All Star Tidbits
Pam Lightsey, District Governor
|
|
Our first quarter of the Rotary year has ended and it seems like it just started not too long ago. It is exciting to meet Rotarians from around the district and to see what they are involved with in the communities. It is just as exciting to see how they are part of the bigger organization they belong to which is Rotary International.
I’ve included information received from my classmate in Jamaica that has the Caribbean area as his district. Many parts of our Zone will be devastated by Hurricane Matthew. As soon as I hear from my other classmates, I will be sharing that information with you as well.
October and November are two very important months! October will be special because of the location to telecast the World Polio Day at the CDC in Atlanta. What a GREAT opportunity to share with all Rotarians from around the globe the work that is happening to eradicate this dreadful disease. I’m excited to be part of this event at the CDC. Please consider having a World Polio Day event. You can register your even to be shared in Atlanta! Visit the webpage link provided to get more information. http://www.endpolio.org/
November is Foundation Month and many clubs are preparing to achieve many of the goals during this month. I will be sending more information out, so don’t forget you can do many things to celebrate Foundation Month. There are several clubs working on making their clubs 100% Paul Harris Fellow Clubs. Many clubs are making their $26.50 contribution for each club member to The Foundation next month. There are so many things that can be done to celebrate! PDG/Foundation Chair Ted Thompson has already been traveling to clubs and is willing to make presentations about The Foundation if you need one.
I will be sharing an update about the Million Dollar Dinner in next months newsletter, so stay tuned.
Don’t forget to register for District Conference! I’d like to have 100% participation from all clubs in the district. That doesn’t mean 100% of the club but at least one from every club. I’d love to have at least 10 from every club! Please mark your calendar and come join us for a CELEBRRATION in Jekyll Island. It is going to be unlike any of our conferences. We are incorporating the grants training in a plenary session on Saturday, so don’t forget to sign up! Our President’s Representative has been named and his information is listed.
Thank you again for everything you are doing for Rotary!! Just remember, it only takes one to make a difference.
Pam
2016 District Governor
www.rotarypamlightsey.com
|
|
|
A Note from Our President
Dear fellow Rotarians,
Part of moving Rotary forward means providing you and your clubs with the tools you need to succeed. A project that I’m proud to have launched this year is the upgrade of Rotary Club Central. We’ve listened to your feedback and are currently working to create a platform that is easier, faster, and more user-friendly by 30 June. Updates will be provided as they become available.
There are several upcoming events in the Rotary world. Reconnect Week, 9-15 October, is an opportunity for you to invite Rotary alumni in your community to join you in a celebration or special event that will help strengthen their bond with Rotary. By staying connected with alumni, you not only cultivate new membership opportunities and network with proven leaders, but you also help them find new ways to make a difference through Rotary.
Rotary’s fourth World Polio Day celebration, on 24 October, will highlight the extraordinary progress made in the eradication campaign and emphasize the work that remains before we wipe out the virus for good. Health officials and Rotary’s celebrity polio ambassadors will head to Atlanta, Georgia, USA, for the event, the first to be held at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It will be streamed live and then will be available for viewing at endpolio.org. You can participate by:
- Download the World Polio Day toolkit for information and resources on planning and promoting a successful World Polio Day event, such as a viewing party or fundraiser.
- Register your event here for a chance to be recognized in Atlanta, or to be featured on our website and social media pages.
- Write to local media and government officials. Pitch a story about your club’s contributions to the campaign and remind them why it’s important to keep fighting.
Looking ahead, the Rotary convention will be extra special as we celebrate the centennial of The Rotary Foundation in the city where it was born. I hope you’ll join me in Atlanta, 10-14 June 2017, to look back proudly at a century of being people of action and serving humanity—and look ahead to the challenges Rotary will tackle in the century to come.
You can help make this the most memorable convention yet by inviting your fellow members to register. Visit the online convention promotion kit for tools and ideas. You can also help by sharing your knowledge and experience at a breakout session in Atlanta. Submit your proposal online by 19 September for consideration.
