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A QUALITY JOURNEY
by Rotarian Claudine Fletcher

Claudine Fletcher is a speaker with a moving personal story to tell. She has been speaking to audiences across the nation for more than 15 years, and has made presentations to a wide variety of audiences, including Rotary.

Her basic philosophy is that everyone is better or worse for having known her, and her goal is to make the lives she touches more positive by trying to make each interaction as positive as possible.

eClubOne: First Claudine, thank you for sharing your thoughts with the thousands of visitors that attend an eClub One meeting each week. We know that in your talks you frequently refer to a Quality Journey. Tell us a little about that journey?

Claudine: Thank you for inviting me here. To me a quality journey is working towards making every day, every moment in fact one that increases the quality of one’s life. There is a saying, “Success is not the destination but the quality of the journey” and I think that pretty much sums it up. Often we become so busy looking towards the future that we forget to enjoy all the moments along the way.

eClubOne: We know you have many, many friends throughout the Rotary world. However, most of our readers may not have heard you speak at a Rotary event. When you speak at events, you travel with a small white dog named Tornado, and she accompanies you even to dinners. What’s that all about?

Claudine: Tornado is my hearing dog. I have had her for 8 years. She really is the cutest thing … yes; every dog lover is saying but not as cute as mine is! We do love our dogs. I became deaf in my early twenties but it wasn’t until 9 years ago that someone suggested I get a hearing dog. Quite frankly I didn’t want one. I travel so much and I thought she would just be another piece of luggage!  I was convinced by friends to at least go through the training. Well, when they opened the door at the San Francisco SPCA and Tornado came running towards me it was all over! We were meant to be together. Believe it or not, she made traveling so much easier. I often received special treatment because of her. The passengers and the staff love having her on board. In fact, before 9/11 she was often invited into the cockpit with the pilots.

It isn’t all fun and games, as she really is a working dog. She alerts me to sounds … so the knocking at the hotel room door for room service, waking me up to the alarm, letting me know if the smoke alarm goes off or the phone rings. She also works rooms for me. Sometimes I’m hired to speak to a disgruntled audience … maybe they are in the throes of layoffs and are forced to hear me. I’ll peek in the room and see the unhappy faces. I’ll then let Tornado off leash and send her in the room without me. Everyone gets excited and you begin to hear the laughter. Bless her, I enter to a much happier group of people. Tornado has flown to 39 different states … many times as a first class passenger, because an attendant fell in love with her (thank goodness I got to tag along).

eClubOne: You have spoken to Rotary clubs, district conferences, and other Rotary events for years. How did you happen to get “discovered” by Rotarians?

Claudine: I was invited to be a Rotarian the year the ruling went into effect that allowed women to be members. I had already spoken to my club and others as a guest speaker. A Rotarian had heard me speak at a business function. From there I began to get invitations to speak at different conferences.

eClubOne: As noted, you have spoken at PETS events, district conferences and other Rotary events. Which of these seem to work best in reaching your Rotary audience?

Claudine: I love sharing my message at District Conferences as then the spouses and the Rotarians hear it together. It is a shared experience for them. Because I stress the importance of appreciating the people in your life and letting them know how you feel, often times the couples react immediately in sharing their feelings with their loved ones. I also love sharing my message at PETS events. I love meeting the new and eager officers … so ready to make a difference. They know I believe they can make that difference and I can encourage them to go for it in their own unique ways.

eClubOne: You are billed as a “motivational speaker.” Rotarians, by their own membership, would seem to be highly motivated already. What goal do you have when you speak to a group of “motivated” Rotarians?

Claudine: Quite truthfully, to get them to move out of the box! Rotarians are highly motivated individuals but often also stuck in doing things the traditional way. I hope to motivate them to seeing that they have so many options…that one way isn’t the only way. Our clubs are becoming more diversified every day and we “old-timers” need to accept the “younguns” and their new ideas and methods of achieving them. I want them to see that changes can be exciting and bring new energy to any club. 

eClubOne: We know you have suffered some true hardships, including deafness, and more recently a life threatening health issue. How do you keep your own motivation at a high level and has Rotary played any part in how you handle your situation?

