Rotary District 6920 Newsletter - March 2017
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All Star Tidbits
Pam Lightsey, District Governor
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WOW!! Are you ready to celebrate?? I’m
looking forward to spending a couple of days with members of our
district in Jekyll Island at the end of the month!! It is not
too late to register!! If you can’t come both days, please
consider coming for Saturday! It is going to be a GREAT day
to celebrate, learn, network, and meet new Rotarians from around
our district. I confirmed with the Westin and they have 50
rooms available for Saturday night. You can come that morning
and join us for the Foundation/Grants seminar, enjoy lunch with
Rodney Bullard, VP Chick Fil-A Foundation, enjoy a few general
sessions and celebrate at dinner – Rotary Serving Humanity!
Sunday we will have a service that morning and then you can take
your family over to Brunswick to see the Blue Angels.
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It has been an honor to serve this
district and I’m excited to see all the clubs making a difference
in their communities! Don’t forget to log your projects in
Club Central and to log your volunteer hours. I’m looking
forward to hearing from Sylvia Whitlock, the first female club
president, from the Rotary Club of Duarte, CA, at lunch on Friday
to kick us off! A little bit of history will be with us in
District 6920! WOW!
The silent auction in the House of
Friendship will have some special pieces made by Broken Shackle
Ranch. Among the items up for auction from Broken Shackle are
several furniture pieces and lending libraries, as well as a
weekend chalet getaway!
Have you thought about a video for your
club? Please do! Submissions are being made to the Zone
in regards to how our clubs served humanity in 2016-17. We will
show some of these at conference too!! Be sure to make your two
minute video and send it to me. The overview of the video should be
about the implementation of the 2016-17 theme - “Rotary Serving
Humanity” - in your club. Deadline is May 1. Don't forget to send
me the link so we can showcase it!
Do you know of a business that we
can invite to the convention in Atlanta? I will have 200
passes for businesses throughout our district to come visit the
House of Friendship on Saturday, June 10th. These
will not be for spouses of Rotarians, but are for members in our communities.
We want to introduce them to the World of Rotary. Please send me
the name, business, phone number and email address to pam@district6920.org and I will add them
to the list for passes.
Would you like to have an
autographed, by President John Germ, 2016-17 theme tie or
scarf? There is an online auction going on until the end of
March. All proceeds raised will go to The Foundation! What a
great way to get a piece of history! https://www.32auctions.com/organizations/30569/auctions/36773?reset_filter=1
Congratulations to all the incoming
presidents for completing PETS this past weekend! I’m looking
forward to seeing our district grow even stronger next year. I’m
excited, not only serve in the role of Immediate Past District
Governor for 2017-18, but to serve as part of our Zone 34 Team as
an Assistant Rotary Coordinator. I’m honored to represent our
district once again!
Rotary and Rotarians are making life
changing differences in our communities and around the globe.
Thank you for being a Rotarian and not just in Rotary! Thank
you for your commitment to your club and district.
See you in three short weeks to
celebrate all the GREAT achievements in our district.
Pam
2016-17 District Governor
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EVENTS
MAKE 2017 CONVENTION SPECIAL
Rotarians
will be able to take part in a dozen different special
events, which run from Thursday, June 8th to Tuesday, June
13th. Many of the events are already sold out, so book your
festival events now! Go to http://www.rotaryconvention2017.org/
to see all of the events being offered.
June 8th - Atlanta Braves Game -
"Strike Out Polio"
June 10th - Blue Jeans & Bluegrass
Candlelight Vigil to End Slavery & Human Traffficking
June 12th - Evening at The World of Coca-Cla
Evening at the College Football Hall of Fame
June 13th - Centennial Celebration Block
Party
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CONTRIBUTE
TO FOUNDATION BY PURCHASING
SQUARE
IN PORTRAIT
Raise money for the Foundation and the convention.
Contribute $100 towards the sponsor of a one-of-a-kind portrait
from one of the art world's masters - Rossin. Reserve your place
in Rotary history and receive a commemorative 5 x 7 print
personally signed by the artist. $26.50 ($79.50 after Gates
match) goes directly to the Rotary Foundation. $73.50 goes to
support the 2017 International Convention.
Select your square today at https://arch.rotaryconvention2017.org/.
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BANNERS
NEEDED FOR HOUSE OF FRIENDSHIP
AT THE
2017 ATLANTA CONVENTION
Please bring a club banner with you to
District Conference so it can be displayed in Atlanta! Thank
you to the following clubs who brought banners to PETS this past
weekend: Brunswick, Dublin, Effingham County, Glennville,
Hinesville, Jekyll Island, Kings Bay, Milledgeville, Perry,
Sandersville, Savannah South, St. Simons Island and Valdosta North.
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CELEBRATING 100
YEARS OF THE ROTARY FOUNDATION
Online Auction
Funds Will Benefit Rotary Foundation
2016-17 is the 100th
Anniversary of The Rotary Foundation. A signed tie and scarf of
the official theme for the year is available to bid on and win!
All funds raised will go to The Rotary Foundation!! Share the
link with other Rotarians!
