District Governor Irene shared these District Conference highlights she will always remember:
- Drummers welcomed Rotarians with the “Heartbeat of Rotary” and Rotary Exchange students led the parade to the opening session.
- Raghavan Iyer fed our inspiration through the media of food, culture and health.
- Breakout sessions fed Rotarians:
- Amalia Moreno-Damgaard encouraged us to “Find Inspiration in Wellness”.
- Fran Mukunzu, Uganda Water Minister, and Marcos Bitew, African Power Initiative Limited, both inspired attendees to consider that water and power are luxuries in refugee settlements.
- France Emberley and Heather Johnson, Heart of Dance, demonstrated how dance leads to improved communication and teamwork. Rotarians left with new dance moves, too! - How inspiring was it to see 1,000 celebration bags assembled during Done-in-a-Day?
- And the Hall of Friendship was just that … Rotarians meeting old friends and new, leavening about projects, Youth Exchange, and so much more.
- Oh, and we were also fed with scrumptious meals!
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Many clubs were recognized for community and international service.The following received special recognition with a certificate and an emblem to attach to the club's website.
Rotary Club of North Minneapolis: Unconscious Bias: Equity and Inclusion seminars call attention to how our biases impact our actions.
Rotary Club of Willmar: Rockin’ Robbins summer concert series serves the community and spotlights the Rotary Club of Willmar.
Rotary Club of Excelsior: Reach Out and Read MN places books in medical clinics and trains doctors to educate parents about the connection between reading, early brain development and school readiness.
Rotary Club of Buffalo: Telescope Loaner Program provided telescopes for loan in libraries and schools.
Rotary Club of Richfield: Little Free Libraries were built and installed at 11 locations.
Rotary Club of St. Cloud: Women in Rotary spring social celebrated the 30th anniversary of women in Rotary.
Rotary Clubs of Shakopee and Chanhassen: Rotary at the Races was a collaboration for a family-friendly event at Canterbury Raceway, raising funds for PolioPlus.
Rotary Club of Minneapolis: Brewtarians gather monthly at local breweries, creating fellowship for members of many 5950 clubs.