Posted by DG Mary Kay Hasz (Highlands Ranch) MaryKayDG15-16@MaryKayHasz.com
September is designated by Rotary International as Basic Education and Literacy month...one of our six areas of focus.
There are many club projects in our District that address Basic Education and Literacy. Recently, I attended an area assembly where a "Little Free Library" was assembled by the members of the Carbon Valley, Erie, Mead, and Platteville Rotary Clubs. We all took a turn in the assembly. This wooden container will sit on a post, have the Rotary emblem affixed, and be placed within that Rotary area's community for citizens to take a book to read; return a book; or add a book.
It was a pleasure to watch our Interact students read books to second grade students in the Peaceful Schools Program. The theme of the books, of course, is anti-bullying. The children are so attentive and responsive to these teenaged student volunteers.
Another example of programs promoting basic education and literacy is our Rotarians who year after year volunteer to read to elementary school children. Teachers are grateful to have our Rotarian volunteers spend time with a group of their students on a weekly basis.
Internationally our clubs have promoted basic education and literacy using money from grants (District Designated Funds). One such example is the DTC Rotary Club's program of organizing an educational program with young local women who will work to improve literacy for children within the Dominican Republic.
District 5450 is pleased to have Denver Southeast Rotary Club's member Karen Loeb as the Chair of the Basic Education and Literacy Committee. You can share your programs with, and ask for support, from Karen at literacy@rotary5450.org.
Posted by Debi Bush (Denver Cherry Creek) membership@rotary5450.org
Increased Communication and Best Practices
One of my goals for this Rotary year is to generate increased communication with club membership chairs and presidents. So far, so good and it has provided food for thought for membership. Sharing my thoughts as well as insights from fellow Rotarians helps me help the clubs in our districts. The District Membership Team (DMT) is your resource and is being leveraged on a regular basis.
Exciting news from Rotary International in bolstering support for all of us in Membership. RI has created several Regional Membership Officers and we are fortunate to have someone, Julie Aubry, with whom we have worked at RI in club support. I’ll be speaking with Julie at length to understand how we can use her and her knowledge best. The more support and greater insights into what data can be mined to help us understand membership, I’m all for it!
Another resource of insights on membership has been from the Membership Best Practices forum on Rotary’s website as part of MyRotary where I read posts from those passionate about membership worldwide.
Posted by Karen Loeb (Denver Southeast) literacy@rotary5450.org
Criticality of Basic Education and Literacy Projects – What are you and your club doing?
September is Literacy Month for Rotary! Young children, teenagers, and college students in the United States eagerly return to school where their studies are considered basic necessities for their future success. Did you know that mandatory, quality education is woefully lacking worldwide? There are 67 million children worldwide who are not in school, while 1.7 million additional teachers are needed worldwide to the meet the goal of universal primary education. Also, there are 775 million people over the age of 15 (64% of them women) who are illiterate! Without basic education and literacy, people will no doubt be disadvantaged in future opportunities for success and support of their families. Education and literacy skills are the basic tools that can change a life, and, with each life changed, families and ultimately societies are positively impacted.
My passion for work that provides basic education and literacy skills started long before I joined Rotary. Growing up in the South during the Civil Rights movement, I often pondered how we could expect people to succeed if they did not have the basic tools such as reading, writing, and math.
Posted by Sharon Maybee (Commerce City) semaybee@aol.com
Call to Action: A Community Embraces the Need
The Commerce City Rotary Club embarked on a mental health awareness initiative in January 2015 after months of exploring facts and evaluating other programs which ultimately concluded that Rotary should address mental wellness in our communities.
A small community task force grew from 5 to 22 in a matter of weeks, assessing Commerce City mental health needs, demographics, identified needs and targeted audiences. A crucial component to develop a strong community awareness program was when Commerce City Rotary partnered with the County’s Behavioral Health organization, the Community Reach Center to provide Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training and certification to club members and members of the community. Education and increased awareness will work to decrease stigmatizing attitudes regarding mental illness, increase confidence of individuals to reach out to the readily accessible resources available in the community, increase confidence of individuals to provide help to others in need, and increase community knowledge of behavioral health resources available for those in need.
Posted by Debi Bush (Denver Cherry Creek) membership@rotary5450.org
Understanding the Problems and Possible Next Steps
As mentioned in the main membership article this month, I follow the Membership Best Practices Forum on the Rotary.org website. Check out MyRotary and see what group forums appeal to you and the role you have in your club or district.
There was a great post by Rotarian Kiran Deolalkar from another country. These are the author’s questions he posed to the My Rotary forum and observations on membership.
Year on year, we keep adding members and surpass the earlier year's record. But then the overall membership is still not growing. This means, the speed at which we are adding the new members at the same speed we are also losing the members. Also, I want to put up few statistics in front of the forum to seriously introspect. Being a relatively new Rotarian, my statistics might not be accurate, but will be in the near range.
Posted by Beverly Mendel (Carbon Valley) office@rotary5450.org
Meet the President, Eat, and Eradicate Polio all in One Evening
District 5450 is excited to announce keynote speaker and special guest RI President K.R. “Ravi” Ravindran speaking on the 2015-2016 Rotary Theme “Be a Gift to the World”. All net proceeds from the event will be donated to the End Polio Now campaign, and funds will be matched 2-to-1 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In addition to President Ravi we have asked an official from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to give us an update on the Polio Eradication Program.
