Q+A with Rotary district governor Lydia Wells
Lydia Wells has traveled the world, seeing new places and meeting new faces, but also doing good along the way. Ms. Wells has served as the president of the Greenport Rotary Club for three terms, as well as secretary, club membership chair and club public image chair. Now, she serves as the district governor for Rotary District 7255, which encompasses Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk counties.
Throughout her years in the Rotary and through other ventures, she has gained insight into communities near and far. Everything she has done and seen has helped her find ways to have the Rotary continue to do great work and expand its reach.
Q: How did you get involved with the Rotary?
A: I was a guidance counselor in Greenport for 30 years. I was raised out here, went away to school, then got married. My husband was in the Air Force, so we lived seven years in Germany, and we lived in Maine and North Dakota.
We came back here in 1984, and there were no teaching jobs, but I happened to have my degree in guidance, so I ended up getting hired at Greenport, which was the school I graduated from. Through there, I was asked by a Rotarian if I would consider being the advisor [for] the Interact Club.
The Interact Club is a school club, like a junior Rotary. Through that, I started getting involved in Rotary. A couple of years into it, I became a Rotarian. I enjoyed the service, the camaraderie, the people. Being raised in the community, I wanted to give back to the community. Through Interact, I started realizing Rotary wasn’t just a small club and [instead] really had international connections. That’s how I got involved at the district level.
Q: You’ve traveled a lot. What have you seen or taken back with you from your travels?
A: We’ve been to Cambodia three times, and then there was another program trip to Nepal. We went to Nepal with Rotarians from Southampton, also from New Jersey. When we go to programs like that, you are really seeing the international work that you’re doing. You start paying attention to other international projects.
By traveling to other places, you really see how people can work together. In Cambodia, one thing I like about their program is they involve local people, they listen. They’ll go into the village and they’ll say, ‘Okay, you need to form a committee. What do you want to work on?’ and getting people to buy in.
Q: Are there any projects you’ve done that you’re especially proud of?
A: We do an “Epic Day of Service.” This year and last year, I happened to be involved in a project, this year was by Greenport and Southold Rotaries, but it was with an organization called Sleep in Heavenly Peace, where we have beds for kids that don’t have beds. That one really stuck out to me, and that day, we did 20 or 25 beds.
One of the best international programs that I’ve been involved in is the Gift of Life program, started in the Manhasset Rotary Club. It’s been around for 50 years. At this point, they’re celebrating their jubilee, and they’ve done 62,000 heart operations. I was at a conference in the Dominican Republic, and I got to go in the operating room and see a 4-year-old girl being operated on. That’s life-changing.
That program is an amazing program. Three years ago, my son died. He had a massive heart attack, and I had donations, instead of flowers, sent to Gift of Life. They used the money to save a child’s heart in Jamaica. So to me, this is special.
Q: What do you feel the Rotary needs, or would like to see in the future?
A: One of the things you always see in any club and any organization, is that we need more members. Our membership needs to grow. It can grow in many different ways, but for me, the connection you make in the community is how you grow membership.
Q: With so many clubs in your district, do you notice many differences between them?
A: Every club is different. My club is more traditional, whereas some clubs aren’t that traditional. But they all have the same mission.
We’re sharing a mission, or a statement, of just working together. Typically, Rotary has themes, and we do have one this year, which is, “Unite for Good.” How perfect is that, especially in this time, to do things together, to unite for good, to work together. I encourage them to partner with other people in the community and with other organizations, professional groups and others, because then you’re going to get things done.
Q: How should someone join the Rotary?
A: To join, there are a couple of ways. You can reach out to Rotary International, and then the local president would receive an email and would get in contact, or you could show up at a Rotary club meeting. Or show up at a project that someone’s doing. Why should they join? To help other people. You get so much more by helping other people.
