From Local Clubs to Global Change: The Role of Rotary in Today’s Society

Bret Hrbek is the governor of Rotary District 7570. He served as president of the Rotary Club of Front Royal in 2019-2020. He has sponsored over 20 members to Rotary membership. Bret also serves as the president of the Zeta Beta Tau Foundation. He is passionate about building and strengthening mediating institutions.

In this episode of The Non-Profit Exchange, I had the pleasure of speaking with Brett Herbeck, the District Governor of Rotary District 7570, which spans parts of Virginia and Tennessee. Brett shared his deep passion for Rotary and its mission of service above self, highlighting how the organization has been a significant part of his life since childhood. He discussed the importance of community involvement and the role Rotary plays in fostering connections among diverse individuals who share a commitment to making a positive impact.

Brett elaborated on Rotary’s seven areas of focus, which include promoting peace, fighting disease, providing clean water, saving mothers and children, supporting education, growing local economies, and protecting the environment. He emphasized that these efforts contribute to creating peace in our communities and beyond.

We also explored how Rotary is evolving to be more inclusive and accessible, breaking down barriers to membership and adapting meeting formats to fit the needs of modern members. Brett encouraged listeners to find their local Rotary club, emphasizing that everyone is welcome and that there are various ways to engage with the organization.

Towards the end of our conversation, we discussed the upcoming District Conference in April, where members will gather to learn, share, and celebrate the impactful work being done across the district. Brett’s enthusiasm for Rotary and its mission was truly inspiring, and I hope this episode motivates others to get involved in their communities through service.

 

The Interview Transcript

Hugh Ballou:
Welcome to the non-profit exchange. This is Hugh Ballou Founder and President of SynerVision Leadership Foundation. SynerVision is the synergy that leaders create by having a clear Vision, what is it? We do what are we about? Why should people participate? Uh, my guest today is a new friend, uh Brett is in Virginia with me We’re we’re a little bit separated and is it Herbeck? Is that how you say your last name?

Bret Hrbek:
That’s exactly right. Throw the vows in there all you want.

Hugh Ballou:
All right. So before we start talking about Rotary and all the magnificent things that happens with people in Rotary, tell people a little bit about yourself. And you are the district governor of the district that I’m a part of.

Bret Hrbek:
I am. Thank you for the opportunity to come and speak about Rotary. It’s one of my great passions and great loves. I am in Front Royal, Virginia. I am the district governor of District 7570 in Our district, for those that don’t know the geography, runs from North and Winchester, Virginia, which is in the northern part of northwestern part of Virginia, runs down the Appalachian Mountain Spine into Tennessee, down 81, into Northeast Tennessee, and then over to Danville and Martinsville and Lynchburg. Big territory. We have 75 clubs and about 2,900 Rotarians. I’ve been a member of the Rotary Club of Front Royal when I moved back to Front Royal to come to work, where my firm, Edward Jones, and I wanted to get back into the community. Rotary is really important in my growing up. They sponsored my Little League team. They sponsored my Babe Ruth team. They were a place where we went and for the anti-drug group that I was involved with in high school, we went to do little skits and get some money to send us to conference. And they were made up of the men. And at the time it was men, because we didn’t become co-ed until 1989. But at the time it was men in our community who I really respected and wanted to be like and emulate within either their leadership values and performance or their service or just how they ran a successful business. My dad was not a member of the Rotary Club. He was a school teacher, but I watched service with him while he was a teacher and a coach. But because we meet at lunch on Fridays, a teacher can’t get out for that. He was certainly a Rotarian at heart. And as a matter of fact, my mom, who was also a teacher, she is 77 years old and just joined our club because I said, mom, you’re always doing all these activities anyway, why don’t you come and join us and wear that jersey? So Rotary has been really an instrumental part of my growing up and the service aspect of it is just something that is essentially in my DNA. My grandfather in Ohio, was Mr. Madison, Ohio. He was the one that ran people to the airport. He sat on the YMCA board. He was on their village council. And when he had a stroke and my grandmother found out all the things that he was doing, because people would call the house and say, hey, where’s Jimmy? He was going to bring me a cake. Or where’s Jimmy? I needed a ride to the airport. We didn’t know how much service that he did even under the radar. My mom learned that at his feet, and I learned it at her feet and my dad’s feet. Services is a natural thing. Rotary is a service organization, a membership organization that does service. And so it’s just a natural fit for me to be able to participate in this organization.

