During Youth Service Month, District 5950 has a lot to be proud of. I believe that every club makes youth and youth-related programs a top priority.
Our District’s premier youth program is North Star Youth Exchange. Districts 5950 & 5960 partner to sponsor 60 outbound students and host another 60 inbound students each year for this life-changing student experience.
District 5950 has its own form of RYLA (Rotary Youth leadership Awards) known as Camp Enterprise. Our clubs collaborate annually to sponsor 100 to 125 students at the three-day camp. Participants develop business plans in small groups to learn leadership skills and entrepreneurship while competing to earn five $1,000 scholarships. Most importantly, while learning they have fun, which spreads the word to fill Camp every year. In addition, our RYLA partnership with 5960 sponsors over 100 students to camp in Wisconsin each school year.
Congratulations to Brooklyn Park, Edina and Apple Valley Rotary Clubs for sponsoring three new Interact Clubs during 2015-16! What better way to expose the good work of Rotary to our youth. Were you aware that Interact students and Rotaract members qualify for the hands-on components of any District or Global Grant done by their sponsor club? It is the obligation of sponsoring Rotary Clubs to integrate and encourage both youth organizations into the programs and projects of their club. Interact and Rotaract should be considered ‘sub-groups’ of your club, encouraging youths' attendance at your meetings and asking club members to attend theirs.This is the culture in many countries where Rotary is growing. Many of you are aware that RI President Ravi greatly restricted our clubs receiving of the Presidential Citation this year by mandating that each has a Rotaract or Interact club. In India or Africa, few clubs exist without one or both.
Finally, thank you to Wayzata and Bloomington Clubs, with the help of other west-metro area clubs, for sponsoring our new West-Metro Rotaract Club. Rotaract Chair Mary Kurth is currently looking for a representative from each west-area club to form its support committee. Please contact her at kurthpm@msn.com.
Through these and many other District 5950 club initiatives, we are “A Gift to the World” in youth service!
District Governor Tim Murphy has made it clear: Each Rotarian is a Gift to fellow members. Each club is a Gift to District 5950. Each donation is a Gift to Rotary International’s impact in the world.
Now it’s time to celebrate those Gifts! The joint District 5950-5960 Conference at Mystic Lake Conference Center includes a first-time golf tournament supporting PolioPlus and a Welcome Reception on Thursday. Friday keynoters Ross Bernstein and Chris Heeter will inspire attendees. The Twin Cities Jazz Cats will celebrate the gift of music at Happy Hour and Stevie Ray will celebrate the gift of laughter after dinner. Breakout and a done-in-a-day service project enhance time networking with Rotarians from Districts 5950 and 5960. Click here for last-minute ticket availability.
The world is in the process of trying something it has never attempted. Over two weeks in April-May, 155 countries must stop using a vaccine that has been protecting children from paralyzing polioviruses for more than a half-century.
Designed in the 1950s, the vaccine has helped take the world to the edge of polio eradication. In the 1980s, polioviruses crippled 350,000 children annually; this year the viruses have maimed 10 in the only two countries where polioviruses still spread, Pakistan and Afghanistan. It has been a monumental achievement in public health.
But for a while now, a component of the vaccine has caused more problems than it has solved, and has resulted in a relatively small number of cases of paralysis. So all countries that use the oral polio vaccine developed more than 60 years ago must stop administering the formula and replace it with a new version.The unprecedented synchronized campaign, more than 18 months in the planning, is appropriately known as “the switch.”
Hundreds of thousands of health workers around the globe have been involved. Countries have had to develop implementation plans, train volunteers, and manage vast inventories of vaccines, including by ensuring that stocks of the old one are discarded.
“I’ve been working in immunization since 1974 and nothing like this has ever happened before,” said Dr. Walter Orenstein, a polio expert at Emory University in Georgia.
If the planners’ assumptions are correct and the switch is executed as intended, the world’s children will be safer.
District 5950 welcomed staff from Water Missions in late-April. Water Missions is the organization that 27 of our clubs partnered with in 2012-2013 to bring safe water to 16 villages of Central Malawi. A 'Safe Water Plus' project in Guatemala is under development with them. If your club wants more information, contact Gary Pederson at garylpederson@gmail.com.