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Attention: Current
Volunteers
If you are receiving this email you are
one of the current 800 registered to be a volunteer for the 2017
Convention in Atlanta, The Rotary Foundation’s Centennial
Celebration. We cannot
thank you enough for volunteering to help us show the world the face
of the South. Southern
Hospitality is what we are known for.
We are in the process of finalizing the
times and schedules for all events and defining all the activities we
must support. I will provide you with this information, but first I
would like to ask you to encourage your Rotarian friends to also
volunteer if they haven’t already. We still need to have 400 more
volunteers. It will take approximately 1200 volunteers to
support all of our activities. Volunteers can register by completing our online form
found here.
Listed below are the current activities we
will be supporting during the convention:
- Registration - This will be the
first time that RI will have seven locations outside of the
convention center itself, where you can pick up your badges if
you are prepaid.
We will have three locations at the Atlanta airport, in
addition at the Omni, the Hyatt, the Hilton, and the
Marriott. We will also be there to help support the
Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC). We will support
these locations Wednesday thru Sunday whenever the RI
registration sites are open.
- Atlanta Airport - We will have three
locations being the North Terminal, the South Terminal and the
International Terminal. We will support them Wednesday thru
Sunday whenever the RI prepaid registration sites are open.
- Host Organizing
Committee (HOC) Ticket Booth - Will be supported
Thursday through Monday the same hours that the RI GWCC registration
is open.
- Handing out “goodie”
bags - We will support the same times as the RI
GWCC registration is opened.
- Events - We will support
all the HOC scheduled events. It is a long list and includes the
following:
Thursday, June 8th – the Atlanta
Braves Game at the GWCC (bus departure) and the new
SunTrust Stadium
Friday, June
9th – no
events are planned
Saturday,
June 10th –
- 3K Walk/Run at
Centennial Olympic Park – helping the guests get checked
in
- HOF Opening
Ceremony – participating in the opening
- Blue Jeans and
Bluegrass – from the GWCC to the event itself and helping
the guests at the event
- Candlelight
Vigil to End to Human Trafficking
Sunday, June
11th –
- Athens Night
Bar-B-Q - bus loading only at the GWCC
- Gone With the
Wind – at the GWCC and the Fox Theatre
Monday, June
12th –
- Peace Tours
– helping the guests on the tour
- Center for
Disease Control "Polio" Tours – helping the
guests on the tour
- Host
Hospitality Night – bus loading only at the GWCC
- Dinner at The
College Football Hall of Fame – helping the guests at the
event
- Dinner at The
World of Coca-Cola – helping the guests at the event
Tuesday,
June 13th –
- Peace Tours
– helping the guests on the tour
- Center for
Disease Control "Polio" Tours – helping the
guests on the tour
- Habitat Home
Build – helping the guests with directions
- Centennial
Celebration Block Party – from the GWCC to the event
itself and helping the guests at the event
As you can see there are a lot of activities. Some
events require us to help Rotarians on buses and in some cases take
the tour with them; other events require ticket taking and control of
access points; a lot of events require us to help them find
transportation or give directions on how to return to their hotels.
It will be our job to control almost all of the activities taking
place outside of the GWCC. RI will have
Sergeant at Arms inside the GWCC. We share responsibility for
the HOF.
We will start making assignments towards the beginning of April and
training material will be distributed the latter part of April.
Some Rotarians will be assigned to events prior to that date,
due to special language skills or other skills needed in particular
areas.
We will keep you informed as we move closer to our convention dates.
We currently are less than 100 days away from our volunteer
start date. I want to personally thank you for your commitment to the
convention and look forward to seeing all of you. We will do our best
to make sure that, as well as being a volunteer, you will enjoy any
events you have signed up for, and that as a volunteer, you will
enjoy your volunteer experience.
Sincerely,
Bill Woulfin
2017 HOC Volunteer Chair
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Membership:
The Lifeblood of Our Clubs
Think about it: what would our clubs look like and
what could we accomplish without great members?
If you have been a member of Rotary for
more than a few months, you already know that each year we LOSE a
few members from each of our clubs. Folks either move away, pass
away, or get out for any number of reasons that some of us may
never know, nor understand. Now, WHY and HOW do we need to
replace them?
WHY may simply be to keep our clubs
about the same size so we can continue to serve our communities
with great Rotary projects. WHY may also be answered by not
wanting to see our current President, after having a great year
for your club, leave office with a “net loss” of members. That is
kind of embarrassing and happens way too often.
Now, HOW may be a more difficult
question to answer. I have learned in almost three years of
focusing on membership for our District that constantly trying to
“recruit” newbies is not necessarily the best way. Club members,
however, can ATTRACT new members by going back to an old, tried
and proven method: asking a friend or co-worker to come visit
your club with you, and sharing WHY you love being part of
Rotary! Think not about what that prospect can do for your club,
but think what the club can mean for the prospect! Demonstrate
your PRIDE in your Rotary Club, in word and in deed, and watch
how that attraction can spread.
