| Posted by DG Tom Gump (Edina/Morningside) |
 District 5950 Rotarians, We did it! Thank you! District 5950 had one of the best years we’ve ever had! Despite a worldwide pandemic, together we:  Started five new clubs – more than any other year before:
The Rotary Club of Network for Empowering Women is the first club of its kind in the world, and already has 55 members.
The International Rotaract eClub for the Environment engages 23 young members from 12 different countries.
The Rotaract Club of Kaleidoscope serves those with autism, again a first of its kind club.
The Rotary E-Club of Global Travelers, Minnesota, USA is an alumni club composed of former Friendship Exchange participants and Youth Exchange host parents. (Again, a first!)
The Rotary Satellite Club of Monticello–Evening, Minnesota, USA
- Added 80 female members, increasing our overall percentage of female membership by 2.25% and increased racial diversity districtwide.
~~~~~~~ - Celebrated the best fundraising year we have had in recent history.
Through May 2021, we gave more $1.462,772, which makes us the #13 district worldwide for total giving contributions to The Rotary Foundation (TRF) and
#1 in our paired zones. Additionally, interim results through today show we are #38 worldwide in Annual Fund Per Capita giving and #1 in our zone pair for contributions to the Annual Fund.
- Achieved TRF certification of all of our clubs as 100% Paul Harris Fellow Clubs. D5950 is only the third district in the world to ever accomplish this.
- Contributed more than $615,000 to the End Polio Now effort, the most we have ever given. This is more than any other district in our paired zones and makes 5950 one of the largest district contributors in the world!
- Hosted World Polio Day district-wide event – a virtual scavenger hunt.
~~~~~~~ - Promoted diversity, equity, inclusion and justice through significant outreach into the community. Working with the YMCA Innovation Center, we reached hundreds of our Rotarians and others through a series of 12 racial equity seminars.
- Collaborated with the Lake Street Council in Minneapolis. Eight of our clubs partnered with nine Lake Street-area businesses to help them rebuild from damaged sustained during last summer’s civil unrest following George Floyd’s murder.
The Lake Street Council and D5950 Partnership are hosting an
Open House on June 26 from 10 a.m.-Noon. Celebrate the
businesses of Lake Street as they return to providing their
products and services to the community! Store locations are
along Lake Street both east and west of 35W. - Gave a $20,000 George Floyd Memorial Scholarship and initiated book clubs
to discuss anti-racism.
- Planted a Rotary Peace Garden with 82 eight-foot trees in the City of Brooklyn Park, along with an eight-foot-tall Peace Pole containing words of peace from the languages spoken in the City. (See feature article in the Monticello Times.)
~~~~~~~  Awarded Global Grants to eight projects involving 12 clubs, for total of $733,626 in club and district designated funds (DDF) contributions.
- Awarded District Grants to 27 different projects involving 36 clubs, for a total of $441,337 in club and DDF contributions.
- Three of our district candidates were awarded Peace Fellowships.
- Granted two Global Scholarships.
~~~~~~~  • Together, the entire District Governor Line visited every club in the district, in person or online, a first in D5950 history. • Restructured Assistant Governors' roles, giving them additional responsibilities to help clubs develop membership, public image and foundation efforts. • Upgraded district governance by adding a District Finance Committee to provide oversight and stewardship of the district finances, adding a Rotaractor as a voting member of our Corporate Board, adding voting members
to improve the District Governor selection process, and instituting an Anti-Harassment Policy and a COVID Policy. - Created “Going Hybrid – Dynamic Virtual/In-Person Club Meeting” multi-district training that demonstrated how to host impactful and interactive meetings. D5950 was first district to integrate all materials, resources and videos on its district website. This was carried throughout Rotary International Zones 25B & 29 and globally. We also purchased a Zoom account for every club that needed one.
 And we achieved all these accomplishments at a cost that was less than half of our approved budget. Thank you for all of your efforts! It has been my honor to serve as your District Governor this past year and I thank each and every one of you. I know I’m leaving our district in the great hands of Marianna Khauv.
Marianna is an amazing leader and I’m confident she will raise our district to new levels of excellence, with the help of District Governor-Elect Lloyd Campbell and District Governor-Nominee Jewelie Grape. ~District Governor Tom Gump, 2020-21
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