Hugh Ballou:
And, um, I belong to a rotary that’s in the district that you serve. Actually, I came another one in Blacksburg. Um, so the two of them before I knew you, um, and coincidentally, I have my wrong background today, but what’s behind me is almost in your neighborhood. It’s up, uh, up in the Appalachian. So it’s almost where you live and work. So I know where you are for people. We’re listening. It’s in Appalachia, and it’s a very distinct region That’s lovely and the people are lovely as well. So let’s go into rotary a little deeper you Had a chance to step up District governor, that’s a pretty big deal. So you were nominated and got elected. Why did you step up and say yes, I

Bret Hrbek:
Leadership and anytime I’m a member of an organization, I tend to want to rise to the level of that leadership position and be in the decision-making mode. I think my skill sets really lend it to be where I’m a very good organizer. I think I’m a good cheerleader. I do well in the visionary aspects of leadership and participation in civic organizations. It was just a natural thing for me once I became president of my club in 2019, as president of my club in 2019 and 20, saw this big pivot that we had to take care of when COVID shut everything down. I’m here holding, trying to lead that club, which is almost 100 years old and try to keep it together. And I didn’t want to be the last president of a 94 year old club, but So there’s naturally that progression of what can I do next in order to make sure that Rotary is a growing and thriving entity and organization in the western part of Virginia specifically, but around the world. So District Governor, the skill set that I think I have, or I do have, I think present very well in the District Governor role. But the District Governor role, it does sound really awesome, and it is. I can’t take it away. There’s only 530 or so of us in the world right now. But the district’s purpose is really to support our local clubs and provide the infrastructure for the local clubs to be productive and successful. Because Rotary happens at the club level in our communities, not at the district level. So we help provide the training. We help provide the branding. We provide continuity of leadership. We provide the connection between the clubs and where for them to collaborate and come together to do projects in their local communities. So it’s not my agenda, it’s not me. It’s me listening to what we need, what the clubs need, and then helping the district collectively provide back to the clubs what they need. And then to coordinate with Rotary International and the other 500 plus districts in order that we have one consistent voice. Our mission, our vision at Rotary is together that we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change. across the globe, in our communities, in ourselves. And that’s not only doing it just for our Rotarians who are in our local clubs doing the work on the ground, but it’s also helping me grow as an individual and a person and as a better Rotarian.

Hugh Ballou:
You know, that’s very well put. And for people, there’s people listening that know nothing about Rotary, maybe never heard of it. There’s people that know the name, but don’t know about the work. And there’s people that belong to a Rotary and wish they had a few more people in the community that would come on board. And so there’s a real importance to getting with people who put service above self. And we can do that without giving up our work time or giving up our family time because we have a whole group of people to work with. So let’s talk to those people who don’t know much about Rotary, haven’t heard of it, don’t know why they should go visit. Now, there’s a district governor around the world, and there’s Rotaries around the world, so this is, wherever you are, I talked to some people in Uganda recently, and they were all part of a Rotary there. And I said, well, we ought to get together and do some Rotary projects together. So there’s many, many channels to talk about why people should care to be a part of Rotary. And in that, would you talk about that Rotary seven areas of focus, please?

