Friday Night, May 17: University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA) 525 S State St Ann Arbor, MI 48108
5:30–6:30 PM Social Gathering, Meet our Members (ample hors d’oeuvres, as well as wine and beer) We will enter the main entrance (no steps involved) then check in at table. We will then go up the stairs (there is also an elevator) to the main foyer.
6:30 PM Welcome and Congratulations on Creating Hope in the World- 2023-2024!! Opening Remarks- Col Smith, District Governor for District 6380
6:40 PM How Can Art Create Hope in the World- a fun and engaging way to appreciate art.
8:30 PM Conclude and get ready for tomorrow!
Saturday, May 18: University of Michigan Student Union (across the street from the Art Museum- 530 South State Street Ann Arbor, Michigan. Please note- U of M has ramps and elevators. We will be in the BALLROOM:
7:30-8:30 AM Club Hub Set Up (for those that are participating) Please note: Those members coming from long distances can set up at our first break around 10:50 AM.
8:30-9:00 AM Breakfast (rolls, juices coffee)
9:00 AM Opening Ceremonies
9:15 AM Welcome/ Ringing of the Bell-President Mark Foster, Rotary Club of Ann Arbor
9:20 AM President Mark Foster introduces DG Col Smith, District Governor 6380
9:25 AM District Governor Col Smith- Welcome: Creating Hope Through Our Youth Programs
9:30 AM Youth Exchange- District Chair Pattie Courtney and very special guests, our YE students Our very special Youth Exchange Students will share their experiences and how our YE Rotary program made an impact on them.
9:55 AM Rotary Youth Leadership- District Chair Kristina Schofer and very special guests from our recent RYLA program High school students from around our District will share their experiences and how our RYLA program made an impact on them.
10:20- 10:45 AM Interact- Very Special Guests- Interact President Sarah Ketchum, of the Howell Interact Club, and Interact President Adarsh Nadgir, of the Skyline (Ann Arbor North) Interact Club Joining Interact Presidents Sarah and Adarsh will be members of their respective clubs to share their experience with Interact Day in Brighton, Michigan, and their projects they have worked on (successes and challenges). Interact President Adarsh will share why they wanted to set up an Interact Club and how they went about getting support from students, a faculty sponsor, and Ann Arbor Rotary North. Please note- we will be having a Youth Programs table at our Club Hub for those that want to learn more from our Youth leaders.
10:45- 11:15 Rochester Rotary Club- How to make Youth Programs Work Rochester Rotary has had great success in Youth Programs- having their 3 Interact Clubs raise $75,000 for Shelter Box, a very successful Youth Exchange Program, and sending many students to our recent Rotary Youth Leadership. Let’s learn How they do it.
11:15-12:15 PM Club Hub/ Break- Anderson Room- one floor down Enjoy fellowship, meet new friends, and check out the projects/programs of our fellow Rotarians in the Anderson Room- one floor down from the Ballroom.
12:15-1:00 PM Lunch- yes- back up to the Ballroom for lunch
1:00-2:00 PM Keynote Speaker- Leadership Dr. Steven P. Bucci, Colonel, U.S. Army Special Forces (ret.) Dr. Bucci, has had an incredible career in the military, and then made a very successful transition to the private sector. He will share why the importance of service and leadership during youth- plays such an important role for the future. As Rotarians- how can we do better to mentor and provide wonderful leadership opportunities for our youth?
2:15-3:15 PM Keynote Speaker- Leadership/TechnologyDr. Brown is a former GM Executive and is the retired Vice President & Chief Technologist for Delphi Automotive Systems. Dr. Andrew Brown, Jr., serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Center of Automative Research in Ann Arbor. He is a former GM Executive and is the retired Vice President and Chief Technologist for Delphi Automotive Systems. Whether our youth finds passion in an automotive career or just enjoys the fun of driving electric vehicles or hybrids- the developing technology will shape and impact their lives.
3:30-4:20 PM Keynote Speakers on Mental Health
Larry Kenemore, Rotary Club of Arkansas and retired paramedic. Larry is the Representative to the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime Special Consultative Status. This Rotary Group is the only one to have status at the UN, other than Rotary International. Larry is the Rotary Action Group Addiction Prevention- North America Task Force Leader.
Steve Ahles, Rotary Club of Southgate and retired Fire Chief. Steve is currently Board member of Rotary Action Group-Addiction Prevention North America.Please note- Both Larry and Steve were written up in the January issue of our Rotary Magazine with the cover: The Race To Save Lives.
Connie Conklin, Rotary Club of Livingston Sunrise, Executive Director for Livingston County Community Mental Health. I had the pleasure of participating in a zoom call with Connie, and Superintendent Dr. Michael Hubert for Livingston County. Let’s learn what Livingston County and their school district are doing for our youth.
Nicolette Geff, LMSW, EDS has worked in the schools for 25 years. As the Mental Health Coordinator for Livingston Educational Service Agency, she works specifically with both local district teams and community agencies to support, coordinate, and enhance behavioral health programming in the school environment.
4:20- 4:35 PM Special Awards We have some very special awards to recognize individuals in Rotary District 6380
4:35-6:40 PM Club Hub and Social Time! Anderson Room (One Floor Down) Cash Bar Come enjoy fellowship, meet new friends, and learn what our Clubs are doing as we Create Hope in the World!
7:00 PM Dinner: Ballroom
8:00- 9:00 PM Entertainment- Wine, Women and Song!!
Sunday, May 19: Student Union Ballroom
8:30-9:00 AM Breakfast
9:00-9:10 AM Celebration of Life- those we have lost this year.
9:10-9:30 AM Awards DGE Sharna Hatcher and DG Collyer Smith | Special Award/Grants for Creating Hope in the World- DGE Sharna Hatcher
9:30-10:00 AM Rotary International Board of Trustee Marty Helman- Peace Centers
10:00-11:30 AM FOUNDATION CELEBRATION!!!!! Joe Bauman- Foundation Chair
11:30 AM Closing Comments and Box lunch
SPECIAL NOTE: Sat and Sunday will be at the newly $87 million dollar renovation--Michigan Student Union Building! You don't want to miss it!
Nominations are now open for the 2024 Northrup Humanitarian Award. In 2018, the Rotary Club of Ann Arbor established the Northrup Award. The award is presented to an individual/s who has made a long-term sustainable contribution to humanitarian efforts in local, national or international arenas
The service provided should be personal, not just an administrative contribution. Nominations may be submitted by members of the community as well as Rotarians. Nominations are just one page in length and easy to complete. Nominations will be reviewed by a Selection Committee composed of Rotarians and Community Leaders.
Monday, February 19 - Registration is open for our Rotary District 6380 Conference- May 17, 18, and 19 in the top college/university city in the world. This detailed research is based on no other rationale, other than me living here since 1995.
RYLA 2024 will be on April 19-21, 2024 at Camp Copneconic in Fenton, MI.
Planning for 2024 has already started and, our new program is going one of the best that District 6380 & 6400 has ever seen! High school students from your community need to be a part of it! Register Today!
REGISTRATION OPEN - RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) 2024
REGISTRATION FOR 2024 GLRPETS opens December 1, 2023 Early Registration $275 | December 1, 2023 to January 31, 2024 Registration $300 | February 1 to February 29, 2024 Late Registration $325 | March 1 to March 6, 2024 Registration Closes at 5 pm on March 6, 2024
Livingston Twilight Rotary (aka Rotary Satellite Club of Brighton Sunset) is proud to present THREE MEN and a TENOR - December 2, 2023 - 3:00PM at 2|42 Community Church in Brighton.
Developing communication and leadership skills have never been more important for our high school students. And just as important, is that we all support our future leaders.
Please attend Interact Day with your Interact Group. And if you don't have an Interact Group- consider reaching out to your high school so that they may learn how Interact High Schools participate.
I'm excited to report the outstanding efforts of Rochester Rotary Club's own David Archbold and Tom Neveau in promoting our D6380 Youth Exchange Program in the Rochester schools and community. Multiple media, email and in-person Q&A opportunities were made available. With great response! Kudos and thank you for all your efforts. IS YOUR CLUB ENGAGED IN YOUTH EXCHANGE? BE A PART OF THIS IMPORTANT MOVEMENT IN BUILDING PEACE, FUTURE LEADERS AND ROTARIANS! Contact Pattie Courtney (Livingston Sunrise Rotary Club) pcjohn15@yahoo.com.
WE LOVE ROTARY YOUTH EXCHANGE!! Hats off to Rochester Rotary Club!
The epidemic of addiction and overdose is the number one health crisis affecting this country today. Deaths caused by opioid overdoses increased 28% in Washtenaw County between 2020 and 2021, according to the Washtenaw County Health Department. The first steps in addressing this crisis are to recognize that it affects all of us and the need to work together to remove the stigma attached to addiction.
Chelsea Rotary Club is taking an active role in addressing mental health challenges and their impact on substance abuse disorder. On November 9, at 7 pm, the Chelsea Rotary Club is hosting a must-see event in the Chelsea High School Auditorium (740 N. Freer Road,Chelsea, MI 48118) around a free screening of the documentary We Can Be Heroes (WCBH). This presentation is an opportunity to learn and hear stories of the links between mental health and addiction.
As I visit our Rotary Clubs, Rotary International President, Gordon McInally's theme of Create Hope In the World has truly resonated within all of us.
I am so very pleased to announce that Gordon will be joining us on a very special Mental Health Webinar:
Rotarians- Make a Difference on Mental Health
This webinar event will take place on October 10th from 7:00-8:30 PM ET. Registration and details are attached.
Please Invite friends, guests, Interactors, Rotaractors, fellow Rotarians to attend! The participants are at the very highest level of their professions.
I would like to thank my colleague, District Governor Tina Chapman, from the great state of Maine, for making this webinar possible. AS you will see- this event will cover many, many Districts throughout the world. I hope we can have great representation.
Together, let's crush the Stigma on Mental Health-
Col
PS- One of the panelists will hopefully look very familiar to you!
For the first time in 4 years, the Central States Rotary Youth Exchange Conference and Jamboree was held at Calvin University in Grand Rapids. Students and Rotary Exchange volunteers from 20 different districts gathered for one last training weekend filled with fun, inspiration and teaching.
The Rotary Club of Chatham is thrilled to present a cheque for $250,000 in support of the Children’s Treatment Centre (CTC) Butterfly building campaign.President Jennifer Hill emphasized the importance of giving back to the community and supporting local children has always been a cornerstone of the club. One in five children in Chatham-Kent currently access the services that the CTC provides.
Rotary Club of Chatham donates $250,000 to the Children’s Treatment Centre of Chatham-Kent
April 26 was a great day to be a Rotarian as RCAA presented the Robert S Northrup Humanitarian Award to Dr. Robert Nelson. Dr. Nelson was inspired to improve vision to people around the world, after visiting Haiti many years ago as an optometry student at Michigan College of Optometry.. He participated in an International trip with VOSH ( Voluntary Optometric Services to Humanity), a non-profit organization providing vision services to those who may not have the resources or access to vision care. Since that first visit, Dr. Nelson has made 50 trips with VOSH to Egypt, Kenya, Guatemala, Mexico, Dominica, Haiti, Peru, Latvia, St Lucia, Grenada, Panama, Jamaica, Wise, VA. and Detroit. After the Northrup Award presentation, Dr. Edwards shared his reflections about his work bringing better vision to many around the world. VOSH is an excellent resource to recruit optometrists for these vision clinics.
Dr. Nelson also recruits other professionals, Rotarians and volunteers to assist in the clinics. Many clinics see over 2000+ clients over 5 days. Services include eye exams, screening for eye conditions, and providing glasses to improve vision for all who attend. Dr. Nelson works with local Rotary Clubs in the country where the clinic is held. Local clubs arrange all the logistics for the clinic including location, advertising, necessary permits, and traffic flow through the clinic. Local clubs also provide follow-up to clients for glasses, medication, etc. Where possible, Dr. Edwards works with local Schools of Optometry, their faculty, and their students to increase the sustainability of the projects. Dr. Nelson also shared some photos and highlights of his clinic in Egypt, again working with local Rotary Clubs to bring these services to as many people as possible. Many of the Rotarian guests had participated in a vision clinic. Dr. Edwards has been a practicing optometrist for thirty years and is a Lieutenant Colonel, retired from the US Air Force. Dr. Edwards has been a Rotarian for 32 years. He is past president of the Fowlerville club, served as an Assistant Governor for District 6380 and he is currently a member of the Highway M 36 Rotary Club. Dr. Edwards truly demonstrates Service Above Self.
2023 Robert S Northrup Award presented to Dr. Nelson Edwards
At its April 17, 2023 meeting, District 6380 Assistant District Governor Ken Corlett presented every member of the Ridgetown Rotary Club with both a certificate and a lapel pin recognizing them as members of District 6380’s PolioPlus Society. Ken noted that the Ridgetown club was the only club within District 6380’s 44 clubs that had 100% of its members donating to the PolioPlus Society. The purpose of the Society is to encourage Rotary members to give a minimum of $100 US a year to the PolioPlus fund until we achieve our goal of eradicating polio. Rotary International has been active in the elimination of polio worldwide for over 35 years and that eradication is so close to being complete. Rotary International volunteers have helped immunize more than 2.5 billion children against polio in 122 countries. The number of polio cases has been reduced by 99.9 % worldwide. Of the 3 strains of wild poliovirus (type 1, type 2 and type 3), wild poliovirus type 2 was eradicated in 1999 and wild poliovirus type 3 was eradicated in 2020. As of 2022, endemic wild poliovirus type 1 remains in two countries: Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Rotary Club of Ridgetown Members Receive PolioPlus Society Pins
Join us (Rotary Club of Ann Arbor) July 22 - 30 in Guatemala to visit Rotary International Humanitarian projects, Mayan Ruins and the UNESCO Heritage Site, Antigua, Guatemala. We will stay at the beautiful Jardines del Lago on lake Atitlan, visit Rotary projects, and more. The Rotary e-Club of lake Atitlan has arranged an optional volunteer activity to install a small solar system on a home that never had electricity. Contact John Barrie for more details. email: jsbarrie@gmail.com
Clawson Rotary dedicated 2 Shelter Boxes destined for earthquake survivors in Turkey and Syria. Their caring donation is in memory of Alexandria Verner, a local victim of the February 13th shootings on the Michigan State University Campus.
Solicitation for Nominations: Robert S. Northrup Humanitarian Award
In 2018, the Rotary Club of Ann Arbor created an award to be given annually to a person in the area meeting the criteria outlined below in celebration of the exceptional humanitarian service provided by Ann Arbor Rotarian Dr. Robert S. Northrup.
Read more about it to nominate people you think would be great recipients!
I am honored and pleased to share with you that the 2025-2026 District Governor Nominating Committee met this morning and chose Assistant Governor Wendy Jones of Anchor Bay as D6380 District Governor Nominee-Designee (DGND). I thank the Nominating Committee for doing their due diligence in interviewing a good set of qualified candidates which made the Committee’s decision very tough.
Wendy Jones will hold the title of District Governor Nominee Designate (DGND) until July 1, when she will assume the title of District Governor Nominee (DGN). This announcement begins a 14-day period of publication for input and challenge prior to formal notice of Wendy Jones selection to Rotary International.
Wendy has served as President of Anchor Bay Rotary during 2020-21 and 2021-22. Her club received the RI Presidential Citation for both years she was the President. She was also the co-chair of the Ukraine Fundraiser which raised $16,000 and was donated to Shelter Box. At present, Wendy is the Assistant Governor for 2022-23 for Sector 7 which includes Auburn Hills, Pontiac, Clarkston and Waterford Rotary Clubs. Wendy serves as one of the Ambassadors for the upcoming District Conference planned for May 5 – 7, 2023.
Professionally, Wendy is a realtor of over 20 years in eastern Michigan. She is also the liaison for Real Estate One Chesterfield Charitable Foundation, which gives her the opportunity to work within her communities and surrounding areas on fundraising for nonprofit organizations. Wendy has worked and volunteered in her community since 1985 for many organizations and has received the Anchor Bay Chamber of Commerce Gold Medal Award. She served as a board of director and ambassador for the Chamber of Commerce for several years as well as served on the community board for over 14 years. She also serves on Chesterfield Township Zoning Board of Appeals since 2014 and Board of Review since 2010.
Please join me in congratulating Wendy Jones.
Your Servant in Rotary
Bala Murthy
Imagine Rotary With the Joy of Service and Giving
District Governor 2022-23, RID 6380
President, Rotary International Travel & Hosting (ITHF) Fellowship
Imm. Past Chairman, Rotary Yoga & Meditation Fellowship
Highway M-36, Motorcycling Rotarians, Bleinuim, Ann Arbor North, Livingston Sunrise, Clarkston, and Lyon Area traveled to Egypt to help provide much-needed eye care. Click to read more!
On Saturday, November 5, the three Rotary Clubs in Ann Arbor and Kids Coalition Against Hunger (KCAH) combined to conduct an area-wide service project. Click to read more!
On November 4 and 5 the Rotary Club of Clarkston will again be seen on the streets and stores of Clarkston “selling” their Clarkston Rotary newspaper, which describes the activities of their club over the past year.
On Saturday, D6380 hosted the One Rotary Summit which was well attended by Rotarians across many, many clubs. District Trainer (DT) and PDG Karen Gabrys moderated a panel discussions which included District Foundation Chair (DRFC) Ashish Sarkar, District Membership Chair (DMC) Roma Murthy and District Public Image Chair (DPIC) Kat Dooley.
Heartiest and Happiest New Rotary Year to all our Rotary Family and “Team - Imagine Rotary” as we begin our “Effectiveness to Greatness” journey. We will “Imagine Rotary In Our Joy of Service and Giving” throughout 2022-23.
Each of our Club Presidents, Assistant Governors, District Chairs and their teams are excited to lead our Rotarians and bring all families together in our quest to serve our communities.
All our events will be family centric and involve having lots and lots of fun while enjoying fellowship and working together.
Please watch this 3 minute video on our onward journey together.
Let the fun and service begin!
Imagine Rotary - A message from District Governor Bala
On Sunday April 19, 2022 Rotary Club of Ann Arbor members faced the cold morning to volunteer supporting Hire MI Vet at the University of Michigan’s Big House 5K Run.
On Wednesday, April 27, it was a great day to be a Rotarian as RCAA celebrated the Robert S Northrup Humanitarian Awards. Dr. Henry Maicki and Manish Mehta, PhD told inspiring stories of how their humanitarian service improved the lives of others.
Pictured are some of the Rotary Club of Saline crew as well as members and leaders of Boy Scout Troop 446, Saline, Michigan, who are sponsored by the Club.
The group picked up litter along a two mile stretch of Maple Road from Textile Road to Ellsworth Road, one of the gateways to Saline, on April 23, 2021.
The club has now completed its third clean-up of the 2021/2022 Rotary fiscal year under the auspices of the Washtenaw County Road Commission Adopt-A-Road program!
Click photo to see more information about Adopt-A-Road.
On April 23, 2022, the Rotary District 6380 celebrated Earth Day by having an Environmental Workday at Vestergaard Farms located at 4408 S. Wagner Rd. Ann Arbor.
Scott Nelson talked about Rotary's new seventh Area of Focus Environmental and a project he participates in called Plant Based Diet.
Max Vestergaard talked about the Vestergaard Farm. It is a family run farm which practices pasture-based farming with rotational grazing, prioritizing the well-being of our livestock. Their animals are raised humanely, sustainably and processed locally.
T.C. Collins then talked about Willow Run Acres and how he started his organization. Willow Run Acres offers educational/gardening classes for all skills/age levels, garden safety classes, yearly Potato Day Programs, food distribution, service the community with weekly/monthly clean-up sessions, gardening wellness sites, role modeling/mentor opportunities, and other community engagements.
After the three talked the group went out to T.C. 's gardening beds and the Rotarian's wedded, mulched and moved beds.
The day ended with a lunch with Jimmy Jone's Sandwich's, chips and cookies.
This week Rotary is rolling out Rachel systems to 15 schools in Soloma and Barillas Guatemala. This includes teaching the teachers.
4 schools of Barillas received their respective Rachel Library on April 21, 2022. This tool is equivalent to having 1 terabyte of info available. Or whatever it is we could print 1 million books coming on this library's hard drive.
For Rotary District 6380's connection to Rachel Systems contact Peter Tanner of Chatham Rotary Club.
At its April 14, 2022 33rd Annual Saline Salutes awards ceremony and dinner, the Saline Area Chamber of Commerce awarded Monica Van Overmeer its Citizen of the Year Award. Eleven Rotary Club of Saline members attended the ceremony and dinner in support of Monica.
Click photo for story from the Saline Salutes event
On April 16, 2022, the Rotary Club of Saline handed out treats to local children and Rotary information to parents at the Saline Parks & Recreation's Springfest Hippity Hop Trail. Click herefor Facebook post
Latest Update From The District On The Ukraine Crisis:
On April 19, 2022 our District Governor, Brenda Tipton, called a special Finance Committee meeting to review our efforts in the Ukraine relief.
What we know:
A shelter with several thousand people, mostly children and women in Mariupol destroyed. This building was marked “children” in Russian language. Still do not know how many perished
Major cities including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odessa and now western city of Lviv are being constantly bombarded from open skies ending in a lot of injuries and death.
The authorities are opening orphanages within Ukraine for the children.
Desperately needed medicines and medical supplies needed in hospitals to take care of the injured.
There is scarcity of food and other essential supplies.
Over five million refugees have escaped to other countries, but Ukraine is a country of almost forty-four million. So, thirty-nine million people are still in Ukraine without any hope for the future. They need direct help from us.
Our District Rotary Foundation Chair, Ashish Sarkar, coordinated with the Foundation Committee, to donate $8,000 in direct relief for Ukraine. In addition, Governor Tipton asked our Finance Committee to review how they too can donate to Ukraine. After much review and due diligence, the Finance Committee voted unanimously to donate $24,000 in relief in our Ukraine efforts.
The total amount approved by District 6380 is $42,000 in relief which will provide direct aid to Ukraine.
This donation is part of a District effort and adds to the amazing efforts and personal donations already given from many Rotarians, the clubs and others to the Ukraine Disaster Fund as well as Shelter Box.
In addition, District 6380 is finalizing plans for Rotary International General Secretary/CEO John Hewko as guest speaker at our Rotary 6380 District Conference - It's All About The Clubs!, on May 21, 2022 at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi. John’s Dad was a member of the Clarkston Rotary Club and was key to the creation of the first Rotary club in Ukraine. In addition to his RotaryInternational duties, John is a member of the Rotary Club of Ukraine.
From John Hewko: A webinar on welcoming families from Afghanistan and Ukraine to the United States:
Rotary International would like to invite you to an informational webinar regarding the welcoming process for families and people who are coming to the United States from Afghanistan and Ukraine. The webinar will include the following:
Orientation to the Welcome.US platform. Rotary has partnered with Welcome.US, a new national initiative built to inspire, mobilize, and empower Americans from all corners of the country to welcome and support those seeking refuge in the United States. The platform provides direct service opportunities to donate housing, airline miles, and supplies; serve as a welcomer to new community members; and directly sponsor Ukrainians.
Presentation of Rotary resources available to Rotary members to assist their efforts, including information on the disaster response funding mechanism. Regional Grants Officers will be available to answer questions.
Discussion with members of the Rotary Action Group for Refugees, Forced Displacement and Migration about the type of support the Action Group members can provide to your club/district.
Rotary members are using their connections to collect, ship, and coordinate the delivery of critical medical supplies to Ukraine. Two cargo planes packed with medical equipment, including an ambulance, have already flown from Chicago to Europe, where unloading and delivery to hospitals were led by members in and outside of Ukraine. See story called "Rotary clubs unite across continents to collect and deliver medial aid to Ukraine".
Rotary's Network Enables Rapid Humanitarian Relief For Ukrainian Refugees:
As refugees continue to flee the war in Ukraine, Rotary's network of clubs in surrounding countries work to provide humanitarian relief. From transportation efforts to coordinating food, water, and shelter-- members are working to provide aid in response to the escalating humanitarian hardship. To learn more about clubs' local efforts and how you can support CLICK HERE.
With these words on April 12, 1955, Dr. Thomas Francis Jr., director of the Poliomyelitis Vaccine Evaluation Center at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, announced to the world that the Salk polio vaccine was up to 90% effective in preventing paralytic polio.
Dr. Francis made the announcement to a crowd of scientists and reporters at the University of Michigan's Rackham Auditorium, concluding his two-year national field trials of the poliomyelitis vaccine developed by his former student, Jonas Salk. Francis was chair of the School of Public Health Department of Epidemiology where Salk did postgraduate training. Over 1,800,000 children participated in the field trials, which were unprecedented in magnitude.
The event was held on the tenth anniversary of the passing of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, one of the most well-known victims of polio.
This article is dedicated to keeping the story alive since it's been over 60 years since polio has been much of a concern to parents in the U.S.
Finally SPRING is in the air and right around the corner WooWoo!! The District would like to personally invite you, your family and friends to this year’s
Rotary District 6380 Environmental Work Days in both the US and Canada
Saturday April 23, 2022.
This District-sponsored all Member Work Day will celebrate, support and bring awareness to our Rotary's Seventh Area of Focus - the Environment. The District is having an outdoor hands-on project at Vestergaard Farms in Ann Arbor and request the participation of all District Rotarians, Family and Friends.
Project Lead - Scott Nelson, snelson@usgs.gov, from Ann Arbor North.
The day will include the following elements:
Fun, Fellowship and Fresh Air
Education about the project and the site
Assembling the FarmBot | Open-Source CNC Farming- The FarmBot is a precision agriculture robot farming machine. aims to create an open and accessible technology aiding everyone to grow food and to grow food for everyone.
Cleaning up the raised beds
Spreading wood mulch
Food- Lunch and Drinks will be provided
This project is a District Grant partnering Rotary Clubs with Willow Run Acres operated by T.C. Collins and Vestergaard Farms. Willow Run Acres area is an educational farm focused on teaching kids how to connect with nature and the origin of their food.
CLICK HERE to see more information on the District Grant and T.C. Collins.
Date: Saturday April 23, 2022
Time: 9:00am - 2:00pm
Place: Vestergaard Farms Market, 4408 S. Wagner Rd, Ann Arbor MI 48103
Saturday morning until 9 AM the forecast is for rain. This will not affect our work day but volunteers will get dirty. Please wear old clothes that you do not care if they get damaged or dirty.
Finally SPRING is in the air and right around the corner WooWoo!!
The District would like to personally invite you, your family and friends to this year’s Rotary District 6380 Environmental Work Days in both the US and Canada on Saturday April 23, 2022.