Start today! The Claxton Club loves to
have a contest, a competition each year to encourage active
membership attraction. We simply divide our club into 2 to 4
teams, give each team 2 months to invite, attract, sponsor, and
induct. The winning team, or teams, get a special meal, served
by the losers. You work out the details your way, BUT TRY
SOMETHING SOON! Let’s spend the rest of our lives in Rotary
spreading the success to others! No more being selfish by keeping
our good work quite!
Happy Sharing, and Growing,
Alfie Cofield, District Membership Chair
alfiecofield@gmail.com
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INTERNATIONAL
WOMEN'S DAY:
30 Years of
Women in Rotary
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WORLD
ROTARACT DAY
Rotaractors worldwide are celebrating World
Rotaract Day today as the first Rotaract Club founded on March
13th, 1968.
Rotaract originally began as a Rotary
International youth program in 1968 at Charlotte North Rotary
Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, and has grown into a
major Rotary-sponsored organization of over 9,539 clubs spread
around the world and 219,397 members. It is a service, leadership
and community service organization for young men and women
between the ages 18–30. Rotaract focuses on the development of
young adults as leaders in their communities and workplaces.
Clubs around the world also take part in international service
projects, in a global effort to bring peace and international
understanding to the world.
"Rotaract" stands for "Rotary in Action",
although the name originally comes from a combination of
"Rotary" and "Interact" (International +
Action), the high school level program created by Rotary International
in 1962.
Most Rotaract activities take place at
the club level. Rotaract clubs hold formal meetings, usually
every two weeks, which feature speakers, special outings, social
activities, discussions or visits to other clubs. Club members get
together on designated days for service project work, social
events, or professional/leadership development workshops.
The purpose of Rotaract is to provide an
opportunity for young men and women to enhance the knowledge and
skills that will assist them in personal development, to address
the physical and social needs of their communities, and to
promote better relations between all people worldwide through a
framework of friendship and service.
To be eligible for membership,
prospective members must be 18–30 years of age, show that they
are committed to Rotaract, and show that they are of good
standing in the community. After being approved by the club,
prospective members are 'inducted' to become members, also known
as 'Rotaractors'. Clubs generally charge a small annual
membership fee to cover costs.
Rotaract conducts many programs, which
are activities with a charitable purpose. The dual roles of
Rotaract is for young adults (18 to 30 years of age) and college
and university students to "give something back."
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NATIONAL
IMMUNIZATION DAY
Rotary International’s Polio Plus program in
conjunction with the Indian government, the World Health Organization
(WHO), UNICEF and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, each year
host a National Immunization Day throughout India to bring awareness
regarding the dangers of polio, the need for 100% immunization and
other health issues.
Since 1995, these organizations have
achieved record results ending a polio pandemic. Consistent monitoring,
surveillance and the immunization of children under of the age of
five is still critical to keep the polio virus out of the country.
Polio is still active in three countries, Pakistan, Afghanistan and
Nigeria. With a common border with Pakistan and the political
climates there and Afghanistan, immigration, both legal and illegal,
poses critical problems.
Gigi Rolfes, a member of Macon North Rotary,
joined 15 other Rotarians in this year’s National Immunization Day
(N.I.D.). Working with our partners, during the last two weeks of
January, the team visited numerous Rotary sponsored projects
including a cataract hospital, dialysis clinics, schools, hospices
and orphanages throughout India.
The primary focus of the initiative was to
bring lifesaving polio vaccines to children throughout the country.
Our targeted areas were villages northeast of Delhi and in the inner
city of Delhi. During these immunization days, this Rotarian team
vaccinated over 2,400 young children against a crippling, deadly disease.
Not only did we bring lifesaving serum to these children, but small
gifts, toys, health and access information , and a genuine
American smile to let them know that we care and will do our
part in the years to come.
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THE ROTARY FOUNDATION:
BUILDING A FUTURE YOU CAN DEPEND ON
A
Future You Can Depend On
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In unsteady times many people will look for security. The
Rotary Foundation is celebrating its 100th year of service and
provides a proven track record of growth and impact.
In 2016 Rotary was honored for the
fourth time in a row with a four-star rating by Charity
Navigator, recognized as the “World’s Outstanding Foundation”
by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, and ranked
among the top three worldwide charities by CNBC.
As your clients and friends look for a
steady partner this year, please remember that Rotary
is leading the way as a charity you can trust.
Professional staff are available to help with charitable gift
annuities, charitable remainder trusts, gifts of life
insurance, donor advised funds, and other charitable planning.
Celebrate the
Past, Embrace the Present, Build the Future
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Now is
the perfect time for your clients to build on their
personal Rotary legacies. Encourage them to give now and
build the groundwork for the next 100 years of strength and
compassion through Rotary as their fellow club members
across the globe continue the historic Centennial
Celebration.
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March 22, 2017 -
World Water Day
Every year the United Nations
observes World Water Day on March 22. The theme changes annually to
put focus on a certain aspect of water. This year the emphasis is on
Wastewater.
Use the resources at http://www.worldwaterday.org/ to
increase the awareness of the need for clean water and to manage
wastewater more effectively.
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