Posted by District Governor Irene Kelly (Eden Prairie AM)
Johan Galtung, considered the principal founder of the discipline of peace and conflict studies, developed the distinction between positive and negative peace. Negative peace refers to the absence of violence; positive peace is filled with relationship building, creation of systems that serve all and constructive resolution of conflict.Rotary is a positive peace builder!
As Rotarians, our local projects promote positive peace as we build relationships. Global projects offer opportunities for cultural learning and lead to understanding others’ perspectives which broadens our awareness. New awareness results in different choices. As part of a global network of people that share common values, Rotarians are positive peace builders.
One very concrete example of creating positive peace is clubs supporting Rotary Peace Fellows which supports efforts toward a positive peace(ful) world where we can disagree and compromise. Reach out toEllen Kennedy (Minneapolis University) to learn how your club can become a sponsor. (Put your TRF contribution to work; no additional club financial investment is needed.)
Another way that Rotary promotes positive peace is through Rotary Friendship Exchanges. D5950 Rotarians recently returned from an exchange with D4640 in Brazil. Our new Brazilian Rotary friends will visit Minnesota in April.Sam Dalal(Burnsville Breakfast) leads our exchanges and is ready to include you in the next trip.
Right here in our district, Jim Hancock(Minneapolis) arranges monthly brewery tours so that 5950 members can gather socially. “Brewtarians” build relationships and positive peace as they enjoy a new experience and each other.
Positive peace is very appealing to me in the current climate of division and bickering. To generate positive peace I personally commit to taking a daily action toward building (or mending) a relationship, creating a system to serve all, or resolving conflict constructively. Who will join me? Post your commitment on ourRotary 5950 Facebookpage.
The Mid-Term Assembly’s closing speaker was Scott Peterson, Senior Director of Equity and Leadership Development at the YMCA of the Greater Twin Cities’ Equity Innovation Center. Scott shared this video to help Rotarians understand how bias impacts our perspectives.
Posted by District Governor Irene Kelly (Eden Prairie AM)
In the December newsletter we announced that District 5950 took top honors in membership categories. Our competition was the other 12 districts in our Zone.
Membership Awards
1st Place – Highest Net Gain
1st Place – Highest Growth Percentage
2nd Place – Highest Retention
Steve Solbrack (St. Louis Park) was D5950''s 2017-2018 membership chair. So another highlight of the recent Mid-Term Assembly was thanking Steve for his effective work with all of our clubs. Please click on this link or Steve's picture to watch the recognition video.
There’s nothing “dry” about Rotary International’s 2017-18 Annual Report. Scroll through the poignant photos, interactive graphics, videos and results to learn more about Rotary than you thought possible. We are People of Action!
District Governors-Elect, including our own Russ Michaletz (City of Lakes), were the first to see the 2019-20 theme and graphic, Rotary Connects the World, during Rotary’s International Assembly training event in San Diego. RI President-Elect Mark Daniel Maloney (Decatur, AL) explained his vision for building a stronger Rotary, calling on leaders to expand connections to their communities and to embrace innovative membership models. The new Rotary year begins July 1, 2019.
Posted by Steve Solbrack (St. Louis Park), Club Outreach
The Twin Cities Rotary EcoClub now has 22 charter members, including six new members since January 1. Club demographics are 50% young adults under age 40; 45% of the members are female. Their New Club Charter Application will be submitted to Rotary International in February. Check out our current EcoClub flyerand forward it to people you know that have a passion for environmental sustainability, or anyone that would enjoy being a member of a non-traditional Rotary club.
The EcoClub meets two evenings a month, plus fun social and recreational activities and meaningful service projects. Because the club does not have a set meeting location, go to theFacebook events page to get current information on upcoming event and meeting locations.