Click flyer for story and registration information.
It is a tragic and sad time for the people of Ukraine and the world.
At Rotary, we are deeply concerned by the deteriorating situation in Ukraine and the escalating loss of life and humanitarian hardship there. Continued military action against Ukraine will not only devastate the region, but also risk spreading tragic consequences across Europe and the world.
As one of the world’s largest humanitarian organizations, we have made peace the cornerstone of our global mission. We join the international community in calling for an immediate cease fire, withdrawal of Russian forces, and a restoration of diplomatic efforts to resolve this conflict through dialogue.
In the past decade, Rotary clubs in Ukraine, Russia and nearby countries have transcended national differences and have actively engaged in peace-building projects to promote goodwill and to marshal assistance for the victims of war and violence.
Today, our thoughts are with our fellow Rotary members and others in Ukraine coping with these tragic events. Rotary International will do everything in its power to bring aid, support and peace to the region.
Want more, the following is more information and links you may want to look at:
Rotary's Network Enables Rapid Humanitarian Relief For Ukrainian Refugees:
As refugees continue to flee the war in Ukraine, Rotary's network of clubs in surrounding countries work to provide humanitarian relief. From transportation efforts to coordinating food, water, and shelter-- members are working to provide aid in response to the escalating humanitarian hardship. To learn more about clubs' local efforts and how you can support CLICK HERE
Rotary Partners Efforts In The Ukraine Crisis:
ShelterBox:
Right now, ShelterBox teams are in the process of working on three different projects: people who have fled their homes, but remain in Ukraine, People who have remained in damaged buildings in Ukraine and are in need of supplies that will help them survive and finally, ShelterBox will be supporting refugees who have fled to neighboring countries. The situation in Ukraine is changing so fast that I encourage you to go to the ShelterBox website to find out the latest in supplies being provided. Shelter Box website is at https://www.shelterboxusa.org.
To donate to Shelter Box's efforts in Ukraine CLICK HERE.
Habitat For Humanity:
Habitat for Humanity the week of March 4th, began distributing hotel vouchers to families fleeing the violence in Ukraine as the humanitarian housing organization ramps up its efforts to reduce the vulnerability of refugees and meet their shelter needs in Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. For more information CLICK HERE.
We are so excited to announce and ask that you mark your calendar and attend our upcoming District 6380 InspireX Speaker Series Event
This month the committee team will present "The Impact and History of Women in Rotary" This info charged event will be presented with videos and words from International Leaders as well as a panel of District 6380 Men and Women addressing your questions and giving their experience of the Impact that allowing Women to join Rotary has given.
Messages from:
Jennifer Jones- First Women Rotary International President 22-23
Dr Sylvia Whitlock- First Women Club President, 87-88.
Virginia Nordby- First Women District Governor, 95-96, and current member of Rotary Club of Ann Arbor North.
Discussions with:
Dean Rohrs, Trustee Rotary Foundation, 20-23.
Mav Sanghvi, Past District Governor 6380, 87-88.
BrendaK "Woo Woo" Tipton, District Governor 6380, 21-22.
Join us at this first ever Rotary District 6380 assembly to discuss what young people can do to promote peace in their schools and communities.
Guest Speakers Devankar Mukhi, Wayne State Center for Peace and Conflict Studies/Wayne State Rotaract Club founder and Reem Ghunaim, Executive Director for the Rotary Action Group for Peace/Rotary Peace Fellow will share their stories.
Learn how you can be a part of next September's Peace Conference organized by the Rotary District 6380 Peace Committee.
The winner of the second CASHCASH BACK$$... is Melanie Moses.
This years District Conference Registrations are filling up quickly. So to celebration your District Conference Committee Chairs offered a second chance which ended on April 15th to win a Cash back offering of $50.00!!
District 6380 Conference Celebration "It's All about the Clubs and Members"
This event is going to be an amazing time to reconnect, share ideas and have some much needed in person FUN!
Date: Friday May 20, 2022
Time: 5:00pm - 9:00pm Place: Paradise Park Amusement Center 45799 Grand River Ave, Novi, MI 48374
Date: Saturday May 21, 2022
Time: 8:00am - 9:00pm Place: Suburban Showplace Collection 46100 Grand River Ave, Novi, MI 48374
Specially blocked District 6380 Hotel Rooms can be reserved directly with the Hyatt Place located in the Suburban Showplace Collection 46100 Grand River Ave, Novi, MI 48374 .
Make your Hotel Reservations at Hyatt Hotel or call 1-800-233-1234
Be sure to reference Group Code: G-RD22
Don't forget to Engage, Excite and most importantly HAVE FUN. I really look forward to seeing you all and hearing about your clubs at this soon to be amazing event and have also attached the flyer for distribution. WooWoo!!
Detailed info for all activities can be found on our District Website: rotary6380.org
The first winner of the WIN CASHBACK$$... SWEEPSTAKES that registered for the conference before March 15th was Paul Schissler. Congratulations!
Celebrate our Rotary International Foundation: The Rotary Zone 28 & 32 Virtual Gala & Fundraiser Even.
Let's Make History at our Rotary Foundation Zone Gala - 2022
Join our hosts, Rotary International Vice President Valarie Wafer, and TRF Trustee, Dean Rohrs, for our Fundraising Gala on Wednesday, February 23, 2022, at 8:00 pm ET.
Our hosts will be joined by RI President-Elect Jennifer Jones, Director-Elect Drew Kessler, and our MC for the evening, Past-Director Jeffry Cadorette.
Pictured is the Rotary Club of Saline crew who participated in the "Kids Coalition Against Hunger" food packaging event at Christ Our King Lutheran Church, Saline, Michigan on February 19, 2022.
Our group helped package 30,000 food packets, each 390 grams to provide sufficient nutrition for 6 adults or 12 children.
They will be distributed locally, internationally and stored for disaster relief! "Kids Coalition Against Hunger" is a humanitarian food relief organization whose mission is to significantly reduce the number of hungry children in the USA and feed starving children throughout the world.
Ever wonder where our club compares to others in Michigan in terms of total membership? How about the total number of Rotarians in Michigan clubs compared to those in other states? Which clubs are the biggest in the US? Ponder no further.
By clicking the photo below you will get the answer.
Spoiler alert: You probably knew The Rotary Club of Ann Arbor is the biggest in Michigan. The runner up is likely one you won’t guess easily.
The District 6380, 6400 & 6600 Peace Committees in conjunction with the Wayne State University for Peace and Conflict Studies will be hosting a District wide virtual Seminar on Thursday May 24, 2022 relating to Gun Control Violence and Prevention.
This seminar is one of three Pre-Conference events "Taking Action for Peace" Conference slated for September 2022.
This event is open to any and all Rotarians, family, friends as well as other Districts.
The District 6380, 6400 & 6600 Peace Committees in conjunction with the Wayne State University for Peace and Conflict Studies will be hosting a District wide virtual Seminar on Thursday May 24, 2022 relating to Gun Control Violence and Prevention.
How can youth become peace influencers in their schools and communities? The District 6380 Interact Committee and Peace Committee are joining forces to host a virtual conversation.
All youth are invited to participate.
Attendees must register (Click on flyer below) in order to receive the Zoom link.
This morning, the Bloomfield Hills Rotary Club went out to the Holly National Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery to help participate in the big clean up of thousands of wreaths for the conclusion of the big Christmas charity even “Wreaths Across America.
The Four-Way Test was adopted by Rotary in 1943, but it had been around since 1932 when it was coined by Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor when he was asked to take charge of a company that was facing bankruptcy.
This 24-word test for employees to follow in their business and professional lives became the guide for sales, production, advertising, and all relations with dealers and customers, and the survival of the Club Aluminum company is credited to this simple philosophy. After it was adopted by Rotary, the Four-Way Test has been translated into more than a hundred languages and published in thousands of ways.
Click here or on the image below for the Story Behind the Four-Way Test, in Taylor’s own words.
Taking Action for Peace Conference: Upcoming Pre-Conference Events:
The September 23-24, Taking Action for Peace Conference will include a number of pre-conference events. The first, on January 26, is hosted by District 6400's Peace Connection. Click image below to register for the pre-conference event.
District 6380's Peace Committee will host the next program on February 24, on Preventing Gun Violence. Mark your calendars and join us!
Click image for link to register for the pre-conference event.
Rotary Club of Ann Arbor North, Rotary Club of Detroit and Rotary Club of Pune Metro‘s, partners again in a Global Grant project titled “ICU Upgradation”, which was inaugurated Dec 18, 2021 by D3131 Governor Rashmi Kulkarni at Sane Guruji Hospital in Hadapsar, Pune (India).
The project has helped this community hospital serving many rural poor of Maharashtra with significantly enhanced new medical treatment facilities.
The ever-energetic Past President Rotarian Makarand Phadke was instrumental in organizing this needed project, which got completed in record time, in anticipation of COVID’s Third Wave…
Rotary Club of Ann Arbor North, Rotary Club of Detroit and Rotary Club of Pune Metro‘s, partners again in a Global Grant project titled “ICU Upgradation”, which was inaugurated Dec 18, 2021 by D3131 Governor Rashmi Kulkarni at Sane Guruji Hospital in Hadapsar, Pune (India).
We see the decision to vaccinate as a civic and humanitarian imperative. Rotary is not a political or religious organization, it is a service organization and this is the lens through which we are advising you of our position.
Global vaccination is the path to ending the pandemic and the emergence of new variants. Rotary endorses and strongly encourages vaccination for all individuals including our members who are currently able to be vaccinated against COVID-19. In areas where COVID-19 is surging, communities are facing extreme challenges, health systems are overwhelmed, and contentious rhetoric is dividing us. It is critical that the virus be contained so that the world may begin to heal. To that end, the purpose of this statement is to reinforce Rotary’s position.
Misinformation has become an “infodemic” that hinders the fight against COVID-19. In line with our Four-Way Test, Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation are committed to providing our members with science-based information.
Rotary International staff at One Rotary Center were required to be vaccinated by 10 October 2021, as a criterion for employment after that date. RI’s employee vaccination rate stands at over 99 percent.
Globally, Rotary is actively engaged in assuring equity in vaccine access to all people. Our efforts have included advocacy with the G-20, and a proof-of-concept program with GAVI/COVAX to leverage our frontline experience with polio eradication to facilitate vaccine delivery in several low- and middle-income countries where Rotarians are active. While we know many clubs are already deeply involved in COVID-19 prevention, we are working on additional strategies to multiply our collective efforts. GAVI/COVAX is a partnership including WHO and UNICEF focused on global access and delivery of COVID-19 vaccines.
Those children for whom vaccines are not currently available are at significant risk. Until vaccines are available for all children, the vaccination of adults is the best way to protect children who cannot be vaccinated. Pediatric admissions for COVID-19 are rising precipitously in areas of low vaccination.
Rotary salutes health care workers everywhere as they continue to provide lifesaving services. Local recognition of these heroes by each of our clubs can help to encourage them to continue their important work. Rotary abhors any harassment and attacks on healthcare workers.
Rotary and Rotaract clubs are encouraged to: (1) set good examples by being exemplary role models; (2) redouble their efforts to support COVID-19 treatment, prevention, and vaccination efforts.
Vaccines have proven to be one of the greatest advances of modern medicine. The World Health Organization estimates that vaccines save between 2 to 3 million children’s lives each year, and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative estimates the polio vaccine has saved more than 19 million children from paralysis. Vaccines are safe, effective and are responsible for eliminating or controlling many other vaccine-preventable diseases such as smallpox, measles, rubella, and Ebola. And now, there is the opportunity to end the COVID-19 pandemic through vaccines.
The eradication of polio remains a goal of the highest order for Rotary. We can apply the lessons we have learned in fighting polio to the efforts in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Regards,
Shekhar Mehta John Germ
President, Rotary International Chair, The Rotary Foundation
CC: RI Board of Directors & Directors-elect, TRF Board of Trustees and incoming Trustees, District Governors-elect, Club Presidents-elect, Regional Leaders, COVID-19 Task Force, International PolioPlus Committee, Communications Committee
I am honored and privileged to announce that longtime Rotarian and member of the Rotary Club of Auburn Hills, Past Assistant Governor and current Regional Membership Lead Sharna Hatcher, will serve in this esteemed role leading our District in the year of 2024-2025.
Sharna will hold the title of District Governor Nominee Designate (DGND) until July 1, 2022. She then will assume the title of District Governor Nominee (DGN) serving as the District Governor Nominee in 2022-23, District Governor Elect in 2023-24 and District Governor in 2024-2025.
Also confirmed is PDG Jane McManus, who will fill the position of Vice Governor for 2022-2023.
Houston, which calls itself “the city with no limits,” reflects the limitless impact of our work in Rotary. Create change within yourself, your community, and the world. Join your family, friends, and fellow Rotary members and explore what’s possible at the Rotary International Convention.
No matter who you are or where you’re from, you’re bound to find inspiration throughout the convention. It’s an experience unlike any other Rotary event, and it will renew your commitment to service and leadership. Make new friends and connect with old ones while exploring the diverse city of Houston or the House of Friendship. Make global connections that ignite local action at all the convention events.
Don’t miss your chance to Discover New Horizons and join us in Houston, Texas, USA, 4-8 June 2022.
Registration for the Convention:
Rotary International Conference 2022 - Houston, TX
The Rochester (MI) Rotary Club, and the Accra-Spintex Rotary Club, completed a solar power project in the Alokpassta Chips Compound in Nkwanta South District, Ghana.
Click photo for press release.
CLICK HERE for article from The Oakland Press called "The lights go on: Rotary clubs install solar panels to bring electricity to Ghana district".
On September 12th, Fowlerville Rotary hosted their 70th annual Dawn Patrol!!! Rotarians and other volunteers get together to serve a KILLER breakfast for the entire village.
The environment is a significant area of focus for Rotarians across the globe. Admirable efforts are underway to address environmental issues with education, policy, and through the support of activities that improve sustainability and create a synchronicity between our communities and the environment.
In the spirit of this Rotary focus and supporting these goals, the Rotary Club of Ann Arbor recently led two cleanup projects in the Ann Arbor area. A Huron River shoreline cleanup, and a highway cleanup on I94.
Foundation and Membership Celebration Gala is November 9, 2021.
Lets celebrate our Foundation and Membership teams from District 6380 and District 6400.
Your hosts, Governor BrendaK "WooWoo" Tipton (6380) and Governor Aruna Kousik (6400), are planning a fun evening with auctions, 50/50, awards and much much more!
Also included in your registration is your chance to purchase 50/50 Raffle ticket of which if chosen will have the option of Cash or one of the AUCTION ITEMS!
This celebration evening will be unlike any other and will feature incoming Rotary President Elect Jennifer Jones and PolioPlus Director Michael McGovern guiding us through an evening of recognitions, fundraising, auctions, re-inductions, and much much more
The Rotary Foundation’s mission is to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding, good will and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education and the alleviation of poverty. We have the ability to come together and make a huge impact. Our Foundation is very unique in the way that it is structured. The money that is given to the annual fund this year is invested for three years and will come back to the District in the form of District Designated Funds. This is how our District Grants are funded.
for a conversation with noted FDR author, James Tobin
October 20 at 7:00pm
Tickets required. Admission cost is a donation of any amount. Your donation will go directly to PolioPlus. Admission ticket bundled with a signed copy of your choice of books is also available.
For more information and to purchase tickets click on photo
Rotary International (RI) approved earlier this year a global grant submitted by RC of Ann Arbor. This grant will build three elevated borehole water Kporkuve Community in the Volta Region of Ghana in West Africa,
Picture below is Angi Petraszko, Jim Datson and Janet Dillon, some of the Rotary Club of Saline crew who picked up litter along a two mile stretch of Maple Road from Textile Road to Ellsworth Road, one of the gateways to Saline, on October 2, 2021. The club has now completed its third calendar year of clean-ups under the Washtenaw County Road Commission Adopt-A-Road Program!
Click photo to learn more about Adopt-A-Road Project.
On Thursday August 26th, the Rotary Club Membership Committee hosted a reception for new Rotary members at the Carlyle Grill in Ann Arbor. Thirty-five members enjoyed a delightful event at which new members were joined by Club Directors and leaders.
Click photo for full story on new member celebration.
I am very excited to announce, our upcoming all member, friends, family district supported event volunteering at this year's Detroit Marathon 2021.
Yes, our District will be traveling to the city of Detroit on October 17th to promote Rotary District 6380, as well as support the runners and especially cheer on our fellow Rotarian runners at this Year's Detroit Marathon - WooWoo!!
Myself and Lake Orion Sunrise Rotarian and Director of this year's Marathon's Hydration Stations Julie Barnes Mauer, are teaming together to man support water stations throughout the course. We want to engage as many District clubs as possible to display their Rotary District banners and other marketing material and promote our Rotarian Service above self passion all the while supporting and providing the runners with fluids at assigned stations along the course.
Wow what could be more fun and exhilarating for all of us spending the day outside with thousands and thousands of your BEST friends doing good for others as we cheer on our fellow Rotarian runners and keep all runners hydrated!
I encourage you ALL to sign up today even our Canadian family if possible pending border crossing and bring your family, friends, club members to this fun and exciting event in Downtown Detroit.
District 6380 and Detroit Marathon All Member Event - Register Today!!
Lastly as an added bonus for volunteering we will all receive a Detroit Marathon Fleece Hooded Jacket - Wowsa!! So hurry and sign up today and plan to attend our first meet on October 5th that you will be getting more info regarding soon.
District 6380 will be traveling to the city of Detroit on October 17th to promote our Rotary District 6380, as well as support the runners and especially cheer on our fellow Rotarian runners at this Year's Detroit Marathon - WooWoo!!
Click photo for more information on volunteering at the Detroit Free Press Marathon.
The ARC - Anti-Racism Committee of the Rotary Club of Ann Arbor invites you to join us in our efforts to further the cause of racial understanding and reconciliation, and to combat the deep-seated problems of racism in our society.
ARC is the vehicle that the Rotary Club of Ann Arbor has formed to pursue our goal: to accelerate the "arc of justice." We hope that Rotarians throughout the District will join us as we search for solutions and educate ourselves to be more aware, and to be better allies to those who face the challenges of racism every day.
To learn more about ARC click on image.
If your Club is involved with similar activities we’d like to hear more. Contact us or join one of our meetings. They’re thoughtful, lively, and always civil. The next meeting is September 14th at 1:30. For other meeting dates and zoom links contact Marcia Lane: mlane0407@gmail.com.
At its August 26, 2021 weekly meeting, the Rotary Club of Saline inducted Jeff Williams into its club. Jeff, an Ann Arbor native, is the recently named Executive Director of the Saline Area Chamber of Commerce.
Barry and Jennifer White participated in one of our ongoing projects to support local food banks. In partnership with Chatham Kent Public Health, local farmers allow volunteers to glean produce from their fields after harvest.
Jennifer and Barry have been providing the Wheatley, Blenheim and Tilbury Food banks with fresh produce for the past 3 years. Today, we harvested tomatoes, corn and zucchini. Other days cabbage, squash, beans, kale, onions, peppers and cucumbers.
Barry and Jennifer White participated in one of our ongoing projects to support local food banks. In partnership with Chatham Kent Public Health, local farmers allow volunteers to clean produce from their fields after harvest.
Jennifer and Barry have been providing the Wheatley, Blenheim and Tilbury Food banks with fresh produce for the past 3 years. Today, we harvested tomatoes, corn and zucchini. Other days cabbage, squash, beans, kale, onions, peppers and cucumbers.
Clarkston’s new Interact Club is staying busy and visible in the community. Most recently they worked with The Lakeview Cemetery Restoration Project to clean and preserve gravestones in the local cemetery. They held a can and bottle drive and donated $350, half their proceeds, to the project.
Lyon Area Rotary Club displays rotary spirit at the annual South Lyon Kite Festival. Club members showed up in full force after missing a year due to Covid-19 pandemic.
Randy Bizer, Lyon Area Rotarian interacts with his community while selling Cotton Candy. During the two day event two prospective new members stopped by and visited with us.
At July 15, 2021 weekly meeting, the Rotary Club of Saline hosted four outstanding 2021 Saline High School graduates who were awarded one thousand dollar Rotary Club of Saline scholarships at the June 2, 2021 SHS Senior Awards Night as well as their parents.
Here is a video from The Rotary Club of Motorcycle Rotarians which is a District 6380 Club.
By the way, did you know all members of The Rotary Club of Motorcycle Rotarians are also members of The International Fellowship of Motorcycling Rotarians.
Here is a video from The Rotary Club of Motorcycle Rotarians which is a District 6380 Club.
By the way, did you know all members of The Rotary Club of Motorcycle Rotarians are also members of The International Fellowship of Motorcycling Rotarians.
Rotary Club of Ann Arbor are pleased to announce that our 18th Annual Golf and Tennis Outing will take place on Monday, September 13th, 2021 a new venue, Fox Hills Golf & Banquet Center in Plymouth, MI. The featured speaker of the evening will be Jack Harbaugh.
Did you know that August is Rotary Membership month?
I am so excited to let you know that we will be hosting the D6380 Members Summit on August 17th starting 6:30pm - 8:00pm via Zoom.
Why should you plan to be at the Members Summit?
You will learn how to be successful in your membership recruitment
You will have a better understanding of how to better engage your members
You will be able to share successes and challenges with your Rotary colleagues from around the District
You will better be able to understand how to have a more connected club
The Summit is for ALL Rotarians who are interested in helping their clubs to grow and reach out to potential new members in the communities who have a passion to serve.
Register and attend the Free Members Summit and AVOID any FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)!
What a beautiful rustic setting of Camp Talahi in Howell, MI for installing our new District Governor for 2021-22 Brenda ‘WooWoo" Tipton, who took over July 22nd from Governor Karen Gabrys.
As you know, we have developed a District-wide Mental Health Committee to support, provide information, and do all we can to e-race the stigma on mental health issues.
An organization that is supporting mental health issues is FAN- Families Against Narcotics, they are having a special session, and speaker, to discuss the Link Between, Diet, Mental Health, and Addiction. The event is Monday, July 12th at 7:00 PM.
As you know, we have developed a District-wide Mental Health Committee to support, provide information, and do all we can to e-race the stigma on mental health issues. Some of you participated in our Mile A Day Challenge with over a dozen mental health organizations engaged in our mission.
One of the mental health organizations that participated is FAN- Families Against Narcotics. They are having a special session, and speaker, to discuss the Link Between, Diet, Mental Health, and Addiction. The event is Monday, July 12th at 7:00 PM. Here is the link: Click Here to Register
For those of us that struggle, or have family members that are struggling- this seminar would be most beneficial. I hope you can join us.
Celebrate 100 years, PLUS 1 of history at Mount Clemens Rotary Club's Party of the Century! This fantastic black tie gala event will be held at Villa Penna Banquets and Catering in Sterling Heights, Michigan on Saturday August 14th, 2021. Enjoy champagne, cocktails and appetizers, as well as an elegant dinner while you mingle with the legendary Nancy Lopez and friends to help raise money for the community.
Click on image to go to Party Of The Century website.
Past District Governor Barry Fraser and other Rotarians are participating in Ride Don’t Hide (RDH) of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) this year! Please read story and support.
I wanted to update you all on our District 6380 Mental Health Committee's Initiatives. As part of E-RaBce The Stigma- our Canadian Colleagues have been providing awareness and support with their Ride Don't Hide throughout Canada. Past District Governor Barry Fraser, who started our District's Mental Health Initiative during his District Governorship, shares the passion in E-Racing the Stigma. Mental Health is one of the break-out sessions at the International Convention- and "Wellness in a Box" program being shared with Rotaract and Interact- will become more visible in our District. Barry and I had a zoom call with Rotaracters in Ottawa, Canada- providing 'Wellness in a Box" to schools-
Past District Governor Barry Fraser and other Rotarians are participating in Ride Don’t Hide (RDH) of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) this year! By the way-Ride Don't Hide started in Vancouver in 2012.
If you are looking to direct people to connect to the general Ride Don’t Hide page, they can find out more information by visiting:www.ridedonthide.com/lambtonkent
Would appreciate your support toward the CMHA.
Barry Fraser
PS:
“1 in 5 people will experience a mental illness but 5 in 5 of us have mental health. So many of us don’t feel like ourselves these days. With the pandemic, we have all experienced the impacts of school closures, lock downs, social isolation and economic insecurity to some degree.
Every year, CMHA Lambton/Sarnia/ Kent/Chatham takes part in “Ride Don’t Hide”, an event that brings people together raise awareness and funds for mental health.
By bringing our own experiences out of hiding and into open discussion, we reduce the stigma associated with mental health and in doing so; our actions encourage others to get the help they may need.
The funds raised through this event support mental health prevention, education and promotion in our community. This is so important because the earlier a person receives care, the better their mental health will be in the long-term.
With a rally of support from Rotary Clubs in Kent (6) and Lambton (5) Counties, this year Ride Don’t Hide has evolved into a virtual event. Participants are encouraged to set individual or team goals, track their activity, raise funds, spread the word and participate in weekly challenges throughout June. Whether you bike, walk, run, meditate or practice self-care, you can track your activity and stay connected with your team and sponsors using the Ride Don’t Hide mobile app.
So set your own goals and move in your own way, on your own time, and know that it all rolls up to more timely, more accessible mental health help when people need it. Find your walking buddy and join your neighbor's to raise money, raise your heart rate and raise your spirits!
On Memorial Day, the Birmingham Rotary Club participated in the City's Memorial Day Ceremony in Shain Park. The City leaders led those gathered in remembrance of the brave military personnel who have lost their lives protecting our great Nation's freedoms. Club military veterans were honored with all those present who served our great country. Club members presented a wreath at the Marshall Fredricks War Memorial Monument.
On Memorial Day, the Birmingham Rotary Club participated in the City's Memorial Day Ceremony in Shain Park. Club members presented a wreath at the Marshall Fredricks War Memorial Monument.
Warren Rotary Club was at Margaritaville on June 5th. It kicked off Summer! with a fun event in beautiful downtown Warren. The event was called Cruise53 and Food Truck Rally.
click on photo for story or CLICK HERE for monthly bulletin.
The following article is from Kandace Mink, a Rotary Youth Exchange student. It was in response to a message sent to several dozen such students who are on RI's list of "Alumni" with addresses in District 6380.
In addition to former Youth Exchange students, RI's list includes Rotaractors, Interactors, Ambassadorial Scholars, and Group Student Exchange participants among a few other smaller categories. The list includes about 500 names dating back several decades. Over half of the entries have an email address which facilitates electronic contact.
Here's what she wrote:
Thank you for your email! Yes I was an exchange student during 2015/2016 from Birmingham, MI to Taiwan!
