Dictrict Governor Chuck Berg
Posted by Steve Frazier
on Aug 02, 2011
Our Program on August 2nd was the Annual Official Visit of the new District Governor. This year's governor is Chuck Berg from the Shakopee Club. He was born and raised in Shakopee, and is currently serving on the Shakopee School Board.
The areas of focus for Rotary this year are three; family, continuity, and change. Strong families develop children who are good leaders, good businesspersons, and potential Rotarians. In Rotary, we need the continuity of continued emphasis on our areas of strength, and we need to welcome change where our ideas and programs have become outdated. This year Rotary is expecting to have a 3% increase in membership, and Chuck is targeting an increase in our RI Foundation giving. There also is an initiative to develop a Leadership Training Program that will benefit participants in their work and family experience as well as their Rotary life.
Then the DG went off the normal track, and told of his life experience, and how Rotarians changed it. Born into a dysfunctional and abusive family, Chuck was always in trouble around age 13; the school principal instead of using his authority, sat down with him and they talked about alternatives and responsibility for your actions. When he bought his first car at 16, he ran away from home and was confronted by a deputy sheriff in South Dakota. Instead of using his authority, he bought Chuck a meal, and sat and talked to him, and gave him money to get back home. Both of these authority figures that used kindness toward him were Rotarians, and when he was asked to join Rotary, he said he knew what Rotary was and what it stood for.
The areas of focus for Rotary this year are three; family, continuity, and change. Strong families develop children who are good leaders, good businesspersons, and potential Rotarians. In Rotary, we need the continuity of continued emphasis on our areas of strength, and we need to welcome change where our ideas and programs have become outdated. This year Rotary is expecting to have a 3% increase in membership, and Chuck is targeting an increase in our RI Foundation giving. There also is an initiative to develop a Leadership Training Program that will benefit participants in their work and family experience as well as their Rotary life.
Then the DG went off the normal track, and told of his life experience, and how Rotarians changed it. Born into a dysfunctional and abusive family, Chuck was always in trouble around age 13; the school principal instead of using his authority, sat down with him and they talked about alternatives and responsibility for your actions. When he bought his first car at 16, he ran away from home and was confronted by a deputy sheriff in South Dakota. Instead of using his authority, he bought Chuck a meal, and sat and talked to him, and gave him money to get back home. Both of these authority figures that used kindness toward him were Rotarians, and when he was asked to join Rotary, he said he knew what Rotary was and what it stood for.
(Story by Tad Shaw and posting and photo by Steve Frazier)