Posted by Tabitha Kyambadde (St. Louis Park Sunrise)
Nearly 9,000 women in Uganda joined the workforce by graduating from vocational programs in December 2018. Their program is in Wakiso District, one of the largest geographical districts in the country. These women completed training in high-demand fields such as tailoring, baking, catering, and hairdressing. Their new skills allow many of the women to earn an income and lift their families out of poverty. A driving force behind these programs is The Honorable Rosemary Seninde, a member of Parliament, the Minister of Education, and founder of the Seninde Foundation. Uganda’s President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni presided over the graduation. Click on photo or this link to watch video.
Tabitha Kyambadde (St. Louis Park Sunrise) and Judy Johnson (Maple Grove) contributed greatly to the success of the programs by collecting and donating more than 200 sewing machines. These were used to train women in the Seninde Foundation and at two newly established sewing centers in the Wakiso District and in the Nakivale Refugee Settlement in Southern Uganda.
Nakivale is home to over 100,000 refugees from 13 war-torn African countries. Along with the sewing center, it also promotes peace, reconciliation, and healing among members of vastly different cultures and customs.
Pathways to Hope Africa Uganda, the collaborating organization, plans to start teaching English and basic math to women in the camp in order to further enhance their skills. Pathways to Hope was founded by St. Louis Park Sunrise Rotary Club member Tabitha Kyambadde.
Posted by Steve Johnson (Monticello), GMS Coordinator
Attending a Grant Management Seminar (GMS) is the first step in having your club certified to receive matching Rotary Foundation funds for local and international projects. Each club must have at least one member trained at a GMS; multiple members can be trained.The fee for the GMS sessions is included in the club training fee.The goal is to have all D5950 clubs certified for the upcoming Rotary year.
Four-hour Complete sessions are for first-time attendees. They include refreshments and a meal. Refresher sessions are for members who trained for the 2018-19 year. They last two hours and include refreshments.
Register online, following the path:www.rotary5950.org ►District Calendar tab ►Choose GMS date ►Complete info ►Submit. Each session is limited to twenty participants. Register early to secure your date! (Note: Registration is the first 30 minutes of the time listed.) Questions? Contact Steve Johnson at steve.johnson@ix.netcom.com or 612-987-6688.
Posted by Michael Brand (Oregon City, OR), philanthropist and grant maker
Once the backbone of community life in America, service clubs (e.g., Rotary, Lions, Kiwanis, Shriners) are in significant decline. It is not that our clubs have changed. America has changed.
To make retention a high priority, consider:
People seek to connect with one another. Create opportunities where members feel comfortable, invite us into their lives and introduce us to their friends.
Half of charitable giving is not driven by what people care about, but by what their friends and family care about. Consider the charity walk or bike ride. Most involved have little passion for the issue at hand, but join a team organized by a friend or family member. The service clubs that thrive in this new era are the ones who build on this focus on this sense of community.
For families with children, time is highly prized. They’re attracted to how we add to the quality of their lives. How can we make ourselves more welcoming and valuable?
Attracting two-income couples requires permitting and engaging their children as well. Does our club offer a family-friendly environment?
People gravitate to settings that challenge them to think and encourage openness to inspiring ideas and alternatives. If your club can’t book high-level speakers, how about facilitated discussions around a pressing societal issue?
Emerging generations desire to have an impact now. Don’t make new members wait years to see their ideas in action. They’ll walk away.
Service clubs are an American innovation. It is imperative we reinvent -- passing the torch and allowing an emerging generation of leaders to recreate our clubs according to their needs.
District 5950 will send a large contingent of members to the RI Convention in Hamburg. If that includes you, find your 5950 friends by wearing your custom convention polo. It is Nike, Dri-fit, Golf shirt with the Hamburg RI Convention logo embroidered on the front and a Nike swoosh logo on the left arm. Place your order on this web page. Early Bird orders placed by March 31 earn a $5 discount!
Posted by Bob McKenzie (Manassas, VA), Team Rotary RAAMs Polio
“Team Rotary RAAMs Polio” (Race Across America) will be riding around the clock in shifts through 12 states. The race starts June 15, 2019, in Oceanside, CA and ends in Annapolis, MD. Four racers (cyclists), 12 crew, and four vehicles will move across the country at 18 to 20 mph.