Reserve a table for your Club! The dinner will be Saturday, January 9, 2016 at the Denver Marriott South, 10345 Park Meadows Drive, Littleton. Registration will open soon on the District web site.
Summer is waning but I am committed to making the most of these final weeks. Soaking in the sunshine and savoring the tastes of sweet summer fruits – which brings me to peaches…and an unexpected demonstration of how one volunteer can transform the most mundane role into a powerful opportunity.
This past weekend, among my errands was picking up the case of peaches I ordered a month ago through the Denver Rotary Annual Peach Sale. While I knew that proceeds from this sale support programs of Denver Rotary Club and Rotary International, to be honest, I ordered the peaches for two primary reasons: 1. A colleague sends me information about the sale each summer and I want to support the cause that is so important to him; and 2. Colorado peaches are really something special. Yum. As I approached the parking lot, I couldn’t miss the huge truck ready to disgorge its cases of peaches and the line of volunteers with clipboards waving us in. I expected to leave with my case of deliciousness…but instead received peaches and a bonus lesson in the power of one volunteer’s strategic messaging. Here’s what happened.
Posted by Jim McGibney (Denver) jmcgibney@earthlink.net
Annual Gala at Denver Art Museum & Annual Coat Drive
Several years ago, and before he was District Governor, Mike Oldham started a Rotary District Committee that was/is focused on partnering with the Denver Indian Center for a number of critical activities. This is a unique committee in that in the District - typically the work of Rotary is completed at the Club level.
That said, Mike’s instincts were good. The Indian Community in Denver and across Colorado spans across several Rotary Districts and across many clubs. In short— it is a state wide Rotary effort and it seems the best place to focus the actual activities is at the District level.
The committee has been a good partner with the Denver Indian Center over several years and we are now entering the time of the year when the need for Rotary’s help is the greatest. There are several activities planned from here to Christmas starting with the Gala at the Denver Art Museum on September 12th.
Posted by PDG Peter Ewing (Boulder) pmjewing@earthlink.net
We all have an opportunity to leave a legacy with Rotary International. It is called being a BENEFACTOR or a member of the BEQUEST Society.
A Benefactor has made a pledge of between $1,000 and $9,999 to The RotaryFoundation’s ENDOWMENT Fund/Share.
A Bequest Society member has pledged $10,000 or more to the Endowment Fund/Share. There are several ways to accomplish this, in your estate plan, as an outright cash gift or as appreciated stock and many others.
District 5450 is in the midst of a pledge drive to fund The Rotary Foundation’s Endowment Fund, which will provide future funding to our District. Donations must be marked “SHARE” to have funds returned to District 5450.
We ask every Rotarian in our district to consider making a pledge to support this effort. For more information, please contact either Immediate Past District Governor Peter Ewing at pmjewing@earthlink.net or 303-449-4795.
Posted by Mary Jean Ewing (Boulder) maryjeanewing@gmail.com
World wide we continue to have good news!
Nigeria has passed the one-year mark with no new cases of wild poliovirus - Type I. Africa has also passed one year, which is the first step toward being declared polio free. The cases in Afghanistan (7) and Pakistan (29), year to date, are far below the cases recorded last year. So...when there are no more cases we can quit...right? Nothing more to do???
Wrong! Eradicating a virus from the face of the earth is a very complex process. There are several steps, which need to happen to assure that polio is truly erased. The first is to be certain that no new cases arise for a period of three years. The second is to ascertain, through surveillance of the world's sewage systems, that no wild poliovirus is detected. Finally, in the interim, continued vaccination is essential.
A fellow Rotarian recently ask me about Paul Harris Fellow Recognition for contributions to The Rotary Foundation and how they work.
Paul Harris Fellow recognition is awarded to an individual who contributes $1,000 or more cumulatively to the Annual Fund, PolioPlus, or an approved Rotary Foundation grant. Recognition consists of a certificate and pin. If $100 of the contribution goes to the Annual Fund the individual automatically becomes a Sustaining Member of the Foundation for that fiscal year.
Multiple Paul Harris Fellow recognition is given in subsequent $1,000 levels. So called “Paul Harris Fellow Plus” awards consist of a pin with stones corresponding to the recognition amount.
Posted by Steve Baroch (Castle Rock High Noon) steve@baroch.net
Two $30,000 Awards Available
Our Rotary District 5450 will be awarding 2 very significant scholarships in the 2015-2016 year.
There are two $30,000 Rotary District 5450 Ambassadorial Scholarship Awards for Graduate Study outside the USA. Eligible applicants will intend to study and have future career plans related to at least one of the following areas of focus:
Promoting Peace
Fighting Disease
Providing Clean Water and Sanitation
Maternal and Child Health
Basic Educations and Literacy
Growing Local Economies
Please promote these scholarships and discuss them at your Club meetings. We are looking for applicants with high levels of academic achievement and exemplary backgrounds. Application forms and further information can be found at the district website. The Pre-Application Deadline is October 10, 2015. For more information contact Steve Baroch at steve@baroch.net.
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