Wakefield Rotary Kicks off “I Have a Story” Series

The Wakefield Rotary Club has recently grown to welcome five new women into its ranks. The growth inspired incoming Club President Wendy Maguire to launch a new speaker series with the aim of getting to know our members on a more personal level. “We all know what each other do for work. But I’m really interested in getting to know our members more,” Maguire explained. “What are their interests? Do they have any secret talents? What motivates them?” In an effort to accomplish just that, Maguire launched a new speaker series called “I Have a Story” earlier this week during the club’s regular lunch meeting at Brightview. Members and guests are invited to volunteer to speak on their interests, rather than just their work.

The first to volunteer was Wakefield Rotarian Paul Adams. Adams joined Rotary in 2017 and is a past Wakefield Rotary Board member. “I’ve been playing the banjo for about 15 years. I’ve never mentioned that at Rotary,” he said. Fitting the bill for Maguire’s speaker series, Adams stepped up to the microphone this past Tuesday to speak about the banjo, its roots in Africa and the Caribbean, share some of his favorite bands, and even perform himself. “I really enjoyed sharing that part of me,” he said. “It’s something that I’ve always been interested in and I was glad to share it with the club.”

Maguire’s plans for the speaker series will continue into her own Club Presidency year which begins July 1, 2024. “Friendship is a real part of my experience with Rotary. I hope this new series will foster stronger connections among our club members,” she noted. “Maybe it’ll even inspire someone to take up a new interest.”

About Rotary International & Wakefield Rotary Club

Rotary is an organization of business and professional leaders united worldwide who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world. There are 1.2 million Rotarians in 160 countries worldwide. The first Rotary Club was founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1905 by an attorney named Paul Harris and several of his colleagues. The name “Rotary” was derived from the early practice of rotating meetings among each of the members’ offices. The Rotary motto is “Service above self”. The Wakefield Rotary Club meets each Tuesday at noon at Brightview located at 21 Crescent Street, Wakefield. For more information on the club's initiatives or to join the Wakefield Rotary Club, visit www.wakefieldrotaryclub.org or contact us at wakefieldrotaryclub@yahoo.com.