We all need to do a better job of this. This is not just the responsibility of the Pubic Image Committee. To do this, we need to invest time and a little money in our digital media efforts.
We need to engage both our current and prospective members to want to come to Rotary for fellowship and togetherness.
We need to develop a culture and process for attracting future high-quality club leadership who will support the vision, mission, and plans. We need to do a better job of training and cultivating future leadership. I am really very optimistic about this point because fresh new leadership has already stepped up to serve as President.
We need to establish a growing and sustainable group of highly engaged members, who are representative of our diverse community and passionate about our mission and vision. We have made some strides, but we have a long way to go.
I promised last year that I would be a uniter, not a divider. I will continue to make mistakes and I’m sure someone will inform me and hopefully guide me along the way. We still have a lot to do. But, I am only one person. I am blessed with a tremendous board of directors and committee chairs that I know will make good things happen again this year. I need every member to serve on at least one committee. We all have to work together as Rotarians and pitch in and help the club for the good of our community. They need us. Now is our time.
I asked for help from so many people this past year. What is so remarkable is that not one person said “no.” For that, I will be forever grateful.
My one overall goal as club President next year has not changed. When I come to the end of my term this time next year, I want to have made our club stronger and a better organization than when I began. With your help, I know we can achieve that goal.
Rotary’s founder, Paul Harris said: “Whatever Rotary may mean to us, to the world it will be known by the results it achieves.” Let’s work together to achieve some results through our actions.
Thank you all for your continued service and your confidence in me as club President.
Jay Pennie
President, 2019-20, 2020-21
Rotary Club of Philadelphia