Does your club have an upcoming membership event, fundraiser or community-involved service project? Is it on the District 5950 calendar for all clubs and Rotarians to find? Don't miss this important resource.
Check out the September and early-October events already posted.
⇒ District 5950 End Polio Chair Tim Mulcrone will host our second annual End Polio Scavenger Hunt on Saturday, October 23 from 9-10 a.m. Watch for registration information soon!
Take action for World Polio Day on October 24 by promoting awareness of Rotary’s polio eradication efforts, raising funds, and planning club events. Let’s engage our communities in the fight against polio, because as long as polio exists anywhere, it remains a threat everywhere. Download the World Polio Day Toolkitfor resources and tips for participating in promoting a polio-free world.
Be sure to register your club participation for World Polio Day on endpolio.org to show how Rotary, Rotaract, and Interact clubs around the world are striving to eradicate polio. Club presidents who register their events, fundraisers, and promotions by October 14 will receive access one week early to download Rotary’s World Polio Day Global Update program, which is scheduled to broadcast on October 24 onFacebook and at endpolio.org.
District 5950 celebrates two new examples of cooperation and collaboration between clubs.
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In 2018, the Excelsior Morning Rotary Club saw an opportunity to revitalize a summer concert series the City initiated years earlier. The club partnered with the Rotary Club of St. Cloud, drawing on their experience and success with the Summer By George summer concert series.
From booking bands to obtaining sponsors, the St. Cloud club mentored Excelsior members as they took over the planning and organizing of Concerts in the Commons. In the first year, the club ran eight concerts which raised $58,600. Proceeds supported a new concert pavilion that opened in July 2021 when record crowds of more than 3,000 people enjoyed free Wednesday night concerts from top-notch local bands.
The Excelsior Morning club has created new community relationships along the way, especially with the Excelsior American Legion, Community for the Commons, and the Minnetonka High School Interact Club. The club anticipates donating approximately $85,000 this year to help nonprofits the club supports.
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Join the Rotary Clubs of Edina / Morningside and South Metro Minneapolis Evenings for their 8th annual Charity Beer Tasting from 5-9 p.m. on Friday, October 1 at Centennial Lakes Pavilion. Sample from local breweries and cideries, and enjoy games, music, a photo booth, and both live and silent auctions! See Facebook event and buy tickets online.
Each January, our incoming District Governor attends Rotary's International Assembly where a team of global leaders train DG-Elects to create lasting change in their communities. This training is a highlight of the district governor's year.
We're proud to announce that RI President-Elect Jennifer Jones is tapping immediate Past District Governor Tom Gump (Edina/Morningside) to speak at the 2022 Rotary International Assembly on the topic of “New and Creative Clubs”. In an additional nod to D5950's strong reputation for excellence, DG-Elect Lloyd Campbell (Glenwood) will be a panelist discussing diversity, and Catherine Gump (Edina) will serve as a partner Training Leader. Congratulations to these strong district leaders! (Tom and Catherine are pictured at a recent International Assembly.)
Posted by Michael Mullen (St. Cloud), Tri-Conference Chair
2022 Rotary International Tri-District Conference
A Combined and Collaborative Event for Districts 5580 - 5950 - 5960
April 21-22-23, 2022
St. Cloud Civic Center Saint Cloud, Minnesota
Mark your calendars and join us for a collaborative District Conference serving Rotarians in Districts 5580 -- 5950 -- 5960! Experience top quality education, camaraderie, celebration, inspiration, recognition, and lasting memories. The planning committee expects to welcome 800 Rotarians and guests.
Posted by Doug McElrath (Edina/Morningside), Membership Chair
When Covid shifted clubs to Zoom meetings the District Governor Line (Tom Gump, Marianna Khauv and Lloyd Campbell) created Zoom subscription grants. Applying clubs could win a second free year by increasing membership by a net one gain on their end-of-Rotary-year membership report.
The DG Line and Membership Committee are proud to honor the following clubs for their 2020-21 membership gains. Each qualifies for an additional year of free Zoom Pro for full- or hybrid-meeting use:
Apple Valley
Buffalo
Burnsville
Eden Prairie AM
Ending Human Trafficking
Excelsior
Glenwood
Global Horizons
Hutchinson
Lake Minnetonka-Excelsior
Litchfield
Minneapolis University
Minneapolis Uptown
Monticello
Passport Club of MN
St. Cloud
St. Louis Park Sunrise
A third year of free Zoom Pro is possible if these clubs show another net one membership increase.Go for it!!
Rotary International President Shekhar Mehta is extending his personal congratulations to clubs reaching anniversary milestones during the 2021-22 Rotary Year.
Congratulations to the Rotary Club of Fairmont that anticipates its 100th anniversary, and to the Rotary Club of St. Louis Park that will celebrate 75 years since its charter. Each club will also receive a video message from the RI President as the anniversary date gets closer.
