A Year We’ll Never Forget. Finding The Silver Linings of 2020.
Even during a global pandemic, we couldn't escape the hustle and bustle that this time of year brings! I hope you were able to partake in some of your annual holiday traditions and make new Christmas memories with friends and family. As we countdown the days left of 2020, and turn the page to a new year, it's hard not to reflect on the challenges we've taken head on and be grateful for each of you and what you've helped After Hours accomplish. The virus may have stopped us from having every club meeting in person, but it did not rob us of the IMPACT we've been able to make in our community.
The past month and a half has brought us opportunities to ring bells and raise money for the Salvation Army's Red Kettle campaign. We recognized and celebrated our club's first ever Major Donor (Bill Pritchard) to the Rotary Foundation. We've heard first hand from two very impactful organizations at recent club meetings: ShelterBox, providing shelter and more to over 1.6 million people displaced by conflict or disaster and Big Brothers Big Sisters, where our very own Lucas and Laramie Severson shared their personal story of being a "Big Couple" and the positive impact they are making in their "little's" life. We shared laughs and tears as we gathered to play trivia and remember our good friend and great Rotarian, Dave Knutson.
And last but not least, we pulled off our Ugly Sweater 5k virtual style! (Stay tuned to the next cRAHnicle for a full recap.) True to 2020 style, if something could go wrong, it did! Our lights on the marsh malfunctioned; we lost volunteers to quarantines, COVID tests and injuries... and even lost the keys to one of our UTVs! Despite it all, the event was a success and we gave our friends in the community a safe activity to partake in! Thank you to all of you, who pitched in and helped, donated or participated. The fruits of our labor will allow us to do impactful projects to make the Coulee Region and a far a better place for all.
We will remember 2020 for the rest of our lives. We will tell people decades from now, “This is what I did in 2020. This is who I was. This is what changed.” (I bet many of you can relate to some of the "Best Life Lessons from 2020" (excuse the poor language).) We made everyone.
I hope you all have a very happy New Year and take time to relax and enjoy the blessings that surround us!
I look forward to all the good things we'll continue to do in 2021.
Stay healthy & well. Cheers to a New Year!
Marissa Dickinson
#RotaryOpensOpportunities