Posted by DG Abbas Rajabi (Denver Southeast) DGAbbas2017.18@rotary5450.org
MESSAGE FROM THE DISTRICT GOVERNOR
Tell me, what makes your Rotary Club great? As crazy as it sounds, what make your club great is the same thing that makes my club great. But they’re different? And that’s exactly what makes them both great! Rotary embraces difference within a common framework. And that is how our 62 clubs each made a profound difference in our communities and for our members this past year.
Let’s bring on a New Year filled with excitement for new local projects, new global challenges and many new members.
The calendar tells me the year is beginning. But Rotarians say it’s half-time. At a football game this means the band starts to march and the cheerleaders bring out their best routines. Half-time is a highlight and it can be for District 5450, too. And the Head Coach takes everyone into the locker room for… a pep talk.
Let’s cheer for Rotary. When our teams come back on the field let’s help them score. Because our teams are our clubs and the field is each of our meetings. Each new member is a touchdown. Each visitor a field goal. Your membership chair is the Quarterback who needs the rest of the team to carry the ball across the goal line. Each team member can block objections or hesitations on the way to the goal.
The NFL Super Bowl is just around the corner. But we don’t have to wait. Let’s have our own Membership Super Bowl now. Ask your Head Coach (Club President), Tag your QB (membership chair), have a game plan, score some touchdowns. It’s half-time. You’re about to come back on the field. Make every play count.
Our District is ahead of the game with a gain of more than 70 members so far this Rotary year. We can’t stop now. So many of you are sharing Rotary and growing your impact.
If you want a little help with your efforts, our District has lots of folks to turn to. Just call or email Debi Bush (303-520-7445; membership@rotary5450.org) or Lynn Perez-Hewitt (520-400-4966; perezhewitt@hceonline.com) and you won't go wrong. Please have a great New Year and resolve to share Rotary each and every day.
Save the Date for May 19 and 20, 2018 for a celebration of Rotary with keynote speakers like former DU Chancellor Dan Ritchie addressing how Rotary can help reach consensus in a divided society. Add to this break out sessions, panel discussions, and club projects that show Rotarians of action creating lasting change in our community and you have an action packed 36 hours of fun and fellowship celebrating Rotary.
The top six reasons a Rotarian should plan to attend their first Rotary International Conference in Toronto June 23-27, 2018:
It couldn’t be any easier to go. There are three-hour non-stop flights for less than $500.
Toronto is an easy city to navigate. Public transportation works well and there are no language issues.
Toronto is a fun city that is world famous for its food and entertainment.
World-class speakers, entertainment and programs provide opportunities that most people will never experience.
Attending will make you even more proud to be a Rotarian by providing you with an enormous sense of connection and appreciation for the greatness and effectiveness of Rotary around the world.
No matter what your Rotary passions are, the connections you will make and the resources available in the gigantic House of Friendship will make you a better Rotarian and improve your projects’ results.
Rotary District 5450 is accepting nominations for our 2020-2021 District Governor.Any Rotarian, who has served as club president, is a member in good standing of his/her club, and been a member of Rotary for at least seven years when he/she becomes District Governor, may be nominated.
This nomination must be accompanied by a formal resolution adopted at a regular Rotary Club meeting or by the club’s Board of Directors. Applications must be submitted by January 31, 2018 - click here for the application.Review of nominations and interviews must be completed by February 28, 2018. Any past club president interested in serving as District Governor should contact his/her club President for nomination by the club. Nominations for District Governor are to be submitted directly to the Chair of the DG Nominating Committee, Past District Governor Bill Downes by January 31, 2018 at DGBill2016.17@rotary5450.org.
The position of District Governor is both rewarding and challenging. All Applicants should be aware that it is a three year assignment, not including one or two post assignment years as Past District Governor. The selected Nominee will work closely with District leadership and Rotary International before becoming District Governor to guide our District in serving the Rotary mission in the coming years.
It is an honor and a privilege to serve Rotary in this way. Thank you for your prompt response and consideration of this very important role.
Posted by Lynn Perez-Hewitt (Littleton Evening) perezhewitt@hceonline.com
One spoke of kindness, one spoke of achievements. Both love and respect the people they represent.
