President Jan introduced her close friend and former Leadership Institute board member, LueRachelle Brim-Atkins as our featured speaker. Jan first met LueRachelle in 1986 and saw her leadership qualities and how she inspires people. LueRachelle is the co-president of the Seattle-Limbe (Cameroon) Sister City Association.
LueRachelle focused her remarks on the theme of being a servant leader (built on the idea that other people are as important or more important than us) which is how she has lived her life since growing up in rural Texas. Servant leaders “refuse to target or exclude people.” She said that Jan has built cross cultural relationships and created relationships here at home and across the community.
LueRachelle told us about their work in Africa creating menstrual kits (7,000 have been delivered so far, enabling girls to stay in school) as well as clean water projects. They are now raising funds to build a dormitory in Tanzania so “girls can feel safe going to school, building their future one brick at a time.”
She concluded by thanking Seattle Rotary for “being an indispensable part of Seattle Limbe Sister City Association” and ended by singing a song, thanking Jan for inspiring so many of us to be servant leaders: “Wind Beneath My Wings”.
President Jan opened her final meeting at the Washington Athletic Club after a few minutes of Table Talk answering the question: “Over the past year, we’ve talked about many ingredients of a healthy community; Which one has resonated most with you and why?”
The Rotary Rogues (with clever lyrics by Linda Rough) performed a special medley in honor of Jan: “Calendar Girl,” into “Short People,” then “Tomorrow,” and concluding with “Dancing in the Street.” They received the first standing ovation of the program!
Barton DeLacy introduced our new member, Jim Wigfall, who has led Sound Generations, a local nonprofit that provides assistance to seniors, since 2018. Jim grew up in South Carolina and served in the military before starting his private sector career at Boeing.
President Jan’s closing remarks focused on her meeting theme of being a servant leader and “waking up to the world around us.” She said it was a “joyful, meaningful and
memorable” year as president and that it “was a great privilege to serve and an honor to work alongside all of you.”
The meeting concluded with one of our club’s great traditions: the passing of the gavel from our past presidents to the current and then the next president (John Steckler); there were 18 past presidents that came to the front of the room to participate!
-Thanks Dann!