To this today, I am forever grateful to Rotary & the experience you all provided for me, it was life changing quite literally. I met so many different people & my mind blossomed in ways I could never have imagined without that experience.
Through Rotary, I have made life long friends who I can connect with even to this day, no matter where I go.
I had a french exchange student in my home as well who was from Rotary who is to this day my best friend who I call my sister as well. Through her, I got to go to France myself & that sparked me living in France these last 2 years working as an Au Pair there. While in France, I was able to meet many exchange students I had gone on exchange with!!
Without Rotary, I wouldn't be where I am today, I would have never moved to France or have the mindset I have today.
Currently I am in Texas but hopefully I'll have my ability to go abroad again- Rotary sparked my forever lasting passion for being immersed in new cultures, languages, and way of life.
My experience in Taiwan at 16 years old, altered my life & I have seen fragments of how it has every single day since I left.
I truly can never express enough gratitude to what Rotary has done for my life & I can say the same for all the exchange students I have met (I even randomly bumped into Rotary Exchange students while in Bolivia this past November!! And it is amazing how Rotary Exchange students will always have that connection, no matter if you knew them before or not.)
The following article is from Kandace Mink, a Rotary Youth Exchange student. It was in response to a message sent to several dozen such students who are on RI's list of "Alumni" with addresses in District 6380.
Here's a fun opportunity to celebrate our incoming District 6380 Governor BrendaK "WooWoo" Tipton as she begins her year! This family-oriented event will offer all sorts of games, great food, friendship, fundraisers and more. We'll gather outside at Camp Talahi near the Brighton Recreation Area in Brighton, Michigan. Very casual attire is requested and come to have fun!!
The 2021 Virtual Convention will be better than ever, opening more innovative opportunities to learn and to engage with the family of Rotary, near and far. You’ll be able to network in virtual lounges, meet new partners in service, and join fun activities with Rotary members from around the world. Register today, the convention is June 12-16.
Rotary International Approves Support for Global Grant in Ghana
(March 19, 2021)Kofi Gyan from our Club’s International Humanitarian Projects Committee is the lead for a Global Grant recently approved by Rotary International!
The project addresses the critical need for clean and potable water for the Kporkuve United Community in the Volta Region of Ghana. It is made up of nine adjoining villages with a population of about 12,000 people. Three mechanized boreholes similar to the one pictured here will directly impact 4,000 members of the community.
Currently, the community depends on a dam that was dug many years ago. The dam dries out quickly during the dry season and contains waterborne diseases making it unhygienic for community use.
It also depends on two hand-dug wells that pose safety and hygiene issues, wells that are inadequate to serve the population. People in adjoining villages travel long distances to fetch water. Many of them–often students–queue for hours to fetch water before going to school.
To address the shortage of potable water the community is at the mercy of a commercial water tanker that comes to the community twice a week. Community members pay for this water, often with the financial assistance of the Kporkuve United Community Welfare Union (an organization of community members now living in Accra).
The importance of a reliable source of water for the Kporkuve United Community cannot be over emphasized, particularly in light of the current pandemic crisis.
The host club, The Rotary Club of Ho, has selected Tedson Drilling & Construction, Ltd. to build the boreholes that will be strategically located in the Kporkuve community. The boreholes will provide 30,000 liters (10,000 per unit) of water at a time and will solve the perennial water problem.
The International Humanitarian Projects Committee is deeply grateful for the support from members of our Club, District 6380 and The Rotary Club of Mount Clemons for making this project possible.
In Ghana the projects is supported by the host, The Rotary Club of Ho; The Rotary Club of Kumasi East, Kumasi Rotary Club, District 9102 and the Kporkuve United Welfare Union.
Borehole similar to the three to be constructed with this Global Grant.
Members and friends of The Birmingham Rotary Club donated much needed supplies for Hope Warming Center in Pontiac. In a campaign led by Rotarian Carol Peterson, Rotarians and their supporters collected numerous supplies on Hope's basic supplies "Wish List". Donated supplies were gathered in the Birmingham area and packaged up at Rotarian Linda Hatfield's Birmingham Bloomfield Credit Union workplace. On Monday, March 15th, Carol and other Rotarians dropped off the collected items to an appreciative group at Hope Warming Center.
Hope Warming Center is a non-profit organization helping those in the Pontiac area who are homeless and in need of comfort. support and shelter. Hope's website offers information on how to help and volunteer. For further information on Hope visit their website at hopewarmingpontiac.org
The Birmingham Rotary Club is a non-profit service organization focused on service related projects in Southeastern Michigan and Internationally. Rotary clubs from around the globe are widely known for efforts to eradicate Polio from existence and bringing Clean Water to impoverished areas throughout the world. For more information on Birmingham Rotary visit their website at birminghamrotary.com
Rotarians organize donated supplies for Hope Warming Center at the Birmingham Bloomfield Credit Union. Left to Right, Marsha Kovacs and Linda Hatfield.
Delivery at Hope Warming Center. From Left to Right, Dave Peterson, Carol Peterson and David Underdown
Waterford club sends $5000 to purchase masks for Polio Project in Pakistan
My Dear Friend Rotarian Ginger,
I had been meaning to write earlier as we placed the order for washable masks when we received funds from your club. I am enclosing an invoice from our vendor called Galactic Cosmos. The total order quantity is 26,000 units @ Rs. 30/unit = Rs. 780,000.
The amount we received from your club converted to PKR 788,987. The difference of 788,987 - 780,000 is PKR 8,987 or approx US 56. This amount we use to transport masks to other provinces via courier or postal services. The masks were sent to Rotarians who are members of the Pakistan National PolioPlus Committee across the country, and hand over to the front line workers in their respective communities. We also provide masks to the four Provincial Emergency Operations Center (EOC) who are incharge of deputing the polio vaccinators during campaign rounds.
Here are a few images of polio vaccinators (men and women) engaged in administering polio drops to the children of Pakistan; a mix of pictures in the house to house campaign as well as Rotarians who hold health camps post NIDs to ensure no child has fallen through the cracks during the campaign, missing the opportunity of OPV.
Thank you again for the arranging quick support and generous contribution of expediting funds for this noble cause.
Over 30 Birmingham Rotarians rang the "Bells" for the Salvation Army in Downtown Birmingham. Total collections exceeded $850 for the Red Kettle Campaign.
Photo captures (left to right) Birmingham Rotarians Marsha Kovacs, Dave Underdown, Joe Valentine and Joe's children Griffin (6), Brooklyn (3) and Paige (5)
I am pleased to announce the Nomination Committee has selected Collyer Smith to serve as our District Governor for 2023-2024. Collyer has an impressive Rotary resume having served as President of the Ann Arbor Rotary Club, an Assistant Governor, and is leading a district-wide initiative to end the stigma of mental health. In addition, Collyer serves on the Board of the Family Learning Center where he helps second through fifth graders get to grade-level reading.
The Nominating Committee also appointed PDG Gail Scott as Vice Governor for the remaining Rotary year after the untimely passing of PGD Judy Garver. PDG Sparky Leonard was appointed to serve as the Vice Governor for 2021-2022.
I thank the District Nominating Committee for their work and dedication to ensuring the integrity of the nomination process. The Nominating Committee was chaired by PDG Sparky Leonard and committee members included PDG Gail Scott, Renee Flore, David French, Chris Winans, Jamie Guise, Paul Schissler, and alternate Edward Duering.
I extend my personal congratulations to Collyer and welcome him to the Governors' Team.
Today Lakes Area managed to continue a traditional that began two years ago, albeit, with a twist. Marilyn Violet Foundation provides organic health and school supplies, packpacks and even a pull over fleece for at risk and special needs students in Detroit. We generally take the products to the school, tote it in, set it up and allow the youth to make personal selections. It is a high point in their school year. With COVID-19 consideration this year member Pam Jackson collected all the materials in her garage, set up production tables in the garage, on each side of her driveway and in her front yard. We masked up, broke into groups of two and took a station. These pictures don’t look like we were social distancing but we were until the last minute or two where our packages were collected and stashed for later delivery to the school where they will be safely distributed to the kids. We merged together for a quick group picture and retired to Pam’s spacious deck for some wine, cheese and savory treats and where social distancing was easy! We enjoyed being able to do this and had great fun. It was the first time most of us have seen each other in over 5 months. Our next project Is most likely Team Turkey. As Brenda would say, Woo Hoo! Can you spy an AG in these pics? (Click on photo for more photos)
August is the celebration of our Rotary members worldwide, it's the time to focus on all the good we do in our communities and the impact Rotarians have across the globe.
1. Be proud of being a Rotarian! Share your Rotary experiences with your social network and let them know all the great activities our club is doing. When you're on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snap....talk about what's happening in Rotary and what you are doing.
2. Service above Self drives most Rotarians. Get involved in a service project - There's a project happening almost every month! Rotary members have almost eradicated polio, delivered clean water to places that need it, promoted peace, educated communities on health and disease and now the new focus on preserving the environment. Our district has targeted 100K face mask challenge to help our communities stay safe.
3. Exchange ideas and experiences with other colleagues or a Rotary Social Media Group
4. Develop yourself. Log onto the myrotary.org and discover the training module that truly show how Rotary Opens Opportunities
5. Tell us What Rotary means to you and why are you a Rotarian? Is i the great networking or service projects or both?
6. Get Connected - reach out to other clubs and members and share your ideas or ask them for about their experience on a project.
7. Have Fun!
You've joined one of the world's largest network of 1.2million heroes who have fun while serving their communities across the globe I would love to hear your ideas on your Rotary experience; email me at romamurthy6380@gmail.com
As we grapple with the Pandemic here in the North America, it is important to keep our global partners in our hearts and minds. We are in the midst of a Virtual Review for a Global Grant project that has been supported by many of the clubs in our District. The project is taking place in Bumpeh Chiefdom, Sierra Leone and is entitled “Growing A Community’s Future.” At its conclusion 60 acres of orchards will have been planted providing a sustainable source of income to assure that every child in the Chiefdom receives a secondary education.
The project will also provide funding for a Hospital Benevolent Fund to support villagers unable to pay for services.
Here is an eloquent letter from Chief Caulker. His vision and leadership has inspired the project.
My dream for a better future for my Chiefdom is gradually becoming a bold reality. The dream calls for the empowerment and transformation of Bumpeh Chiefdom through quality education to produce a viable middle class capable of efficiently delivering desired services and goods.
Today, the Chiefdom boasts a sixty-acre Orchard of diverse economic tree crops that will mature in three years time for harvest. The Orchard will fetch income to support and sustain our education program at least for the life time of the trees (many 20+ years), and even further with a solid plan for tree replacement and orchard expansion.
Furthermore, CCET-SL identified the development of a total of fifty acres of inland valley swamp (IVS) that is ongoing. Already eleven acres of IVS for growing vegetables and rice have been completed with this grant, and will be utilized to generate annual income to cover routine orchard operating costs.
The demonstrated success of the initial eleven-acre IVS planted with this Rotary Global Grant is attracting government attention. We hope to build on this interest to solicit support for expanding and developing the full fifty acres. We plan to use this as a demonstration site to train local people in improved growing techniques and in the design of their own IVS for year-round water access.
The community has been energized by seeing these accomplishments. They have begun to take leadership of their own personal development agendas. In short, they have been urged by the emerging circumstances to double their efforts and become more steadfast to their commitment to grow economic tree crops. They’re recognizing this not only can this yield near term income, but provide support to sustain them in their retirement. Farmers are requesting chiefdom land be approved for their own small orchards and asking for tree seedlings from CCET-SL’s nursery.
This all points to a future where cottage industries can add value to local produce by processing fruit into pulp and juice, grinding cassava into gari and milling rice. This can be the basis for a growing middle class based on agriculture business.
Rotary International, acting on the initiative of the Ann Arbor club, and together with Sherbro Foundation, all in the USA, are the pillars behind this huge achievement. Their support and funding of the programs implemented by the CENTER FOR COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT AND TRANSFORMATION have not only been fruitful but instructive on the way forward in mobilizing community members for current and future development encounters. The less I speak on their interventions the better for managing space in this statement. Therefore, my Chiefdom Administration, citizens, and myself heartily thank Rotary International, Ann Arbor Rotary Club and Sherbro Foundation for their most cherished contributions to advancing our aspirations. Our present achievements would not have been possible without them. We recognize that their interventions are most assuring, and we also wish to assure them of our unflinching commitment and participation at all times for our own good.
We love and look forward to working with them and to meet their expectations.
P.C Charles Caulker
A photo of a recently completed storage house for the harvest.
The event will include a marathon (26.2 miles), half marathon (13.1 miles), 10K, 5K, and a Kids Run. All events are walker friendly!A portion of each registration will be donated to mental health focused organizations. In addition, there will be a Health and Wellness Expo, the day prior, where approved mental health organizations will be offered free booth space. Space is limited-
In 2019, over 2,500 participated in the race- primarily from Michigan, Western Ontario, and Ohio. We hope to have even more in 2021!
Please feel free to forward this information to others in your group, a mental health organization, or individuals, who might be interested in participating in this event.
Thank you again, everyone, for your help. Since losing our son Cam January 12, 2018 - your support on mental health awareness means a lot to us.
The COVID-19 coronavirus is affecting every aspect of our lives in real time, and this puts Rotarians in an unfamiliar place. As People of Action, we are most comfortable when we are fully engaged in the world – moving freely, meeting openly, and offering helping hands. These are very difficult times for people who, like us, are at our best when we are learning, growing, and serving—together.
We are also leaders in our communities, and these times call for leadership. In many ways, this also is our time. We have proven abilities to reach out and collaborate to offer immediate help to people in need at a rapid pace. These are precisely the skills needed all over the world today. The global effort against COVID-19 depends on actions taken in every country. Rotary has the unique ability to help improve those efforts in every community and every country.
Using all the technology we have at our disposal, we as Rotarians can continue to reach out and collaborate on big projects with Rotary clubs, Rotaractors, and Interactors. There are a number of examples where Rotary clubs are helping health authorities communicate best practices or provide needed equipment or support that have been shared with our leaders around the world.
As Rotary’s president and president-elect, we have been thinking of these issues very seriously in regard to upcoming Rotary events. As you may be aware, we have made the difficult decision to cancel two Rotary Presidential Conferences honoring our relationship with the United Nations- one in Paris, another in Rome. In the near term, we recommend that Rotary districts and clubs cancel or postpone meetings or events following the advice of national and local health officials.
We know that clubs and districts are seizing the opportunity to become leaders in their communities and are making better use of technology in this time of need. For example, a Rotary e-club in Italy held a live online session about COVID-19 awareness, a Taiwan club worked with companies and a pharmacy association to donate 1,600 bottles of hand sanitizer to the city of Ji-Long, and Rotary clubs in Sri Lanka helped upgrade software and hardware for the health promotion bureau to assist its social messaging.
We cannot know quite yet what path this virus will take. We know we can play a role to help “flatten the curve,” reducing the number of cases in the short term to allow our health systems to address this issue. If the collective global effort helps bring the situation under control, then we hope to re-embrace our core values at the 2020 Rotary Convention in Honolulu. Our time together will have greater meaning and purpose than ever.
Please know that we are taking a close, continuing look at our plans for the convention in June to make sure all attendees’ safety will be protected. We are following the lead of the world’s most trusted sources, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for their guidance. We want you to be able to make decisions about what is best for you and your families in terms of attending this year’s event.
In the meantime, this is an opportunity for us to demonstrate that Rotary Connects the Worldin innovative ways. We should be closely following the advice of the WHO and local health authorities. Again, this includes canceling Rotary club events and meetings in the short term to reduce unnecessary interactions that could cause infections. We can put a greater emphasis on the work we do in our communities by helping our less fortunate neighbors cope with the effects of isolation and fear, or by supporting our health authorities to address this situation.
This is an unprecedented challenge for nearly all of us. But it is also an opportunity for Rotarians to find new, meaningful ways to lead individuals and communities to connect and do good in the world.
We have never been prouder to be part of an organization that does so much to protect and strengthen our communities, at home and across the globe.
Kindest regards,
Mark Daniel Maloney 2019-2020, President, Rotary International
Holger Knaack 2020-21, President, Rotary International
Today join me in celebrating the life of PDG Keith Koke.
Mr Rotary, as many would come to know him throughout our community, Keith exemplified what Rotary stands for ‘Service Above Self’. Keith and his wife Marty were truly guided through life by living the ‘Four Way Test’.
Keith’s dedication knew no boundaries, whether he was assisting on a National Immunization Day, fundraising for Shelter Box, or travelling countless hours to charter new clubs. The Rotary Club of Livingston Sunrise refer to Keith as the Godfather of their club as Keith travelled from Chatham to Livingston County by 7am every Friday morning for nearly three months.
Let’s all take a moment to share our thoughts, our memories and share a moment of silence to hounour PDG Keith Koke !
In Prayer & Peace
‘Sparky’ Don Leonard Rotary Club of Chatham Past President 2014-2015 District Governor 2019-2020
April 27, 2020
Dear Fellow Rotarians
I just finished a call with Assistant Governor Phil McPeek. Phil wanted me to know that Janet passed away last night.
He asked that I notify the members of District 6380. Phil reminded me of how Janet shared so much love and kindness each day, she was so proud of being a Rotarian, and greatly proud of her time as Governor and the good work our Rotary Foundation.
Janet’s passing was truly unexpected as she was scheduled to return home later today, even though Janet’s death was not related to the COVID-19 pandemic, it will effect the way we celebrate her wonderful life and offer support to Phil and all of Janet’s extended family.
Rotary has truly lost one of the kindest, gentlest most caring souls as heaven welcomes an angel that leaves behind a legacy of Service Above Self.
Let’s pray together and be thankful, that we were blessed to have known Janet, I know she assisted me in many ways to be a better person, Rotarian and Governor for our great district.
Peace
"Sparky" Don Leonard Rotary Club of Chatham Past President 2014-2015 District Governor 2019-2020
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April 7, 2020
Dear Fellow Rotarians
I hope this message finds you, your family and all District 6380 members home and in good health. If you are a front line worker, doing your best to keep us safe I applaud you from the bottom of my heart!
A District COVID-19 Disaster Committee has been formed and they have been actively working on a plan, where we can help our health care workers. We have applied for and received a $25,000.00 Rotary International Disaster Grant, the District has put up an additional $20,000.00. With this seed money we will be purchasing N95 masks to be distributed to hospitals through out our district. Joyce Williams Ann Arbor North has been selected the point person who will prioritize delivery based on recommendations from the Michigan Community Service Commission. The following is a list of hospitals that we are focussing on to start.
Henry Ford
Beaumont
St Joe
UofM
Chatham Kent Health Alliance
Vineet Katial will be handling the purchases as he has an excellent contact in China that will be producing the masks for us and shipping them to Vineet for distribution.
We have set up a special COVID-19 Disaster Fund link, individual clubs and members can assist in providing much needed personal protection equipment to our front line health care workers by clicking here.
Our District is not a 501C3 and therefore we can not issue tax receipts, if you prefer a tax receipt possible donate to your club and they can forward the funds to the district.
To help with this most urgent need now simply click the link below.
Dexter Rotary and Interact Clubs raise money for Shelter Box
The Interact Club is partnering with the Dexter Rotary Club to raise money to donate to Shelter Box Disaster Relief. Members of the club will be in the lunchroom for the rest of the week accepting donations. People receive one raffle ticket per dollar donated, and prizes include a giant teddy bear, a basket filled with candy, and a $25 Starbucks gift card. Please help out our Interact Club with making a donation.
Congratulations to our own Elias Stich, Exchange student from Germany. Elias had a dream to join the Eye Clinic team to Kenya in January. Within a month, he has raised $4800 selling soccer balls, which will go with them for the children in Kenya. Elias is very excited about this trip and opportunity. And very grateful to everyone who helped make it happen. We look forward to hearing all about your great adventure. Way to be a Rotarian Elias!👍
Rienout von Martels named 2019 Agriculturist for Chatham-Kent
The Ridgetown Rotary Club is extremely proud of member Reinout von Martels for being named the 2019 Agriculturist of the Year, for Chatham-Kent, Ontario. Below is a brief summary of Reinout’s career.
Reinout began his farming career during a difficult period, the early 1980`s, when high interest rates and poor crops took a toll on everyone including his young family. But they persevered by starting a small seed cleaning business to generate additional income and diversify. Interestingly, Chatham-Kent produced 40% of Canada`s soybean crop during those years. Though extremely difficult, that period provided for a lot of learning, encouraged innovation and strengthened the community of Chatham-Kent farmers.
At this time also they started conservation tillage. New equipment designs, more research and new herbicides allowed them to become better and more profitable at this. It also allowed farmers to expand their acreages. Reinout was a committee member of the Kent Federation of Agriculture during the 80’s, participating in their meetings and helping to focus on the political challenges affecting many of them at that time.
The following decade the 1990`s, he gave his time as a committee member to the Kent County Soybean Growers Assoc. At the same time as his participation with the Soybean Growers Asoc., he was on the board of the Ontario Seed Growers. Reinout was a member of this board since 1993 and served as president in 2000.
Through being involved with the seed business, he initiated the development of a computer software called “TagIt”. In 1982 he started a small custom seed cleaning business for local farmers. They brought in their soybeans, wheat, oats and barley to be cleaned. This business grew steadily and through it allowed him to become a pedigreed seed producer and ultimately became a “select” grower, one who can multiply seed from a plant breeder.
This business was expanded in 1996 by forming a new seed company, Southwest Seeds, alongside three other shareholders. Soybeans were processed, packaged and loaded in containers and sent by truck and rail to be shipped to Japan, Malaysia and Singapore.
Throughout the years since1986, Reinout has been a very active member of the Rotary Club of Ridgetown, holding office many times, including his current position as treasurer (for last 4 years). Rotary is an international service club that helps the community as well as on a national and international level. Our Club helps youth in leadership training, as well as providing support to Rotary International which helps the under privileged and is known internationally for its work towards eradication of polio. Over the years with Rotary, Reinout and his wife hosted seven international exchange students who lived and studied at Ridgetown High School for one academic year.
Finally, to quote Reinout, “A farmer’s chance for success can be influenced by staying involved in their community and by reaching out to fellow farmers for input and discussion. I have always strived to keep my neighbours close and consider them friends in this ever challenging career of farming.” The Ridgetown Rotary Club would consider that Reinout has embodied the same philosophy during his many years with our club.
The Novi Rotary Foundation, hosted the Holiday Senior Luncheon
It's official! The big guy said I was "NICE" all year! No take backs!! 😇The Novi Rotary Foundation, hosted the Holiday Senior Luncheon @Novi Middle School on Dec 5. Over 75 guest were treated to 7th and 8th graders performing holiday songs of cheer. Special thanks to City of Novi Derek S., Novi School District Darby H. Chartwells Evol G. & Staff. Thank you all the student servers and NCSD transportation, gift bag doners Chris S. Of State Farm, Kelly H. Of Diversified Members CU and John O. of O'Brien & Sullivan Funeral Home and Kat D. of National Food Group, the Novi Rotaty Club President, Bev L., And everyone who work to make this event a success year after year. And a loving thank you to the Rock Star of the event SANTA!
In August, Rotary Club members visited many villages and schools in remote NW Guatemala to see the work being done at Casa Colibrí and see the RACHEL WiFi literacy project in action. The group put together a photo 2020 calendar to chronicle the visit. Copies are available for $20 Cdn or $15 US. If Sparky is visiting your club in the next while - email him to request that he bring calendars. Otherwise, please send your order, accompanied by your address and a cheque made out to the Rotary Club of Chatham to:
Guatemala Calendars
Chatham-Kent Public Library
120 Queen St.
Chatham, ON
N7M 2G6
All proceeds will go to further work in Guatemala.
The Rotary Club of Ann Arbor is a major sponsor, and supporter with volunteers, of the VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) Tax program operated with the United Way of Washtenaw County. Click the image for a slide presentation of our results from last year:
Howell Rotary's Event of the year- 11th Annual Tour de Livingston
The Tour de Livingston ride provides an opportunity for our riders to enjoy outstanding fall colors during the peak color season in southeast Michigan. This fully supported ride includes hospitality tents, a full breakfast, snacks along the route, and a hearty meal prepared by the chef at Mt. Brighton. All proceeds from this event help to: bridge the gap for local hardworking families struggling to meet their most basic needs; prepare every child to be ready for success; and build a healthy community for all residents via the Livingston County United Way Basic Needs Programs. Since its start in 2008, the Tour de Livingston has raised over $250,000 to address the community’s most critical needs!
Saturday, October 19, 2019 Holiday Inn Near the University of Michigan 3600 Plymouth Road, Ann Arbor, Michigan 6 O’clock Reception – 7 O’clock-ish Dining Swing & Twist – Lets burn some rubber, Daddy-O! Costumes Optional but encouraged!
The ability to tell a story is perhaps one life’s most useful skills.
Attend The Amazing Power of Story, featuring international author and speaker, Michael Angelo Caruso and a fun BBQ, Saturday, September 14 from 8:30 am to 2:30 pm at Concordia University in Ann Arbor.
Lake Orion Sunrise Hosts 3rd Annual Cajun Seafood Festival
The Lake Orion Sunrise Rotary Club hosted its 3rd annual Cajun Seafood Festival on Saturday, August 10 to for our club’s international project with the La Casa del Nino-Napoleon Franco Pareja Children’s Hospital in Cartagena, Colombia.
The Children’s Hospital is a free hospital to the children of Colombia and operates through donations. The story was shared with our club after a visit by two of our members Monica Navarro-Vezina and Marc Vezina several years ago. Monica is from Colombia and from the area where the Hospital is located.
The idea of the Cajun Seafood Festival began three years ago after Marc’s homemade jambalaya appeared during our winter Ice Golf event. A native of Louisiana and semi-retired self-proclaimed vice rear admiral of the Cajun Navy, Marc decided to kick off a good ole Cajun Seafood Boil to raise awareness of the Children’s Hospital. Crawfish, shrimp, jambalaya, key lime pie and bourbon pecan squares were a few of the delicious items served throughout the day.
Local bluesman and funky daddy (allegedly on parole from Jackson State penitentiary) Tino Gross was on hand this year providing the entertainment. He strummed some hot licks primarily due to the two bee stings he had while setting up. It was a venomous performance! Poolside chats, swimming and various lawn games provided the spirit of Rotary for our family and friends. With well north of 100 guests and raising thousands for the Hospital, our Annual Fest continues to grow; all
The RCAA Satellite is now meeting in the Victors Room at the Pretzel Bell. We have three individuals committed to the Satellite, our goal is to establish the Satellite with 10 members.
