If you were lucky enough to be at the District Governor's meeting with the club you no doubt heard him say something that sounded "eerie".  If you weren't there, you can take our word for it - he said it more than once!  Actually what he said was EREY.  Hopefully all or at least most of the long time Rotarians know what EREY is, but we have some fairly new people in the club who may not, and even a lot of long timers have some misconceptions about the EREY program.  It is worthwhile to take a few short minutes to explain it and clear up any confusion because EREY is very important to the future of Rotary.

 

EREY is very simple.  It means Every Rotarian Every Year.  EREY began on July 1, 2004 and is a program designed to encourage every Rotarian to contribute to the Annual Programs Fund of The Rotary Foundation.  The Annual Fund is the primary source of unrestricted support for The Rotary Foundation's humanitarian and educational projects, including the District Grants which we can use to fund the projects we choose to do and that are important to us.

 

Many people hear EREY and immediately think "they want me to give $100!"  While it is true that historically EREY encouraged each Rotarian to contribute $100 per year to the Annual Fund, that is not what EREY means!  And if you see a club that has been awarded an EREY banner, it does mean that club gave $100 per capita that year and each member gave something.  But it does not mean each member had to give $100.  EREY means exactly what it says: Every Rotarian giving Every Year and the amount one gives is what you can afford.  Some Rotarians have deep pockets and some don't; it is up to you what you can give and every donation is appreciated.  If you have been fortunate and can afford to give a lot....that is great.  If you have not been fortunate and money is tight, but you can give a few dollars...that is equally as great.  EREY is about every Rotarian making a commitment to the Annual Programs Fund every year, be it $1000 or $1.  It's as simple as that.