Bret Hrbek:
Sure. So great, great questions. And I just want to step back, though, even before Rotary. I think it’s important, really vital, and this is my passion, that we rebuild our civil society. And that means our Rotary Clubs, our churches, our synagogues, our Chamber of Commerce’s United Ways, Kiwanis Clubs, our bowling leagues. The other day, my son, my 12-year-old, decided he wanted to run in the Shenandoah Valley Runners on their winter race. And it was 600 runners. That’s a group. That is a civic group that I want to see grow and grow and grow. So I think it’s important that we all belong to something because we’re going to do so much more together and uniting together and a common purpose, then we are divided. Social media has really, this is a cliche now, but social media has really now atomized us or ghettoized us into our own individual silos where we can sit at our house by ourselves and we feel like we’ve accomplished something. But there’s a reason why we have such a mental health deficiency in this country right now or across the world. Jonathan Haidt puts it at 2007, right when the iPhone was launched, the whole world’s mental health started to decline. And that’s because we’re by ourselves and we’re lacking that fellowship between individuals and people that have a shared interest, but are also different. So I want to see all of that grow. Rotary is a 1.2 million members across the globe. We have tens of thousands, I believe, of clubs pretty much in every country on the planet. There are a couple of exceptions. You can imagine what those might be. But Rotary is the greatest, in my opinion, the greatest humanitarian and peace-building organization in existence. And we’re very lucky to have such a successful organization here in my town, in our district, and in complementing what the United States of America does as the beacon of hope and goodness and light in the world as well. Might be a little biased, I apologize to your non-US listeners on that, but that complement, I think, goes together Really, well, there’s a reason why Rotary was born in Chicago and in the United States. So we’re people that come together, as our vision statement says, uniting together to make our communities better, to make our world better, and to make ourselves. Now, Rotary has broken up our mission into seven different areas, and those are what we call our areas of focus. So everything Rotary does is going to fall into one of those seven areas of focus, and that’s promoting peace, And I want to throw an interesting thing is promoting peace is one of our action items or areas of focus, but I would posit that it actually plays a part in every other single one of these areas of focus. So fighting disease, providing clean water, sanitation and hygiene, saving mothers and children, supporting education, growing our local economies and protecting our environment. And why I say we are the greatest peace building organization in the world, it’s not because we’re necessarily at the table in the Middle East with the Palestinians and Israelis or brokering a deal between the Russians and the Ukrainians. That’s not what I mean by peace. However, we’re at the United Nations founding. What I’m talking about is peace is that by doing all of those things in those areas of focus in our own backyard, we are creating peace in our own backyard. It starts right here at home. So when we fight disease, we can’t have peace if we have people that are afraid of polio or afraid of malaria or afraid of HIV AIDS. We can’t have peace when we don’t have clean water. And that’s what people are worried about. We can’t have peace when women and children are being trafficked for sex trafficking and work trafficking. We can’t have it when we have illiterate people. We can’t have it when people are starving and economies are declining and not successful. And we can’t have it when we have degrading our economy. Peace can’t happen without any of those things. So every time we pick up trash, every time we put up a sign that says, if you feel like you’re being, if you’re being trafficked, let us know. Every time we hand out a dictionary to a student to learn how to read, we are creating something in that peace movement And that is so exciting to know that we can do something in our backyard. We don’t have to be a diplomat yet, but we can do it right here in Front Rail, Virginia. I can create peace here that can then spread across the globe.

Hugh Ballou:
And Rotary is a gathering of like minds in service. And it doesn’t matter if you’re an old guy like me or if you’re a young person, it doesn’t matter what your background is or religion is or political position, because those are not agenda items. Our agenda items is focused on self. So it’s really great. And it, you know, pulling your vision is so good. And your definition of Rotary is so spot on. And it’s so timely that we are active in pulling people together And, you know, it’s the lost art of conversation. When I gather with my brothers and sisters at Rotary, it’s meaningful conversation with people that want to do good in the world and are doing good. And they know that leveraging their time with other people’s times, that everybody, even contributing a little bit, can get a lot more done.

Bret Hrbek:
I think you made an important point that Rotary, they don’t have to look like you. They don’t have to look like me. And we’re doing our best to make sure that we are reducing the barriers of entry of all sorts. So what I’m saying that, you know, my father was a school teacher and really had a service above self heart was a retiring without wearing a jersey. He couldn’t make it to a meeting because it was a Friday at noon and he was a school teacher. So we’re breaking down those barriers by having different meeting formats, different meeting times, reducing the dues, eliminating meals, really trying to bring a club to the community as they need it. or as they want it. What does the community need? How are they going to be receptive? Because at the end of the day, we want fellowship and we want service. And we don’t always all have to do that over, you know, a $25 lunch on a Friday afternoon. And that is a barrier of entry. Some of us love those kind of meetings, but some don’t want meetings at all. We don’t want programs. We don’t want speakers. We don’t want the ritual. We don’t want the regalia. We want to go out and have fun together and do service projects together. And that’s great. And there are clubs for that. Don’t think about old white men any longer when it comes to ruralty. Think about vibrant young people who want to get involved, who want to do things, but they still need and want that social interaction. And we are providing that opportunity through satellite clubs, through areas of focus clubs, service clubs, e-clubs, and then your traditional lunch or dinner clubs, happy hour clubs, networking clubs. There’s all sorts of ways for you to be able to wear that jersey that says Rotary on it and be a member of an organization that is the most powerful and impactful foundation and organization in the world when it comes to these areas and still have your own life and your family. It’s not Rotary or family, it’s Rotary and family coming together and we’re going to have a club or an opportunity for you to join us regardless of where you are in your life and where you want to be in your life.

