Wow! Here we are at the end of the month again. And January was a busy month. I hope we have all done something to celebrate Vocational Service Month.
I finished my official Club visits this month with a wonderful welcome at the Suttons Bay-Leelanau County Rotary Club. They even arranged to get me a couple days of melting snow so the drive wasn’t treacherous. I also visited an online meeting of the Great Lakes International Rotaract Club. I was hosted by Cadillac, Traverse City, and Benzie Sunrise at their Detroit Tigers visit fundraiser breakfast. All in all it was a great month.
DGE Brian went to San Diego this month for the International Assembly. And he starts Pre-PETS meetings with the PEs this week. We’re gearing up for next year. The 2018-19 theme introduced by RI President Elect Barry Rassin is “Be the Inspiration.”
At the January District Board meeting we took action to give some money away for creative purposes! The District has actually made a profit in the last few years, largely as a result of District officers like AGs not taking reimbursements they otherwise could be entitled to for travel to Club visits and other events. We need to budget for these expenses for the time when everyone claims them, but sometimes Rotarians just give these up as donations to the District. IPDG Gernot actually gave some of his District Governor allocation back to RI. But we don’t want to accumulate lots of money.
Our District Foundation Committee has held a 50/50 raffle in each of the past three years. The payouts last year were pretty rich!
In 2018 the program is a straight 50/50 raffle: Tickets are $20 each. 50% goes to the Rotary Foundation. Clubs selling tickets will get per capita credit of $10 for each ticket sold in that club. The other 50% will be split among 6 individual winners at a ticket drawing of all tickets sold, to be held in March at PETS in Kalamazoo.
This raffle gets richer and richer for the winners as the number of tickets sold goes up. The more tickets we sell, the more EVERYONE wins.
Club Presidents should be receiving tickets and information the week between Christmas and New Years. Please contact them and/or Foundation Chair for details.
Good luck and thanks for your support of this important project: good for the Foundation and good for the winners!
Over 6000 youth leaders served in 70 years of Rotary Community Service
Hosted by Muskegon Rotary in June, 1949, at Camp Emery on Big Blue Lake in Muskegon County
Continues to this day as the Rotary District 6290 Life Leadership Conference, open to all clubs in the District
Now convened at the Kettunen Conference Center, each June, in Tustin Michigan
160+ talented and diverse youth served each year
Seeking high school sophomores or juniors with a track record of leadership
An international conference with conferees from Canada, U.S., and several Youth Exchange countries
Provides leadership training support for Rotary Interact Clubs and high schools throughout District 6290
Prepares students for leadership roles in their schools, clubs, and communities
Emphasizes Service Above Self, Four Way Test, and Rotary values for a better community and world
Exceptional four-day curriculum, variety of great speakers and activities
Applications due by May 1 in District Office. For more information, contact your Life Leadership Chair, Club President, or John Noling, District Chair at johnnoling65@gmail.com, 231 670 3740
World Water is celebrated on March 22nd. It focuses 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. 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.
How do you enter the competition?
Submit a brief description of your project to info@wasrag.org. Include what you are doing, the target audience and the expected impact of the project. Remember to tell us your Club name and District number and give us a contact name, email address and phone number. Some projects will be showcased on the WASRAG website. Entries are due May 1st.
For the 10th consecutive year, The Rotary Foundation has received the highest rating, four stars, from Charity Navigator, an independent evaluator of charities in the U.S. The Foundation earned the maximum of 100 points for demonstrating both strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency.
In a letter to the Foundation, Charity Navigator notes that "only 1 percent of the charities we evaluate have received at least 10 consecutive 4-star evaluations, indicating that The Rotary Foundation outperforms other charities in America. This exceptional designation from Charity Navigator sets The Rotary Foundation apart from its peers and demonstrates to the public its trustworthiness."
The rating reflects Charity Navigator's assessment of how the Foundation uses donations, sustains its programs and services, and practices good governance and openness.
<Note from District - What follows is a wonderful article which has been submitted to Rotarian. Since we cannot guarantee they will pick it up we want to be sure our own members have the benefit of hearing about the tremendous good works going on in Muskegon. Be sure to follow the 'read more' link for the full story.>
At North Muskegon Public School District, in a picturesque community on the shores of Lake Muskegon in Western Michigan, students in grades 5 through 12 are involved in service to others through the influence of Rotary. What now impacts hundreds of students and their families began as a Leadership and Service class at North Muskegon High School for 25 students from 2000 to 2011. A Rotary Club of Muskegon member noticed that this club’s activities were a perfect match for an Interact Club, and suggested that the school form one. North Muskegon Interact was born in 2011, and this club has now become a pervasive influence in the entire community.
In September, Hurricane Maria pummeled Puerto Rico, the strongest storm to make landfall on the island in 85 years. More than three months later, people are still struggling to recover. The immediate response from Rotarians in District 7000 was quick and precise. Several clubs around the island began to provide humanitarian aid to those affected. The help included non-perishable food, water, hygiene kits, water filters, solar lights and power generators.
Now local Rotarians are focusing on recovery and reconstruction. Plans are underway to work with pumping systems for renewable energy projects in communities without potable water, the installation of water filtration systems, and the rollout of community economic development projects for the most affected areas. Disease prevention efforts in areas affected by the hurricane are also taking place among other initiatives.
Following the 6290 District Grant Review meeting in November, after all the club grants were approved and paid out, $8000 remained in the account and were designated as “contingency” funds. In December, the District 6290 Grants Committee voted to make $2,000 of the contingency funds available to District 7000. Glen Verbrugge from the Cadillac Rotary Club had been in touch with the District Governor from 7000 regarding a grant his club wanted to make for Hurricane Maria relief in Puerto Rico. He took the lead to have the funds sent directly to the district.
