Governor Doug's May Message
Over four dozen members are involved in our District leadership this year. I anticipated all of them would stay busy but I really hoped one person would have nothing to do at all! Sadly, he's been busy, too.
DGND Jim Dyer is your District Coordinator for disaster relief. In an ideal environment he would finish the year with not a doggone thing to do - no disasters, no need! But as you know, that has not been the case.
Let's start with Japan. Through his coordination district 5280 Rotarians have answered the call with donations of almost $25,000. That's impressive enough, but here's the part that really stands out: over half of the amount has come from the efforts of people under the age of 18! It again proves the theory that if you give one the opportunity to serve, they will answer the call!
Now we have the tornadoes that have caused massive damage to Southern States. We're already coordinating efforts with our counterparts in that region to see how we can assist. We will keep you updated via our Friday missive from the home office, as compiled by my boss, Tori Hettinger.
The caliber of our youth was certainly on display during the April District Breakfast where Sergei Belokonnyi and Cara de Freitas Bart, Rotaract and Interact Governors, put on a program that is still creating a buzz and excitement. A special thanks should also go to Angi Ma Wong and Abigail Carde who added an emotionally powerful impact when 12 year old Abigail got her very first haircut ever, donating the hair to make a wig for someone undergoing cancer treatment. Indeed, our replacements are looking good!
This was certainly evident at RYLA where over 200 registered. Connie and I spent a day with these high school "kids" watching their confidence and leadership skills increase hour by hour. Elyse Beardsley and Joe Harding are to be congratulated along with the many volunteers who acted as everything from counselors to dishwashers. As an added feature, there was an encounter between Squishy the bison and your Governor, a picture of which will soon make an appearance and undoubtedly cause maximum embarrassment.
Not exactly a smooth transition, but May is also a celebratory month. Summer is right around the corner, days are warming up and we have two coming events designed for celebration and fellowship: our District Conference and the International Convention. My thanks to the 400+ who are already registered for this conference. Rooms at our overflow hotel are still available ($159 per night, details on the website) and registration is just a click away. And then the International Convention is just a week later in New Orleans. It is simple math here: New Orleans+ town filled with Rotarians = good time for sure.
We'll see a lot of each other this month, yet another reason to celebrate!