When you spend your working life in the non-profit community and collaborating with the family to run Blue Apple Ranch, a facility that connects animals and people while teaching youngsters to be mindful and kind, that should be enough, right?
When layered atop maintaining a foundation honoring Toby Wells, dedicated to making positive contributions to the San Diego Community by investing in a brighter future for both people and animals, you might be tempted to think I’d want a little “ME” time.
But when you’re taught from an early age the importance of giving back to the community around you, participation in a group like Rotary is a natural step.
So it was for me, having been raised with a philanthropic heart and a desire to do what I can to help others.
My membership in the Rancho Bernardo Sunrise Rotary Club came about originally because of my long-term friendship with numerous current members. I knew them all to be the highest quality people…and, perhaps not coincidentally, they were all members of the RB Sunrise Rotary.
I visited the club…first with one of my friends, then another…and found the spirit and the personality of the room to be a great fit. Here were people always willing to lend a hand, and who took volunteering much more seriously than they took themselves.
It was a perfect match!
I found the group to be passionate about the Military, Youth, and Seniors, all of which dovetailed with my interests. And the values that we shared were just too many to list.
The club’s philosophy of leading by example matched my desire to be a good role model of community involvement and giving back for my daughter. As Sir Winston Churchill said; “To whom much is given, much is expected.”
So last September I joined this amazing club, where I’m able to indulge in “ME” time surrounded by friends, professional associates, and the most amazing group of people it’s ever been my pleasure to work with. I happily get up a little earlier on Tuesdays, knowing I’ll always get more from this organization than I give.
Joining and staying have been, without question, one of the best professional and personal decisions I’ve ever made in my life.
If you’re interested in being part of the larger solution, go to www.rbsunrise.org for more information.
Better yet, join us for breakfast for our next meeting. We gather together at the RB Country Club almost every Tuesday morning at 7am. I guarantee you’ll be as impressed as I was.