If you find your passion, something you love, says new Florence Rotary president, you can become ‘an amazing volunteer’
Sarah Brookbank: BURLINGTON – This community-driven businesswoman wanted to be an English teacher when she graduated from college. Now she’s senior vice president of Heritage Bank in Burlington and president of the Florence Rotary Club.
Pamela Goetting took office as president of Florence Rotary in January after being a member of the organization for five years. Rotary is an organization of 1.2 million internationally – and more than 100 strong in Florence – that gets members involved in their community. When Goetting joined, she was no stranger to the community.
Goetting was part of a group that planned the R.C. Durr YMCA in 2004. She is currently on the Cincinnati YMCA Metro Board has been on the Boone County Public Library board of directors for eight years.
A member of the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Women’s Initiative, Goetting works to help promote professional success for women in all fields, of all ages and all stages of their careers.
When she joined Rotary, Goetting said she was impressed with the involvement in the community and the opportunities it provided for business people to give back
The Recorder sat down with Pam Goetting and talked about Rotary and the importance of community involvement.
Recorder: You’ve been the president of the Florence Rotary since January. Why did you want to be president and what are your goals for the club?
Goetting: “Our club has been around for 70 years. We are about a 100-member club and we’re one of the biggest in Kentucky. Looking at what Rotary does in the community, not only here in Northern Kentucky but in the international community, it’s really exciting to be a part of that.
“I have a lot of goals. Part of my goals are one, increase awareness of what Rotary is and what we do. Hopefully that will translate to finding more organizations and partners to work with us and will attract more members. Two, I want to make Rotary as inclusive as possible. We want to show that we’re not one particular gender, age or race and that we’re inclusive and representative of the community we serve.”
Recorder: What exactly does Rotary do?
Goetting: “In terms of regular activities, we have group meetings. We meet every Monday and it translates to something like 47 meetings or so a year. On top of that we always have many hands-on activities. We do toy drives which are a big success. We participate with Mary Rose Mission and we do a lot with the schools. We also offer the Florence Rotary Scholarships.
“All those things are a give back to the community and raise awareness of Rotary and the mission. I think a lot of the things we do fly under the radar. We do a lot of great things and I think a lot of people are sometimes unaware of everything we do.”
Recorder: You’re very involved in the community. Why is being a member of the community so important to you?
Goetting: “I really do think that it is important for people to have the opportunity to give back. My job at the bank is important because I work with people one on one and accomplish their goals and I love that. But we are all a part of this community and we have a responsibility to give back. That’s why I feel so passionately about the library and literacy and the YMCA and health and wellness.
“We all want to live in an attractive, vibrant community. We want to live in an area that you want to raise a family in and send your children to school here. You want a community you believe in, you want to be proud to say you’re a part of the community.
“I am a lifelong Boone Countian, I was born and raised here … It is so important for the well-being of the community that we care about the community. It’s people that make it happen and we all should take ownership and give back, whether it’s big or small, it all matters. We are so blessed here that we can give back and are involved.”
Recorder: As a member of these different groups, what goals do you want to accomplish to improve your community?
Goetting: “We live in such a fast-growing community and so much is going on in terms of development and industry. … I think it’s important that these community groups come together to form teams across the board, so that we’re not siloed. So when we come to the table all the stakeholders are all there for a common goal. There are issues like food insecurity and heroin that impact everyone. Those are things that if we focus on working together, we have a much higher likelihood of solving those issues together than when we say ‘I don’t want to be involved in that.’
“By working together collaboratively we would be able to arrive at solutions or to better solve issues that affect our whole community. That’s why it is so important to have groups like Rotary, that come together and work with and support organizations that are leaders in the community. We can come in and provide services and support them to make a difference that is really impactful.”
Recorder: If you could give advice to the community-at-large what would you like them to know?
Goetting: “When I took office in January one of the things I talked about in my opening remarks was that the greatest volunteers find their passion. If they find something they love and that they can get behind, they get involved and come to be amazing volunteers. I would say that people need to find whatever it is, like our Rotary programs, that you are really passionate about. Figure out what do you really care about and get behind that passion and throw yourself into it. What you get back is so much more than what you give. If people can do that they will find the time. It is such a great feeling to see improvement or success in something that is so meaningful. It doesn’t even seem like work.”