Hugh Ballou:
You’re such a great communicator. While you were talking, I had this email come in from you about what’s going on at Rotary this week. And so thank you for that update. So you’re a really great communicator. So let’s talk to people that are in a community anywhere. I don’t care where you are in the world. And how do we find a Rotary? And does somebody have to invite us? Is it exclusive club? Or can we just show up? And how do we find one? And then what’s the conversation like when we visit?

Bret Hrbek:
Sure, that’s great. Great questions, because it is still an invitation. You still are invited, but I’m actually here. Here’s you right here today. I’m inviting you. I’m inviting everybody that’s listening to attend a Rotary meeting. So you’ve got your invitation. But if you’re looking for that local Rotary club or want to get involved, the best place to start is Rotary.org. That’s our Rotary International website. There’s a place that says join or find a club. You can type in the zip code, type in your location. They’ll tell you where the clubs meet. If you’re in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia or Northeast Tennessee, go to Rotary7570.org and you can see where all our clubs are listed and who to contact. I would actually, though, make sure before you just show up at a meeting to email whoever’s listed on that contact and say, hey, I’d like to come. There’s no reason they should say no. Tell them that the Rotary District Governor of 7570 extended an invitation if that’s what you need. because they want members. They want to grow. We can’t make the impact in the world we want to make it for not growing our membership. So go to that meeting. But the reason I do stress that you want to contact them first is because we are trying different formats. So just because it says that we meet on Fridays at noon at the community center in Fort Royal, Virginia, we may decide that we’re meeting at the bowling alley that week because we’re going to have some fun and fellowship. And we want to make sure that you come to the right place and not show up at the wrong place where nobody is there. really encourage you to make sure you reach out to that club contact that’s on rotary.org or on the district website or if you google rotary in my area and let them know you’d like to come. But they’re going to invite you to come in, they’re going to welcome you in, they’re going to show you around, they’re going to make sure that you’re taken care of at that meeting and I think it’s a great glimpse of what they do. You’re going to hear their program, you’re going to hear them talk about the projects they have coming down the pike and they’re going to be invited. Thank you. almost guarantee you that you’re going to be invited to submit whatever kind of application or whatever kind of process they had. Every club is a little different on the way that they have their membership intake. Some of them are, hey, sign up, sign that form and write a check, and you’re in today. And some of us have a little longer process because we’re a moral legacy. We’ve got 100 years of history and tradition, and it’s a little bit tougher to break. But like I said, we are trying to lower those barriers of entry. Well, reach out to us and let us know. And if you are, if you’re a Rotarian at heart, we want to make sure you’re a Rotarian. And, uh, in fact as well.

Hugh Ballou:
So, um, there’s some older restrictions that are no longer there. Like we don’t limit people in a category. I mean, you had to fit in a category you couldn’t belong and the attendance requirements have been relaxed. So you want to speak to those?