The team’s goal is to raise $1,200,000 for PolioPlus. And they invite District 5950 Rotarians to follow them online and financially support their effort. All funds given will count toward D5950’s PolioPlus giving for the year. Follow the team’s progress atwww.facebook.com/RotaryRAAM or www.raampolio.com
Minnesota has lost a dedicated Rotarian who boasted perfect attendance for over 50 years. John Votca, Greater Mankato Rotary Club, was District Governor from 1994-95 in our neighboring district, 5960. Many Rotarians knew and/or traveled with John as he attended ten RI conventions. He was 100% Czech and was instrumental in helping start the first Rotary club in Czechoslovakia. (Obituary)
The Rotary Club of Eagan’sGame Show Gala will have live auction travel packages to Cuba, the Big Sky Resort Area in Montana and a fishing trip to Lake Michigan. In addition, fun Game Show competitions and silent auction items will be spread throughout the Eagan Community Center on February 2. Purchase gala tickets at www.eaganrotary.org or contact Brent Cory at 651-675-5544.
The Rotary Club of Shakopee presents Little Chicago: Shakopee's Own Speakeasy & Casino on Saturday, March 23.Takea trip back in time to the Roaring '20s. Put on your fringe, feathers and fedoras and come to Canterbury Park from 7-11 p.m.
The Rotary Club of Brooklyn Park invites you to its annualNew Game Dinner on Saturday, February 23 from 5:30-9:30 p.m. at Edinburgh USA. Tickets are $80 for an individual, $150 for a couple, and $1,250 for a VIP table of 10. Proceeds go to support suburban poverty in the Northwest Metro. Event attire is either cocktail or your favorite sports jersey. For more information and tickets, please emailrcbrooklynpark@gmail.com.
The Rotary Club of Minneapolis features Rebecca Martin at their Friday, February 15 meeting. Dr. Martin serves as the Director of the Center for Global Health (CGH) at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). She has worked domestically and internationally in immunization, HIV, and health system strengthening and now lead's CDC's global efforts to protect and improve health worldwide through science, policy, partnership, and evidence-based public health action. The Rotary Club of Minneapolis meets at The Minneapolis Club with lunch at noon and the meeting finished by 1:15.
Send your club's Recipe4Success stories to Cheri Ashfeld.
As Rotarians, our local projects promote positive peace as we build relationships. Global projects offer opportunities for cultural learning and lead to understanding others’ perspectives which broadens our awareness. New awareness results in different choices. As part of a global network of people that share common values, Rotarians are positive peace builders. 
The Mid-Term Assembly’s closing speaker was Scott Peterson, Senior Director of Equity and Leadership Development at the YMCA of the Greater Twin Cities’ Equity Innovation Center. Scott shared
District Governors-Elect, including our own Russ Michaletz (City of Lakes), were the first to see the 2019-20 theme and graphic, Rotary Connects the World, during Rotary’s International Assembly training event in San Diego. RI President-Elect Mark Daniel Maloney (Decatur, AL) explained his vision for building a stronger Rotary, calling on leaders to expand connections to their communities and to embrace innovative membership models. The new Rotary year begins July 1, 2019.
District 5950 will send a large contingent of members to the RI Convention in Hamburg. If that includes you, find your 5950 friends
Minnesota has lost a dedicated Rotarian who boasted perfect attendance
The Rotary Club of Eagan’s 
The Rotary Club of Shakopee presents
The Rotary Club of Minneapolis features Rebecca Martin at their Friday, February 15 meeting. Dr. Martin serves as the Director of the Center for Global Health (CGH) at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). She has worked domestically and internationally in immunization, HIV, and health system strengthening and now lead's CDC's global efforts to protect and improve health worldwide through science, policy, partnership, and evidence-based public health action. The Rotary Club of Minneapolis meets at 
