Rotary in the back room of a bar

Yesterday evening, August 4, I met with the Pocatello Portneuf Rotary Club. Pocatello Portneuf is our newest Rotary club, having received their charter last spring.

The club meets from 5:15 to 6:15 pm each Tuesday afternoon, upstairs at the Portneuf Valley Brew Pub. Unlike every other Rotary club I've ever been to, they don't have a meal. Members who want to can grab a brew or a softdrink, or nothing at all. This skipping the traditional meal means the cost to belong is considerably less than most Rotary clubs. And the late afternoon meeting means that busy professionals who can't take time in the morning or at noon can still belong to a Rotary Club.

The club has targeted young professionals in Pocatello for their membership, and looking around the room, I'd say they've been successful. They have a few grey hairs like me, but many of their members are in their twenties and thirties--a constituency we frankly have had a hard time recruiting to Rotary.

There are only three members who have belonged to another Rotary club--so they are not constrained by tradition and history. And, boy, are they engaged in service while having fun. In a manner of a few minutes, they voted on a new member, fined each other, raised some money, gave a grant away, and of course many enjoyed a local brew. They agreed that David Allen, their president should accept the offer of a member with a radio station to present weekly a Rotary minute on the station.

They picked right up on our District Simplified Grants program and received a grant of $500 to support the food bank. While I was there they presented a check payable to a local milk supplier to the food bank to support the backpack program. That's a program where food bank sends kids home for the weekend with a backpack filled with food for the family. It's designed to provide nutrition for kids who might normally get it at school or a park during the week, but might go hungry over the weekend.

The club adopted the Every Rotarian Every Year (EVEY) program of the Rotary Foundation where every member of the club agrees to give a contribution to the Foundation every year. Very few of our existing clubs have made this commitment and I salute our new Rotary colleagues for this action.

If this new model for Rotary appeals to you, Dennis Rompala of the Boise Southwest Club, and Terry Gilbert and Ken Reglin of the Boise Sunrise Club are working to start a new evening club in Boise. A meeting of those who may be interested will be held at 5:00 pm on Thursday, August 20. Contact Terry for additional information (glennsson@msn.com).

Thanks Pocatello Portneuf for an inspiring evening. We all wish you success as you find your way as a new Rotary Club and stand ready to help you however we can.