Claudine: Rotary has taught me that one is never alone … that when you meet a Rotarian you meet a life long friend. I stay highly motivated simply because I can’t imagine being any other way. The easiest way for me to do this is to stay in the moment. I don’t write scripts about where my disease (Multiple Myeloma) may take me next. I’ll deal with that then. For now I enjoy life today simply by living it to the fullest. I recognize how truly blessed I am.

eClubOne: In your talks, you have shared some great stories. Do you have a favorite story about “Rotary” or “Rotarians?”

Claudine: The one that always comes to my mind is a simple and sort of silly one. It occurred when I was given my pin as a new member. My club had about 125 members and I was their first woman. As many of you can imagine or remember this was a difficult and sometimes painful change for many Rotarians to accept. I understood completely. I was the only woman for over a year and some members wouldn’t sit with me or speak to me. On the day I received my pin I was very nervous, as I was aware of the mixed feelings. After the meeting the oldest member came up to me and said, “Claudine, I want to shake your hand and welcome you to our club. In my whole life I never thought I’d see the day we’d have a woman in the club but welcome. Don’t get me wrong, I sure don’t want a woman in the club but if we have to have one it might as well be you.”  I told him I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to thank him. The truth is, I fell in love with Roy for his honesty and depth of feeling. He is still alive and has never missed a meeting in over 60 years … and he’s my buddy!

eClubOne: You have found yourself in a situation where attending a regular meeting would not work for you. How important do you think is for Rotary to have a club like eClubOne, that allows an individual to be a Rotarian, doing service to the world, but do so from a computer, anytime day or night?

Claudine: I think this is a great idea. Sometimes when I’ve been on the road a lot or now with my illness I can’t attend meetings and end up feeling very disconnected. As soon as I saw this I felt that “Old Rotarian” feeling again. I immediately remembered all that Rotary is and can be and how much I enjoy being a part of that.

eClubOne: There are those who suggest that you cannot develop “relationships” and have Rotary “fellowship” using a computer without that “face-to-face” meeting each week. While face-to-face interaction is your business, we wonder if you may have a different perspective on how the computer can help to bring people together, based on events that took place in your life late last year. Can you share that with our readers?

Claudine: When I became ill my sister Donna and I decided to set up an Update network so we could tell everyone at one time what was going on treatment-wise. Our small network begot other networks. For over a year I was given many types of chemo to prepare me for a stem cell transplant, only to have it canceled the night before it was to begin. Through all my hospitalizations and treatments our friends around the country were aware of what was going on. I received cards, gifts and flowers constantly. My Christmas tree was covered with angel ornaments sent by many friends on the update lists … all started by a dear Rotarian in Colorado. I had promised them in an early update that after the transplant I would have a party and we would dance on the tables. Well, no transplant … and the emails poured in saying how sorry they were … but could we still have a party. I still laugh thinking of them. So, a party we had. In August of last year 100 friends joined with us to celebrate my life and for Paul and Donna and me to have a chance to thank each of them personally for all the support they had given me all year. More than 50 of these friends were also Rotarians from all over the country. Did we dance on the tables … well, no … but we sang and laughed and even had a kazoo contest. And I was reminded once again that Rotarians are all about service and sometimes that service is to each other.

eClubOne: Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. Do you have any final “motivating” thoughts before you leave?

Claudine: Stay in the moment. Remember that the most important service of all is the service to our children. They are God’s gift to us and it is our responsibility to serve them well.

[Editor's Note: While I would be extremely proud to have Claudine as relative, it's only coincidental that the webmaster and she share the same last name. It is not however coincidental that we have become Rotary friends...that has been on purpose and mostly as a result of our ability to communicate via the internet.]

If you would like to know more about Claudine, visit her website at Quality Journey.

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