Stories In This Issue

Select Rotary Disaster Response to support Ukrainians

Thank you, Rotarians and D5950 clubs, for your eagerness to support our Ukrainian friends and fellow Rotarians.
And thank you to Robert Scarlett (Minneapolis City of Lakes) and Don Stiles (Bloomington) for researching how to ensure our gifts reach the Ukrainian effort.
 
► If you are sending a check, be sure it is clearly designated for the Rotary Disaster Response Fund for Ukraine. The mailing address is:
The Rotary Foundation (TRF)
14280 Collections Center Dr.Chicago, IL 60693
 
► If your donation is in another form, please see Rotary's instructions for
check, draft or wire payments.
 
District 5950 is leading our clubs' customized methods for supporting Ukrainians and the neighboring countries assisting refugees. Here are responses to a recent D5950 survey.
District 5950: $10,000 donation to the Rotary Disaster Response Fund for Ukraine
 
St. Cloud:  $5,000 donation
 
Shakopee:  $2,000 donation to Rotary International Humanitarian Project
 
Chanhassen: Providing club funding and individual donations to support Ukrainian refugees in Hungary. One of our members proactively connected with a member of the Rotary Club of Miskolc. Miskolc is providing accommodations, food and medical supplies for mothers and children.
 
St Louis Park:  Partnering with the Rotary Clubs of White Bear Lake (5960), Hopkins, a club in Kiev and Global Synergy Group to fund efforts in Ukraine. Approaching $10,000 and going higher! Goal is $25,000-$30,000.
 
Minneapolis #9:  Partnered with East Side Neighborhood Services of NE Minneapolis in a donation drive for St. Katherine's Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Arden Hills. The drive collected two box trucks full of medical supplies, clothing and safety resources bound for the border of Poland where hundreds of thousands
of refugees have come in. Minneapolis Club #9 donated $10,000 from the World Services Committee to the church for this global support. The event received TV coverage on WCCO (4) and KARE (11). Read D5950 home page article.
 
Cokato Dassel:  Members’ donations encouraged.
 
Maple Grove:  Members’ donations encouraged.
 
St. James:  Donated $750 to Doctors Without Borders and a Christian organization. Rotarians were instrumental in hosting a community information meeting that featured a Ukrainian foreign exchange student, a mother whose son lives in Ukraine, a NPC with relatives in Russia, and two local individuals with ties to Poland. Raised over $ 4,000 at the event. The community event made the front page of the regional newspaper and was videotaped for public access and for local library.
 
Minnetonka: Partnering with the Rotary Clubs in Miskolc and Kisvarda (both in Hungary), wiring them $7,000+ to support their care of 40 women and children
who fled their homes.
 
Edina Morningside: Started developing a US AID grant. Our Ukrainian contact
will speak to our club on April 19 and members’ donations will support his efforts. Partnering with the Rotary Club of Ivano-Frankivsk.
 
Hopkins: Partnered with a Rotary club in Duluth, sending money to a Rotary club
in Warsaw, Poland to help the citizens of Ukraine.
 
Eagan Kick-Start: Partnering with The Drawer in a "bundling" event that prepares new socks and underwear bundles. These are delivered to adults and children in the Ukraine who need basic, necessary staples.

Let's see 100% of our clubs at Annual Meeting!

 
Register online for the Zoom meeting format.

"Crack the Code to Rising Stars" on May 3

If you were one of the 800 Rotarians eager to attend the Tri-District Conference before it fell victim to Covid cancellations, here’s a reason to celebrate. You can still hear one of
the seven keynote presentations on Tuesday, May 3, 2022 at the St. Cloud Holiday Inn.
 
The Rotary Club of St. Cloud presents Clare Richards and her relevant keynote address, Cracking the Code to Rising Stars: How to Find, Motivate, and Create Young Leaders.
 
Clare Richards is a researcher, storyteller and energetic presenter.
 
This program is free for members of the Rotary Club of St. Cloud and the Rotaract Club
of St. Cloud. Visiting Rotarians and guests, your cost is $25 at the door. The meeting begins at noon at the Holiday Inn of St. Cloud (map). Email Mike Mullin (michaelallenmullin@gmail.com) to RSVP.

Discover New Horizons in Houston

There is no experience quite like attending a Rotary International Convention. It’s an opportunity for members to connect personally with people from around the world, celebrate our service, and work together to find solutions for the world’s most pressing challenges. 

The 2022 Rotary International Convention will be held in Houston, Texas, USA. Those who can’t make the trip in early June can still experience the convention virtually. Watch the promotional video with your fellow club members and register today.