The Wayne State University Center for Peace & Conflict Studies and the Rotary Clubs of Detroit, Ann Arbor, & Windsor 1918 invite you to Peace in the Streets on Oct. 25-26, 2019. This Cross Border Rotary Peace Symposium will take place in Detroit on Friday Oct 25th and in Windsor on Saturday Oct 26, with both days filled with engaging speakers on conflict and peace.
The Ann Arbor Rotary Club’s signature fundraiser is the annual Golf and Tennis Outing (GTO). This year’s event takes place on Monday, September 9, 2019 at the Travis Pointe Country Club, 2829 Travis Pointe Road, Ann Arbor, MI.
Registration and lunch precedes a noon Shotgun Start that sends golfers on their way. Tennis will run in the afternoon, too. Then comes cocktails and plenty of time to bid on the Silent Auction items before dinner begins, followed by fabulous entertainment! This is our major fund-raiser and a great spirit-booster, too!
On Wednesday, October 23, 2019 we are celebrating World Polio Day by holding a community polio fundraiser. We will be hosting special guest speakers Ann Lee Hussey, champion of polio eradication and polio survivor herself, and our very own District 6380 Governor Don “Sparky” Leonard.
This year's One Rotary Summit event features guest speaker and Past District Governor, Michael Caruso, who will help us develop powerful signature stories.
Stories, as you know, are a fantastic way to grow your club, raise more money and get attention for Rotary. Stories can make any presentation better, so if you or your spouse/partner do talks for work, you don't want to miss this valuable session.
One Rotary Summit is Saturday, September 14 at Concordia University in Ann Arbor from 8:30 am until 2:30 pm and includes a picnic-style BBQ lunch.
The ability to tell a story is perhaps one life’s most useful skills. Stories are certainly a great way to retain members and gain new Rotarians.
Smart leaders use stories to motivate team members and inspire high performance. Savvy salespeople tell stories to encourage prospects to become customers. Parents use stories to inspire good behavior from their children.
Yet, most people don’t really know how to tell a story.
The creation of a powerful narrative cannot be ad-libbed, but it can be shaped and sculpted, especially if you are familiar with the narrative essentials.
International author and speaker (and our D6380 Governor in 2016-17), Michael Angelo Caruso, will show us how to use the power of narrative in Rotary, at work and at home. Watch a short video of Michael's storytelling style at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zHpgCtx5m0
At this unique One Rotary Summit event, you'll have tons of fun as you sharpen your story-telling skills and learn how to:
Stage and frame the story
Learn to pick up signals that people are ready for your story
Grow your Rotary club
Develop a flair for storytelling
Establish (and deliver) positive expectations
Master the two-minute "signature story"
Customize your story for each of the four main personality styles
Raise more money
Read your audience better
Stay on message
Get people to act on your story such as attend an event or join your club
Increase fundraising
Get a promotion at work
Get the power of story on Saturday morning, September 14 in Ann Arbor.
$20 gets you breakfast beverages and a barbecue meal after the program!
The Troy Rotary Foodies ‘N’ Fun cookbook filled to the brim with the best recipes from the best chefs in our community - and we need your favorite recipes!
Click on the image for the form and more information
REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN for the Rochester Rotary annual charity Golf Outing to benefit Mental and Emotional Health Service Initiative led by the Rochester Community Schools Foundation and other local Health Service Organizations.
Mental health is a growing and under-served need both across the nation and in our own community. Depression and anxiety are epidemic among our youth and teen suicide is on the rise. Help us fight back and provide the resources they need to grow up healthy in mind and body.
Not a golfer? Become a HOLE SPONSOR! There is only 6,745 yards of fairway to display the Hole Sponsor signs. So, please sign up quickly because space is limited!!!
Online registration with credit card option can be found at:
An amazing group of ambassadors from D6380; SE Michigan and SW Ontario getting ready to return to Mexico, Taiwan, Germany, France, Ecuador, Brazil, Thailand and South Korea
$142,000 Rotary International Global Grant Propels Chiefdom To Grow Its Future
All of the funding for the Rotary International Global Grant ($142,030) is now in the account of the Freetown Rotary Club. A site visit has been conducted by Rotarian Theodora Wilkinson of the Freetown Rotary Club and transfers are being made to the implementing organization, the Center for Community Empowerment and Transformation (CCET).
A total of 60 acres of orchards with 4000 fruit trees will be developed through the two Rotary grants, as well as a tree nursery, a watering system and storehouse. In three to five years, the orchards will provide long-term fruit income for education and hospital medical care for Bumpeh Chiefdom’s 40,000 mostly illiterate residents.
Some 260 subsistence-level women farmers can double their incomes by growing peanuts with supplies they receive from the project. How can something as seemingly small as $50 for a bale of peanut seed and a drying tarp impact the women? The spokeswoman for recent participants said it best, “Indeed, our lives have been transformed.”
Members of the Mount Clemens Rotary Club attended the recent opening of the Neil E. Dempsey-MacArthur Park Kayak Launch located behind the Family YMCA – directed by club member Steve Krankota – at 6 North River Road, Mount Clemens, on the Clinton River.
Club member and retired managing editor of The Macomb Daily Ken Kish wrote: “Neil Dempsey was a longtime member of the Mount Clemens Rotary Club and a former president. When he passed away on Aug. 9, 2016, he asked that donations be made for the facility. More than $60,000 was donated with Rotarians leading the way with an estimated $5,000. Speakers at the event included Emily Moran, from the Clinton River Watershed Council, which will oversee operations at the launch; Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel, our own immediate past president Larry Neal, and Barb Dempsey, the wife of Neil and longtime mayor of Mount Clemens. Mayor Dempsey mentioned that Rotary was an important part of Neil’s community service, which included coaching youth sports and participating in many Mount Clemens city committees. It was, quite simply, an honor well deserved for a great man and a Rotarian who lived by ‘The Four-Way Test’.”
The launch is accessible to people with disabilities. Larry Neal said he could take his (now deceased) mother, who was an amputee, to the area to enjoy. The launch is part of WaterTowns, a community development initiative created in 2013 by the Clinton River Watershed Council which has committed itself to creating 12 such launches by 2020. The launch cost $160,000. The Mount Clemens Rotary Foundation was one of the key donors
After going to the 2012 Rotary International Convention in Thailand, I decided that I wanted to be more involved in Rotary. I became an assistant governor and realized how little I knew about other Clubs and the District. Time to learn, connect and listen. Serving Milan, Ann Arbor North, Saline and the newly formed Ann Arbor West club opened new horizons. They adopted me as one of their members as I acted as a conduit for the Governor. I had the privilege to meet the District team and learn about: Foundation, membership, AG's, youth and the Canadian side of the District.
In late 2015, my club (Brighton) nominated me to run for District Governor. After the interview, Barry Fraser was to be the District Governor Nominee Designate, not me. Disappointment soon turned into determination to work on improving myself and increase involvement in the District. The next year, I was again nominated by my club and after the interview, was selected to be the Governor Nominee Designate for 2018-2019.
For the next two years Barry Fraser and I worked closely together. We have different styles which strengthen both of us. January 2018 was International Assembly in San Diego – the final Rotary International training to be the next Governor. A week of intensive training, meeting Rotarians from around the world and getting ready for the coming year.
As I look back and reflect on this past Rotary year, I recall the many opportunities I was able to be a part of: visiting numerous clubs and their projects; signing the charter for the newest district club (Motorcycling Rotarians e-club); inducing new members, recognizing Paul Harris Fellows and Major Donors; introducing a past Rotary International Vice President (Jennifer Jones); interviewing and recommending candidates for the Peace Center programs; and approving District and Global grant projects.
Change is the only thing that is constant. Rotary Leadership, at the International and District level, changes every year. New ideas come with new leadership. Don ‘Sparky’ Leonard and his team will do it differently, as they should. It’s going to be an exciting year with Sparky’s leadership. Embrace the changes so Rotary can grow.
Remember to get your ASK in Gear, keep 'Being the Inspiration' so that Rotary can Connect the World.
Thank you for your friendship, ‘Being my Inspiration’ and a year full of awesome memories. It was an Honor and a Privilege to Service you as District Governor during 2018-2019
Dear Rotary Club of Ann Arbor North Board and D6380 Rotarians:
I am sharing a nice note I received earlier today about great progress made on the Nepal Sanitation and Pond Rejuvenation Global Grant Project 1635112 that our club leads with RC Bungamati (near Kathmandu in Nepal) and RC Singapore.
The Bungamati Rotary Club has almost completed planned repairs and rebuilding of girls toilets in 3 schools damaged by the 2015 earthquake. A fourth school identified on our Grant project was beyond repair and was demolished, so the host Club has found another school in the area for upgrading sanitation amenities for girls. These are much needed for enhancing the literacy of females in a country like Nepal where trafficking of girls and women is rampant and often tragic.
RC Bungamati President Mrs Rajani Shrestha phoned me a couple of days ago to give a verbal update. I apologized to her for change in our site tour plans this early May (when they were so excited to host and had expected our presence) to inaugurate the newly repaired community pond. I am sorry for one reason or another, this hasn’t worked out...yet.
Do click on the TRF link below to see some description of the project and also photos of their progress.
I assured President Rajani we will surely bring an RCAAN team out to Nepal on September 15-23 (mark your calendars!) when RC Singapore also plans a larger tour of several other Global Grant projects they oversee.
Mount Clemens Rotary members, family members, and members of the club-sponsored Interact Club of the Utica Academy of International Studies spent a breezy cold spring day recently cleaning up one of Mount Clemens' most interesting parks adjacent to the YMCA which features the Jack Prescott Arboretum and a vast variety of trees. The club is actively planning a celebration for its 100th year of service in 2020.
Every day, humble individuals are hard at work, quietly transforming the world into a better place. But some days, those individuals need to be recognized publicly. This week, we were able to do just that as Jay Eastman and Linda Eastman were inducted into the Arch Klumph Society, Rotary International's highest honor for contributions to the Rotary Foundation. Congratulations, Jay and Linda. You're an inspiration to us all. To learn more about their biggest project, check out Casa Colibrí.
In July of 2018, Troy Rotary embarked on a project to help school children cope with loneliness, foster friendships and confront bullying. They were drawn to the success of Buddy Benches which are safe places for kids to sit, talk and work things out. Rotary values inclusion, kindness and peace, so they committed to installing Buddy Benches at all of the Troy Elementary Schools (21 total) plus two benches at the Troy Boys & Girls Club.
This morning, Troy’s Rotarians celebrated their progress with a special breakfast for all of their stakeholders and especially the project’s generous sponsors including TRION Solutions, APTIV, Beaumont Hospital, Tim Horton's Troy, Children's Hospital of Michigan, Community Choice Credit Union, Former Hill Elementary Teachers, ADK Sorority, Jeff & Debbie Lambrecht, REMCO Storage Systems, Charles & Nancy Negohosian, The Choice Group, Troy Community Foundation, Troy Board of Education, Troy Rotarians and Rotarians PDG Liz Smith Yeats of District 6400, Nick and Lisa Vitale and Sharon Lewis. District 6380 Rotarians have also made sizeable donations.
The next phase of the project involves construction of the benches, which will occur on Saturday, May 18 from 8 – 10 am, at the Troy School District maintenance facility (1140 Rankin Dr.). All are welcome, BYO tools, specifically cordless drills with 7/16 socket size. Learn more by liking the Rotary Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/TroyRotary to monitor Project Buddy Bench.
Finding and Developing Leaders: At our upcoming District Conference in May, we will be bringing in Dr. Steven Bucci, to share his vast experience in developing leaders. As many of us know, we are faced with numerous leadership challenges- finding members to assume committee chairs, and board of directors, not to mention, bringing in new members. Wouldn't it be nice to have a smooth, planned transition that offers a more stress free movement from president to president, board member to board member, committee leader to committee leader, and committee member to committee member?
Rotary’s programs are developing the next generation of leaders, providing funding to make the world a better place, and making peace a priority. And our programs are not just for club members. Learn how you can make a difference in your community through Rotary.
The District Conference was a huge success! $3,000 was raised for Polio Eradication! Thanks to the speakers, planning committees and you, our members who made it happen! Photos (Click here)
As we prepare for the last month and a half of being your Governor (Club Events, International Convention, District Governor Elect "Sparky's" Meet the Governor night June 21stand Club President Nights) we are humbled by and so proud of all you for what you have done this year to make your communities, the world and yourselves better!
The Ypsilanti Rotary Club invited Miss Washtenaw County to speak at their club recently. Hannah Palmer, 18, recently completed her Freshman year as an undergraduate honors student at Eastern Michigan University majoring in Elementary Education. Hannah is a lifelong Brighton resident. During her competition running for Miss Michigan, Hannah selected "Mental Health First Aid" as her platform. This is also a topic our District is spotlighting. Hannah hopes to change the stereotyping of mental illness, provide support to youth struggling, and educate teachers on what to do in a mental health crisis. While in High School Hannah fought her own battle with depression and anxiety and has not let this define her or stand in the way of reaching for her goals. She has volunteered with the Semicolon Project and Yellow Ribbon week for suicide prevention. Hannah is certified in Mental Health First Aid and working to get teachers in the Brighton Area School district certified as well. She is also working with Senators Santana and Polehanki to pass Senate Bill 41, and has been invited to testify once the bill reaches a hearing. During her year of service she plans to teach parents, family members, peers, teachers, neighbors, and other caring citizens how to help individuals that are experiencing a mental health crisis. Hannah is willing to speak to other Rotary clubs interested in learning how they can support Mental Health initiatives.
Hannah won the title of Miss Washtenaw County last October and will represent Washtenaw and Livingston Counties at the 2019 Miss Michigan Pageant in Muskegon in June.
For the past six years, Dexter Rotary has been partnering with local grocery stores to purchase and deliver fresh fruits and vegetables to Faith In Action for those in need. The program is having a tremendous impact.
“Getting fresh produce every week through Dexter Rotary Club’s program means that the nearly 100 local families that access our pantry have the healthiest options right there to take home to feed their families. Together with Food Gatherers and the St. Joseph’s Giving Garden, there are fresh fruit and veggie options at all times in the pantry, and we know this makes a big impact on the quality of the diet in these homes.” – Nancy Paul, Director of Faith in Action.
The program takes place every Wednesday from October 1 – May 31. Duane and four other fellow Rotarians rotate for deliveries each week. The Rotary volunteer for the week arrives at Busch’s by 10 am ready to load the bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables into their vehicles for delivery to Faith In Action. Busch’s provides at least 110 pounds of fresh produce for the program each week. The produce is purchased using Dexter Rotary funding, but as Duane will tell you “Busch’s definitely makes sure we get our money’s worth if not more”. Weekly pick-up includes cases of apples, bananas, potatoes, onions, lettuce, carrots, peppers, and citrus.
On Monday, May 6, the club received an update on the progress of the school classroom construction taking place for Project Uplift in Vietnam. As recognition to our club commitment to the project Ann Arbor Rotary West will be recognized on a plaque at the school as one of the top donors for the project.
A 501c(3) non-profit organization, Project Uplift was formed in 2003 to build preschool facilities in rural locations across central Vietnam. The group’s primary mission is to provide young Vietnamese children with an opportunity for an early childhood education which they would not otherwise receive, while at the same time promoting international goodwill and friendship between individuals and communities.
We nominated Wyatt for this award due to his extraordinary commitment, passion and amount of time he dedicated to the project of raising funds to support the newly adopted owls that came to the Stage Nature Center in Feb. of 2018.
Wyatt came to us in February to see if there was anything he could help us with at the nature center as he was looking to volunteer and further his service experience as a boy scout. It just so happened that we had just adopted the owls and needed as much help as we could get in raising funds for building a new structure to house the owls in at the nature center. Wyatt had grown up visiting this nature center and is very passionate about wildlife. Without fully realizing how extensive this project would be, Wyatt jumped right in and took on the challenge of raising funds for the structure. He hosted 4 bottle drives at his house on 4 separate dates in which he collected returnable bottles and cans to then spend hours at the grocery store returning them. On rainy days, even met people outside with an umbrella and his enthusiasm to help people unload the bottles onto his front lawn. He even had a fan club of followers.
Wyatt also worked with a graphic artist to design and create custom owl t-shirts that he bought and sold to donate the funds toward the owl fund. In addition to hosting bottle drives and selling t-shirts, Wyatt hosted a fundraiser on Facebook.
Wyatt also reached out to local community service organizations, such as the Troy Rotary Club and Rochester Rotary Club, for support. He was invited to speak at their meetings about his project, which provided him an excellent opportunity to work on his presentation and social skills. He was also interviewed about his project and had multiple publications in local newspapers including Troy Times, Troy-Somerset Gazette, and The Oakland Press. In addition, he was interviewed live by Paula Tutman with WDIV Channel 4 News. Despite Wyatt’s initial shyness and nervousness about public speaking, his passion for this project and for the owls inspired him to push forward and put himself out there anyway. In just 6 months Wyatt greatly improved his public speaking skills in an effort to complete his project.
Wyatt’s initial fundraising goal was $10,000, which is a pretty high goal to set for a 15, now 16, year-old. He went above and beyond his initial goal of $10,000 and, in the end, raised $14, 128 in only 6 months. The connections Wyatt made to the community were also very impressive. He inspired many people to not only support the owls, but the Stage Nature Center as well. To this day, visitors to the nature center ask about the boy scout who raised funds for the owls.
Enough can't be said about Wyatt’s perseverance and passion for this project, and I can’t think of anyone who deserves this award more than he does. Thank you to Wyatt, and the amazing amount of support from his family, for helping us help the owls!
On Wednesday, April 24, Rotary Club of Ann Arbor awarded the second annual 2019 Robert S. Northrup Humanitarian Award to Dr. Irene Butter. Dr. Butter is a Holocaust survivor, champion of peace and justice and University of Michigan Emerita Professor of Public Health. She is the co-founder of the Raoul Wallenberg Medal and Lecture at U of M and co-founder of Zeitouna, an Arab-Jewish women’s dialogue group in Ann Arbor.
Dr. Butter told her story of a happy childhood which ended when her family was taken into custody by the Germans. Through it all she never gave up hope and was able to survive and move to the United States. She pursued her education, completing a PhD and pursuing an academic career at the University of Michigan. In her retirement, she has written, Shores Beyond Shores: From Holocaust to Hope My True Story. Attendees were able to purchase a book with a personal message from Dr. Butter. Dr. Butter continues to speak to many groups and encourages all to remember the past, never be a bystander and always know that one person can make a difference.
For April Maternal & Child Health Month, Ann Arbor Rotary West hosted an event to collect diapers & other baby items to benefit Family Life Services (FLS) of Washtenaw County. FLS offers medical & other resources to women & children in need.
Lakes Area Rotary updates the District every now and again regarding Dayana Delgado, formerly of Cuba, who was referred to us by Keith Coke in June 2011. Many will recall Keith was responding to a plea from a neighbor to help a young doctor who had escaped Cuba, legally entered the USA seeking asylum, was admitted, and within a week had her identity documents stolen. Paul and Lorrie McVey of Lakes Area club responded providing her a home for the nine months it took to replace those documents. During that time Dayana became like a daughter to them and as a result lived with them for over three years while learning how to live in a free country and establishing herself in the USA. With a good job and apartment, having learned to drive and purchase a car, Dayana took a vacation in December 2015, where she encountered a former neighbor who had also sought asylum in the USA. They fell in love and Dayana moved to St. Petersburgh, Florida and found a job at a medical clinic so she could be near him. True to her self-Dayana applied for US citizenship the moment she was eligible and in September 2016 she became a naturalized citizen of the United States of America. Shortly thereafter, her soon to be husband was awarded his US citizenship. Today Dayana lives in Ocala, Florida where she and her husband, the owner/operator of a long-haul trucking business, recently purchased a home. They are excited to report they are expecting a baby boy on July 5. Dayana remembers fondly, and with gratitude, all the District 6380 Rotarians who helped her transition to life in the USA and looks forward to raising her son as an American. Paul and Lorrie McVey are looking forward to meeting their bonus grandson and will be in Florida to assist Dayana and her husband at the birth of the baby as Dayana’s mother cannot leave Cuba for this momentous event. Dayana is thankful for all Lakes Area and District 6380 did to help her. Her future is bright. Opportunity knocked…Rotarians answered. Humanity wins!
On Saturday March 30, for our first workday , the project was to remove a brick wall from the basement as well as “energy enveloping” in the upstairs which means caulking all wood framing on the exterior walls and spraying foam into the larger gaps and openings. Tough work but our small and energetic and enthusiastic group got it done! On April 20 our job for the day was demolition which meant taking the interior of the home “down to the studs” by removing drywall from walls and ceiling as well as removing the furnace. This included cleaning up blown-in insulation which fell like snow as the ceiling was removed!
The 2019 Rotary Fights Summer Hunger Food Drive was an incredible success! We exceeded our goal by 41.2% and raised 84,735 meals for the community. See the flyer below for additional statistics.
Team Turkey 2019 participation, grant deadline, confirm by May 1 If your club wishes to participate in Team Turkey 2019 and would like assistance with a grant application, we need your commitment by May 1, 2019.
Core clubs (Troy, Birmingham, West Bloomfield, Sterling Heights) will participate (contributions similar to 2019 team Turkey) are working to bring on additional clubs and grow to 300-350 meals deliveries Thanksgiving morning, November 28, 2019.
Discussion: Geographically, what area makes most sense to expand into based on community need and interested Rotary clubs? Decision: Commerce Township area; Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor North, Lakes Area, Pontiac, Livingston Sunrise, Waterford, Brighton, consider Ferndale, Hazel Park.. Discussion: What is required from clubs to participate?
Decision: Commitment of $1000 (which will fund 10 meals) and we will offer to submit a request of $500 in District grant money on their behalf and submit in a block grant by May 15th, if they desire. Clubs will be trained to solicit eligible families that meet specific criteria utilizing community organizations.
District DropBox folder will contain easy to use template fundraising templates, letters to solicit donations and graphics.
Dear district Rotary Foundation chairs and grants subcommittee chairs:
Here are some updates to help you and your district with grants.
Disaster response grants On 1 April, The Rotary Foundation introduced a new type of grant: Rotary disaster response grants. These grants, funded by contributions to the Rotary Disaster Response Fund, support relief and recovery efforts in areas affected by disaster. Qualified districts in the affected area or country may apply for a maximum grant of $25,000, pending availability of funds. They may apply for additional grants after they report on any previous disaster response grants. To apply, the district governor and district Rotary Foundation chair complete the Rotary Disaster Response Grant Application and send it to grants@rotary.org.
IHE Delft scholarships The Rotary Foundation no longer offers a packaged grant for scholarships for water and sanitation professionals at IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, but Dutch Rotarians are still sending students to study there through global grants. Clubs and districts that are interested in partnering with them to support scholars at IHE Delft may apply for global grant scholarships. For more information, write to ihe2019rotary@gmail.com.
Regional grants officers can help with your grant applications Are you considering a global grant project or scholarship? Before you start your application, ask your regional grants officer to review your project idea or scholarship nominee. Your grants officer can tell you whether your project or scholarship is eligible for a global grant, offer suggestions on what to include in your application, and even work with you to design your project.
Global grant changes The Trustees of The Rotary Foundation agreed in January to increase the maximum global grant award by doubling the maximum amount of World Fund money available for a global grant to $400,000. The Trustees also raised the threshold at which they review a global grant application. They will now review an application if the grant would use more than $200,000 in World Fund money. These changes will take effect 1 July.
Changes to grant terms and conditions The Foundation periodically updates its grant terms and conditions to clarify them and to make them reflect policy changes. We’ve recently made these changes:
In section II, the Foundation:
Updated references to section numbers in The Rotary Foundation Code of Policies and the Rotary Code of Policies
Added information about Rotary’s Privacy Statement for Personal Data
Deleted the mention of the date when community assessments began to be required in certain grant applications
Clarified that the cost of completing a hydrogeological survey may be included in the grant budget
In section IV, the Foundation:
Added endowed and directed gifts to the category of grant applications that receive additional review by the Trustees and Cadre of Technical Advisers, based on the amount of money requested
In section VI, the Foundation:
Changed Annual Programs Fund to Annual Fund
In section VIII, the Foundation:
Clarified that all cash contributions to global grants must include an additional 5 percent to offset processing and administrative costs
In section IX, the Foundation:
Clarified that international sponsors of humanitarian global grants will not be restricted from receiving new grants if a report is overdue and the international sponsors did not receive the funds
In section X, the Foundation:
Clarified that microcredit funds must be tracked separately in the microfinance institution’s accounting system
In section XII, the Foundation:
Added special considerations for grants paid to the Philippines
In section XIII, the Foundation:
Updated the Conflict of Interest Policy for Program Participants in accordance with The Rotary Foundation Code of Policies
Send any questions to rotarysupportcenter@rotary.org. Thank you for all your work to support Rotarians who are Doing Good in the World.
More RACHEL systems in Guatemala schools For the second year, a Global Grant led by District 6380's CK clubs and the Gig Harbor WA club sponsored the installation of RACHEL digital WiFi hotspot systems and laptops in schools in NW Guatemala.
After a group of people associated with the Chatham Rotary Club last August visited some of the first year's schools, we decided that we should concentrate on providing more laptops, and not bother with tablets. Fortunately, we were then able to get the price of the laptops (Chromebooks) down to $150 each - and so were able to purchase 230 laptops for 23 schools. The number of laptops per school varied depending on the size of the school. One school was dropped as they did not send teachers to the training session.
During the week of February 24, we conducted 4 half-day training sessions where teachers were given an overview of the RACHEL systems. More importantly, they learned about the SOLE (Self-Organized Learning Environment) approach to teaching. Rather than the teacher being the source of all knowledge, the teacher asks questions – and the students use the resource material, accessible through RACHEL, to come up with answers. In our classes, the teachers, acting as if they were students, grouped themselves in threes and fours and prepared posters or skits to illustrate the question “how do babies breathe in the womb”. Their enthusiasm at taking on this role, and their subsequent enthusiasm that they imparted to their schools when we delivered the equipment was very exciting. In the photo, two teachers from Nuevo Edén (where Casa Colibrí is located) are demonstrating an umbilical cord.
But the heart of the project was that white round thing in the photos – a RACHEL Plus system. Each RACHEL Plus has a TB (1000GB) of information, including Guatemalan textbooks and thousands of other reference and reading books, Wikipedia, educational videos and learning games. The RACHEL generates a WiFi hotspot, so that any laptop, tablet or smartphone in the area can browse through the massive RACHEL library, and download material to read elsewhere. A RACHEL system becomes a community resource.