Bret Hrbek:
Yeah. Just another example of. how we’re realizing that instead of what worked maybe back 30, 40, 50 years ago, it’s just not working today in 2024 and going into 2025. So the intended requirements, although I think it’s so important to attend the meetings or attend the events, otherwise, why are you a member? Fellowship is so vital to the organization’s success and to your involvement and love of belonging to the organization. You’re probably going to leave if you don’t attend, then why would you be? We don’t have a mandatory requirement anymore. Most clubs don’t have a mandatory requirement. It’s not coming down from Rotary International District level. Some clubs may still have some restrictions, and that’s up to that particular club. But that nice thing is, is that’s why there are different clubs. I’ve got a variety in my community. We’ve got a Wednesday morning club, breakfast club at 7 o’clock, and God love you if you want to be there at 7 o’clock in the morning. There’s special people that go. Not me, but I have attended, but not me. And those of us that want a Friday lunch or have a dinner meeting or happy hour meeting. So those those restrictions are gone. The vocational aspect of it actually is where we really started. And if you think about it, Paul Harris moved from racing Wisconsin to Chicago. He was a young lawyer and he brought together four or five other young business people or men, frankly, in the Chicago area. And really what the reason was, I believe, I think this is backed up is they needed a network. There was an opportunity for them to come in. So there was a manufacturer, there was a lawyer, there were other vocations represented. And that is what, how Rotary became. And they actually, the name came from the rotation of their different offices of their meeting. And it didn’t become a service entity until several years later when they actually went to put a bathroom outside in Chicago. And they, believe it or not, they got pushed back by the merchants and the restaurants, the bars, really. Because there weren’t public restrooms, and they were opposed to it, because what happens when the ladies went in to buy, go to the restroom in the department store? They usually came out buying a product. And what happened when the gentleman went into the bar to use the restroom? They usually had a pint coming out. So they didn’t want these public restrooms. But that was actually the first service project. But it happened a couple years later. And I think also the focus on vocation is important still, because it just shows the dignity of war. There’s no job that is too low for anybody to do. Every job is an important product and important opportunity for us to earn our way and earn our keep. So I think the idea of talking about vocation At one point, it was the managers though. You had to be, you either had to have your small business or you had to have some kind of supervision capacity. We’ve eliminated that too. So it becomes a lot more equitable across all classes, across all races, all religions. So there’s no definite, there’s no restriction or requirement in any of those for the Art Rotary International. Individual clubs still might have some, cling to some of their old traditions. can’t fault them necessarily for that. But that’s why, as a district governor, we are opening up new clubs in order to provide opportunities in those communities where that particular club is not servicing what that community really needs.

Hugh Ballou:
Let me highlight a couple of things you referred to. Some clubs, they have a non-meal menu. You can do service projects. You don’t have to go to meetings to pay for meals. It’s another price point. And then some clubs have a corporate membership where a corporation can buy membership for its members. So ask You know what types of memberships they have and and and brett it’s always i’m always Leery of going into new organizations because even though i’m an extrovert i’m a little bashful inside So it’s not a it there are business leaders in the community, but it’s not a stuffy old boys club that Anymore, even if it was at one time, it’s not now It’s a collection of people in the community that care and important people in the community doing important things You want to speak to that? I want to talk about the district conference in a minute before we run out of time, but you want to speak to the culture of Rotary and how everybody fits in a little more. You’ve talked, you’ve talked about it a little bit.

Bret Hrbek:
Sure. So when I’ve been to the district, the Rotary Interactive Interventions, which again, is we have 1.2 million members, 20, 25,000 people from all over the world coming in. It’d have to be one of the most diverse organizations that I’ve ever been involved with in my life. There are people from all stripes walks of life. You have the every color of skin, every religion, every sexuality, anything you can think of that in our minds superficially make us different, we all have come together because we have one or two things in common. One, we seek fellowship, and two, we seek to be in service to our fellow man and make our communities and therefore our world a better place. So it’s every club is different though. It has its identity. So can I say that there are no longer those a little more restrictive or uptight. That’s not the right word to use, uptight, but more business-like, let me put it that way, more business-like, more formal meetings, absolutely there are still those clubs. And if that’s what attracts you to it, that you want to have a real utensils and you’re going to have a silverware and plates and you have a waitstaff and music going on, that’s great. There’s a club for you to do that. But if what you want is paper plates and you really are good with a, you know, a sloppy Joe or a brown bag at yourself, there are clubs for you to do that. And if you don’t want a meal at all, there’s a club for you to do that too. All it is is that do you believe in living a life of service above self, and are you willing to live by the four-way test of the things you think, say, or do? Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build good or better friendships? And is it beneficial to all concerned? If you’re willing to live by those two things, service above self, and apply the four-way test to your life, personal business and Rotary life. You’re willing to do those two things. We will find a place for you. There is a club for you, whether it’s Rotaract, whether it is Rotary, whether it’s a service group, whether it’s the Rotary Community Corps, we will find a place because we’re going to all come together. We’re going to grow in fellowship. We’re going to grow in service, and we’re going to make our local communities a better place to raise our children. And therefore, if our backyards are better, And we’re collectively doing that, the world becomes a better place to live.

