Life's Work - A Call to Service ?
When I first joined Rotary, four years ago, I was bewildered by the many acronyms, causes, and projects within the organisation. I was raised as a Catholic and therefore to me a “vocation” meant joining a religious order. So I was confused when I found that "January is Vocational Service Month" in Rotary and didn't understand why Rotarians kept talking about vocational visits and outings.
The word “vocation” comes from the Latin word “vocātiō” and means a call or a summons. A vocation is an occupation to which a person is drawn or for which they are suited, trained, or qualified. The meaning of the word did originate in Christianity, but today Vocation is now often used in non-religious contexts.
Vocational Service is one of Rotary’s Avenues of Service and calls every Rotarian to:
• aspire to high ethical standards in their occupation;
• recognise the worthiness of all useful occupations;
• contribute their vocational talents to the problems and needs of society.
When professionals join a Rotary club, they do so as a representative of their classification – their particular business or profession. Rotarians have the dual responsibility of representing their vocation within the club and exemplifying the ideals of Rotary within the workplace. In fact, Rotary's motto is "Service above Self".
Bribie Rotary hold an annual Pride of Workmanship Dinner, which is our club's flagship event and comes under our Vocational Service Directorship. This program enables managers in our community to help employees achieve the goal of job satisfaction, and publicly recognise them for their efforts. It is a very popular event and attracts nominations from numerous professions and businesses. It is not confined to white or blue collar workers – but all workers in our society.
If you would like to nominate someone for our 2019 Pride of Workmanship Awards, which will be presented in May, please contact me via email annematthews49@icloud.com. Remember, the awards are not restricted to any one specific work environment or profession, but include all. For example, front and back office, desk and counter jobs, cleaners and labourers, from government to private, waitress to electrician.
This is your opportunity to nominate someone who deserves recognition for their hard work and dedication.