Four clubs in the Chatham-Kent area donated to the Global Grant, along with a couple of clubs in Washington State and one in California. Other Rotary clubs are targeting other areas of Guatemala with RACHEL systems.
An estimated 5.9 million children under the age of five die each year because of malnutrition, in adequate health care, and poor sanitation. Your support to the Rotary Foundation provides Rotary the funding in making high-quality health care available to vulnerable mothers and children so they can live longer and grow stronger. See Barry Rassin's Message to learn how Rotary is creating lasting change.
District Conference will be a celebration, opportunities for fun, fellowship, learning and planting seeds for growth. To accommodate as many Rotarians as possible, there are now 4 options!\available. Please look directly below to choose one that is best for you. Register now,
Don't forget the Youth Exchange Host Family and Volunteer Celebration on May 11th at Oakland Center. You'll be able to meet with great people adn Excange Students!
Our club is beginning to form a partnership with Habitat for Humanity, Huron Valley www.h4h.org and we have 2 work sessions scheduled. The work days will be from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. with a 1 hour lunch break. The site will be determined but will most likely be in Ypsilanti. We have 2 days scheduled, Saturday, March 30 and Saturday, April 20. See attached document: Habitat 4 Humanity
Friends and family are welcome (must be at least 16 years old) To sign up for either or both days, please click on the appropriate link below. You will be asked to set up a profile with Habitat, sign a waiver and then you can sign up! If you have questions or need any further information, you may contact Rob Shiff or James Hannah as listed below.
SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER 8 – 12 volunteers needed per day:
Rotary STRIVE Scholars and members of the STRIVE committee enjoyed a terrific experience learning about autonomous vehicles and the opportunities for Washtenaw Community College students. Along with Pathways Counselor Marisa Bailey-Johnson, Rotarians Amy Goodman, Leo Shedden, Arthur Williams, and Nana Yawson, six STRIVE students traveled to the Bosch facility in Plymouth on February 21.
Our STRIVERS were welcomed by a team that was especially pulled together with their possible interests in mind and led by an engineer who enthusiastically shared his story with the kids. He started as a line worker at GM, finished his AA degree at Washtenaw Community College and became an engineer after transferring to UM. Twenty years later he loves his job and works hard to mentor community college students.
The Bosch team outlined opportunities specifically for community college students including paid internships and tuition support. The kids also met two current interns, one from Oakland Community College and the other from Wayne Community College. These interns were not working in the mail room! They proudly shared the switch boxes they created to further the work on the prototype vehicles that included a Shelby Mustang, and several SUVs.
On the drive back to Pathways, the STRIVE students watched a video about the programs at Washtenaw Community College that lead to opportunities at BOSCH in advanced transportation, the intersection of manufacturing and technology. And, they all received a folder full of ideas from our friends at Washtenaw Community College. The STRIVE Scholars were engaged and asked great questions throughout the experience: the connection to possible fields of study at WCC was clear.
Many thanks to our new friends at Bosch and the team at Washtenaw Community College, Barbara Hauswirth, Experiential Learning Coordinator, andAlan Lecz, Advanced Transportation Center Director. And, thanks to Sean Duval at Golden Limo for sharing the cost of transportation.
Jason Whipple is the Project Director from our club on this Project. The project consists of vaccinating 14 to 19 year old girls in rural India near the city of Pune for a total project cost of $96,000, when approved by TRF. India has 1/4 of all cervical cancer cases worldwide. This project will protect thousands of from cancer who would otherwise have no access to this vaccine. Real lives being saved by Rotarians working together.
RCAA’s investment in this Project is $6,500.
District 6380 contributed $7,000.
The remainder of the funds were contributed by several other Rotary Clubs in our District as well as in India, all of which received matching from TRF.
Our Club’s contribution has been compounded over 14 times.
On February 23rd, The Livingston Sunrise Rotary Club put on their annual event, Midnight in the Tropics, with over 300 in attendance. The evening raised over $100,000. This years beneficiaries were The Torch, Midcourse Corrections, and Reaching Higher. Food, friendship and fun to benefit 3 deserving organizations for youth.
There were dueling pianos for entertainment, games, silent and live auctions. Many hands came together to put on an extraordinary event for our community. Service above self.
“Simply spectacular." Words from 2018/2019 LSRC President Tim Williams. He was also stuck by what one of the beneficiaries said to him on the evening of the event, “that MITT is proof that God acts and speaks though our Club”.
The Midnight in the Tropics fundraiser has helped approximately 47 different organizations locally and world-wide between 2014-2018 totaling over $440,000 in support dollars. Our organization’s ability to continue to help our community is due to the generous support of sponsors and individuals, who believe in supporting the mission to do more for the greater good.
Bowling for Big Brothers Big Sisters Livingston County
On March 9th, two teams “Bowling Stones” and “The 5 Girls” from Livingston Sunrise Rotary Club bowled to help support mentoring in Livingston County. They raised $1,892.00 They had a great time for a great cause. With their help, the Bowl For Kids event raised $33,808.00 so far. Together we are making good things happen for kids.
Warbirds of Glory
In March, LSRC members had the unique experience of meeting inside the museum housing portions of a vintage WWII airplane. LSRC member, Todd Trainor, hosted the meeting as part of his presentation to the club for local nonprofit, Warbirds of Glory Museum - Kittyhawk Academy. In addition to the standard meeting fare - breakfast, inductions, pledges, happy dollars, etc., members enjoyed learning about the history of the museum from it's founders and the chance to meet students impacted by the nonprofits educational arm. Young people from the community learn skilled trades while gaining an appreciation for the historical value of the museum project - restoring the airplane.
Thank you Polio Ambassador and survivor Jack Nicklaus
for hosting Rotary at a special golf day for Polio in Jupiter, Florida. With the help of the greatest golfer of all time and an international slate of generous Rotarians, we were able to raise 5.25-million. Nick was the driving force on this hole in one experience. This is my favorite photo. A true tender moment between gentlemen.
A District 6380 Global Grant Project on its 4th Anniversary
Maternal and Child Clinic in Bagdumur, Bangladesh
At its 4th anniversary of inception, I decided to go back and check the status of this Clinic that was started as a Global Grant Project to serve a small village in rural Bangladesh. It was a $55,000 Global Grant to furnish a clinic with all the equipment and renovate an existing building to make it suitable for a clinic. Our implementation partner on the Project was Foundation for Charitable Activities in Bangladesh (FCAB). FCAB remains the organization that operates the clinic.
At the beginning, the clinic served the women and children. But they have since started serving adult male as the demand grew. In the Islamic culture, men usually have to accompany women and children to the clinic, as the women can’t travel by themselves. This fact became predominant reason to accept men as patients. The original intent of the clinic was to serve only the village of Bagdumur. Currently the clinic is serving the population of 7 other nearby villages.
A trained Nurse attends the Clinic everyday to see the patients. Once a week a Doctor visits the Clinic to see patients. The Clinic, with the help of FCAB has been self sufficient and sustainable. Depending on the financial capability, the patients are asked to pay a small fee for their visit. Most of the patients still get free treatment. Medicines are dispensed free of cost, thanks to the pharmaceutical companies who continue to donate free medicine. The average annual patient visits over the last few years has been approximately 4,500.
This is a prime example of how Rotary Grants make a difference in lives of people across the globe.
Thanks to all the Rotary Clubs in District 6380, especially the Rotary Club of Ann Arbor in its lead role in development and implementation of this Global Grant.
Submitted by Ashish Sarkar, District Global Grant Chair
Livingston Sunrise Rotarian Travels with the Guatemala Literacy Project to Help Impoverished Schools.
From February 3-February 11, a Livingston Sunrise Rotarian, Dr. Janet Burns, traveled with 30 other Rotary volunteers from 4 Clubs in Canada and 9 Clubs in the USA to Guatemala to participate in the Guatemala Literacy Project (GLP). The GLP is a partnership between Rotary Clubs in North America and Guatemala, The Rotary International (RI), and the nonprofit Cooperative for Education (CoEd) to promote literacy through education in Guatemala. The partnership accomplishes this mission by providing sustainable educational tools (like textbooks, reading books, and technology), teacher training, and scholarships to students in Guatemala’s Central and Western Highlands. In addition, there were opportunities to experience the beauty of Guatemala and the richness of its culture; learn about Guatemalan history, traditions, foods, culture, and current events; and shop in artisan’s markets featuring some of the exquisite handcrafted items in the area.
In over 20 years of existence, CoEd and the GLP have funded 194 middle school textbooks, 46 computer centers, and 80 primary schools with the Spark program. There are almost 25,000 children who now have textbooks with over 123,000 textbooks in circulation, over 13,000 students receiving technology training in computer centers, and more than 17,000 students in the Spark program. Over 600 Rotary Clubs around the world have participated in the GLP, making it the largest multi-club, multi-district project in Rotary that is not directed by RI. In 2017, there were one hundred thirty nine (139) Rotary Clubs who participated in the GLP.
Hartland Rotarians Barbara Walker, Dave Walker, Stephen Krause, and Lee Halsted “Walk for Warmth” Saturday, February 23 in Hartland. This event provides utilities urgently needed by Livingston County residents.
Rotarians Cristina VanPutten, Lee Halsted and Lois Halsted spent Friday, March 1 reading to First- 4th Graders at Lakes Elementary as part of “March is Reading Month.”
Helping to support Big Brothers Big Sisters of Livingston County, Hartland Rotarians and Friends of Rotary Dave Walker, Joanne Crain, Lois Halsted, Lee Halsted, Barbara Walker, Norm Crain, John Abbo, and Jennifer Abbo collected $920. as a donation to “Bowling for Kid’s Sake” Saturday, March 9, 2019.
Wednesday, March 13 Livingston County United Way presented “Spirit of the Community Breakfast.” Cristina, Dave and Barbara attended representing not only Hartland Rotary but also, Scouts BSA, Hartland Insurance Agency, and Barbara is a United Way Board Member.
Meet our District 6380 Presidents for 2019-2020. Lee Halsted will represent our club, Rotary Club of Hartland.
Hartland Rotary is working diligently to increase our membership. We are small but work mightily to represent Rotary in Livingston County and globally in Kenya, Africa. We are a ‘hands on” club working to “Be the Inspiration.”
Dexter Rotarians volunteer at Circles USA, building a community to end poverty.
Circles Washtenaw County was started by Friends In Deed, Friend-In-Deed has provided help to those in our community for over 30 years. Friends-In-Deed was looking for a program that was more than a short-term "helping hand" in a time of need. They wanted to find a program that was a long-term solution to poverty. They examined many different programs and then choose Circles USA.
Circles USA gather middle-income and high-income volunteers to support families in poverty. Surrounded by people who have landed jobs, negotiated a lease, or managed credit card debt, people in crisis are more equipped to achieve long-term financial stability. The idea behind the Circles program is that the person in poverty (called the "Leader" because they are the one who leads themselves out of poverty) is paired with individuals who want to help the leader (called "Allies").
Allies are to encourage and help the leader in areas that the leaders have identified where they need help. Circles program meets once a week and they start each meeting with a meal then head to education classrooms. Our Dexter Rotarians have planned, prepped, and serve dinner for these families for the past 2 years and is excited to continue their efforts lending a helping hand.
RACHEL comes to Guatemalan schools Every village came out to greet us. Balloons, cotton candy, marimba bands, dancing girls (and sometimes guys) and lots of speeches. Each visit was a celebration – celebrating the arrival of “technology”.
So, what was this technology that Rotary’s Global Grant 1869459 brought to these remote Mayan villages in NW Guatemala near Barillas? If you look at the photos, you will see that each school received six laptops and six tablets (the tablets were paid for by the Viaduct Foundation of Vancouver), all nicely lined up on display.
But the heart of the project was that white round thing in the photos – a RACHEL Plus system. Each RACHEL Plus has a TB (1000GB) of information, including Guatemalan textbooks and thousands of other reference and reading books, Wikipedia, educational videos and learning games. The RACHEL generates a WiFi hotspot, so that any laptop, tablet or smartphone in the area can browse through the massive RACHEL library, and download material to read elsewhere.
Prior to the celebrations, five teachers from each recipient school attended a five-hour course where they learned about RACHEL’s contents. More importantly, they learned about the SOLE (Self-Organized Learning Environment) approach to teaching. Rather than the teacher being the source of all knowledge, the teacher asks questions – and the students use the resource material, accessible through RACHEL, to come up with answers. In our classes, the teachers, acting as if they were students, grouped themselves in threes and fours, and prepared posters to illustrate the question “how do babies breathe in the womb”. Their enthusiasm at taking on this role, and their subsequent enthusiasm that they imparted to their schools when we delivered the equipment was very exciting.
Four clubs in the Chatham-Kent area donated to the Global Grant, along with a couple of clubs in Washington State and one in California. We delivered equipment to 14 schools this year, and have funding for 41 more schools over the next couple of years. Already 25 Barillas-area schools have gone through the paperwork to request RACHELs next year. And other Rotary clubs are targeting other areas of Guatemala with RACHEL systems. More celebrations to come.
One evening, as the restaurant was closing and we were leaving, a young man (probably kitchen staff) wished us a good evening. He was wearing this T-Shirt and it struck us both as pretty profound.
There are so many concepts / ideas / nuances that come with being a Rotarian, that, even though someone explains it to us, we can't understand it fully.
Example: At a District Conference in Mackinac (PDG Gilmore's), one of my heros, (Mary Beth Selene Growney) was speaking. After her talk I went up to her, and asked "How did you get to the level you are at in Rotary?" She said, "Rotary leaders would ask if I could help with some project and I just said YES!, and then I got to work and did it."
She explained it to me, but I didn't understand it at that point. This was May, 2014 and I was a Assistant Governor to be. Only by attempting to follow Mary Beth's example did I start to understand what she meant by that.
Our leadership teams attempt to explain what we as Rotarians need to do to have success with our clubs and projects. Until we say "YES!" and give it our best we will struggle to understand the depth and width of this amazing thing called Rotary.
Our District Governor Elect, "Sparky" is charged with taking President Elect Mark Maloney's message of "Change and Connecting" to all of you in the district, just as I am charged with taking President Rassin's "Be the Inspiration" to you this Rotary year.
Please click on this month's "Membership Ideas" and John Hewko's (Rotary International General Secretary) "How do we innovate at Rotary" to look at some new and inventive ways to make your club "Irresistible"!
More than 2.5 billion people lack access to adequate sanitation facilities. At least 3,000 children die each day from diarrheal diseases caused by unsafe water. Safe drinking water is not just an issue in 3rd world countries, as evidenced by the Flint water crisis.
Sustainable water and sanitation go hand in hand with disease prevention in advancing world peace. If basic human needs cannot be met, how can there be peace? The UN's Sustainable Development Goals, launched in 2015, include a target to ensure everyone has access to safe water by 2030, making water a key issue in the fight to eradicate extreme poverty.
In 1993, the UN General Assembly designated March 22nd as World Water Day. It is now a globally recognized event. Your club and district can help celebrate World Water Day by focusing on the approximately 1.8 billion people worldwide who must rely on water contaminated with feces, putting them at risk of contracting cholera, dysentery, typhoid, polio and other waterborne diseases.
RYLA is roaring back in 2019, and we need you and your club's support to make this year's program our best to date. RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) is a weekend-long student leadership program designed to provide local teens with the leadership skills to create a positive impact on their communities. RYLA is open to any high school student in grades 9-11. RYLA will be held on April 12-14th at Camp Copneconic in Fenton, MI. RYLA will cost $225US and $250CDN for each participant. A bus to transport Canadian Students will also be provide for a nominal fee.
Last year, just over 100 students participated in the program, but we know that we can do better. Consider these two facts:
1) Over 20 clubs in the district did not send students to RYLA in 2018, or historically have not sent students! - RYLA is a great chance to introduce local students to the world of Rotary. Interact and Exchange programs are given a lot of attention over the weekend and we have witnessed a number of Interact Clubs get started and students enrolling in the Exchange program because of RYLA. This doesn't even scratch the surface of the idea that this program impacts lives of those who participate.
2) A number of Interact Clubs do not send students. - Why would your club not want to support the leaders of your youth programs? Make the reach to your Interact Clubs and get their leaders to RYLA. Its not a coincidence that those Interact Clubs that participate in RYLA are also the strongest and most active in the district.
To make your recruiting efforts easier, our RYLA Committee as created a number of editable templates to help you in your efforts. Just visit our website at www.6380youth.org and click on the RYLA tab. There you will find letters to school administrators, Interact advisers, and parents. There's even a sample presentation outline to use if you are speaking to a group about the program.
Begin recruiting now! The registration site will open mid-February, and you will want to have your participants lined up and ready to go.
If you have any questions, a speaker about RYLA, or need assistance finding students, please feel free to contact RYLA Chair, Jim Adams, at (248) 330-4449 or jimadams842@hotmail.com.
Youth Services - www.6380youth.org Rotary District 6380 Youth Services Leadership is an essential aspect of Rotary—and we offer both clubs and programs to help emerging leaders develop their skills.
Rotary (from Clubs to Rotary International) switch leadership every year in an orchestrated transition from one team to the next.
We talk about Clubs getting their team selected for next Rotary year and the year after that. Much is the same with District 6380, however, it gets a bit more complex.
The current District Governor (Jane McManus) is surrounded by Past District Governors, District Governor Elect (Don "Sparky" Leonard), District Governor Nominee (Karen Gabrys) and District Governor Nominee Designate (Brenda K Tipton) and Vice Governor (Jerry Jackson), The Governor works with these leaders to create a strong leadership team that has continuity and most importantly, growth in new ideas and ways of doing so that your District stays strong.
Leadership teams for the next District Rotary year start "full throttle" preparations in the January prior to taking their new leadership position in july.
The District Governor Elect and their team are responsible for PETS (President Elect Training) Orientations and are the leaders at the March 14-16th PETS in Kalamazoo. They also conduct the Club leadership training in April.
District Governor Elect Sparky's formula for the 2019-2020 year is to start now:
Get your Calendar set for the year
Prepare you Budget for the year
Build you Team for the year
As Rotary Connects the World in 2019-2020, it is your opportunity to Connect with all our District Clubs, feast from the Rotary smorgasbord and have fun all while doing good in our communities. Let's put your thumb print on your Rotary journey and share your passions with others!
We wanted to follow up with you all to share the Mental Health Initiative that began at our last District Conference during Barry Fraser's year of District Governor service.
As many of us know, it is very difficult to find anyone not affected by a mental health issue- with a family member, or close friend. As I tell my personal story- I am amazed at people coming up to me afterwards, and thanking me for sharing- as they too, are going through, or have gone through, a personal struggle with a family member.
Sharing our story helps destigmatize our experience. Whether a family member or close friend is going through depression/anxiety, Bipolar, Schizophrenia, Alzheimer's, or another form- it touches us all.
Immediate Past District Governor Barry Fraser (who started our Mental Health Initiative at the last District Conference), reviewed our progress at out last conference call in the following areas:
1) Reducing the stigma of mental health 2) Getting involved in the Rotary Action Group- through the Rotary International website. 3) Engaging clubs to start a mental health committee 4) Developing a Speakers Bureau
We have reached out to our Assistant Governors to let them know about our mental health initiative: Reducing the Stigma on Mental Health. We encourage our clubs to start a committee on mental health- and a great place to start is joining our mental health conference calls. Our next one is March 20th at 5:00 pm- 6:00 pm- those interested can follow up with their Assistant Governor for more details.
In addition, we are working through the process of having our Interact and Rotaract clubs become involved.
And the 17th annual U of M Depression Conference: One Size Does Not Fit All: Aligning Levels of Care to Student Mental Health Needs. The conference is free to students: March 13 and 14th at the Rackham Graduate School Building in Ann Arbor Michigan. Here is the link to the UM Depression Conference, if you know any students who want to attend (free), or $185 for adults: https://members.depressioncenter.org/docc/
Where is the face of mental health? Unfortunately, in too many places.
With all the wonderful things happening in the Rotary world, polio eradication will continue to be Rotary’s highest priority. Many exiting things are happening and the end goal has been planned.
"In an extraordinary joint statement by the Chairs of the main independent, advisory and oversight committees of the GPEI, (Global Polio Eradication Initiative) the Chairs urge everyone involved in polio eradication to ensure polio will finally be assigned to the history books by 2023.
The authors are the chairs of the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on immunization (SAGE), the Independent Monitoring Board, the Emergency Committee of the International Health Regulations (IHR) Regarding International Spread of Poliovirus and the Global Commission for the Certification of the Eradication of Poliomyelitis (GCC).
The Endgame Plan through 2018 has brought the world to the brink of being polio-free. The joint statement urges everyone involved in the effort to find ways to excel in their roles. If this happens, the statement continues, success will follow. But otherwise, come 2023, the world will find itself exactly where it is today: tantalizingly close. But in an eradication effort, tantalizingly close is not good enough.
The statement therefore issues an impassioned plea to everyone to dedicate themselves to one clear objective: to reach that very last child with polio vaccine."
District 6380, starting the new Rotary year July 1, 2019 has decided to raise our annual club’s PolioPlus commitment from $2,000 to $2650 per year. Many clubs are already exceeding this goal but there are also clubs that need to get focused better.
As Rotary clubs we need to create the awareness of polio eradication in our community. One of the ways is to have a PolioPlus fundraiser. Also, as a suggestion $100.00 (tax deductible) contribution from each member, which goes towards your club’s PolioPlus commitment. It is of vital importance that we as Rotarians understand our promise to the children of the world.
As your District Polio co-chairs we are here to help and will be pleased to present our Polio PowerPoint presentation as a club program. Please invite us to get your club up date.
Results of the recent humanitarian Eye Care Mission in Kenya Africa -
The January 2019 humanitarian Eye Care Mission in Kenya Africa was truly a Rotary international project, encompassing 3 countries: USA, Canada, Kenya; 4 Rotary districts: 6380, 6360, 5450, 9212; and 11 Rotary clubs: Tilbury Ontario, Blenheim Ontario, Brighton Colorado, Livingston Sunrise Mi, Clarkston Mi, Saline Mi, Hartland Mi, Rochester RotaryMi, Rotary Club of Motorcycling Rotarians, Lakeshore Mi, and Utumishi Nairobi Kenya.
Eye care for Kenya was conceived and led by Rotarian Dr. Nelson Edwards to provide eye care for those in need in the Bahati constituency located in Nakuru Kenya, with the project hosted by the Utumishi Rotary Club of Nairobi Kenya. The team consisted of 23 people including 6 optometrists: Dr. Edwards, Livingston Sunrise Rotary, Dr. Lee Halsted, Hartland Rotary, Dr. Amiee Bronson, Dr. Jane Gillogly, also doctors Robin LaValley and Christina DalPorto returning for a second mission with Dr. Edwards.
Trip participants also included local Rotarians from D6380 Mark Jaffray, Pam House, Mary Sloan, PDG Jeff Lichty, PDG Gerry Jackson, Lois Halsted, Jennifer White, Barry White, Monica Vanovermeer, Rhonda Panczyk; from District 6360 Sally Ernest; and from District 5450 Steve House. Also joining the team were Debbie Jackson and Brenda Dziedzic.
This group of caring individuals truly put SERVICE ABOVE SELF into action! Over 5 ½ days of clinic this team registered patients taking a basic health/eye history, checked visual acuities, performed eye pressure readings, basic refractions, and dilated eyes when required – all to prepare each patient for their eye exam. Doctors then provided complete eye examinations for health issues as well as the final prescription for eye glasses which were dispensed as needed. Medical problems requiring further care were then referred into their health system. This care was provided at three different locations in order to reach those without means to travel, including Kiamania, Bahati and Githioro, all within a 30 mile radius.
We traveled with nearly 5,000 pairs of glasses to accommodate required prescriptions, sunglasses, readers, and medications and would like to acknowledge those that helped make this possible: The Wisconsin Lions Foundation, our source for the large library of eye glasses.
Clarkston Michigan Rotary Club provided the funds to purchase glasses and readers.
Brighton Colorado Rotary Club provided the funds to purchase an auto-refractor designed for mobility dramatically increasing the number of patients screened.
Alcon, Inc. provided medications totaling $126,000 (retail value) for both doctor’s exam requirements and drops dispensed to patients for continued care. Numerous patients diagnosed with glaucoma and unable to receive follow up care throughout the year will now be able to preserve their sight.
And finally, Maui Jim. A high-end USA sun glass manufacturer donated $100,000 (retail value) of fashion sunglasses for protection from the hot African sun.
We are grateful for, and appreciate, each and every donation as well as each volunteer that made it possible to provide care to 1,998 people in need. We also thank the “Hands of Mercy”, a local Nakuru group for their help in many areas, particularly translation! And a special thank you to Honorable Kimani Ngunjiri, Member of Parliament, instrumental in moving this project forward as our liaison with the Kenyan government.
We are also VERY happy to announce that due to our team leader and the Brighton Colorado Rotary Club we were able to donate 2 Eyenetra auto refractors to Dr. Mir Mossadiq of Nairobi, and medical officer Matthew Kuria of Bahati, along with the remaining eye glasses, helping to provide sustainability to the eye care project throughout the coming year.
AND in addition to the eye care mission, Dr. Edwards delivered 70 prosthetic hands, donated by the Ellen Meadows Foundation, to Dr. Mossadiq – with the first one dispensed at our Bahati clinic!
Blenheim Ontario Rotarian Terrance McNaughton was also able to bring Rotary youth exchange into the project by working with local Kenyan Rotarians towards bringing their students into the exchange program.
There are some significant changes we want to tell you about.
First, eligibility for a district grant no longer is tied to an individual club’s giving to The Rotary Foundation. Sure, we still want and thank you for supporting The Rotary Foundation, which is the lifeblood of our organization, we just no longer are tying it to our District Grant Program.
The second major change is the deadline for applying for a District Grant and, more importantly, when the funds will be available to each club. All applications will need to be submitted by May 15, 2019, which should make the funds available very early in the 2019-2020 Rotary year. Some pre-planning is necessary, but the good news is clubs will have the entire Rotary year to undertake an eligible project.
More information on the grant process will be provided at Pre-Pets, Pets and the District Assembly.
Kenya Eye Care Project 2019 was a truly international project encompassing 3 countries: US, Canada, Kenya, 4 Rotary districts: 6380, 6360, 5450, 9212, and 11 Rotary clubs: Tilbury Ontario, Blenheim Ontario, Brighton Colorado, Livingston Sunrise Mi, Clarkston Mi, Saline Mi, Hartland Mi, Rochester Mi, Rotary Club of Motorcycling Rotarians, Lakeshore Mi, and Utumishi Nairobi Kenya.