Prior to convention will be the Presidential Peace Conference, 9-10 June, at the Georgia World Congress Center. We’ll celebrate our successes of making peace a priority and work on the underlying causes of conflict while looking ahead to opportunities to continue our commitment to peace. This special two-day event is open to the general public and all preconvention and convention attendees, including Rotary members, Peace Fellows, alumni, youth, and friends of Rotary. Find event information online.
I hope you see these events for what they are: opportunities to celebrate our accomplishments and spread the good work that we do as a part of Rotary Serving Humanity.
Sincerely,
John F. Germ
Rotary International President, 2016-17
|
|
|
Hurricane Assistance
Friends, Hurricane Matthew has ravaaged Haiti and the Bahamas, causing severe devastation to property and loss of life.
Based on reports from Haiti, there have been 5 deaths and approximately 15,000 people displaced with homes, schools, roads bridges and other structures destroyed.
Rotary District 7020 is accepting donations to help the residents of Haiti and The Bahamas rebuild their communities and get them back on their feet again.
For assistance to Haiti, Rotary Clubs can send their donations through the ROTARY FOUNDATION to THE HURRICANE EMERGENCY RELIEF DONOR ADVISED FUND (HER DAF) and for The Bahamas, through the DISTRICT DISASTER FUND.
You can contact Jeremy Hurst, Vance Lewis, Jacqueline J. Heyliger, or Haresh L. Ramchandani for details on how to contribute.
Anything helps.
District Governor Haresh L. Ramchandani
Rotary District 7020
|
|
|
Organize a Rotary Community Corps
A Rotary Community Corps is a group of non-Rotarians who share our commitment to service. RCC members plan and carry out projects in their communities and support local Rotary club projects. By working with RCCs Rotary clubs:
- Find community solutions to community challenges by giving residents the power to take responsibility for improving their village, neighborhood, or city
- Give a project sustainability and longevity by involving residents in every aspect of planning, operation, and monitoring
- Develop leaders by mentoring community residents and having them lead projects
There are more than 8,500 corps in over 90 countries. Some examples of their work:
- The RCC of San Miguel in Guadalajara, Mexico, gives scholarships to high school students from poor families.
- Disabled volunteer members of the RCC of Keon in Cortlandt Manor, New York, USA, plan service activities at a food pantry and dog rescue facility.
- The RCC of Cura Village in Nairobi, Kenya, provides education funding and equipment for a local orphanage.
- The RCC of Genesis Ameligan in Metro Roxas, Capiz, Philippines, helped its sponsor Rotary club build a rainwater filtration system to supply safe drinking water to a community on the Panay River. Its members maintain the system and sell filtered water to generate income to pay for maintenance and other community projects."
HOW DO I JOIN OR ORGANIZE AN RCC?
By joining or organizing an RCC you can make a tremendous impact in your community. RCCs can exist anywhere there is a local club sponsor. You can find an RCC in your area by contacting your local Rotary club. If there isn’t a community corps, discuss the idea of starting one with your local Rotary club president. Learn more about what you can do through a Rotary Community Corps.
HOW DO I SPONSOR AN RCC?
By sponsoring an RCC you are giving a larger segment of your community the opportunity to proactively address issues where they live. Community members with a vested interest in a project are more likely to make sure that the project lives on.
You can form an RCC anywhere non-Rotarians are interested in working with Rotary. Here are some guidelines:
- Assess your community needs. Find out where an RCC could have the biggest impact and what kinds of projects would be most effective.
- Promote the RCC to your club. Make sure you have buy-in from members and outline your club’s role as a sponsor
- Recruit RCC members. Start with a core group of members. Community organizations and nongovernmental agencies are a good place to recruit.
Ask your district Rotary Community Corps chair for help. Request his or her contact information by writing to rotary.service@rotary.org. To sponsor an RCC, complete the Rotary Community Corps organization form and submit it to RI.
COLLABORATE ON PROJECTS
Refer to Lifecycle of a Project resources for help with planning and running projects with your club's RCC. If your joint project needs extra resources, use Rotary Ideas to crowdsource support. Don't forget to spotlight your project's successes on Rotary Showcase. Remember, involving the local community through an RCC can help your club include key sustainability features in a district or global grant.