Hugh Ballou:
That is awesome. That is awesome. So moving on, there’s people listening to this that will be in the district that we’re in. And so I know coming up in March, there’s a district conference. And I know a lot of Rotarians who will be listening to this don’t ever attend a district conference. So that’s because nobody ever told them why. And I went when I was president-elect for my club. And I was amazed at the projects going on with Rotary. And I was amazed at the people I met. So talk a little bit about why people should consider attending.

Bret Hrbek:
Sure. So first of all, traditionally, we have that in March. It’s been great to have March Madness going on in the background, kind of play that theme. Because of some schedule issues, this year’s conference is April 4th through the 6th. That’s the NM Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, one of the greatest places in the whole world. Again, if I offend anybody, I apologize, but I’m a Hokie at heart, so I can’t wait to share my orange and maroon of love with everybody else. But it is a great opportunity for us to come together in fellowship and in service and learn about what we’re doing locally and what we’re doing globally. Now, part of what I love about the role of district governor, and again, it speaks to some of my skill set, I believe, is using it as a bully pulpit to advance some causes that I feel very passionate about. And you’re going to see that reflected in the district conference agenda. So one, I mentioned the mental health of our individuals, especially in the boys and men. We have an epidemic, a crisis in the mental health of our boys, not take anything away from girls and what women are going through. But we’ve been ignoring our boys. We cannot sacrifice boys at the altar to advance others. So we have Richard Reeves coming to speak. He is the founder of the American Institute for Boys and Men. And he’s going to be talking about that mental health crisis that we’re experiencing. And then it does apply to all people, not just boys, but with the emphasis there. We have Tim Carney, who is a political reporter and columnist and an author from Washington, D.C., been a friend of mine since I was in the D.C. in politics back before I came to my current career. And Tim has written several books on the loneliness epidemic and how civic engagement in civil society is declining. So Tim is going to be talking about that and then how Rotary can be an antidote to that. We are doing a global grant with World Vision and the World Fund. in Uganda to lift people out of poverty through economic development. And we have a representative coming to speak there. But I’m also really excited about is we have Sam Harris coming. Sam is a Holocaust survivor. He was on the cover of the Rotarian magazine in January or February. He’s coming to speak on Saturday morning. We are also going to have our youth there on that day. So this might be one of the final times that our young people are going to be able to hear from the mouth of a Holocaust survivor. We’re losing them every day. That population is dwindling. I can’t wait for our young people to be able to hear this. And that’s probably the wrong way to say it. I can’t wait. I’m excited about it. But Sam’s story is so compelling that if we don’t want to repeat those lessons from the past, those atrocities, we better be hearing it and absorbing it and applying the lessons today that we’ve learned. So Sam is going to speak. We have somebody from your local area, General Deese from Ballard Farm coming to talk about the mental health and what they’re doing for our veterans. And then we’re going to hear about projects that are going on throughout our district. And there’s so many wonderful things that our district is doing. We’ve put over $130,000 in just in our district grants this year to local projects, including peace poles that are being planted across the district and across the world, frankly, And we’ll be doing that as well at the Peace Garden of Virginia Tech on Saturday afternoon. I would encourage you, if you’re interested in coming, district registration, conference registration will open up the first part of January. And you can go to Rotary7570conference.com and you’ll be able to get the registration here. And I hope to see a huge conference. I’m a little biased, but I’m really excited about having this, spreading this magic of Rotary throughout our district and across the globe.

Hugh Ballou:
And I will second that, it’s magic when you get together with all of that, and it’s infectious. So I will have that on the, you can find this at the nonprofit exchange, the nonprofit exchange.org. And I’ll have the link for that and the Rotary link in there. So you can easily find it. Brett, I know about Rotary, but I was inspired today to roll up my sleeves and get going. Thank you so much for being my guest today on the nonprofit exchange.

Bret Hrbek:
Thank you for having me here.