Eye care for Kenya was conceived and led by Rotarian Dr. Nelson Edwards to provide eye care for those in need in the Bahati constituency located in Nakuru Kenya, with the project hosted by the Utumishi Rotary Club of Nairobi. The team consisted of 23 people including 6 optometrists: Dr. Edwards, Livingston Sunrise Rotary, Dr. Lee Halsted, Hartland Rotary, Dr. Amiee Bronson, Dr. Jane Gillogly, also doctors Robin LaValley and Christina DalPorto returning for a second mission with Dr. Edwards.
Trip participants also included local Rotarians Mark Jaffray, Pam House, Mary Sloan, PDG Jeff Lichty, PDG Gerry Jackson, Lois Halsted, Jennifer White, Barry White, Monica Vanovermeer, Rhonda Panczyk, from District 6360 Sally Ernest, and from District 5450 Steve House. Also joining the team were Debbie Jackson and Brenda Dziedzic.
This group of caring individuals truly put SERVICE ABOVE SELF into action! Over 5 ½ days of clinic this team registered patients taking a basic health/eye history, checked visual acuities, performed eye pressure readings, basic refractions, and dilated eyes when required – all to prepare each patient for their eye exam. Doctors then provided complete eye examinations for health issues as well as the final prescription for eye glasses which were dispensed as needed. Medical problems requiring further care were then referred into their health system. This care was provided at three different locations in order to reach those without means to travel, including Kiamania, Bahati and Githioro, all within a 30 mile radius.
We traveled with nearly 5,000 pairs of glasses to accommodate required prescriptions, sunglasses, readers, and medications and would like to acknowledge those that helped make this possible: The Wisconsin Lions Foundation, our source for the large library of eye glasses.
Clarkston Michigan Rotary Club provided the funds to purchase glasses and readers. Brighton Colorado Rotary Club provide the funds to purchase an auto-refractor designed for mobility dramatically increasing the number of patients screened. Alcon, Inc. provided medications totaling $126,000 (retail value) for both doctor’s exam requirements and drops dispensed to patients for continued care. Numerous patients diagnosed with glaucoma and unable to receive follow up care throughout the year will now be able to preserve their sight. And finally, Maui Jim. A high-end US sun glass manufacturer donated $100,000 (retail value) of fashion sunglasses for protection from the hot African sun.
We are grateful for, and appreciate, each and every donation as well as each volunteer that made it possible to provide care to 1,998 people in need We also thank the “Hands of Mercy”, a local Nakuru group for their help in many areas, particularly translation! And a special thank you to Honorable Kimani Ngunjiri, Member of Parliament, instrumental in moving this project forward as our liaison with the Kenyan government.
We are also VERY happy to announce that due to our team leader and the Brighton Colorado Rotary Club we were able to donate 2 Eyenetra auto refractors to Dr. Mir Mossadiq of Nairobi, and medical officer Matthew Kuria of Bahati, along with the remaining eye glasses, helping to provide sustainability to the eye care project throughout the coming year.
AND in addition to the eye care mission, Dr. Edwards delivered 70 prosthetic hands, donated by the Ellen Meadows Foundation, to Dr. Mossadiq – with the first one dispensed at our Bahati clinic! Blenheim Ontario Rotarian Terrance McNaughton was also able to bring Rotary youth exchange into the project by working with local Kenyan Rotarians towards bringing their students into the exchange program. Plans are already underway for KENYA EYE CARE PROJECT 2020. Join us, it’s the experience of a lifetime !!!
There is not a day that goes by without media information regarding mental health. Depression; anxiety, bipolar, Alzheimer's, addictions, overdoses, suicides. Our District- through Immediate Past District Governor Barry Fraser (who lost his father to suicide when Barry was 14) is forming a Mental Health Initiative. Assistant Governor Anne Nauts and Collyer Smith (who recently lost his son to an overdose) are co-Chairing. The mission:
1) Get our Rotary members we work with, engaged, and join the Rotary Action Group- Mental Health. Collyer has joined and will help those who have questions.
2) Engage our Clubs to form a Mental Heath Committee. (The Birmingham Rotary Club has already developed a committee)
3) Find speakers on mental health to speak to our clubs, If we find good speakers- share with our group so that we can all benefit.
Tom McCarthy writes: The Chatham Ontario Rotary Club has had a youth mental health committee for approximately 10 yrs – I have been a member since the beginning and currently serve as chair. Our club helped to fund the start up on the early psychosis intervention program led by our local hospital and the establishment of a youth mental health hub/drop-in centre as part of a national research project across Canada (ACCESS – OPEN MINDS).
And the Birmingham Club has just started a Mental Health Committee.
From Tia Marie Sanders: In my last conversation with Interact clubs, they are eager to help with the Rotary mission. They have been brainstorming connections to mental health as it relates to school age group. They are talking about making it the Interact Day theme on mental health. They mentioned a student panel. and hotline resources that teens can share on social media.
In addition, we are reaching out to our Rotaract group for their support and feedback. University of Michigan is having their 17th Annual Depression on College Campuses Conference- below is information. We are reaching out to our University of Michigan Rotaract group to lean more.
As counseling centers continue to be faced with an ever-increasing demand for services, colleges and universities must consider more effective and efficient strategies for providing support to a large population of students with unique and varying needs. Emerging strategies include precision health and stepped care approaches to better determine and provide the “right intervention for the right person at the right time.”
Join us for the 17th Annual Depression on College Campuses Conference to learn about new research findings, model programs, and policies which highlight evidence-based approaches to identify and determine the level of intervention required to best match student need to improve health outcomes.
Learning Objectives Audience Continuing Education
Depression among college students is an urgent public health problem. If we are to prevent the progression, chronicity, recurrence, and burden of depression, we must emphasize earlier detection, intervention, and ultimately, prevention.
Learning objectives and expected results for the conference participants are an improved understanding and ability to implement:
Best practices and model programs to meet the growing demand for mental health services based on level of care needed;
Research which demonstrates the practice implications and impact of utilizing a stepped care approach to campus mental health programs and services;
Best practices for service delivery, prevention, and intervention methods to address mental health concerns among students with varying levels of mental health distress;
Outreach models to reach students with depressive illnesses, or who are at risk of developing a depressive illness, in order to facilitate treatment engagement;
Strategies for faculty, staff, and students to support students via their different campus roles;
Personalized treatment strategies to improve health outcomes of college students.
The conference is targeted to academic advisors, counselors and counseling center directors, faculty, health educators, parents, psychiatrists, psychologists, student affairs administrators, staff, and students
Continuing Education Applications have been made to the:
National Association of Social Workers and the Michigan Social Work Continuing Education Collaborative to provide continuing education credits for social workers.
National Board for Certified Counselors to provide continuing education credits for certified counselors.
National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. to provide continuing education credits for Certified Health Education Specialists.
I would like you to forward to the Committee these websites which note a very high profile outreach in Canada by Bell, our primary telecommunications carrier. Note next Wednesday as National Mental Health Day and how the Canadian Prime Minister is part of supporting this initiative!
Today, 65 million people are displaced by armed conflict or persecution. Through our partnerships with several universities, Rotary Peace Fellows develop the skills to strengthen peace efforts, train local leaders to prevent and mediate conflict, and support long-term peace building in areas affected by conflict. We provide up to 100 peace fellowships per year at Rotary Peace Centers.
Our Past District Governor, Virginia Nordby, was very instrumental in making these Peace Centers a reality. She was our District Governor in 1995-1996, one of 8 women in the world to assume that role.
Rotary will celebrate its 111th Anniversary this February 23rd. How do we help Rotary keep racking up the anniversaries? It is all about membership – growth and engagement. Opening up the opportunity of Service and Impact for those seeking to make a difference locally or globally. Rotary is not a one size fits all. Alternate meeting times and days for those who need flexibility. Extend your Rotary Family like we welcome new friends. Rotary needs more hands to create a better world. Clubs should be networks for Doing Good in the World.
What if someone had not taken the initiative to invite you to Rotary? What experiences and fond memories would you of missed out on? Share Rotary with others so they can have their own precious memories. Now is the time to Get our ASK in Gear so Rotary can keep on celebrating for many more years to come.
“Be the Inspiration” that draws others to this incredible organization we call ROTARY.
Our local Gleaners Community Food Bank is in need of Peanut Butter. The USDA contract changed for the first quarter and they will not be getting Peanut Butter as part of their contract this quarter. Brighton Rotary has already collected 120 pounds of Peanut Butter. What a great way to suppose our community members. Asking other Livingston County clubs to Rally the Troops and collect any brand, any style (Creamy or Crunchy) of Peanut Butter to get Gleaners through this shortage. Large jars are preferred but any size will be accepted. Peanut Butter is a shelf-stable and a great source of protein for Gleaners recipients. Gleaners Community Food Bank is located at 5924 Sterling, Howell for drop off. Thanks in advance for help our friends and neighbors.
Interact Club of West Bloomfield Walks for Peace At MLK Celebration
Our Interact Club has a goal of at least one service project per month.
In January, their projects included a “Purple Pinky” drive and participating in the community’s “United We Walk” event that honors the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and celebrates West Bloomfield’s rich diversity.
During the week of January 14, club members used their lunch hours at West Bloomfield High School to collect donations for PolioPlus while educating fellow students on this terrible disease. On Sunday January 21, at the United We Walk celebration, they again talked about Polio, collected donations for PolioPlus and participated in a community project to benefit Grace Centers of Hope.
We are so proud of the young people in our Interact Club! They truly embody the spirit of “Service Above Self.” West Bloomfield Rotarians Vinita Parekh and Marian Soditch are the sponsors of the West Bloomfield Interact Club. West Bloomfield High School Junior, Ayushi Uppel, is president.
The Rotary Club of Chathamparticipates once again in the 5th annual Shop with a Hero
Over 30 club members participated in Shop with a Hero on December 19th. More than 130 children had the chance to shop for their family with Emergency Service Workers including Police, Fire and Ambulance.
Each child is provided with $100 to purchase Christmas gifts for their family. They are assisted by their Emergency Service Buddy. The only caveat for the children is one of the gifts they buy must be for themselves.
After shopping the children are treated to breakfast and an opportunity to play. While they do that the community volunteers wrap their gifts. It is a marvelous event equally enjoyed by the volunteers.
There is truly nothing better then laughing, smiling and happy children during the Christmas Season.
Rotary was founded on February 23, 1905 and in the years since then, Rotarians around the World have improved the lives of others both locally and globally. One of our Greatest accomplishments has been the inception of the Polio Plus campaign in 1988. Rotarians along with our partners have reduced the number of polio cases by 99.9%. We have vaccinated over 2.5 Billion Children. Can you imagine how many lives we have saved? However, our work is not done. We promised the children of the world a polio free world and we will not disappoint them. It will take a bit more time and yes, a bit more money. Your Club and your individual donations to the polio fund are critically needed now that we are in the home stretch. We cannot become complacent. We must continue full steam ahead until every child is vaccinated against polio and we have a zero case count! Please consider celebrating Rotary’s Birthday with an activity to recognize the # 1 Humanitarian Cause of Rotary. I can’t wait to see what you do! Wishing you all a very Happy Rotary Birthday!
Registration is now open on the district website (rotary6380.org) for the PET (President Elect Training) Orientations that are being held February 19, 2019 (in Southfield, Michigan); February 20, 2019 (in Chatham, Ontario); and February 26, 2019 (in Brighton, Michigan).
If you are President Elect for your club (and becoming club president on July 1, 2019), attending one of these three PET Orientation sessions is required. Please select one of the sessions and register on line as soon as you can. We want to make appropriate food plans. These sessions are also available to President Nominees at their own option. A cost has not yet been determined (it will be minimal to cover the cost of food and will be collected that evening).
President Elects are also required to attend Great Lakes Rotary PETS on March 14-19 (www.greatlakesrotarypets.org) or make approved arrangements with DGE Sparky Leonard to attend a different PETS. President Elects, along with their other club officers, are also expected to attend District Officers Training (a.k.a. District Assembly) on April 13, 2019.
Current club presidents and club secretaries, as well as the current Assistant Governors, are also being copied on this email to enlist thaeir help at getting their club's President Elects registered for both a PET Orientation session and the Great Lakes Rotary PETS. This is very important as only 27 of our distrct's club have listed a President Elect in ClubRunner (either the club or district site).
Thank you for all you do for Rotary and those we serve,
District Governor Elects from all over the world will attend Rotary's annual training meeting giving them the opportunity to share ideas for strengthening clubs and improving communities with Rotary leaders. Keynote speakers and informative presentations will inspire and prepare the DGE's to lead their districts successfully. Breakout sessions, roundtable discussions, and workshops will introduce them to new ways of creating positive change.
Let's all wish "Sparky" DGE and Laurie Leonard an amazing "Once of a Lifetime" experience with 535 other District Governor Elects and Partners in San Diego this January!
So proud of all the 6380 Rotarians who took time on a sunny Saturday to learn more about Membership Flexibility. We also met our Rotary International Regional Membership Officer Diana Edwards. What a great resource! Cheryl Peterson and Chris Etienne were the excellent facilitators. -Jane
(Read More for Amazing TriFold fom the Wakefied Rotary Club)
This is Troy Rotary's second year volunteering with the Troy Police Department to collect items for families in need for Christmas. Troy officers saw a significant need in the community and developed Operation Blue Sleigh. This new program will benefit even more Troy families experiencing financial hardship this holiday season.
were all delivered this morning. Each family received four or more boxes of food which included a turkey, hamburger, fruit, vegetables, other meats and necessities.
Over the past 78 years the Clarkston Rotary has sponsored a variety of community assistance programs while solely focusing on the “Shoes for Kids” program for the past 40 years and over 11,000 Clarkston children have benefited. This community service program is made possible by the assistance of so many service-minded volunteers, as well other community organizations involved during the activities in early December. The time and energy provided by the participants is affirmed by many of the volunteers returning each year to enjoy the sights and sounds of the one day event. Photos and Full Story "Read More"
Mental Health Update Immediate Past District Governor, Barry Fraser, began a District- wide initiative on mental health at last year's District Conference. For the first time in our history, we are experiencing an actual decrease in our age longevity- due to the suicide and drug overdose crisis of our youth. And some of us may be experiencing the agony of Alzheimer's Disease with a loved one. Mental health affects all ages, family members, and friends. A group of us discussed what we could do as a District, and with Barry's leadership, developed the following three actions: "Read More"
hosted the Inbound Exchange Student Holiday Party. Food, Cookies, Gift Exchange, Service Project and Friendship Building were all on the menu. Special thanks to Darlene McManus (Brighton Satellite Club) and Bill Gartly (Brighton Club) for being Brighton's Interact Chairs Many of the District Youth Exchange Team were there helping: Ken Bechard, Pattie Coutney, Gabe Naranjo, with Steve Youtz, Jeff Lichty and Mary Sloan.
Members of Lyon Area Rotary decorated a Rotary tree to compete in the tree decoration contest at Abbey Park Retirement home, where our weekly meetings are held. We helped out at their annual holiday party by serving food and assisting with the clean-up. Family and friends of the residents attended the festivities which lead to over 300 people taking part in our Rotary raffle. Thank you to everyone involved! It was a great way to get in the holiday spirit!
Wrangler, Hartland Rotary’s Service Dog is sharing a moment with his Round Elementary friends. They are wishing everyone a special Holiday Greeting and a Happy New Year!
in Rotary is maintaining a healthy level of membership. My club of Haute Rive is no exception. We started the club in 2014 with 20 members, and despite the fact that we have gained new members since then, we’ve also lost a few. So much so that membership fell to just 18 as of 1 July 2017. Fortunately, our leadership team was proactive and began forming a plan to address the situation.
December 1st, Livingston Sunrise Rotary was at the Kroger in Howell ringing the bells for the Salvation Army. The Club raised $1260.00 for the Salvation Army There were so many smiling faces. Young, old, and even some faces with tongues sticking out of their mouths. in addition, some of the Livingston Sunrise members participated in the World Medical Relief workday in Southfield, Michigan. Our members were joined in this labor of love by members from other Rotary Clubs. World Medical is a non-profit group that collects unused medical equipment and supplies from local hospitals and medical facilities. Items are then sorted, packaged and shipped to those in need around the world. Our work group took part in these sorting and packaging efforts in a truly “hands-on” work experience. For more information, check out their website. Every month, club members get together on a Saturday and volunteer at Gleaners Food Bank. On January 12th, our club members will be assembling food bags for Gleaners. Check out their Facebook page..
At the Clarkston-Pontiac-Waterford Holiday Party, held at the Goldner-Walsh greenhouse in the Historic Pontiac area, we had fellowship, great food and musical performances from three Inbound Exchange Students. Student Grace banks is a "Host Sibling" for Swiss Exchange student Nora. Grace thought it would be interesting to do a video on "What Rotary means to me". Click on the photo to watch what a very talented young person put together!
On the 8th of December, the club along with members from the First Ridgetown Scouts, participated in the annual town Christmas Parade. Besides having their own float, members of the Scouts rode on the Rotary float. The big Rotary wheel on our decorated float was built several years ago by the woodworking students from the École Secondaire De Pain Court, the French language high school in Paincourt, Chatham-Kent. It is shared by the clubs in both Ridgetown and Dresden, which is about 25 miles north of Ridgetown. Their parade was at 6:00 pm the same day, so there was some hustle shown getting the wagon over to the Dresden parade after our 1:00 pm parade. For a small town, the Ridgetown parade was great, lasting over 40 minutes.
On December 19, 2018, we lost one of the greatest of the Greatest Generation. We lost an example to live our lives by, a great veteran, a great patriot, a great friend and a great Rotarian. We lost Art Holst who was in his 97th year. Art was with the love of his life, Elizabeth, at their winter home in Ft. Myers. Art and Elizabeth merged their families later in life; Art will be dearly missed by Elizabeth, and their admiring family.
Jay and Linda Eastman lead the 28th Medical/Dental Jornada (“Mission”) Team to Guatemala from December 1-9, 2018. After two days of travel to the clinic, the team saw patients from local villages over four days. Each village was scheduled to either the morning or afternoon on a particular day and the work went from 8am until about 6pm every day. In total, the team saw 987 patients for general medical needs, dental issues, maternity checkups, and eye problems. By the end of the week, they had extracted 1191 teeth, given out 226 eye prescriptions, and distributed thousands of toothbrushes, sunglasses, children’s multivitamins and prenatal vitamins among other things.
The 2018 Cookie Walk was a great success, raising $2,977 for worthy charities. We had 45 bakers donate hundreds of sweet treats for the event and the homemade Christmas treats sold out within 25 minutes of opening the doors! We had very few cookies to replenish the trays after the first wave of customers! The assortment and quality of the cookies were downright amazing. It was a beautiful event, as judged by the people's “oohs” and “aahs” as they entered the room. A big shout out goes to the helpers from Avondale High School. Those kids came to work! Thirteen young people showed up at the appointed time, ready and eager to follow orders. They worked in the kitchen sorting cookies and delivering them to the setup area. Their efficient help allowed us to start right on time, and the floodgates opened precisely at 10:00 a.m. Without their help, we would not have had such a successful event. Also, it was a pleasure having one of the students play piano on the OPC stage entertaining us with holiday tunes.
Rotary Club of Chatham Sunrise held a surprise celebration on Dec. 4th for Paul Roy as a leader and one of the founding charter members of the Club 20 years ago on March 20th, 1998.
Rotarians, friends and family were there to congratulate Paul as he was named an Honorary Rotarian. Past District Governors Keith Koke, Audrey Chevalier, Barry Fraser and DG Elect Don Leonard were present to honour Paul and his wife Rose Marie. Paul has 34 years of “ Service Above Self “ and has contributed to many local and international projects. Paul had his roots in agriculture as owner of King Grain. He lead the Club in many Environmental projects that helped beautify Chatham trails including daffodil and tree planting. He was instrumental in creating the Roses for Rotary annual fundraiser campaign to raise money for Club. He created a hybrid rose and named the “Sunrise rose” and annually has donated the Royalties to the Club. Paul’s comment: “think of the hours our members have spent organizing student exchange, Interact Club , speakers, bingos, Ribfest, fundraising , garage sales, welcoming new members... It is not only me, be All of us!" Merci Beaucoup Paul.
Rotary service transforms lives and communities. To achieve even more truly transformational service, RI President Barry Rassin encourages us to think differently about our role in Rotary, and Rotary’s role in the world during the 2018-19 year. Globally, Rotary is more relevant than ever before, and its potential for good is vast. Take full advantage of your membership in Rotary. Use this opportunity to discuss the many different ways your clubs can start or expand service activities to enhance the Rotary experience for their members.
Escape artists from the Netherlands The Rotary Club of Amersfoort Young Ambition, The Netherlands, was once a Rotaract club. It transformed itself into a Rotary club because its members were passing 30, the Rotaract age limit. The new club focuses on innovative ideas, dedication to service, and a spirit of fun. Since the club was chartered, it has hosted numerous successful fundraisers, like selling customized Monopoly sets and setting up an escape room inside a medieval tower. Discover how they work hard and play hard. What is your club doing to reinvent itself? Tell us your story at club.innovations@rotary.org.
The new year is a time for new resolutions and fresh beginnings. As you set club goals for the second half of the Rotary year, start with small ones that you can achieve easily. Here are a few ideas:
- Update your member data in My Rotary (learn how to add, edit, or remove a member) - Record the progress you’ve made toward the goals you set at the start of the Rotary year in Rotary Club Central - Identify any club members who aren’t engaged in Rotary and pair each of them with a mentor Start thinking now about how your club can Be the Inspiration in your community in 2019. Happy holidays from Rotary!
Please join Southfield Area Rotary (SARC) on December 20th as we celebrate the induction of our very first Interact Club at Southfield A&T! Our celebration is very special because each participant has completed the Social Entrepreneurship & Leadership Program (SELP) to help them better run their organization and successfully on-board future participants.
SELP is a 14-week course designed to teach students:
Increased self-confidence
Develop core skills for critical thinking, communication and presentation
Teach the true value of individual time and talents
Troy Rotary embarked on a project to help school children cope with loneliness, foster friendships and confront bullying. We were drawn to the success of Buddy Benches which are safe places for kids to sit, talk and work things out. Rotary values inclusion, kindness and peace, so we committed to installing Buddy Benches at all of the Troy Elementary Schools (21 total) plus two benches at the Troy Boys & Girls Club. Troy Rotarian and professional Architect, David Donnellon, donated his time to meet with school Principals, conduct site visits for bench placements, coordinate concrete pad requirements and generate aerial view plans. Continue with "Read More"
inducted three new members at the December 5th social held at the WAB in Ferndale. Fun and fellowship was had by all. Governor Jane was asked to speak on what "Be the Inspiration" meant to her along with comments about Women in Rotary. President Kellee Miller followed with what she felt was the "Value of Rotary". Kellee inducted Aisha Williams, Connie Akins and Wanda Black followed by a warm SARC welcome! "Read More" for photos.
At the end of the 2016 school year our Warren Woods Tower Interact Club lost our teacher/advisor to retirement. Our search for a replacement was unsuccessful, so our Interact Club was closed. However, this fall the principal informed me that they had found a new advisor and we chartered our new Interact Club of Titans. They've spent a day volunteering at Gleaners Food Bank, are planning a bake sale and babysitting for parent/teacher conferences. They have adopted 5 families for Christmas and are doing a day of clean-up at Camp Skyline.
For our second Interact Club, one of our Rotarians, the Superintendent of Centerline Schools informed me of a Community Outreach Club at the High School that we transformed into the Interact Club of Community Outreach at Centerline High School. They have erected a hat/mitten tree for the needy and are planning to help with training of Special Olympics participants in March with a day of volunteering at the Games in May. They're also planning a Senior Prom for area senior citizens with music, dancing and snacks. "Read More" for their results! Wow!
Calgary, Aberta, Canada - For the last couple of years, seven buddies from the pub have been getting together every three months or so, to make pierogis. They usually spend about 5 or 6 hours, making about 300 pierogis from scratch, that they share amongst themselves. They decided they needed a name, and settled on “The Pierogi Kings.” The seven guys consist of two retired railway employees, a retired fire Captain, a retired oil man, a meat wholesaler, a radio broadcaster, and a former professional football player. This close knit group of friends then decided that since they have all done, or are still doing pretty well in life, and, given the current state of the Alberta economy, with so many families struggling, they should take the “Pierogi Kings,” to a new level... They should do some charitable work!
One of the strengths of the Rotary Foundation is that it has a well-developed process of evaluating humanitarian service projects. As members of the Rotary family, we invest time and skills offering hope to thousands. We do this in different ways, and all of us would like to know the impact of our efforts, which is not always easy. We also donate to worthy causes within Rotary; we know that the funds are substantial – but it is not easy to quantify or measure their impact.
January is Vocational Service Month
By PDG John Philip, Cadre Coordinator for Disease Prevention and Treatment, and member of the Rotary Club of Newbury, England
What must be done to create a world without polio In an opinion piece that Time magazine published on World Polio Day, RI President Barry Rassin and World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus describe the measures necessary to end polio for good.
Last year our district had the most participation and we’re hoping that there will be huge participation from our district again this year. The Regional Membership Seminar will provide participants with opportunity to enhance skills in assisting districts and clubs in assessing membership needs and potential action strategies; facilitate networking and sharing of best practices between multiple districts and district leaders; provide participants the tools to help build capacity for membership growth at the club level; and to identify the next steps to achieve membership growth in individual districts. Please click the link below to go directly to the registration page: http://bit.ly/RMSLansing Club level leaders, especially club Membership Chairs, are highly encouraged to attend. As a reminder, there is no registration fee for this seminar. It is supported through funds that RI has provided on a per district participation basis. "Read More" for Flyer and Agenda
Robert S. Northrup Humanitarian Award In 2018, the Rotary Club of Ann Arbor created an award to be given annually to the person in the area that met the criteria outlined below, in celebration of the exceptional humanitarian service provided by Ann Arbor Rotarian Robert S. Northrup. The recipient of the award will be an individual who will be a resident of the greater Ann Arbor or southeast Michigan communities. He/she may or may not be a member of the Rotary. In exceptional cases, the award might be presented to an individual not living in these communities for the recognition of the individual for outstanding humanitarian work.
This information should be provided by December 8, 2018, as an email with the word “Northrup” in the subject, to: John_Goodyear@comcast.net.