District Governor Marianna Khauv salutes both these clubs!
Posted by Jeff Hage (Monticello), Public Image Chair
Gordon R. McInally (South Queensferry, Lothian, Scotland) is the Nominating Committee's selection for President of Rotary International in 2023-24.
McInally lauded Rotary’s ability to adapt technologically during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying the approach should continue and be combined with the best of our past practices as Rotary seeks to grow and increase engagement. “We have learned there is a willingness within communities to care for one another,” he says, “and we must ensure that we encourage people who have recently embraced the concept of volunteering to join us to allow them to continue giving.”
The best way to increase membership is engagement, according to McInally. To better support clubs, he says, Rotary International, regional leaders, and district teams all need to engage with them.
McInally owned and operated his own dental practice in Edinburgh. He has held various academic positions and in high leadership roles for Queensferry Parish. To learn more about McInally, read his interview and vision statement, which outline his goals for Rotary.
Welcome to the new Rotary year — a year when you will be called upon to Serve to Change Lives and achieve big dreams. Because of your passion for achieving great things, we will grow more and do more.
OurAction Plan, Rotary’s strategic road map, sets our course and strengthens us for the future by focusing on four priorities: increasing our impact, expanding our reach, enhancing participant engagement, and increasing our ability to adapt.
Expanding our reach through "Each One, Bring One" Members like you are our greatest asset. But for the last 20 years, Rotary membership has remained stagnant. Through a program I am calling Each One, Bring One,I ask each of you to commit to welcoming one new person into Rotary or Rotaract in the next 12 months. This one act of growing Rotary will make you true change-makers, because you will have helped us achieve in just 12 months what we could not do in 20 years. Of course, you will need to engage and retain these members as well. Member engagement is equally important for our organization’s growth.
As we welcome new members, let us continue to ensure that diversity, equity, and inclusion are ingrained into all aspects of Rotary. We believe that anyone who gets involved with Rotary — whether as a member, partner, or participant — must feel valued, respected, and welcomed. It is only by embracing the full diversity of the world that we will be able to grow and to achieve our goals.
Serve to change lives Service is at the heart of my own connection to Rotary, which is why I want all of us to showcase Rotary’s good work by hosting Rotary Days of Service. Invite your members, neighboring clubs, local civic organizations, program alumni, friends, family, and the public to join you for a community service event. Let Rotary Days of Service be a celebration of our passion for doing good.
We also need to let others know about all the wonderful work Rotary does. Each of you is a Rotary brand ambassador, so use social media, local media, and your club’s website to show your community — and the world — how you and your fellow Rotary members are people of action.
Increasing our impact My friends, you are resilient, and you are doing amazing things to fight COVID-19. We adapted quickly to support our communities at the start of this pandemic, and we are committed until the very end. Let’s work to ensure that vaccines are made available equitably worldwide and that people get vaccinated as quickly as possible.
We recently awarded our first $2 million Programs of Scale grant to Partners for a Malaria-Free Zambia and will name our second Programs of Scale grant recipient this year. This award and our efforts to eradicate polio and fight COVID-19 are examples of how Rotary addresses significant needs on a large scale. These programs serve as models for how we can demonstrate our measurable and sustainable impact.
We have so much to look forward to in the year ahead, and together, we will do so much. Nothing is impossible for Rotarians and Rotaractors!
I am so honored to be on this journey with you. Shekhar Mehta Rotary International President, 2021-22
A Rotary Citation is the most significant award a Rotary club can achieve. It reflects goal achievement and success in strengthening Rotary.
Does your club have an upcoming membership event, fundraiser or community-involved service project? Is it on the 
Take action for World Polio Day on October 24 by promoting awareness of Rotary’s polio eradication efforts, raising funds, and planning club events. Let’s engage our communities in the fight against polio, because as long as polio exists anywhere,
In 2018, the Excelsior Morning Rotary Club saw an opportunity to revitalize a summer concert series the City initiated years earlier. The club partnered with the Rotary Club of St. Cloud, drawing on their experience and success with the Summer By George summer concert series.
Join the Rotary Clubs of Edina / Morningside and South Metro Minneapolis Evenings for their 8th annual Charity Beer Tasting from 5-9 p.m. on Friday, October 1 at Centennial Lakes Pavilion. Sample from local breweries and cideries, and enjoy games, music, a photo booth, and both live and silent auctions! See 
Each January, our incoming District Governor attends Rotary's International Assembly where a team of global leaders train DG-Elects to create lasting change in their communities. This training is a highlight of the district governor's year.
Rotary International President Shekhar Mehta is extending his personal congratulations to clubs reaching anniversary milestones during the 2021-22 Rotary Year.
Welcome to the new Rotary year — a year when you will be called upon to Serve to Change Lives and achieve big dreams. Because of your passion for achieving great things, we will grow more and do more.
