“A diamond earns its sparkle from the pressure it endures.” ― Matshona Dhliway An unforeseen death, pandemic, major project and re-establishing the Michigan Garden Clubs’ mission were all thrown at us this year. I learned in the past year as Director that “the best we have came through”.
Jumping into the District Director’s position was sudden because of the passing of Ann Crimmins. I was preparing to take on the position 7 months later, however, saying yes in challenging times is what we do. My new position came with many exceptional challenges: a complex takeover with the pandemic, a District Meeting coming up, and the responsibilities of overseeing the MGC’s 2022 Annual Conference in June. Mix in the shut down of monthly meetings, Clubs struggling to retain members and keep them engaged and District 2B had it’s hands full. District 2B became the force to reach out to the Club Leaders and teach them how to use Social Media, establish Zoom meetings for their Clubs and solicit new skills from their members. Our District Clubs have proven to be some of the best clubs in the state and the District Steering Committee is unique in the way we operate. A Steering Committee works in unison with the District Director and instead of one person as District Director, we have a committee of eight, plus the MGC 1st Vice President to communicate with our clubs. Our Clubs are utilizing new technology to stay together and stay in touch. We are communicating with other clubs to gain inspiration for membership retention and I am hoping that as we work together, wonderful things are yet to come to make our diamond sparkle. |