Read about RCC activities around the world and watch a recording of the webinar Rotary Community Corps: Community Solutions for Community Challenges.
Check our discussion groups to exchange ideas about RCCs.
RESOURCES & REFERENCE
|
|
|
|
The Rotary Foundation Centennial
Celebrate the Foundation’s centennial by making a special contribution to help us reach our goal.
To mark this historic year, we have set a goal of $300 million, including contributions to the Annual, Endowment, and PolioPlus funds. By making a special centennial gift beyond what you normally contribute, you are helping to launch our Foundation into its second century of service. And you’re empowering Rotary members to continue fighting disease, reducing poverty, providing clean water, promoting peace, and advancing economic development in communities all over the world.
Only contributions received between 1 July 2016 and 30 June 2017 will count toward the goal.
Sign in to My Rotary to see your club’s contributions during the centennial year.
|
|
2017 District Conference
March 24-25, 2017 on Jekyll Island, Georgia
Every day’s a new adventure.
Jekyll Island has a legacy of entertaining its guests. With ten miles of sun-drenched beaches (all of them different), four award-winning golf courses, and Georgia’s only rehabilitation center for endangered sea turtles, there’s something for every kind of explorer. Take a tour through the maritime forest. Watch the dolphins play while on a guided kayak excursion. Take a bike ride through the Historic District. From the early settlers to the millionaires to travelers from around the world, Jekyll Island has fascinated everyone who’s ever crossed its barrier shores.
We invite you to join in the experience. Sign up for your District Conference today. Save with early registration discounts. Go to
http://www.rotarydistrict6920.net/District_Conference/2017/conference_home.php for early registration.
Link for hotels will be added as soon as we receive them. Details for Westin and the Hampton Inn are on the way.
Bill Phillips
District Conference Chair 2017
|
|
|
Dues Increase
Each club shall pay to RI per capita dues for each of its members as follows: US$28.00 per half year in 2016-2017, US$30.00 per half year in 2017-2018, US$32.00 per half year in 2018-2019, and US$34.00 per half year in 2019-2020 and thereafter. Such dues shall remain constant until changed by the council on legislation.
|
|
Scholarship Opportunity
The Norwegian Rotary Advisory Board is once again inviting three young Georgia students to study in Norway next summer. We ask that your club try to identify a candidate(s) for this award. The final selection will be made by a committee of Trustees in each District.
Applicants must be single and between the ages of 20 and 24. All applications must have completed their sophomore year of college and be in good health.
The program includes air fares from Atlanta to Oslo and return to Atlanta, a field tour to Bergen (administered by the University of Oslo), room, board and tuition at the International Summer School at the University of Oslo and visiting for one week with Norwegian Rotary host families. The recipients of the scholarships must pay their travel expense to and from Atlanta, plus provide their own personal spending money.
Additional information about the scholarship and requirements can be found online at the Oslo Summer School Website, www.uio.no/summerschool.
Completed application forms must be received by Dec. 31, 2016. Applications should be mailed to The Georgia Rotary Student Program, PO Box 61327, Savannah, GA 31420.
|
|
|
|
Waycross Rotary Club
Waycross Rotary Club President Richard Sowell congratulates new member Jim Dillingham, currently a Commanding Officer, who has dedicated his life to the Salvation Army the past 25. His first opportunity to serve with Rotary is as the new chaplain of the Waycross Rotary Club.
|
|
|
McIntosh County Rotary Club
McIntosh County Rotary Club provides delicious refreshments each year in support of the School Council Training for McIntosh County Schools! Our School Council Members (Principals, Teachers and Parents) are very appreciative of McIntosh County Rotary Club! Pictured are Rotarians Jackie Mull, Diane Martin and Latrelle Peterson Gore.
|
|
|
Savannah East Rotary Club
Savannah East recently welcome Laura Lane McKinnon as a new member to the club. Laura is a SCAD graduate and is the Director of Development at Union Mission here in Savannah. Pictured with Laura is President Elect Ben Brewer.
|
|
|
|