Which Flamingo are you? One of the ones who keep on the same path? Or one who has the courage to look in the other direction and seek new paths? Click on the link above to read why R.I. President Barry Rassin has inspired me to look for new ways. After 50 Rotary Club visits, I am in awe with all the impact District 6380 has in our local communities and around the globe. Clubs are partnering on projects to leverage their talents and skills. You are truly making a difference in people’s lives and creating a better world. Thank you for all you do for Rotary and being the Inspiration to keep on Servicing. I want to say a special thanks to all of you who supported and planned The Foundation Celebration. A job well done by the committee: Karen Gabrys, Jay Eastman, Joe Bauman, Brandon Marsh, Kellee Miller and Mike McManus. As this Holiday Season approaches, I think about family and friends. Mike and I are blessed beyond words with the connections and friendships in our Rotary family.
Many thanks to the committee and Assistant Governors for organizing, promoting and bringing people there. Brandon Marsh got things going with a crazy wave. Kellee Miller gave an “out of the park” talk on what Rotary means to her. This her second year as a Rotarian (Southfield). Our Keynote speaker, Threse McFarland had just returned from Thailand as a short term Peace Scholar funded by The Rotary Foundation. She shared nsights into the factors of peace and what Rotary is doing. Many clubs and members were honored for their support of The Rotary Foundation.
The Rotary Foundation transforms your gifts into projects that change lives both close to home and around the world. As the charitable arm of Rotary, we tap into a global network of Rotarians who invest their time, money, and expertise into Yet 400 million people in the world can’t afford or don’t have access to basic health care. We believe good health care is everyone’s right. Disease results in misery, pain, and poverty for millions of people worldwide. That’s why treating and preventing disease is so important to us. We lead efforts both large and small. We set up temporary clinics, blood donation centers, and training facilities in underserved communities struggling with outbreaks and health care access. We design and build infrastructure that allows doctors, patients, and governments to work together.
Debbie Vance is an incredible Rotarian and a part of 6380's newest club! She gives freely of her artwork, just asking for a donation to The Rotary Foundation. From her facebook post - "Close to my heart, as I am the Social Media Director of the Rotary Club of Motorcycling Rotarians.(6380)..Limited Edition Rotary Pins (were) available for auction thanks to my awesome friend President Larry McGifford ~ Rotary Club of Port Alberni-Arrowsmith ~ ALL proceeds went to The Rotary Foundation"
Following the successful World Peace Conference 2017 in Ann Arbor, organizers formed a Peace Committee within the Rotary Club of Ann Arbor to keep the momentum going. We invite members from all clubs in the District to join us.
Our committee’s mission is to work locally and globally for peace, social justice, and the non-violent resolution of conflict. To begin this work, we created a 2018-19 Action Plan with local, regional, and international goals.
We need your participation to implement this ambitious Action Plan! Click on "Read More" for the Rest of the Story and Photo
The club recently established the Academy of Macomb High School Interact Club. In the photo, club members hold up an article about the club that appeared in The Macomb Daily newspaper.
The Santa Parade in downtown Mount Clemens on Thanksgiving weekend featured the Interact students with Rotarians Nancy Dedenbach, Chuck Dib and Valerie Miller. Interact students helped build the float at the warehouse of former club member Steve Ternullo.
The latest report from our October Haiti mission - healing children's hearts at our partner hospital St. Damien's Children's. You heard Rob speak about Gift of Life International at Zone on Saturday morning and many of you joined our Gift of Life Northeast Ohio breakout afterwards.
GoLNEO has partnered with Akron Children's Hospital and St. Damien's Hospital to establish the PICU you see in this report. I am always so pleased when you look at the list of partners that make these services possible. The grant partners are listed in the report but know there are many other Rotary Clubs and individuals that provide support to sustain them as well. Several of the PICU team pictured in the report are from Akron Children's and St. Damien's Children's and were part of our 2 Vocational Training Team exchanges. They have become a regular part of the PICU staff supporting the cardiac surgical teams organized by Gift of Life international. This mission team included another visit by the surgical team out of Genoa Italy, a growing partnership in our work in Haiti.
Corporate membership is an alternative membership type aimed at engaging leaders of corporate and other large organizations within your community. Corporate membership enables a Rotary club to expand its network in the community and foster new partnerships that can be leveraged to tackle big challenges. For a corporation, corporate membership gives the benefits of membership but allows them to send fellow employees on their behalf when they can’t make meetings or events, and is an opportunity to engage in corporate social responsibility (CSR) through Rotary.
Click "Read More" for examples of popular corporate membership models and other ideas.
“Growing a Community’s Future: A Project in Bumpeh Chiefdom of Sierra Leone”
Led by the Rotary Club from Ann Arbor, Rotarians from throughout the District are invited to have an impact in Sierra Leone in a model project. Whether as a Club or as an individual, your support will be matched at 50% by Rotary International and 100% of your support will go directly to Bumpeh Chiefdom since there is no NGO involved.
This is a story about extra-ordinary people, trust and chance encounters.
Reach out to schools to teach Yoga & Meditation basics to enhance Mindfulness & Wellness Create communal harmony and promote peace Create a community of Yoga & Meditation practitioners in each club (Rotarians & families, Rotaract, Interact) Connect Rotarians & families to share best practices in Mindfulness & Wellness Train interested Rotarians & families in Yoga & Meditation.
Lina Aurelio and Peter Audino had something the other one wanted. Rotary Ideas helped them find each other, .Aurelio’s club was looking for $3,000 to buy eyeglasses for needy children in the Philippines. Audino’s club, located in the United States, had exactly that much money earmarked for an international service project.
On November 3-11, five Rotarians from D6380 served in Guatemala on an eye mission, to support clinic Casa Colibrí, a not-for-profit humanitarian organization committed to helping the Mayan people of northwest Guatemala improve their lives through programs in health, education, and infrastructure. The team brought with them 1200 pair of used glasses that were already sorted to ease the ability to find an appropriate pair of glasses for the patients. They also brought in and provided 1000 pairs of new sunglasses to help prevent cataracts, and 400 pairs of new readers.
Rotarians on the team :Dr. Nelson Edwards, Gerry Jackson, Pam House, Rhonda Panczyk and Terrance McNaughton
Rotarian Action Groupsare international groups of Rotarians, family members, program participants, and alumni who are experts in a particular field or passionate about topics such as microcredit, peace, the environment, or water. Rotarian Action Groups (RAGs) give members opportunities to engage in service activities and network with like minded members around the world. Group members collaborate with clubs and districts on service projects by offering their technical expertise or helping them find partners, funding, and other resources. RAGs can also help clubs prepare grant applications, conduct community assessments, raise funds, and establish monitoring and evaluation plans.
The Ann Arbor Rotary Club invites Rotarians in our District
to work together to help change the future for Bumpeh Chiefdom
Dear Rotarian Mary,
We are raising support now for a second high-impact Global Grant (Click for Summary GG1980574) to benefit Bumpeh Chiefdom. A visionary chief, Charles Caulker, has developed a clear path for changing lives. He started the Center for Community Transformation and Empowerment (CCET) to help him realize his dreams to educate children and to move his people from subsistence to self reliance.
With Ann Arbor Rotary Club serving as the project lead on our first high-impact Global Grant; Freetown Rotary Club serving as the international host; participation from Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor North, Cincinnati, Dexter, Wilmington, NC and Pune Central Clubs; and with Sherbro Foundation as a cooperating partner, great strides have been made.
Two “Education Orchards" have been planted to fund education long term
Women have been given bags of peanut seed to plant as a way to support their families
Children’s births have been recorded giving them access to government services
Forest reserves were created to protect village water sources and preserve trees.
Now, with a second Global Grant, we plan to solidify the strides that have been made
Plant a third "Education Orchard" and maintain the existing orchards
Hire an experienced Agriculture Manager to manage the program and market crops
Dig two wells with pumps and storage tanks; and build a storehouse and a concrete drying floor
Expand the peanut-growing project to more eager women and help them increase their income.
Plant and manage a fourth "Orchard for Medical Care" to pay for services provided to villagers at Rotifunk Hospital (a collaboration with Wilmington NC Rotary Club)
Join the Grant
Will your Club consider becoming a financial partner in this extraordinary project? Please share this Request for Funding with your International Service Committee.
Invite Mary Avrakotos, the Project Lead for the Ann Arbor Rotary Club; and Cheryl Farmer, the Treasurer for Sherbro Foundation and a member of Ypsilanti Rotary Club to provide a slide presentation about the project for your members by calling (315) 806-0689.
Include Sierra Leone Global Grant in the memo line.
Impact and Sustainability
Once the orchards start bearing fruit they will generate revenue to educate the children of Bumpeh chiefdom for years to come. By 2023 it's conservatively estimated that the orchards will generate $50,000 a year.
3rd Euchre Tournament Success for Hygiene Care Kits
Hearts, Diamonds, Spades and Clubs….20 tables were filled with 80 enthusiastic Euchre players to help support the Brighton Sunset Club’s Hygiene Care Kit Campaign. It was an evening filled with laughter, fun competition and a lot of prize winners. The event raised over $3000 to help fund an additional 120 Hygiene Care Kits for women, men and children in our community. If you are interested in sponsoring a care kit(s) ($25 per kit) , you can make an online donation until December 31, 2018. https://rotary-brightonsunset-carekits-liv.eventbrite.com "Read More" for our Great Sponsors and Photos of the project.
Giving Tuesday evening was our big FUNdraising event to raise money to buy items for our Annual Aid In Milan Christmas Basket program, which provides much-needed items to our friends, family, and neighbors in need this holiday season. Our Social Hour was at the American Legion Post. We tasted and judged some world-class cupcakes from some very generous bakers competing in this year's Cupcake Wars. Tasting/Judging tickets were only $10, with all proceeds going to the Christmas Basket program.
Today was for the humans! Spent the morning helping to deliver 250 Thanksgiving meals to deserving families in our community. So thankful to a part of this great service project, #teamturkey. Fantastic job done by the Rotary Clubs of Troy, Birmingham, Sterling Heights and West Bloomfield including helpers from many other clubs in 6380! Also a huge thank you to Kroger of Michigan for making this possible!
For the 11th year, Brighton Rotary and Sunset Rotary Club members and family joined forces to deliver Thanksgiving Dinners with all the "Fixins" to 102 Livingston County families in need this past Wednesday.. Each family received a Turkey, Gravy, Stuffing, Cranberries, Potatoes, Rolls, Corn, Green bean casserole supplies and of course, Pumpkin Pie complete with Cool Whip 😊
Doug Griffithsretired from politics in January 2015 to actively pursue his passion of helping communities, organizations and businesses grow stronger. In his best-selling book, 13 Ways to Kill Your Community, Doug identifies challenges and opportunities that all our communities’ face. The lessons that come from those stories are applicable to all type of communities, whether they are towns, organizations, or businesses.
"An amazing book that speaks to why what we do can hinder the growth and health of our Clubs, District and Communities"
It's no secret that SARC (Southfield Area Rotary Club) has a special place in its heart for kids. During October, SARC Rotarians were joined by some of our friends from Fox Sports Network Detroit for a night of food and fun with the Southfield Boys & Girls Club. Fun was had by all as the group played board games and ping pong to help the kids unwind after a full day of school (after their homework was completed of course)! Special thanks to FSN Detroit and Happy's Pizza for making sure our young buddies were playing on a full stomach. Fox Sports Detroit covered the cost of food and even sent one of their guys out to join our members in playing board games, ping pong and other fun activities. Happy’s Pizza in Southfield gave us a great deal on the pizza and threw in some extras like cookies, brownies, and drinks. Kids in the Boys & Girls Club ranged from middle to high school age.
and more than 25 high school students and guestsgathered to package and deliver nearly 100 Thanksgiving boxes for Lighthouse of Oakland County on Saturday, November 17th. We Packaged assembly line style, the club had assistance from its Interact Club of Bloomfield Hills High School, as well as students from the International Academy’s Key Club, parents, and a few Girl Scouts sprinkled in for good measure. The club fundraised via Facebook and Go Fund Me, its first attempt at online fundraising, which will not be its last. The work was fun and fast, thanks to all the enthusiastic support! Happy Thanksgiving!
ROTARY and BURBERRY partner to change communities one young person at a time.
Saturday, November 17th from 6:30PM-8:30PM Rochester Rotary will be hosting a charity event at BURBERRY Somerset Collection in Troy Michigan ~ Saturday, November 17th from 6:30PM-8:30PM, to benefit PLAY FOR PEACE, our club’s joint international project in Nigeria Africa. A percentage of the proceeds will be donated directly to our project. It’s the perfect time to start your holiday shopping and let your giving give twice!
PLAY FOR PEACE: This project aims to use street soccer the most popular sport in Nigeria as a vehicle to reach out to young people in conflict.
along with more than 20 area restaurants, hosted the Bloomfield Township police department, its staff and the entire township staff (more than 100 people) for an appreciation lunch on Thursday, December 15th. This is the 3rd annual Appreciation Luncheon hosted for the township police and office staff, where the Bloomfield Hills Rotary Club expressed its thanks for all that the township personnel do for the community. More than 23 area restaurants and stores donated food, drink and supplies for this special event, including Leo’s Coney Island, whose owner personally served Greek salad with chicken and its signature Coney dogs to all in attendance. Everyone enjoyed the food and fellowship. (See photos in "Read More".)
On the lower right side of the home page there is a section labelled Bulletin, listing the bulletins of the last year or so. Click on any one to see the stories from that time period.
Strengthening Rotary's membership is not just important for incoming district governors, it's critical. For membership to grow, leaders must be willing, for example, to ease stringent club meeting protocols and make other efforts to accommodate a younger, digitally oriented demographic.
Seventy percent of Rotary members are 50 years or older, while half of the world's population is under 30, according to Rotary leaders. The contrast shouldn't be something to fear, but rather something to embrace, said Rotary member Michael McQueen, a bestselling author who studies social change, youth culture, and cultural issues and whose consulting firm, The Nexgen Group, specializes in demographic shifts and social trends.
To engage this young demographic, McQueen says that staying relevant is crucial. He shared three key ways that enduring organizations can do that: recalibrate, re-engineer, and reposition.
But relevance does not involve compromise, McQueen stressed; the values, priorities, and commitment of Rotary should never change. "Any organization that is willing to compromise its DNA in order to stay relevant never lasts. After all, if you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything," said McQueen, a member of the Rotary Club of Crows Nest, New South Wales, Australia.
RI General Secretary John Hewko expressed a similar view when he addressed the assembly. He said it's clear that members have been able to accomplish a great deal, but asked what they are "willing to do" to make Rotary stronger.
"So I'm asking all of you, in the coming year, to be voices for doing everything we can in Rotary, not just everything that's comfortable or easy or the way things have always been done," he said. "Be advocates for thoughtful, positive, and lasting change. We have a great tradition in Rotary, but it's our tradition. We made it, we own it -- it doesn't own us; if it no longer serves its purpose, we can change it."
McQueen suggests adjusting some of the traditions, processes, and protocols that "could be the very things that cause us to lose relevance."
In McQueen's native Australia, the Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise, New South Wales, has three members sharing leadership responsibilities for a year as co-presidents. The club reports that having the skills and ideas of three leaders is prompting other changes, and has already resulted in a 25 percent gain in membership.
According to McQueen, change and innovation are led by people with fresh perspectives. Rotary members can draw new ideas from new members, guest speakers, family members, even children who tag along to club meetings.
"The beauty of people with fresh eyes is that they don't know how things have always been done because no one has told them yet," said McQueen. "They have no trouble thinking outside the box because no one has told them what the box even looks like."
And young people, he said, "represent an enormous opportunity for this organization from a membership point of view. They are an ambitious bunch of natural networkers who, contrary to popular opinion, have a strong sense of civic duty."
Change is never easy, McQueen conceded, but Rotary members must be open to it. "We must avoid the trap of ever feeling we have arrived at the winning formula, which we then set in stone. After all, the moment you think you've made it, you've passed it."
Growing membership is a major goal of Rotary President Gary C.K. Huang. Engaging youth, inviting more women into clubs, and embracing change are all important to increasing and keeping members, Huang said.
Sometimes, he noted, adding a member is as simple as asking someone to join. Since he took office on 1 July, Huang has recruited several dignitaries while traveling, including Ed Royce, a U.S. congressman from California; Mulenga Sata, deputy mayor of Lusaka, Zambia's capital; and Beatrice Lorenzin, Italy's minister of health. All of them, Huang said, praised Rotary's work before being asked to join.
"All of you are going to be busy people next year, and I urge you to make a habit of asking other busy people to join. Don't leave them out," said Huang, "Maybe some of them will say no, and that's OK. But I don't want any of them to say they are not Rotarians because nobody ever asked."
He added: "Our membership and services are what make Rotary powerful and strong. To keep it strong, membership recruitment and retention have to be a priority for every incoming Rotary leader."
Our daughter Christina will be one of 6 Young Innovators from around the globe to receive the young innovator award at this years Rotary at UN day in Nairobi, Kenya.
Her husband Hyder, infant son Harris and my husband and I are off to Nairobi for this special even on November 10. Christina with her husband were awarded the “Top 40 under 40 “ award from the city of Calgary.
Christina started her journey with rotary District 6380 (Rotary Club of Chatham Sunrise) as a 16 year old going on a rotary exchange to Erfurt Germany 2006/07.
She is a poster child for how Rotary can change lives.
BY PHIL CUSTODIO - Clarkston News Editor and photo (click for full article) Clarkston Rotarians and Bowman Chevrolet are keeping Lighthouse on the road, helping the local charity serve those most in need. “After hearing Michelle Robinson and Susan Ebeling of Clarkston Lighthouse speak to our club, I decided to try to help them get a new van as their’s is really in bad shape,” said Rotary President Mary Sloan.
Socializing, with friends (over 85!), Brandon's "Bonnie - Bring - Back" wave (Southfield), Eats and drinks, Heartwarming "Why Rotary" from Kellee Miller (Southfield), Rotary Peace Scholar Therese McFarland as the Special Guest Speaker, Achievement and Giving awards ( See Full Story and great pic form our own "Tamra with a Camera" (Novi)
Lake Area (Commerce, Walled Lake, Wolverine Lake, Wi)
Milan
Milford
Mt. Clemens
Ridgetown
Rochester
Saline
Waterford
West Bloomfield
Rotary Club Foundation Banner Award 2017-2018
Eric Tindall
2018-11-03 04:00:00Z
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Our Special Guest will be Therese McFarland, recently returned from the Rotary Peace Program in Thailand. She is the director of development and communications for Daughters of Charity International Project Services, an arm of the international Company headquartered in Paris, France. Working to grow the US international development and services office since 2006, the team facilitates resources and partnerships to sustain diverse health, education and social service programs at the grassroots level in 65 resource-poor countries.
November 3rd, 2018 - 8:30-1:30pm Stoney Creek High School Interact Club is excited to host Interact Day this year! Location: Stoney Creek High School 6755 Sheldon Rd - Rochester Hills, MI 48306 Pool/Athletic Entrance
Last year in 2017/18 we promoted a District wide Chalange from RI President Ian Riseley. “Every Rotarian Plant (or plan to plant) a Tree By Earth Day, 22 April 2018”. Across the District 6380 a large percentage of our Clubs did just that with the total number adding up to over 3350 trees – over 2 trees per member on average!
Project Dignity awards in-home toilets to the neediest rural women and families of landless laborers for a better, healthier life, through sustainable vocational training. By ending open defecation and segregating human waste from water-centric ecosystems, it teaches hygiene and safe sanitation practices. Better health enables higher literacy levels, leading to improved living standards and economic prosperity.
Motorcycling Rotarians Club Completes Its First International Service Project
Since its July 2, 2018 charter, our Rotary Club of Motorcycling Rotarians has completed its first International Service project. We raised the funds to refurbish a 4 wheel drive pickup truck and provide it to Mateo Nicolás, the nurse practitioner that runs the Casa Colibrí clinic in remote Guatemala. Imagine having to travel weekly commute by foot for 3 or 4 hours through treacherous mountain jungles to be at work by Monday noon and then returning home Friday Noon enduring the same risks.
Local Action, Global Results - Rotary’s Effort Is Ending Polio
For those of us in Dexter, we can throw our support into eliminating polio by ordering a pizza from Jet’s Pizza in Dexter (or Saline) on Oct 24. A portion of the profits from that day will be designated for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.
Madison Atwell, 16, attended the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, or RYLA, program sponsored by the Mount Clemens Rotary Club. It was there she learned about Rotary's high school Interact clubs and she and her best friend Lauren Greshak decided to start one at their school, the International Academy of Macomb High School. The juniors, both 16, became co-presidents of the IAM Interact Club.
Wine Tasting Social Event
The Mount Clemens Rotary Club recently held a wine tasting social event at the Anton Art Center in downtown Mount Clemens. Organizer Gloria Murray said there were about 50 people in attendance who were friends and acquaintances of Rotarians,
I went to the RCAA today to listen to Liz Smith talk about Polio Eradication. Also got to see the club receive awards from the City of Ann Arbor (proclaimed it Polio Day in Ann Arbor), and Washtenaw County. PE Rosemarie Rowney, Polio Plus chairman, tells about the results in the email below. Thought you might like a photo or 2 for the District website! - Anne Nauts (Secor 12 AG)
Rotary Playground (Gallup Park on the Huron)
After Governor Jane's visit on October 17, Greg, Rosemarie Rowney and Jane took a tour of the playground.
The Brighton Rotary Club and Foundation has donated $55,000 to the cause, An additional match of up to $20,000 has been pledged by the Brighton Rotary Foundation Lindhout Associates, BD Donovan Builders, Inc. and Contracting Resources (Brighton Rotarians) are covering Architectural, Building and Project Management services. Many other community Contracting and Consulting firms have committed to covering and assisting with the work. Click here for Livingston Daily's full Story Click on "Read More" for photos
The Rotary Club of Chatham celebrated its 79th Annual Banquet on October 5th. This year’s guest speaker was Dave Rozema. A crowd off over 320 guests joined together to sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” in honour of “Rosey” a former pitcher for the Detroit Tigers. We were definitely fortunate to have such an entertaining and lively speaker.
The Rotary Club of Chatham held a social on October 24th. Club members were invited to bring friends and family interested in Rotary to a social night of pizza and speakers. We celebrated Pizza for Polio and highlighted local and international project we have supported over the years. The event was very well received by our guests and will be hosted again next year!
Our club welcomed Nicola Blazoska our international exchange student from Poland.
Celebrating World Polio Day did not start on October the 24th for the Chelsea Rotary Club, but on October 15th at the City Council meeting. A Proclamation was presented to Chelsea Rotary Club by the Chelsea City Mayor Melissa Johnson to President Tammy Mason and World Polio Day Co-Chair Dave Gilbert.
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Then on Monday the 21st. the Chelsea Rotary Club met at the famous rock @ Pierce Park to paint and notify the community of Chelsea about the World Polio Day March on Wednesday October 24th@noon.
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Celebrating World Polio Day with the Chelsea Community with a march from Pierce Park downtown to the Chelsea District Library.
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Marching for Polio:
Front: L-R Meg Gilbert, Carla Pizzoli, Dave Gilbert-Co-chair WPD
Paul Schissler- Former Assistant Governor.
Back L-R Cindy Burdette- Co-Chair WPD, Dick Dice.
SECTOR 12 - Anne Naugts - AG
Ann Arbor Rotary
Purple Pinkie fundraiser and program at Oct. 24 meeting. Raised over $1500 at the meeting, plus fundraisers at Rotaract and Interact to be added. Met Aleia MacDonald there (she is visiting clubs to pick one for her transfer).
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Dexter Rotary
Pizza for Polio, and board voted to donate to several district grants: Ann Arbor's Sierra Leone, and PDG Gerry Jackson’s project in Huehuetenango Guatemala.
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Chelsea Rotary
Painted the Rock in town for awareness, spoke at City Council meeting, March through town on World Polio Day:
Ypsilanti Rotary
Several new members, speaker on historical building in Ypsilanti, Boy Scout appreciation for Rotary support of manuals for each scout (joint project with Ypsilanti).
The Rotary Foundation transforms your gifts into projects that change lives both close to home and around the world. As the charitable arm of Rotary, we tap into a global network of Rotarians who invest their time, money, and expertise into our priorities, such as eradicating polio and promoting peace. Foundation grants empower Rotarians to approach challenges such as poverty, illiteracy, and malnutrition with sustainable solutions that leave a lasting impact.
Every Year, Rotary International requires a Foundation Event to acknowledge clubs and individuals who contribute in meaningful ways to support The Rotary Foundation.
The Rotary Foundation is the means by which we are able to create projects that change the world! As I like to say, "the WHY" of what we do is so much more the Inspiration, than the "what" of what we do.
Why do we contribute? We help to to provide clean water and sanitation so mothers and children are healthier through disease prevention (End Polio Now) and treatment. Children are much more likely to participate in education, which helps build economies that are all precursors to peace.
I invite you to enjoy a fun evening to socialize with other Rotarians and find out their "whys" for supporting the Foundation and to cheer on people and clubs that have stepped up and done more than the "usual".
Rotarians are ordinary people who unite to create extraordinary results!
Buy a shirt or hoodie and feed a family! We're getting ready for the holidays and are raising money to deliver fully cooked Thanksgiving meals to deserving families in the Oakland County area! Last year we delivered Thanksgiving meals to just over 130 families. This year, with Birmingham, Troy, West Bloomfield, and Sterling Heights clubs involved, we hope to more than double that number! In order to accomplish this great task, we need your help! You can buy a shirt, zip-up hoodie, or just donate to this great service project!
Masquerade Ball On October 28, our Rotarians will be helping out with the annual dance project Masquerade Ball. The Dance Project was founded in order to help schools create a safe, fun and positive environment at their dances. The Masquerade Ball is a semiformal dance for students, 7th -12th grade featuring swing dance instruction and DJ. Dress up for the dance, wearing modest and conservative costumes and/or your favorite mask of the season. Special, theme-related attractions and activities will make for an extra fun event. Snacks and drinks will be provided.
On Saturday, September 22, many Livingston Sunrise Rotary members participated in the annual Horses Haven work day. It was truly a perfect day to be outside painting and beautifying the grounds of the 22-acre rescue. Horse's Haven cares for horses, ponies, donkeys and any other large animal in need and, when appropriate, find them new homes in a caring humane environment so that they never have to suffer inhumane treatment again. The Rotary message of “service above self” was continued by the volunteers that attended.
World Medical Relief On Saturday, August 18, Livingston Sunrise members Don Nicholson, Jamie Nicholson, Mark Jaffray, Nelson Edwards, Mark Robinson and Pam House participated in the World Medical Relief workday in Southfield, Michigan.