When Governor Hickenlooper spoke of how far Colorado and Coloradans have come and how far we have yet to go, the room was filled with pride.
When Rotary District Governor Abbas Rajabi spoke from his heart, the audience knew he lived his words and knew that his plea for us to embrace the brotherhood of man was utterly authentic. He shared that we have both blessings and responsibilities, and that our struggles are not ours alone.
Each Rotarian in the room was inspired to reach for ideals bigger than any one person, state or country. We were reminded that it is an art to be kind, and admonished to give someone, even Governor Hickenlooper, a hug today.
What a rare opportunity to raise up our spirits and be proud to be Rotarians, and Rotarians in District 5450.
Posted by Mary Jean Ewing (Boulder Flatirons) maryjeanewing@earthlink.net
Marny Eulberg, MD (marnyeul@me.com) of the Wheat Ridge Rotary Club will be heading the District Polio Committee in this New Year and we look forward to her leadership. Our goal is to continue educating our members and the community about Rotary International's #1 priority - ridding the world of the poliovirus and assuring that funding is in place to succeed.
As of year-end 2017, we have nine Clubs that have met the Polio Committee’s challenge of raising $50 per member. A huge thanks and kudos to those who met this goal prior to the Rotary International President's Dinner on January 6th: Arvada, Aurora, Brush, Denver, Denver Mile High, Golden, Granby, South Jeffco, and Wheat Ridge
The Committee is pleased to announce the development of a Speakers Bureau, a Q&A segment, and fundraising suggestions to be posted on our District website. If your club is looking for support in reaching your Polio fund goal, please check the website which will be operational by the end of January 2018.
Results of the Tucson Bike Race are in! $11,747,548 was raised this year for Polio Eradication. We had several riders in our District participate locally and look to expand this next year. If you are a bike rider and would like to help us plan for November 2018, please contact: pamalagaylor@yahoo.com.
Please let us know how we can help you reach your goals!
Posted by David Talbot (Mountain Foothills) c4a@crutches4africa.org
The New Year will see the beginning of collection in Los Angeles through the efforts of the Los Angeles Rotary Club. A crucial part of the collecting process is to have some place to consolidate and store collected MOBILITY DEVICES until they are ready to ship to Africa. Free storage has been arranged for at a vacant military facility.
Collection in Arizona with Interact is going forward at a number of High Schools around the state. The goal here is again to fill another 40’ container, ship it to Kenya where a group of Interactors will join us in July for distribution.
C4A is pleased to announce that we will again have a booth at the Rotary International convention in Toronto. Booth #606 - hope to see you there in June.
Lots of inquiries have come to us asking if we will be having our annual CHILI Cook-Off again this year. You may recall that last year’s cook-off was canceled due to my heart attacks and subsequent recovery. This year will be a celebration of LIFE! We also will be celebrating the fact that Crutches 4 Africa has now shipped over 100,000 mobility devices! Mark your calendars: February 3rd is the date for the event. More info on that and our current shipments can be found at www.crutches4africa.org
On a personal note, Candice and I want to thank all of you that came to our aid in 2017. Rotarians are just the best people! Happy NEW YEAR!
P.S. Do any of you have contact with Rotary/Rotarians in or near the city of Brighton (south coast) in Great Britain? We have hundreds of crutches there that are available to C4A but they will go to the landfill at the end of January if we cannot collect them! Please contact me or any Rotarian from Mountain Foothills Rotary if you can help with this. Thanks!
Got a Great Shot of Rotarians in Action? Give Rotary International Your Best Shot!!!
Do you have a great shot from a club project or fundraiser? Did you capture a memorable moment at the Atlanta RI Convention or during an international trip? Enter your images in The Rotarian's 2018 photo contest and you might see them in the pages of the magazine. You may enter up to three photos taken since January 1, 2017. Submit your club’s best shots by February 15, 2018. While some photos might have elements of all three, select one category to enter your photo.
Club, District, District Governor and RI Awards are given out in the spring of each year to those clubs and individuals showing great service to others in their communities and throughout the world. Applications must be received by March 1 for most awards.
