The real surprise delivered to all our seasoned Rotarians by the new rookie: one induction speech that taught more about Rotary than all the brochures combined!
We figured the biggest disruption to our time-honored induction tradition would be the missing instructions. Every step, every line, the whole sequence gone, because our dear Tom, the one who usually runs it like clockwork, wasn't in the room that day.
We shouldn't have worried: our president Amy Peardon and Ryan Mitchell took the reins and ran the entire ceremony with grace, humor, and a touch so gentle most of us never even clocked the hiccup. Our most seasoned members caught it and were impressed all the same!
Believe it or not, the missing manual wasn't the real disruption anyway: who would have thought that the real disruption would turn out to be the induction speech?!
So the story starts in a land far, far away from our own dear Asbury Park Wednesday lunch table... all the way in Connecticut. Foreign enough, judging from Asbury Park shores.
The weekend before his official induction, William Dougherty was getting ready for a special date in Trumbull, Connecticut. Dressed to impress, ready to take a special girl out for dinner. That is, until he spotted a Rotary International decal on a pickup truck on his way and just couldn't resist stopping.
Turns out, the owner of the truck is no ordinary member: a former president of their local chapter, hearing Will's all-excited spiel about being inducted the following week, he was utterly delighted: "It's good to see young people joining in a good cause," said Will's new friend.
That's when Will noticed a big tent struggling to rise up behind him. Even if it was destined for just a baby shower, putting up a large tent right after a few rainy days is no easy feat. Now Will, having a big heart, jumps at the chance to offer a hand.
The family has a big heart too: and Will, not only a perfect stranger, but a stranger dressed up way too festive for a project this messy! Not the place for a guy in a pressed outfit, dressed head to toe for a date, to be wrestling tent poles through mud.
Will would hear none of this… and it's the past president who suddenly takes his side: "Don't be ridiculous. He's a Rotarian. He lives to do this sort of stuff."
Will was thrilled to put his own hands to good use. But of course, the family turned out to be right: his stunning looks didn't stay as pristine once that tent went up, freshly decorated with dirt patches all over!!! On the outside ;)
On the inside, Will was overwhelmed with joy: just as his newly found Rotarian friend said, that's what Rotarians truly live for!
Reading someone else's story secondhand is like trying to give a kiss through a face mask: the intention is all there, but the delivery pales in comparison to the real deal. Watch the video for Will's own account or, better yet, join our meeting in person to get all the juiciest behind-the-scenes details of this remarkable story!!
Closing out, we want to express our deepest gratitude, our hope, and our own thrill for a member who puts his actions right where his words and aspirations are, truly living what this group stands for!!
Welcome to Asbury Park Rotary, Will!!! 💚