In his absence, Bill Ebinger has entrusted the Rotary Gateway Park in Rochester, Michigan cleanup clipboard to me! The fall park cleanup day is Saturday, October 27 at 9 a.m. It takes only about an hour to make the park look spiffy and prepare it for winter. The more the merrier, so if you have an hour to spare, please join Bill and his crew; and if you have one, bring a leaf rake with you. Please feel free to email me (jallen@cfound.org) and I will add your name to the list. -Submitted by Johanna Allen
October is one of the most beautiful and colorful months of the year and if you visit Clawson’s City Park you will absolutely agree. Nestled in the center of the city, this large and well cared for community landmark is the scene for the City’s Annual Fall Fest. Clawson Rotary Club joined in the fun by holding a good, old-fashioned country corn roast. Rotarians Kevin and Carol Pelkey headed up the project by purchasing all of the farm fresh corn, butter and bottled water sold. They also handled all of the set-up work immediately before the event. Kevin was the King Roaster and kept them coming when the crowd started to gather. President Andy Baetz and his wife Alice along with Past President Renee’ Niewolak shucked, butter dipped and sold the finished product. One of the primary food vendors was unable to make the festival at the last minute so that helped our sales tremendously. This is not a fundraiser for the Club but a community/public relations event and a perfect opportunity to spread the word about Rotary and the benefits of membership. Everyone involved had a lot of fun and we had a number of very satisfied customers too!
After 30 years of bold action, historic achievements, and sometimes discouraging setbacks, Rotary and its partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) have nearly brought polio to an end.
This groundbreaking public-private partnership and its innovative strategies were celebrated Wednesday during Rotary’s 6th annual World Polio Day event, held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia.
Hundreds of people attended in person, including representatives of all five GPEI partners, and thousands more worldwide watched it live online. Cable news journalists Ashleigh Banfield, host of HLN’s “Crime and Justice,” and Alex Witt, host of “MSNBC’s “Weekends Live With Alex Witt,” moderated the event.
October 24 is “WORLD POLIO DAY” Submitted by • PDG Keith Koke, District 6380 Polio Co Chair – keith@ciaccess.com or 519-352-7436 • Ginger Barrons, District 6380 Polio Co Chair – Gbarrons1@mi.rr.com or 248-348-5244
In the August Rotary International Polio Newsletter Rotary announced nearly $100 million in grants to support the global effort to end polio, a vaccine-preventable disease that once paralyzed hundreds of thousands of children each year.
ROTARY CLUB of ANN ARBOR Submitted by Rosemarie Rowney, President-Elect
The Rotary Club of Ann Arbor hit the trifecta while organizing ways to commemorate World Polio Day this year. Three exceptional events are planned for World Polio Day October 24, 2018.
· SPEAKER: PDG Elizabeth “Liz” Smith Yeats is presenting a polio update at the club's noon luncheon meeting on October 24 at Webers Inn in Ann Arbor, the club's temporary home while the Michigan Union is under renovation. Liz is known for challenging Rotarians to learn something new about polio that we didn't know already know. · FRIEND RAISING: Community leaders from government, industry and business are receiving personal invitations to come as guests to the luncheon meeting. Local governments are proclaiming World Polio Day in Washtenaw County and Ann Arbor.
Click on "Read More": for Photos and Purple Pinkie Projects
For all of you former Interactors and Rotaractors, this might be of great interest to you. I know you might be reluctant to bring this up to your boss, but consider the value to both of you. You can learn more about your job skills and develop an international relationship at the same time. Just take a little time and review the information in the link above. You may surprise yourself and your employer. Treat it with confidence and sincerity with service in mind.
Please join us for our 5K Run/Walk on Saturday, October 13. This event will take place during the Founders Day celebration, hosted by the Hartland Historical Society. Proceeds will benefit the Florence B. Dearing Museum (for its 60th birthday!) and Rotary’s Global Polio Eradication Initiative. For more information, go to: www.hartlandrotary.org
Click on "Read More" for New Members, "Rotarian of the Year"
Join the Rotary Club of Chatham for the 79th Annual Banquet with guest speaker Dave Rozema.
Rozema was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Mr. Rozema is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1977 through 1986 for the Detroit Tigers and Texas Rangers. In October 2006, Sports Illustrated selected Rosema as one of the "10 Greatest Characters in Detroit Tigers History". Come to the Rotary Annual Banquet to find out why!
October 5th, 2018 at the John D. Bradley Convention Centre
Tickets are $60 and include a $17 Tax Receipt.
Purchase tickets from area Rotarians or call 519.354.2940 x241 or pop into Forsyth Travel and talk to Brett at 35 Thames Street, Chatham.
Rotary Club of Chatham 79th Annual Banquet: Keynote Speaker Dave Rozema.
On October 4, 2018, at Rotary Club of Ann Arbor North Luncheon, Rotary District 6380 Assistant Governor Collyer Smith, stepped in for Immediate Past District Governor Barry Fraser to present Rotary Club of Ann Arbor North a plaque for the Club's 50th Anniversary.
Rotary Club of Ann Arbor North's 50th Anniversary!
ROTARY CLUB of ANN ARBOR Submitted by Mary Avrakotos, International Humanitarian Projects Committee
GLOBAL GRANT INITIATIVE The Ann Arbor Rotary Club is raising support now for a second high impact Global Grant and is asking for support from clubs in the district.
A visionary chief, Charles Caulker, has developed a clear path for changing lives. He started the Center for Community Transformation and Empowerment (CCET) to help him realize his dream to educate children and move his people from subsistence to self reliance. With the Ann Arbor Rotary Club serving as the project lead; Freetown Rotary Club as the international host; participation from Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor North, Dexter, Cincinnati and Wilmington, N.C. clubs; and Sherbro Foundation as a cooperating partner, great strides have been made.
• Two “Education” Orchards have been planted to support education • Women have been given bags of peanut seed to plant as a way to support their families • Children's births have been recorded giving them access to government services • And forest reserves are being created to mitigate the impact of climate change
Now, with a second Global Grant (GG1980574), we plan to solidify the strides that have been made:
• Plant a third “Education” Orchard and maintain the existing orchards • Hire an experienced Agriculture Manager to guide the program and market crops • Dig two wells with pumps and storage tanks; and build a storehouse and a concrete drying floor • Expand the peanut-peanut-growing project to more eager women and help them increase their income • Plant and manage a fourth “Hospital” Orchard working in collaboration with the Wilmington NC Rotary Club
I would be happy to visit your club together with Cheryl Farmer, treasurer for Sherbro Foundation and also the incoming president for the Ypsilanti Rotary Club. Just call or email me 315-806-0689, mavrakotos@me.com or Cheryl at 734-481-1804 mayorsis@provide.net. We have a slide presentation about the project that we would be pleased to present to your members.
You can also simply make a pledge for club support or send a contribution to: Ann Arbor Rotary Foundation P.O. Box 131217 Ann Arbor, MI 48113-1217 Include “Sierra Leone Global Grant” in the memo line.
Club and individual support is matched at 50 percent by Rotary International.
Paramount Chief Charles Caulker, a man with a vision
Nursery where seedlings are grown for “Education” orchards
Education, the heart of our project
Women receiving peanuts to plant and rice to feed their families
“Growing Rotary’s Economies” are nurtured with more people to help spawn new projects and fundraising ideas. The words Action and Thrive are synonymous with the need for more people to connect to a Rotary Service experience. Attracting new members and keeping existing ones requires getting your ASK in GEAR. If you never ask what they want, how are you going to give it to them?
Instead of “Selling Rotary” we might consider ASKing people to come along on a service project. We might ASK someone, “what does service look like to you?”. How about ASKing a member about their passion which might serve as a project idea.
Have you ever heard “I don’t like… (fill in the blank). If we don’t like something about other people, maybe we should look for what we can like about them. Are they active in their community, do they like to volunteer, are they upbeat and positive? Those traits are inner traits, not how we look, how we associate with others or any number of external “looks”.
I wanted to take the time to share with you two examples on how we make an impact in the community we serve. Both Jasmine Steele and Robert Thomas Marshall have benefited tremendously from our STRIVE (Students Taking Renewed Interest in the Value of Education) scholarships at Washtenaw Community College. As you may know, our STRIVE Committee enhances the quality of life for the Stone School STRIVE (Students Taking Renewed Interest in the Value of Education) scholars, their children, and their families by:
The Mount Clemens Rotary Club supported a scholarship fundraising golf outing held annually in honor of the late former club resident Dick Pierson. The rain stopped long enough for a team including Bob Cannon, Brian Girard and Scott Chabot to win and have their names engraved on the circulating trophy. The weather cooperated beautifully however for a recent board meeting on the waterfront. The club is fortunate to have access to lovely Lake St. Clair and other waterways. Several service clubs participated in the downtown Mount Clemens annual soapbox derby and grand prix. The Rotary club sponsored a car and helped the Mount Clemens Lions Club with its event that raises awareness and money for causes in the greater Mount Clemens area.
Troy rotary is sponsoring a PUBLIC event where we have an absolutely incredible speaker. Shawn T. Blanchard is a dynamic leader, entrepreneur, best-selling author, and renowned speaker. Recognized by Forbes Magazine as The Mentorship Specialist, Shawn delivers captivating talks across the country, engaging audiences with his expertise as a millennial thought leader. In 2017 he toured 42-stops across the country on the “How ‘Bout That” National Book tour with his best-selling book, “How ‘Bout That for a Crack Baby: Keys to Mentorship and Success.” His topics consist of leadership, overcoming obstacles, and success conversations.
Details below. Lunch will be served and due to the notoriety of our speaker and venue, we will fill the room. Sign up today! Website link for sign up is attached below.
Who: Shawn T. Blanchard
What: A public event sponsored by Troy Rotary!
When: September 12, 2018 11:30am
Where: Detroit Athletic Club (Parking is Included in the ticket)
The Ridgetown Rotary Club's first fall meeting took place on September 10. To honour Hugh McVittie for his 56 years of service to Ridgetown Rotary and the community at large, almost 40 gathered in the Anglican Church Hall for this special meeting. Kay McVittie plus members of the McVittie family, Rotarians and their wives and members of the Ridgetown Horticultural Society all came to honour Hugh. Harry Wyma, President of the Horticultural Society, spoke of Hugh's some 40 years involvement, quietly contributing to the continual beautification of Ridgetown. Don “Sparky” Leonard, incoming district governor for Rotary D6380, spoke of the many achievements of Hugh and the Club over his career in Rotary.
Date and Time: September 8 , 2018 / 8:30 am - 1:00 pm
Fee: $15.00, includes club tools, light continental breakfast, and beverage service throughout the day.
Location: Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest, 1275 S. Huron St, Ypsilanti, MI 48197
Details: This is your opportunity to learn why and how Rotary is changing lives in our community and around the world. Participate in focused discussions about the great opportunities and benefits of being a Rotarian.
September is a time when most students are heading back to school to further their knowledge and education. In the Rotary World, September is Literacy Month.
September 8th was proclaimed as International Literacy Day by the UNESCO’s General Conference in 1966. Since then literacy celebrations have taken place annually around the world to remind the public of the importance of literacy as a matter of dignity and human rights and to work towards a more literate and sustainable society.
Literacy ‘skills’ broadly includes knowledge and competencies required for employment, careers and livelihoods, particularly technical and vocational skills, along with transferable skills and digital skills. Focusing on youth and adults within the lifelong learning framework, the effective links between literacy and skills can be explored.
Recent Rotary Club of Sterling Heights meeting speakers and major event
Bicycle Safety Helmet program in conjunction with the Sterling Heights Police Department. The Rotary club custom-fitted and distributed bike helmets to over 300 children at no charge. The event was held in conjunction with the community's annual “National Night Out” in August.
One recent speaker at a regular club meeting was Congressman Paul Mitchell, in town from Washington, D.C. Troy Rotary President Renee Pothetes also attended that Sterling Heights Rotary meeting as a guest of Sterling Heights Rotary president Todd McKay on September 20. Another recent speaker was a local author.
The 6380 District Governor’s “Tour”, has begun for Mike and I. The end of July marks 3 President’s nights, 7 club visits, a sector meeting and an online meeting with newest club, the Motorcycling Rotarians. We have reconnected with many Rotary friends and made new friends along the way. I am heartened by all of what you are doing for the world and your communities.
August is Membership month. What does that mean to us? It could be time to look at our clubs and decide if we are content with the way things are, or do we need to work at growth and retention of our members.
We've been in the IT consulting business for over 30 years and have "reinvented" our company many times. Comfortable, not always, Beneficial, almost always. Have the new ideas to serve our customers worked? More did than not, some not so much and some of the changes weren't comfortable.
So what's this have to do with your club? Well, pretty much everything. New members will have different ideas on how they fit into Your Rotary Club. How can we attract, mentor, engage and retain our members? Get your ASK in gear and find out what they expect out of Rotary. Work with them to open the path for a rewarding and engaging service and fellowship experience.
Recently I heard the term "cultural humility". To me, this means I can learn from people who have had experiences and lives that are different from my own. Could this be the essence of “Service above Self"?
Let’s be willing to look at new ways of attracting people to Rotary and particularly your own club. It’s the best deal out there!
Presidents Barry Rassin’s take on all this (video)
One Rotary Summit will be held this September 8th. Interactive, facilitated and fun training will be on the menu. Please look under the upcoming events on your district website www.rotary6380.org
Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in our communities and in ourselves.
Thanks for all you do and will do for the world, your community and yourself to create lasting change. Together, we can and will Inspire the World.
One of the strengths of the Rotary Foundation is that it has a well-developed process of evaluating humanitarian service projects. As members of the Rotary family, we invest time and skills offering hope to thousands. We do this in different ways, and all of us would like to know the impact of our efforts, which is not always easy. We also donate to worthy causes within Rotary; we know that the funds are substantial – but it is not easy to quantify or measure their impact.
2024 Great Lakes Rotary PETS | March 14 to 16 
At its April 17, 2023 meeting, District 6380 Assistant District Governor Ken Corlett presented every member of the Ridgetown Rotary Club with both a certificate and a lapel pin recognizing them as members of District 6380’s PolioPlus Society. Ken noted that the Ridgetown club was the only club within District 6380’s 44 clubs that had 100% of its members donating to the PolioPlus Society. The purpose of the Society is to encourage Rotary members to give a minimum of $100 US a year to the PolioPlus fund until we achieve our goal of eradicating polio. Rotary International has been active in the elimination of polio worldwide for over 35 years and that eradication is so close to being complete. Rotary International volunteers have helped immunize more than 2.5 billion children against polio in 122 countries. The number of polio cases has been reduced by 99.9 % worldwide. Of the 3 strains of wild poliovirus (type 1, type 2 and type 3), wild poliovirus type 2 was eradicated in 1999 and wild poliovirus type 3 was eradicated in 2020. As of 2022, endemic wild poliovirus type 1 remains in two countries: Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Clawson Rotary dedicated 2 Shelter Boxes destined for earthquake survivors in Turkey and Syria. Their caring donation is in memory of Alexandria Verner, a local victim of the February 13th shootings on the Michigan State University Campus. 
Solicitation for Nominations: Robert S. Northrup Humanitarian Award
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Finding and Developing Leaders: At our upcoming District Conference in May, we will be bringing in Dr. Steven Bucci, to share his vast experience in developing leaders. As many of us know, we are faced with numerous leadership challenges- finding members to assume committee chairs, and board of directors, not to mention, bringing in new members. Wouldn't it be nice to have a smooth, planned transition that offers a more stress free movement from president to president, board member to board member, committee leader to committee leader, and committee member to committee member?/Membership/Attract-top.jpg){kind=small}
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Fifth Annual Golf Invitational 
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for hosting Rotary at a special golf day for Polio in Jupiter, Florida. With the help of the greatest golfer of all time and an international slate of generous Rotarians, we were able to raise 5.25-million. Nick was the driving force on this hole in one experience. This is my favorite photo. A true tender moment between gentlemen./Ann%20Arbor/Bangladesh2.jpg)
At its 4th anniversary of inception, I decided to go back and check the status of this Clinic that was started as a Global Grant Project to serve a small village in rural Bangladesh. It was a $55,000 Global Grant to furnish a clinic with all the equipment and renovate an existing building to make it suitable for a clinic. Our implementation partner on the Project was Foundation for Charitable Activities in Bangladesh (FCAB). FCAB remains the organization that operates the clinic./Ann%20Arbor/Bangladesh1.jpg)
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Circles Washtenaw County was started by Friends In Deed, Friend-In-Deed has provided help to those in our community for over 30 years. Friends-In-Deed was looking for a program that was more than a short-term "helping hand" in a time of need. They wanted to find a program that was a long-term solution to poverty. They examined many different programs and then choose Circles USA. /Dexter/Photo-3.jpg)
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Every village came out to greet us. Balloons, cotton candy, marimba bands, dancing girls (and sometimes guys) and lots of speeches. Each visit was a celebration – celebrating the arrival of “technology”. /RACHEL/P1070718.jpg)
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Where is the face of mental health?
There are some significant changes we want to tell you about.
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This is Troy Rotary's second year volunteering with the Troy Police Department to collect items for families in need for Christmas. Troy officers saw a significant need in the community and developed Operation Blue Sleigh. This new program will benefit even more Troy families experiencing financial hardship this holiday season./Davisburg/DB1.jpg)
were all delivered this morning. Each family received four or more boxes of food which included a turkey, hamburger, fruit, vegetables, other meats and necessities./Davisburg/DB4.jpg)
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Over the past 78 years the Clarkston Rotary has sponsored a variety of community assistance programs while solely focusing on the “Shoes for Kids” program for the past 40 years and over 11,000 Clarkston children have benefited. This community service program is made possible by the assistance of so many service-minded volunteers, as well other community organizations involved during the activities in early December. The time and energy provided by the participants is affirmed by many of the volunteers returning each year to enjoy the sights and sounds of the one day event. Photos and Full Story "Read More"/Mental%20Health/Barry-Fraser.png)
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Members of Lyon Area Rotary decorated a Rotary tree to compete in the tree decoration contest at Abbey Park Retirement home, where our weekly meetings are held. We helped out at their annual holiday party by serving food and assisting with the clean-up. Family and friends of the residents attended the festivities which lead to over 300 people taking part in our Rotary raffle. Thank you to everyone involved! It was a great way to get in the holiday spirit!/Hartland/h1c.png)
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in Rotary is maintaining a healthy level of membership. My club of Haute Rive is no exception. We started the club in 2014 with 20 members, and despite the fact that we have gained new members since then, we’ve also lost a few. So much so that membership fell to just 18 as of 1 July 2017. Fortunately, our leadership team was proactive and began forming a plan to address the situation./LivSun/SalRing.png)
December 1st, Livingston Sunrise Rotary was at the Kroger in Howell ringing the bells for the Salvation Army. The Club raised $1260.00 for the Salvation Army There were so many smiling faces. Young, old, and even some faces with tongues sticking out of their mouths. in addition, some of the Livingston Sunrise members participated in the World Medical Relief workday in Southfield, Michigan. Our members were joined in this labor of love by members from other Rotary Clubs. World Medical is a non-profit group that collects unused medical equipment and supplies from local hospitals and medical facilities. Items are then sorted, packaged and shipped to those in need around the world. Our work group took part in these sorting and packaging efforts in a truly “hands-on” work experience. For more information, /What%20Rotary%20Manes%20to%20Me/WRMTM.jpg)
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On the 8th of December, the club along with members from the First Ridgetown Scouts, participated in the annual town Christmas Parade. Besides having their own float, members of the Scouts rode on the Rotary float. The big Rotary wheel on our decorated float was built several years ago by the woodworking students from the École Secondaire De Pain Court, the French language high school in Paincourt, Chatham-Kent. It is shared by the clubs in both Ridgetown and Dresden, which is about 25 miles north of Ridgetown. Their parade was at 6:00 pm the same day, so there was some hustle shown getting the wagon over to the Dresden parade after our 1:00 pm parade. For a small town, the Ridgetown parade was great, lasting over 40 minutes./ArtHolst/Art-Holst-20151111.jpg)
On December 19, 2018, we lost one of the greatest of the Greatest Generation. We lost an example to live our lives by, a great veteran, a great patriot, a great friend and a great Rotarian. We lost Art Holst who was in his 97th year. Art was with the love of his life, Elizabeth, at their winter home in Ft. Myers. Art and Elizabeth merged their families later in life; Art will be dearly missed by Elizabeth, and their admiring family./Rochester/CasaColibriTeam28.jpg)
Jay and Linda Eastman lead the 28th Medical/Dental Jornada (“Mission”) Team to Guatemala from December 1-9, 2018. After two days of travel to the clinic, the team saw patients from local villages over four days. Each village was scheduled to either the morning or afternoon on a particular day and the work went from 8am until about 6pm every day. In total, the team saw 987 patients for general medical needs, dental issues, maternity checkups, and eye problems. By the end of the week, they had extracted 1191 teeth, given out 226 eye prescriptions, and distributed thousands of toothbrushes, sunglasses, children’s multivitamins and prenatal vitamins among other things. /Rochester/IMG_1340.JPG)
was a great success, raising $2,977 for worthy charities. We had 45 bakers donate hundreds of sweet treats for the event and the homemade Christmas treats sold out within 25 minutes of opening the doors! We had very few cookies to replenish the trays after the first wave of customers! The assortment and quality of the cookies were downright amazing. It was a beautiful event, as judged by the people's “oohs” and “aahs” as they entered the room. A big shout out goes to the helpers from Avondale High School. Those kids came to work! Thirteen young people showed up at the appointed time, ready and eager to follow orders. They worked in the kitchen sorting cookies and delivering them to the setup area. Their efficient help allowed us to start right on time, and the floodgates opened precisely at 10:00 a.m. Without their help, we would not have had such a successful event. Also, it was a pleasure having one of the students play piano on the OPC stage entertaining us with holiday tunes./Chatham%20Sunrise/P1120273.JPG)
Rotary Club of Chatham Sunrise held a surprise celebration on Dec. 4th for Paul Roy as a leader and one of the founding charter members of the Club 20 years ago on March 20th, 1998./VocSRV/VocService.jpg)
Rotary service transforms lives and communities. To achieve even more truly transformational service, RI President Barry Rassin encourages us to think differently about our role in Rotary, and Rotary’s role in the world during the 2018-19 year. Globally, Rotary is more relevant than ever before, and its potential for good is vast. Take full advantage of your membership in Rotary. Use this opportunity to discuss the many different ways your clubs can start or expand service activities to enhance the Rotary experience for their members./Membership/Banner.png){kind=small}
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Troy Rotary embarked on a project to help school children cope with loneliness, foster friendships and confront bullying. We were drawn to the success of Buddy Benches which are safe places for kids to sit, talk and work things out. Rotary values inclusion, kindness and peace, so we committed to installing Buddy Benches at all of the Troy Elementary Schools (21 total) plus two benches at the Troy Boys & Girls Club. /SARC/Kellee-Inducting-New-Members.png)
inducted three new members at the December 5th social held at the WAB in Ferndale. Fun and fellowship was had by all. Governor Jane was asked to speak on what "Be the Inspiration" meant to her along with comments about Women in Rotary. President Kellee Miller followed with what she felt was the "Value of Rotary". Kellee inducted Aisha Williams, Connie Akins and Wanda Black followed by a warm SARC welcome! "Read More" for photos./Warren/Karen-Joyce.png)
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Calgary, Aberta, Canada - For the last couple of years, seven buddies from the pub have been getting together every three months or so, to make pierogis. They usually spend about 5 or 6 hours, making about 300 pierogis from scratch, that they share amongst themselves. They decided they needed a name, and settled on “The Pierogi Kings.” The seven guys consist of two retired railway employees, a retired fire Captain, a retired oil man, a meat wholesaler, a radio broadcaster, and a former professional football player. This close knit group of friends then decided that since they have all done, or are still doing pretty well in life, and, given the current state of the Alberta economy, with so many families struggling, they should take the “Pierogi Kings,” to a new level... They should do some charitable work!/VocSRV/TechAdv.png)
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The latest report from our October Haiti mission - healing children's hearts at our partner hospital St. Damien's Children's. You heard Rob speak about Gift of Life International at Zone on Saturday morning and many of you joined our Gift of Life Northeast Ohio breakout afterwards./CorpMembership.jpg)
How do corporate memberships work?/AA-Genesis-of-a-global-grant.jpg)
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Giving Tuesday evening was our big FUNdraising/TeamTurkey/TT06.png)
Today was for the humans! Spent the morning helping to deliver 250 Thanksgiving meals to deserving families in our community. So thankful to a part of this great service project, #teamturkey. Fantastic job done by the Rotary Clubs of Troy, Birmingham, Sterling Heights and West Bloomfield including helpers from many other clubs in 6380! Also a huge thank you to /Brighton/BT-LEAD.jpg)
For the 11th year, Brighton Rotary and Sunset Rotary Club /13WayBook.jpg)
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It's no secret that SARC /BlmfdHills/Lighthouse/DSCF4013.png)
gathered to package and deliver nearly 100 Thanksgiving boxes for /Play-for-Peace-RP.jpg)
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along with more than 20 area restaurants, hosted the Bloomfield Township police department, its staff and the entire township staff (more than 100 people) for an appreciation lunch on Thursday, December 15th. This is the 3rd annual Appreciation Luncheon hosted for the township police and office staff, where the Bloomfield Hills Rotary Club expressed its thanks for all that the township personnel do for the community. More than 23 area restaurants and stores donated food, drink and supplies for this special event, including Leo’s Coney Island, whose owner personally served Greek salad with chicken and its signature Coney dogs to all in attendance. Everyone enjoyed the food and fellowship. (See photos in "Read More".)/Christina.jpg)
Our daughter Christina will be one of 6 Young Innovators from around the globe to receive the young innovator award at this years Rotary at UN day in Nairobi, Kenya./Clarkston-Van.jpg)
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I went to the RCAA today to listen to Liz Smith talk about Polio Eradication. Also got to see the club receive awards from the City of Ann Arbor (proclaimed it Polio Day in Ann Arbor), and Washtenaw County. PE Rosemarie Rowney, Polio Plus chairman, tells about the results in the email below. Thought you might like a photo or 2 for the District website! - Anne Nauts (Secor 12 AG)/BR-BH1.jpg)
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The Rotary Foundation transforms your gifts into projects that change lives both close to home and around the world. As the charitable arm of Rotary, we tap into a global network of Rotarians who invest their time, money, and expertise into .png)
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On October 28, our Rotarians will be helping out with the annual dance project Masquerade Ball. The Dance Project was founded in order to help schools create a safe, fun and positive environment at their dances. The Masquerade Ball is a semiformal dance for students, 7th -12th grade featuring swing dance instruction and DJ. Dress up for the dance, wearing modest and conservative costumes and/or your favorite mask of the season. Special, theme-related attractions and activities will make for an extra fun event. Snacks and drinks will be provided./CLAW3a.jpg)
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Here's an original idea!
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