You can view a PDF overview of all of the awards by clicking here. For information and an application for each award visit the award section of the District site by clicking here. There are two new Mental Health Initiative awards this year - be sure to check them out. Remember, you can not be recognized and win if you do not apply!
Posted by Jeff Maen (Denver Cherry Creek) maendc@gmail.com
With style and spirit, the Denver Cherry Creek Rotary Club recently commemorated its 30th birthday. Along with our many accomplishments over the years, we celebrated our laudable chartering history. We were the first breakfast club in the District chartered by Club 31, and the first in the world to charter with women. We chartered with no Rotarians as members and had the first woman president in the District.
Although we moved five times in the first ten years, it did not affect our ability to get things done! Our small club (of approximately 30 members each year) has had two Rotarians, Jim Mayhew and Jim Hoops, receive Rotarian of the Year awards from District 5450. Two members, Scott Johnson, DDS and Robert Mintz, received the Rotary International Service Above Self award. We have won many more awards, listed below!
But back to our celebration! It was a black-tie affair, held at the beautiful Cableland home of the Mayor of Denver, with valet parking. It was a pleasure to see everyone dressed in their best finery, enjoying an open bar and excellent food catered by Footers. There were many comments like “The food was really good! I wanted to take all of the leftovers home!” We dined and danced to the fourteen-piece band “Serenade in Blue.”
Posted by Gail Lehrmann (Parker) glehrmann@aol.com
Did you know that 1,202,937 Rotarians worldwide in 35,656 Rotary Clubs (883 of these were new Rotary clubs) provided 24.3 million volunteer hours working on 30,000 service projects in the last Rotary year?
Check out the year in review and learn about The Rotary Foundation’s “Century of Doing Good” that has grown from an initial contribution of $26.50 to $3.95 billion invested in programs, projects, and scholarships; new emphases on youth; polio eradication; finances; partnerships; and major donors. Now digital and easy to read!
Posted by Lee Mulberry (Highlands Ranch) rlmulberry@gmail.com
Rotaraction (www.rotaraction.org) is an online Rotary club for 18 to 30-year-old people, and is accepting new members. The structure of Rotaraction differs significantly from Rotaract. First, it is entirely online, second the primary communication tool is a smart phone app. Third, all Rotaraction members will be full Rotarians.
Rotaract Clubs will not be impacted as their value proposition is quite different and still valid. Rotaract is geographically bound just as Rotary Clubs are, Rotaraction, by being online, will not have geographic boundaries nor regular meeting times.
Rotaraction was formed to fill a need - a way to get/keep young people involved in Rotary, especially since Rotary currently has a limited value proposition for this demographic. The online meetings will consist of “Blog” posts and discussions, each member will have responsibility for writing blogs and responding. In addition, each member will be required to do a minimum number of hours of community service during the quarter. We will encourage them to create a relationship with a local Rotary Club.
Our research has shown that this demographic has very little desire to spend time in meetings, they want to communicate quickly, easily and at their own convenience. They much prefer to engage in service projects. Many are in college and even if there is a Rotaract club, attending meetings can be too time consuming.
In addition to the time issue, belonging to most traditional Rotary Clubs is cost prohibitive. Our college members face many costs and often have little opportunity to earn money. Our working young adults also tend to have limited disposable income. Therefore, the club dues are just enough to cover District and RI dues.
The attached report shows Annual Fund and Polio Plus goals entered by each club into Rotary Club Central, and the numbers and per capita achieved by each club (arranged by Area.) The District 5450 goal is to have an increase in Membership, and for Every Rotarian to give something Every Year (EREY).
WHAT'S HAPPENING AROUND THE DISTRICT, CLUBS & THE GLOBE!
Tell me, what makes your Rotary Club great? As crazy as it sounds, what make your club great is the same thing that makes my club great. But they’re different? And that’s exactly what makes them both great! Rotary embraces difference within a common framework. And that is how our 62 clubs each made a profound difference in our communities and for our members this past year.
P.S. Do any of you have contact with Rotary/Rotarians in or near the city of Brighton (south coast) in Great Britain? We have hundreds of crutches there that are available to C4A but they will go to the landfill at the end of January if we cannot collect them! Please contact me or any Rotarian from Mountain Foothills Rotary if you can help with this. Thanks!
.jpg)
