District 6290 Newsletter

Fellow Rotarians of District 6290:

I’ve finally made the determination that if I don’t make this letter a priority I won’t get my July newsletter out in July!  So here comes my first newsletter. 

It is an incredible honor to be able to serve as your District Governor.  Thank you for placing your trust in me.  I hope I will live up to your expectations and while enjoying the wonderful Rotarians of our District.  The experience of the Club visits I have already completed so far has been very gratifying. I look forward to the others.  Our fellow Rotarians of this District are People of Action who are Making a Difference in their communities and all over the world.  In my August letter I will try to share with you some of what I have learned and experienced in some of these visits. 

The last few months have been a whirlwind for Carol and me.  Preparation for the last year has also been extensive, from Zone training in Cleveland last fall to the International Assembly in San Diego in January to District Conference at Crystal Mountain in May to the International Convention in Atlanta last month.  When we take the time and make the effort to see what Rotary is beyond our individual Clubs our eyes and minds are opened to truly a wide, wide world.  In future newsletters I hope to share with you some of what I have learned from Rotarians from other Clubs and Districts that have changed what I want to do to Make a Difference.

Be a Guest.  Learn and Share

I encourage you all to go visit at least one other Club in a neighboring community, while you are on a business trip or vacation, or just another Club in your own community that typically meets at a different time.  We’re no longer worried about attendance requirements or make-ups because the governance of Rotary International has caught up with the reality of the 21^st century, but seeing how Rotary can be a different experience in a different Club or meeting Rotarians from somewhere else can give us all new ideas and show us ways to get more engaged as Rotarians. 

Sharing our Vision…Mapping our Future

Another way to get some of that exposure is to attend a District or Rotary International event.  Our District’s annual One Rotary Summit/Strategic Planning event will take place October 14 this year at the Ralph A. MacMullen Conference Center, 104 Conservation Drive, Roscommon, MI. 4865.  We would like to have representation from all 60 of our District’s Rotary Clubs at this meeting.  You need not be a Club executive to come share in the fun and give your views.  All Rotarians are welcome. 

Rotary Leadership

Likewise, we have tried to encourage our district Rotarians to attend the Rotary Leadership Institute, a set of three daylong training modules on Rotary and Leadership (providing leadership skills that are not just usable in Rotary).  Sadly, we failed to generate enough interest to put this on at our planned date of August 5 in Muskegon, and so it was cancelled.  It is offered in our District and four adjacent Districts each once a year. Unfortunately, the next date is in Southern Ontario on the same date as our One Rotary Summit.  We will plan this training again next year, hopefully not in mid-summer.

District Conference 2018

We are planning next year’s District Conference, possibly parallel conferences for Rotary, Rotaract, Interact, and Rotary Youth Exchange, in Holland May 17-19, 2018.  We’re going to try to save some tulips from the event that ends the weekend before.  We will try to have some of Holland’s summer activities going.  The beaches and campgrounds will be open for those of you wanting to use them. We have available dorm rooms at Hope College for students and for Rotarians and their families who don’t want to deal with the in-season hotel rates. And, of course, we do have the wonderful modern downtown hotels and standard motels along US-31.  There is a variety of places at a variety of costs depending on your wants and needs. 

International Convention

And if you haven’t been to an International Convention, you don’t know what you are missing! Plan now to attend in Toronto June 24-28, 2018.  There is no experience quite like walking into an arena full of Rotarians from all over the world or sitting at a lunch table with Rotarians from Asia or Africa in full native costume and talking about what this organization has meant to them!  It was thrilling to hear Bill Gates announce the pledge of an additional $300 million for Polio Plus at this year’s convention in Atlanta and to hear the daughter of Martin Luther King, Jr., sound like her daddy talking about peace and justice, and to hear Andrew Young talk about his experiences with MLK. They made us proud to be Rotarians. 

Thank you, Jennifer

Having Rotary International Vice President Jennifer Jones here to speak at my installation was also an honor.  She is a delightful woman of action who knows how to make Rotary fun.  She shared stories of her experiences that have shaped her vision of being a Rotarian.  One special story was about observing a medical procedure that saved the life of a young child so that the child could someday grow up healthy and happy.  Jen is the woman who two years ago actually invited (and then bused) the entire leadership team from our Zones (more than 150 people) from a training event in downtown Detroit to her home in Windsor, Ontario, for dinner.

Goodbye, Sam

I would be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to reflect on the life of Sam Owori.  Sam was the recently installed President-Elect of Rotary International, who would have served as our International President in 2018-19 had he sadly not passed away this month.  Sam was a warm and friendly man who was the pride of Rotarians in Africa and a champion of Polio Plus.  The world has lost a model of Rotary Service and a gentle man.  We will miss him. 

Well, I have much more to say, but you’ll have to stay tuned for next month’s letter.  You really won’t have long to wait.  If you want more information about any of the things I’ve mentioned, look further at the District website or Facebook page. 

Enjoy your summer in Michigan and Ontario.  Get some rest and play a little.  But remember you are Rotarians who are People of Action who show that Rotary is Making a Difference!

Ed