The two- and half-day Rotary Mid-North-East Presidents-elect Training Seminar (PETS) that gathered together nearly 300 participants from 6 Districts was packed with information, learning, fun, and fellowship. It was held from 24 to 26 March at the Marriott Hotel in Whippany, NJ.
On the first day, the Zone Membership Team - Past District Governors Herb Klotz, Cindie Kish, and Ray Freaney held a membership growth workshop with about 80 Presidents-elect and Assistant Governors. They analyzed Club growth over the last few years and provided insights into member engagement, retention and growth.
On the second day, RI President-Elect Jennifer Jones and Director-Elect Drew Kessler spoke passionately about their Rotary moments. During the day, Presidents-Elect and Assistant Governors attended tailored breakout sessions. At the end of the day, Drew Kessler presided over the segment that raised over $31,000 for Rotary's Disaster Response Fund for Ukraine.
On the morning of Saturday, RI Director Valarie Wafer emphasized the importance of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in today's Rotary. The Seminar ended with our District's Presidents-elect voting on our District's 2022-23 budget - which was unanimously approved. This was the first in-person gathering since March 2019 - an amazing reunion with fun, learning, and fellowship.
From our Sunshine E-Club, President-Elect Aziz Ahmad as well as Area Governor and current President Bina Ahmad attended the Seminar.
Area Governor for the coming year, Bina Ahmad has urged all members to participate in District events and support our Rotary Foundation. It is the Foundation that will provide the funds for our local and global projects - and the Foundation gets its funding from everyday Rotarians.
She wished everyone the best for the rest of this Rotary year. We will begin the new Rotary year on 1 July with the first woman Rotary President in 117 years - Jennifer Jones and her theme for the year "Imagine Rotary".
