By Janelle Davis
According to cnyrotary.org, CNY Rotary unites, educates, and inspires people in our communities to take action and create lasting change.
“CNY Rotary is the entity that provides training and support to all the local Rotary Clubs in its region,” Lizzy Martin, CNY Rotary president elect, said.
Rotary Clubs consist of volunteers who come together as a team. They help the clubs get proper training for their leaders, help find new members and retain current ones, and provide fundraising while executing effective community service, among other duties.
“It’s a great way to serve our communities while making new friends and having fun,” Martin said. “We also learn new skills that we can transfer into our personal and professional lives.”
Volunteers take pride in upholding the values of Rotary, which consist of integrity, honesty, and fairness.
Martin joined Baldwinsville Rotary 15 years ago as a third-generation Rotarian. She is following in the footsteps of both her father and grandfather who were both past district governors, or according to Martin, presidents as it is called now.
“My granddad encouraged me to join Rotary,” she said. “One of my clients at the time had Baldwinsville Rotary on her email signature. I asked her if I could visit her Rotary club in Baldwinsville, and I never left.”
There are some 36,000 Rotary Clubs are all over the world.
To put it in perspective, Martin said, that’s nearly as many clubs as McDonald’s restaurants in the world.
The CNY Rotary region spans all over the center of the state, including the Finger Lakes, Mohawk Valley, and the Capital Region. Within those regions, there are three districts containing over 100 clubs.
On July 1, 2024, the three districts are merging. After the merge, CNY Rotary will include 3,000 members and more than 100 clubs. The average district has around 25 members and 60 clubs.
Martin has been preparing to take office in July as president of CNY Rotary for two years.
She will be the first-ever president of this newly formed CNY Rotary District.
As part of her training, she has attended various training events, including some in Toronto, which bring together Rotary leaders from across Canada and the Northeast United State. There is a larger training event called The International Assembly.
“It’s held in Orlando where 535 regional presidents from the whole world come together for training,” Martin said.
Most president-elects become leaders of one existing district. Martin’s transition is a little different as she will oversee three. She is using this merger as an opportunity to restructure their leadership team.
“It can be challenging to encourage volunteers to take certain action when they aren’t clear of their role and duties, so we want to make sure our leadership is fully defined across the board,” she said.
CNY Rotary has committees in multiple departments to address membership, their foundation giving service, youth programs, and the various events they hold for training and social time.
As a younger president, Rotary is optimistic that Martin will breathe new life into the organization and help increase membership.
“Membership, or any volunteer position, these days is very challenging, whether it’s the PTA, a religious organization, or an organization like Rotary,” she said. “We empower our clubs and provide tools so they can be flexible and be appealing to members of their community to attend.”
Martin was 25 years old when she joined Rotary. Most members are a little older. Even today, at 40, Martin is the youngest person in her club. Joining Rotary when she did, provided her with valuable skills she could transfer into her professional life.
“I learned how to be a leader and how to speak in public. I was able to also practice project management and member recruitment,” she said. “All of the skills I learned helped me in my work life.”
As president of CNY Rotary, Martin will be the face of local Rotary leadership, representing Rotary International for the CNY region. She will visit clubs and provide inspiration and guidance. The support she will offer will address any issues or challenges within the specific clubs and make sure Rotary is promoting its successes.
Continuity is present in Rotary’s leadership as Martin oversees past and future presidents on the board. As a group, we make the decisions regarding training and resources for the clubs.
“It is important that people feel a connection to us,” she said.
Martin has some personal goals she is looking forward to achieving in July.
“I want to show our community that Rotary includes people of all ages who benefit both personally and professionally from being in the organization,” she said.
She hopes to show younger people that Rotary is a place where, with the support of members, you can safely hone your skills, provide service to others, and grow as a human being.
“Rotary is one of those things where you get out of it what you put in,” Martin said. “You can be a member without having it take over your life, but you can also jump right in. Either way, you will reap all of its benefits.”