While working on several mind-numbing tasks recently (ones where some background sound can be relaxing) I listened to an old Neil Diamond number – “Hot Summer Nights”. It seemed quite appropriate given the temperatures we have experienced over the past few weeks. However, we should still be very grateful for the type of climate we have here on the Island when compared to what others are facing in other parts of the country – wildfires, flash floods and extreme heat. We do live in a very beautiful part of Canada – and for this we are grateful!
The next big item on our Probus Club Calendar is the Annual Summer Picnic and Golf Tournament scheduled for Brigadoon in Parksville on Wednesday August 6th. With a deadline of July 26th for sign-up to meet the caterer’s requirements, if you haven’t signed up, you are out of luck for this year. Our team of volunteers working on the picnic are working feverishly to get the last of the details completed in time. Thanks so much for your dedicated efforts!!!
We will also be announcing the winners of our recent New Membership Campaign at the picnic. As you may recall, we encouraged each Probus member to speak to at least one friend, neighbour or acquaintance about our club and if the person is interested, invite them to one of our General Meetings. To date, only five members have indicated that they followed up on this challenge. However, their efforts have been encouraging with 24 contacts made, 10 people who accepted the invitation to attend a meeting as a guest, and 6 people who took out a new membership in the club. That’s a 25% success rate! In addition, several of those who attended as a guest indicated that they are considering membership in the fall. This certainly reinforces our theory that the best way to recruit is through personal one-on-one contact. So, even though only a few members picked up on the challenge, their collective efforts have yielded some pretty good results so far.
If you have approached a friend to speak to them about Probus and have not reported your efforts, you have until the end of July to register your information with our crack team of analyst/recorders (Ann Barnes, Membership Chair, Janet Walker, Vice-President, or Jim McKinlay, President) in order to be included in the prize draws that will be made at the Summer Picnic. We hope to see many of you at the picnic.
Take time to really enjoy the rest of your summer, here in our little corner of the world.
“The proper function of man is to live. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them.
I shall use my time.”
Jack London
Jim McKinlay