Keep reading for an update from D7000 District Governor to learn how these funds are being put to use.
This is a tandem skydiving event - so no previous experience is required. Current goal is to limit this to 20 participants, each with a fundraising goal of at least $1,000 (in addition to the cost of jump - $250).
We've already got a core group of incredibly fun Rotarian's who are 'onboard' and ready to take the plunge.
If you want to be part of this team, send email to Elk Rapids Rotarian Don Watkins, and you'll get looped into the discussion. In the meantime, keep an eye out for updates via Facebook and future newsletters.
<Original work by PDG Stella Roy, Zone 24 East Polio Coordinator, and published in the Zone 24&32 Newsletter. Edited with permission of the author by PDG Al Bonney for use in District 6290 News Letter.>
5:15 am came early every day but we were up and down to breakfast anyway. The hotel kindly opened breakfast at 5.30 for our team (the manager is a Rotarian). After breakfast, the 11 person team, armed with water, sunglasses, small gifts for the health workers and insect repellant and snacks, headed to the lobby where the local Yola Rotarians and armed security guards waited for us. We load the mini bus and head out to our assigned health clinic for the day. Because the assignments were different each day, sometimes it was a 10 minute drive and sometimes up to 50.
By the time we get to the clinic, the health workers are already collecting their vaccine, checking their supplies and being given their daily assignments. Our NID team is broken into 5 pairs, one for each team of health workers. In each Immunization team there is a lead worker in charge of the team, a recorder with chalk to mark the houses and keep the tally sheets and a worker to tend the cold box full of our vaccines for the day. All three of these health workers are paid. A local Yola Rotarian and a Rotaractor rounded out our Immunization Team. Departing on foot, moped or by car, we were off for the day’s work.
The Rotary year of 2016-2017 was a great year for District 6290 when viewed through the lens of The Rotary Foundation. We have celebrated several of last year’s achievements already this year but recognizing those clubs that won various recognitions from The Rotary Foundation itself has not been one of them.
We are a bit late making this announcement in 8th month of the year. Hopefully “Better late than never” will get us some forgiveness.
First, The District’s total donations, from all our clubs combined, was $289, 153. This generosity gained us the recognition for being the second largest donation to the Annual Fund in all of Zone 29. There are 16 Districts in Zone 29. This is a significant achievement and something we are very proud to announce.
Keep reading to see the significant awards that were bestowed upon individual D6290 clubs. It's a stunning list!
Gail Haenlein recently spoke to the Rotary Club of Houghton Lake regarding the Collins Elementary weekend backpack program which is in its seventh year. The program provides a backpack of nutritional, nonperishable food on Fridays to students in need from the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan. Currently 16 volunteers support over 70 students. This is an important program for a county that has one of the largest percentages of children living in poverty in the state of Michigan.
Rotary Club of Houghton Lake President Denise Stefanko presented a $2,000 grant to Haenlein for the program which will support 20 students. The Rotary Club of Houghton Lake donated $1,000 which was matched by Rotary District 6290.
The updated global grant report is now available! We hope the changes we’ve made will make your job easier. The new report’s layout and wording match those of the global grant application, and the financial section is easier to use.
As mentioned in earlier communications, because the report has changed so extensively, much of the information that was entered earlier is no longer visible. Staff can still view this information, and we can provide it on request. Also remember that both primary contacts are now required to authorize reports.
Learn more about these changes during a webinar on 15 February. You can register for it now.
If you have any questions, write to rotarysupportcenter@rotary.org. Thank you for participating in the activities of The Rotary Foundation. Doing Good in the World starts with members like you.
RI President-elect Barry Rassin laid out his vision for the future of the organization, calling on leaders to work for a sustainable future and to inspire Rotarians and the community at large.
A member of the Rotary Club of East Nassau, New Providence, Bahamas, Rassin unveiled the 2018-19 presidential theme, Be the Inspiration, to incoming district governors at Rotary’s International Assembly in San Diego, California, USA.
If you haven't already joined the Zones 28-29 Toronto Convention Facebook group - just follow this link and ask to join the group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/192868821271912/ This is a closed (private) group just for Zone 28-29 Rotarians who are registered for the Convention. You can use this site to find or ask for information, set up meetings or meals with friends during the Convention, find a roommate or anything else that will help to make your Convention experience FANTASTIC!
If you're at the southern end of our District, or if you're not but love a great train ride, you might want to check out this fun opportunity organized by neighboring Districts. Please click on the link below to attend or decline. You can also book family and friends.
Event:
Toronto Convention-Train
Date:
Jun 23, 2018 9:05 AM - Jun 28, 2018 12:15 PM
Fee:
$215.00
Location:
VIA Rail 298 Walker Rd, Windsor,, ON Canada N8Y 2M9
Summary of newly-reported viruses this week: Afghanistan: One new case of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) has been reported in Nangarhar province. One new WPV1 positive environmental sample has been reported in Kandahar province. Pakistan: Two new WPV1 positive environmental samples have been reported, one collected from Sindh province, and one from Balochistan province.
NA: onset of paralysis in most recent case is prior to 2016. Figures exclude non-AFP sources. Lao PDR cVDPV1, all others cVDPV2. cVDPV definition: see document “Reporting and classification of vaccine-derived polioviruses” at [pdf]
Keep Reading for an Endemic Country Summary (as of January 24, 2018)