Sign up for Rotary Direct During the Membership Summit and Receive 250 Rotary Foundation Recognition Points—FREE!
Here’s How It Works:
Sign up for Rotary Direct making a minimum monthly contribution of $10 or more to The Annual Program Fund-SHARE. Hand in your sign-up form at the registration table when you arrive at the Membership Summit in Cadillac at McGuires Resort on October 18th. (Rotary Direct forms EN 712 will be available at the table or get one at www.rotary.org/en/annual-fund-and-share.
That’s it! Now you can enjoy knowing that your regular contributions are making a difference in the world.
Thank you to all the donors worldwide and especially in District 6290 who believe in Rotary’s work. You Light Up Rotary with every donation.
This promotion is to increase the number of Rotary Direct givers. This special offer is only for NEW Rotary Direct givers. Only 1 Bonus offer per person.
Join us in Cadillac on Saturday, October 18th for:
Interactive learning/planning activities
Small-group workshop breakouts
Best practice sharing and principles
Dr. Mary Berge (RI Zone 29 Rotary Coordinator)will facilitate an action-packed agenda focused on best-practice sharing between club presidents and membership champions. Participants will discuss the ideas presented, share their own ideas and best practices. You will leave with YOUR OWN club-specific action plan, that YOU BELIEVE will help increase member attraction and engagement.
Reviews from Rotarians attending Mary's programs:
"By far the best session on membership I've been to in a long time"
"I finally have ideas that I know will help my club grow and be more energized"
Rotary Charities of Traverse City has announced that the Board of Trustees has approved a grant of $250,000 to The Rotary Foundation in support of the End Polio Now Campaign, in response to the challenge grant issued by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The grant was approved at Charities monthly meeting, Wednesday, September 24th.
In making the announcement, Executive Director Marsha Smith said that Rotary Charities’ primary mission is to serve the citizens of our five county service area in Northwest Lower Michigan. “Because the need to finish the job of polio eradication is a compelling world-wide health challenge, the Trustees feel it is within the Rotary Charities mission of providing leadership to give this grant.”
George Powell, Rotary Club of Traverse City President and Rotary Charities Trustee said, “The Trustees hope that District 6290 can use this leadership grant to challenge Rotary Clubs in our District to raise matching funds. However, this grant is not contingent upon funds received from the District.”
Feeding America is the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity. Their mission is to feed America's hungry through a nationwide network of member food banks. One way Feeding America supports those in need is by distributing food through their Mobile Food Pantry program.
Read more … on how the Rotary Club of Cadillac partnered with Feeding America to bring the Mobile Food Pantry program to Northern Michigan to address the growing need for food in their community.
The annual Rotary District 6290 Life Leadership Conference, created in 1949 by Rotarians in District 6290, is specifically designed for making a life-long impact on youth leadership. The Life Leadership Conference is a vital example of Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA), a program that originated with Rotary International that also encourages servant leadership in youth. This year the conference will take place June 17th – June 20th, 2015 at the Kettunen Conference Center (Tustin, Michigan).
These 150 select young people attend an all-expenses-paid conference where they are inspired by a diverse group of exceptional speakers, make life-long friends through fellowship activities, and discuss the ethical and social issues of today. These activities are conducted in an atmosphere of trust and respect. The result is that these students return to their schools and communities motivated to take on additional leadership roles and to find additional ways to serve.
For more information about the Life Leadership Conference,, including brochures and all application materials, please go to www.ridistrict6290.org and click on Youth Services or contact Kathy Hegedus at the District Office.
We couldn't be more excited to have over a third of our clubs participating in the District Public Image matching grant program for 2014/2015. The projects include three 'collaborations' -- Grand Rapids has a block of eight clubs, the three Traverse City clubs have teamed together, and Grayling/Houghton Lake/Roscommon have partnered together.
Using the District grant isn't the only way to get the word out. At breakout sessions on Public Image at District Training Assembly and District Conference we've often been asked "what do you do if you don't have a local TV/radio station" . . . or "what if we only have a little weekly paper?"
Check out the creative approach taken by Grandville-Jenison Rotary. They've placed a nice display at their town library! Think about it . . . you could include information about the impact your club has on the community while also highlighting the global impact of Rotary International.
Other no or low cost approaches to get the word out? Articles in school newsletters highlighting youth programs. Join your local Chamber and have club brochure at their office. Do you have a Newcomer's Club (Welcome Wagon) in your town? Offer to be a program for one of their meetings. Get creative . . . tell your story!!
What is your club doing on World Polio Day to help increase awareness for the continued need to battle polio? If you haven't planned anything it isn't too late. Here are just a few ideas:
Watch Rotary's LiveStream event scheduled October 24th at 7:30pm
Use club program to provide an update leveraging materials from End Polio Now website
Conduct a 'purple pinky' project in your schools, a local mall/shopping center, lobby of movie theater
I spoke last month about the value of the “P-String” meeting at regular intervals for the purpose of training, consistency and sustainability of leadership in a Rotary Club. Several clubs have chosen to begin this process and look forward to reaping the benefits from this best practice.
Critical to starting this P-String meeting process is, of course, HAVING a P-String to work with. This means making it your club policy to always have four leaders filling the four P-String positions: Immediate Past President, President, President Elect and President Nominee. Best Practice shows that holding elections in the fall for the President Nominee Designate (a fifth member of the team) insures that the P-String is always full and your club is benefitting from the training, consistency and sustainability available from this kind of Leadership Planning.
The truth is, if you are a club that has trouble every winter to get SOMEBODY to step forward, waiting to do it the old way does not make the job any easier simply because you put it off to the last minute.
What the clubs have found who are practitioners of this best practice is that getting someone to step forward for a job 2 or 3 years in the future is a lot easier than for one that is 4 or 5 months away. In addition, the training that the P-String meetings bring to the PN and the PE makes the people volunteering for these jobs much more comfortable and confident.
Isn’t it adequate to select the President Elect in December to take office the next July? The answer is, no it is not adequate. You are ignoring the benefits that accrue to the club from the training, consistency and sustainability that comes from “sitting in the P-String Chairs” for two years prior to accepting the President’s mantle on July 1st. Sure, you can get buy doing it the old way, but is that good enough, or even fair to the club, if there is proven better practice?
For Assistant Governors, President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer and Club Committee Chairs for Foundation, Membership and Public Image. Open to all Rotarians, especially current/future committee/club leaders.
January 31, 2015 - Elk Rapids February 14, 2015 - Sault Ste. Marie, ONT February 21, 2015 - Cedar Springs
During the upcoming year, the District newsletter will be released on the 1st of each month. The deadline to submit materials is the 20th of each month. If you have an example of a 'best practice' or have other great news to share, please complete our 'Club News' submission form (found at www.ridistrict6290.org under Public Image, or in the FAQ section in our monthly newsletter). Electronic photos are encouraged. Please try to limit your submission to 300 words or less.
We Have Great News!
The annual Rotary District 6290 Life Leadership Conference, created in 1949 by Rotarians in District 6290, is specifically designed for making a life-long impact on youth leadership. The Life Leadership Conference is a vital example of Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA), a program that originated with Rotary International that also encourages servant leadership in youth. This year the conference will take place June 17th – June 20th, 2015 at the Kettunen Conference Center (Tustin, Michigan).
What is your club doing on World Polio Day to help increase awareness for the continued need to battle polio? If you haven't planned anything it isn't too late. Here are just a few ideas:
