Rotary chief takes district reins

For Vickie Randel, service means everything.

After all, she’s been training to lead more than 2,000 volunteers from northeast Kansas for more than two years.

Randel, a senior vice president at First State Bank and Trust, was nominated as the Rotary Club’s district governor in December 2005. She finally took the reins of Rotary District 5710, which includes Lawrence and much of northeast Kansas, on July 1 and is looking forward to putting her training into motion.

“The lessons come to you over a long time,” said Randel, who was nominated by her peers, becoming governor-elect in 2007. Since her nomination, she has stayed in close contact with clubs in the district and Rotary International, a volunteer group that has no religious or political affiliations.

To prepare for her position, she attended the Rotary Club’s international assembly in San Diego, with governors-elect from 546 worldwide chapters.

“It’s a very humbling experience because we have so many capable people,” she said.

Ted Haggart, a Rotarian and president and CEO of Douglas County Bank, said the position highlights Randel’s leadership abilities.

“It kind of puts Lawrence on the map because there are (about) 50 Rotary clubs in her district,” he said. Forty-eight to be exact; there are more than 2,700 members in the district.

While Randel is responsible for furthering Rotary International’s goals of service and recruitment, one project in particular has struck a chord with Randel.

For 20 years, Rotarians across the globe have been working to eradicate polio. Working with the World Health Organization, Rotarians have helped distribute the polio vaccine to millions of people who have no access to it. Randel said their work has reduced the polio threat in all but four countries.

“It really is just a matter of service to humanity,” she said. Rotary is trying to raise $100 million for the effort. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation provided a matching grant.

“We want to make the world a better place by direct Rotarians’ service to the needs of our communities,” she said.

The Lawrence, Lawrence Central and Jayhawk Rotary clubs call the city home.