Posted by Bob Halagan (Buffalo), District Governor 2017-18
One of the great things a District Governor witnesses is the incredible depth of our District. It’s easy to forget just how much is going on in District 5950. Pick any club and you’ll find amazing work happening. St Cloud? Check out the Pathways for Youth project to assist homeless youth. St. James? Did you know St. James Rotary held an intercultural event in little St. James that drew 400 people, 300 of whom were Latino? How about Willmar? They started the Rockin’ Robbins concert series this year that drew thousands and raise $20,000 for a local park project.
And it’s not just clubs; individual efforts are stellar as well. Take a look at our District organizational chart and you’ll see more than 50 volunteers staffing over a dozen committees and taking responsibility for hundreds of thousands of grant dollars and district funds each year. Rotarians like Jim Nelson, Don Stiles, Tim Murphy, Mary Kurth and Carol Cline-Hedbloom donate hundreds of hours each year in helping our clubs build local and international grants. Jeff Ohe and our ten assistant governors roam the state to help clubs coordinate and connect their work with neighboring clubs in each Area. And of course our incredible executive director, Carol MacDonald, and her intrepid administrative partner, Alexa Rundquist, keep it all together for us every day.
My thanks to all of you for the work you do, and my apologies to the dozens of volunteers I wish there was room to feature here. This is an incredible organization.
How will you Be the Inspiration in 2018-2019? Will you serve as a STRIVE mentor? Or perhaps, organize a team in your community to support eliminating human trafficking in Minnesota? Or maybe, write a grant to provide clean water to people you’ve never met in a third world country? I invite you to reflect on your unexpressed passion to decide how you can express it!
As Rotarians, we each have a platform to Be the Inspiration -- not only in our Rotary world but also in our personal and professional circles. Imagine the inspiration you are as you share with non-Rotarian friends and colleagues:
The STRIVE student beaming when you help him create a plan for his future
Or the gratitude expressed by a young woman who felt hopeless and was on the verge of being trafficked?
And for some, it was hearing a mother in Haiti declare, “You drilled the well and the children stopped dying.”
What is the passion that you share with others because you are inspired? How will you inspire others to engage with you?
Presidents-Elect, how will you Be the Inspiration to your club? What legacy do you want to leave? Open conversation with your club and board members to set goals for 2018-19. You have an amazing opportunity to make an impact.
Joining 538 District Governors-Elect from around the globe at GETS, it was impossible not to be inspired. Thank you, District 5950 Rotarian friends for inspiring me and selecting me as your upcoming District Governor. It is an honor, a privilege, and a humbling challenge.
Let’s all Be the Inspiration! --District Governor-Elect Irene Kelly
Posted by Steve Johnson (Monticello), Grant Management Seminar Administrator
Grant Management Seminar (GMS) registration is now available online. GMS dates are listed below and on the District website’s Calendar tab. Registration is not available through the District Office.
Every club must have at least one member trained at a GMS before being certified to receive matching Rotary Foundation funds for their local and international projects. Each club may train multiple members all at no cost to the club. We are striving to have all clubs certified for the upcoming Rotary year. Full sessions last four hours and include refreshments and a meal. Two-hour refresher sessions are available for members who were trained for the current 2017-18 year.
Registration is simple and immediate. Follow the path: www.rotary5950.org>Calendar>Choose Month & Date>Members>Register Me>Confirm. You will receive an email confirmation. Each session is limited to 20 participants. Register early to get the session you want. Direct questions to Steve Johnson, Grant Management Seminar Administrator at steve.johnson@ix.netcom.comor 612-987-6688.
Posted by Steve Solbrack (St. Louis Park Noon), District Membership Chair and member of The Nature Conservancy Global Advisory Council for MN, ND & SD
RI President Ian Riseley has said “Protecting the environment and curbing climate change are essential to Rotary’s goal of sustainable service.” In response, District Governor Bob Halagan challenged District 5950 Rotarians to plant 2,700 trees this Rotary year.
Representatives from eight D5950 clubs met with The Nature Conservancy and Great River Greening in August to create a collaborative project that would plant 25,000 trees in Minnesota this Rotary year, in addition to the trees planted by club projects. The goal is to raise $10,000 from Rotary clubs. The Nature Conservancy will match up to $10,000. A district grant of $6,000 from DDF would create a total of $26,000 of funds for the project – enough to plant over 25,000 trees in Minnesota.
We now have 42 clubs participating in tree planting this year. Twenty-one clubs have pledged $8,530 to the tree planting collaboration and 13 of those are participating in both the collaboration and a club project. If your club is not yet participating in tree planting, make your club's pledge to the collaboration soon tosteve@solbrack.com. The D5950 tree planting collaboration project is featured on the international Environmental Sustainability Rotarian Action Group’s (ESRAG) website home pageand projects page.
There are two great volunteer opportunities, open to all Rotarians in District 5950.
The first opportunity will be a tree planting project on the North Shore on May 10-11. We will plant 2,000 seedling trees on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. There will be great fellowship and an overnight stay in Two Harbors or Duluth Canal Park. Six of the 20 available spots are already filled.
The second outing is on Saturday, May 19 at Crosby Farm Regional Park, located on the Mississippi River in St. Paul. The plan is to have 75 Rotarians plant up to 3,000 trees; 36 have already registered so sign up soon with steve@solbrack.com. Summit Brewery is within walking distance. We have reserved it and will enjoy free tours and discounted tap beers.
Congratulations, District 5950 Rotarians! As a district, D5950 received the Presidential Citation for our Rotary year 2016-17, as did four individual clubs: Edina Morningside, Eden Prairie AM, Eagan Kick-Start and South Metro Minneapolis Evenings.
We also received numerous club awards for TRF giving and PolioPlus. Those recognitions were awarded to clubs with personal notes from PolioPlus chairman Tim Mulcrone (Chanhassen) and PDG Mark Hegstrom (Edina Morningside).
My wife and I are going to Toronto for the Rotary International Convention because we both heartily believe in what Rotary is doing in trying to make the world better in so many different ways. We are bombarded with so much bad news; Chris and I want to be with people who take action and help people throughout the world. We look forward to making friends with Rotarians from around the world – all of whom believe that together, we can make a better world.
And a second reason: almost 43 years ago, Toronto was the first stop of our honeymoon. We will take the same trip this year and extend it a few days in Quebec City.
What is the passion that you share with others because you are inspired? How will you inspire others to engage with you?
R
