How COVID affected 2019-20
COVID 19 Pandemic
In March of 2020, the lives of Rotarians around the world, changed with how things were done in their personal, professional and Rotary lives for the unforeseen future! People were getting sick, being hospitalized and many died and the numbers were staggering as the months went by! People's lives changed drastically, schools went remote, people that could, worked from home, many lost their jobs due to business closures. Public gatherings were restricted, masks were strongly suggested, eating out was stopped except if it was outside, social distancing became a new phrase that you heard often. Many people thought it was not as bad as the social media, the US Government and CDC (Center for Diseased Control) made it out to be. They still had their parties in large groups with no masks. This just helped spread this terrible disease! Many businesses made it mandatory to wear masks in their places of business and people tried to disregard it and said it was all a scam but they had the law on their side. You saw plastic shields go up in grocery stores between the customers and cashiers! Many other stores eventually started doing it as well to help protect their employees. People were dying by the thousands but still people would not listen! Wear a mask, social distance and do not have large gatherings!
Rotary clubs around the world went to ZOOM Meetings by the end of March to help stop the spread. This was a real change and often times a challenge to the older generation. Once people got use to it, they found they could see family, friends, etc. via zoom. As the year progressed, things were getting worse because people still did not think it was real. Hospital intensive care units filled to overflowing, family members could not go see their families and people died without family members by their side. This was a very tough time for hospital staff, to see their patients died and they could not stop it, no matter how hard they tried and the medical world was exhausted.
Rotary changed just like everything else. All meetings and training went virtual, so did Rotary events. In some cases, attendance went up at weekly meetings as it was easier for people to attend before they went to work (if they were lucky enough to be working). Then there were others that were not comfortable meeting via their computer, that stayed away even thought they were at home. Fundraisers had to be rethought. Non-profits like food pantries were struggling to keep up with the demand from more and more people for food as they had lost their jobs. Rotary clubs still did what they could to continue supporting the non-profits in there communities just like they had in the past. Some clubs rethought their fundraisers, some came up with new ones and life went on but not like we used to or comfortable with. Many parents with small children really struggled as many schools went remote - meaning children too young to be left alone even though they were going to school - needed a parent to be there to supervise and to be sure they were going to school via their computers and not playing video games. Socialization was gone for all of us - young and old!
Many Rotary programs were cancelled at the last minute as everyone was hoping things would get back to normal before their event. Student exchange programs were stopped as this virus was all over the world! Airlines were shut down for awhile. When they came back, people were encouraged and asked not to travel for the holidays but they did and the areas that the virus was slowing down went back up again and so did the deaths. It was not easy to celebrate the holidays without family members but many did anyway and the outbreak as a result was terrible. Many families lost a number of a family members as a result.
District 7780 District Governor Andy and his team went as long as they could about canceling events but finally had to. There was no foreign exchange students, no trip to New York for high school students to visit the UN. RYLA - Rotary Youth Leadership Awards wasn't held and neither was the Interact Conference. Students of the Month were still honored via the ZOOM but it was not the same for the Rotarians or the students. PETS - President-Elect Training - was held by Zoom but this was also different as incoming club presidents could not sit down and talk with each other. RLI - Rotary Leadership Institute training was done in some places via zoom but again it was not the same - individuals could not conduct individual conversations. District Assembly training for incoming club officers and committee chairs was affected as well.
Rotary International provided District 7780 with $25,000 to distribute to their clubs to help them assist those businesses that were in need. Some of the clubs gave their money to food pantries or businesses that were providing food to hospital staff members at no cost or the homeless or individuals that needed it to pay for lights, etc. Rotary International for the first time I know of had no more money to give out for grants as they had used it all up trying to help those that were struggling.
They have come out with a vaccine and slowly they are vaccinating the people but it takes time and money to keep purchasing the vaccine and then a new strain has appeared worse than the original one but people are getting vaccinated slowly and the cases are going down in many states. Even though this started under DG Andy's Rotary Year 2019-20, it has continued into DG Peggy Belanger's Rotary year 2020-21 and had the same effects. Unfortunately, everything is still being done by Zoom Meetings.
The one good thing that has come out of this pandemic is that Rotary Clubs have been able to have speakers from all over the country and the world attend their meetings as speakers via zoom including Sitting and Past RI presidents. This has enabled some Rotarians to see and hear these people that they might never would have otherwise. So sometimes some good comes out of something bad!
Written by PDG Marie Williams, District 7780 Historian 2/15/2021