Water Missions was established because the global water crisis kills 842,000 people every year due to diarrhea caused by inadequate drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene. It is a non-profit Christian engineering organization that designs, builds, and implements safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) solutions.
Diane Confer may be the “best known person” in District 5950 -- sometimes more than the District Governor! For 38 years she has been the warm, helpful voice at the District office. Her handwriting on event nametags is familiar. Her invocations are eloquent. Her ability to accommodate last-minute requests is legendary.
To celebrate this milestone, join us on Thursday, May 19 at the Point of France party room, 6566 France Avenue S., Edina. Park in front of the building or on the east side of France Ave. There is no cost, but online registration is requested.
If you cannot be there in person but would like to extend your retirement good wishes to Diane, mail to Rotary District 5950, PO Box 2158, Burnsville, MN 55337-2158,or email diane.confer@comcast.net.
Leadership is an essential aspect of Rotary—and we offer both clubs and programs to help emerging leaders develop their skills.
Rotaract
Rotaract brings together people ages 18-30 in universities and communities worldwide to organize service activities, develop leadership and professional skills, and have fun. Rotary clubs sponsor them, but Rotaract members manage and fund their clubs independently. Rotaract members work closely with their local Rotary club, and may join after their Rotaract membership ends. ⇒Follow Rotaract on Facebook, Twitter, Slideshare, and Storify to see what Rotaract clubs are doing around the world.
Interact
Interact is a club for youth ages 12-18 who want to connect with others in their community or school. Interact club members have fun while carrying out service projects and learning about the world. Interact clubs organize at least two service projects a year: one that benefits their community and one that encourages international understanding. While Interact clubs receive guidance from individual Rotary clubs, they govern and support themselves. ⇒Follow Interact on Facebook and visit Interact’s YouTube channel to see what Interact clubs are doing around the world.
RYLA
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) is a leadership development program run by Rotary. While participants can be any age, most events focus on secondary school students, university students, or young professionals. RYLA events are typically 3–10 days long and include presentations, activities, and workshops that cover a variety of topics, including:
Leadership fundamentals and ethics
Communication skills
Problem solving and conflict management
Community and global citizenship
⇒Follow RYLA on Facebook to learn about inspirational events happening around the globe.
The Laker & Pioneer featured Orono Rotary Club's sew-a-thon preparing items for feminine hygiene kits to be assembled at District Conference on May 13.
The Laker & the Pioneer newspaper highlighted the joint meeting of the Mound-Westonka and Wayzata Rotary Clubs where Twin Cities photographer and author John Noltner shared his ongoing arts project, “A Peace of My Mind.”
Apple Valley's Sun This Week shared how the Apple Valley Rotary Club leveraged a donation for Polio Plus from the American Legion, with other donations to get a 2:1 match from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Both the Eden Prairie News and the Eden Prairie Sun-Current featured the great work done by the Eden Prairie Noon Rotary Club as it collaborates with other community partners to promote literacy for all first graders in the Eden Prairie Schools.
The St. Cloud Times shared the story of April Myers, a Great River Rotarian, who received Sauk Rapids' Citizen of the Year award for giving to the community in many ways.
Both the Eden Prairie News and Sun Current had stories about the Eden Prairie AM Rotary hosting a "Spotlight on Rotary" Open house at Buca's, assembling backpacks for homeless teens at PROP, and being nominated as an EP Givers nominee.
The Chaska Herald featured the work done by Chaska Rotary to raise funds to build a Miracle Field in Chaska so that youth with disabilities can also participate in baseball.
The Shakopee Valley News told of the Shakopee Rotary's efforts to collect unwanted furniture and household items for Bridging Ind. as part of their community's CleanUp Day on April 30.
If your Rotary Club has been in the news lately and you'd like the rest of the district to know, please email jeanne.zetah@hotmail.com to share some details and include the link to the article.
Leadership is an essential aspect of Rotary—and we offer both clubs and programs to help emerging leaders develop their skills.