RI celebrates partnership with ShelterBox

Rotary and ShelterBox are celebrating the 10th anniversary of our official partnership — and more than 20 years of working together to support families whose lives have been devastated by disaster and conflict. We’ve combined our resources and provided emergency temporary housing and other vital equipment to help families immediately after a disaster — and to put them on a path to long-term recovery. To learn more about how your club or district can get involved or to request assistance, visit the Rotary-ShelterBox partnership page.

We're the hosts! North Star Zone Institute is  Sept. 15-18

What an Opportunity!
 
2022 North Star Zone Institute
at the Mall of America 
 
I couldn't be more excited about this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for District 5950 members to interact with Rotary International leaders.
 
RI President-elect Gordon McInally is coming all the way from Scotland. And we D5950 Rotarians can meet, visit and learn from him at a special All-Club Luncheon chaired by our own DG-Nominee Designate Sharon Bloodworth (Mpls. #9).
 
The 2022 Zone Institute gives our members access to the upper echelon of Rotary Leadership in a way that one cannot experience even at an International Convention. And as local hosts, the travel and housing cost savings for individual members is unbelievable.  
 
Mark September 15-18 on your calendars. Watch for additional program information.
Take advantage of this experience to grow your enthusiasm and commitment to all that is Rotary!

Pollinator Pledge is way to protect the environment

The District 5950 Environment Action Team encourages your club to learn about Operation Pollination and their partners efforts to engage in pollinator habitat restoration and education activities by signing a simple Pollinator Pledge form.  Through collaboration and outreach, an interconnected mosaic of pollinator habitat interspersed between public and private land will be developed to stabilize and increase populations of pollinator species throughout your project area.

Invite Chris Stein to speak at your club and learn about the three easy steps to get involved today. Chris works for the National Park Service and is the Chief of National Heritage Areas and Large Landscape Initiatives for the Midwest region.  He is also a member of the Twin Cities Rotary EcoClub and one of the leaders of Operation Pollination, a collaborative Rotary project. 

One of the goals of Operation Pollination is to influence Rotary Districts and Rotary Clubs to sign a Pollinator Pledge (download) which “recognizes the critical importance of pollinator habitat both restored and maintained on public and private lands. Through collaboration and outreach our club makes a commitment to annual service and education opportunities to impact pollinator habitat to increase pollinator species. Potential options for our club to consider are supporting regional partners in pollinator planning, planting pollinator gardens, avoiding or limiting pesticides, creating meadows and diversified lawns, implementing pollinator-friendly mowing practices, participating in prairie restoration, presentations at club meetings, and pollinator education outreach.”

There are now at least 10 Rotary Districts and many Rotary clubs that have signed the pledge. To learn more, contact Chris at Chris_Stein@nps.gov or (402) 881-1387.

 

Eagan Interact Club joins Rotary for Live to Give Walk

Eagan High Sschool Interact students will be greeters and guides for the May 7 Live to Give Walk fundraiser at Eagan’s Central Park. The club is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Eagan which offers volunteer experiences to the 265 students. The costumed walk is a fundraiser for Darts, Dakota Woodlands, The Drawer and the Eagan Rotary Foundation through sponsorships and peer giving teams.

Promote the power of vaccines to protect children

 
During World Immunization Week, April 24-30, let’s advocate for polio eradication and the importance of vaccines to the health and well-being of our communities. Vaccines are one of the greatest advances of modern medicine. They’re safe, effective, and save millions of lives each year. Our progress in the fight to end polio is proof that vaccines work.

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative estimates that the polio vaccine has saved more than 20 million children around the world from paralysis. Here’s how your club can support Rotary’s efforts during World Immunization Week:
  • Use the World Immunization Week Toolkit for graphics and sample posts to share on social media with the hashtags #EndPolio and #VaccinesWork.  
  • Donate to PolioPlus to help Rotary and our partners deliver polio vaccines to vulnerable children.
  • Or start an online fundraiser using Raise for Rotary and share it with your friends, colleagues, and family members. All contributions will be matched 2-to-1 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

 
Upcoming Events
Grant Management Seminar (GMS)-Complete Session 2
Zoom
Apr 21, 2022
5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
 
President Elect Training
Via Zoom
Apr 28, 2022
7:00 PM – 8:03 PM
 
District 5950 Annual District & Foundation Mtg
Zoom
Apr 30, 2022
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
 
Grant Management Seminar (GMS)-Complete Session 3
Zoom
Apr 30, 2022
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
 
Cracking the Code to Rising Stars
Holiday Inn of St. Cloud
May 03, 2022 12:00 PM
 
Incoming Presidents Training
ICA FOOD SHELF
May 05, 2022
 
PE Training
Via Zoom
May 26, 2022
7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
 
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