Hi everyone,
 
Happy December! Let us look for the positive in our currently unsettling world.  For one, we can be happy that a vaccine for Covid may begin being distributed as early as this month.
 
December is disease prevention and treatment month.Coincidentally, the Rotary area of focus in December Is Disease Prevention and Treatment.  As stated on the Rotary International website, “Disease results in misery, pain, and poverty of people worldwide. That’s why treating and preventing disease is so important to us.  We lead efforts both large and small. We set up temporary clinics, blood donation centers, and training facilities in underserved communities struggling with outbreaks and health care access.   Rotarians educate and equip communities to stop the spread of life-threatening diseases.“
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In Rotary District 7120 Rotarians should lead by example.  While attending my District Governor visits this year, I commended clubs that met in person and virtually. Those clubs that conducted hybrids, kept their club members engaged.  However, our Health Commissioners currently recommend avoiding such in-person gatherings. Therefore, I recommend that clubs meet, but meet virtually to protect the health of our club members and the health of communities we serve.
 
Thank you for all you have done during the 9 months of the pandemic, transforming your past activities into successful socially distant and virtual events.  Rotarians continue to make a difference in our communities during these crucial winter months, like arranging food distribution, blood clinics, virtual fundraisers for service projects.  We can also keep engaged with our clubs with regular zoom calls, phone calls, and emails with our club members.  Some clubs have socials through Zoom, such as playing Trivia and Bingo and the like.
 
So during this holiday season in which we are experiencing an upsurge in cases of Covid-19, please stay the course as week await the vaccine. Be careful and continue to wear your mask, use hand sanitizer, be socially distant, and avoid large social gatherings. But also please look to ways to support one another and engage in service activities virtually or in-person (carefully socially distant).  We will get through this by being vigilant about the tasks at hand.
 
Finally, Ken and I wish you good health, and much happiness this holiday season.
 
Yours in Rotary,
DG Linda