Here's to a happy, healthy, prosperous new year -- and many more amazing opportunities to serve humanity! We're at the halfway point of our Rotary calendar, with many successes already chalked up by our clubs and our district! But every success has its challenges, and as 2017 unfolds, so will our collective vision of how we can do even more and how we can be even more effective, in our clubs and in our communities!
Where to start? We already have! Look at the goals set by your club this year -- have they been met and perhaps exceeded? If not, or if it's time to set the bar even higher, consider your own personal role in taking action to make good things happen. Now's the perfect time to share our Rotary Story in papers and social media. The perfect time to invite -- and engage -- new members. The perfect time to reach the next level of Foundation support so that we will see Rotary's humanitarian service grow and polio disappear forever!
What's next? Please join the conversation on Wednesday, Jan. 11, online or by telephone, for our Midyear District Go-To-Meeting Webinar from 7 to 8 p.m. For details, go to our district calendar & register, or contact DG Scott to register for you! But wait, there's much more ...
A reminder to all clubs that elections should have been completed by the end of December.
RI needs to be notified by Jan. 31 of your club's 2017-18 officers, and ClubRunner needs to be updated as soon as possible. (Enter on your club's Clubrunner site if you have one, but otherwise enter on Rotary6420.org; it uploads automatically to Rotary International.)
An updated list of next year's President Nominees (the person who will serve as President in 2018-19) is also needed so that they might be able to register for PETS March 3-5 in Itasca. Your club's President Elect (who will serve as President in 2017-18) and President Nominee (who will serve as President in 2018-19) are both invited to attend Midwest PETS. Your district dues pre-pay for your President Elect. Each club should consider sponsoring the PN to also attend -- a great opportunity for leadership succession preparation!
Register for a four-state conference on “what’s happening to our water?” from the well to the drinking faucet in your home -- set for the evening of Jan. 10 and the day of Jan. 11 at Eagle Ridge Resort and Spa in rural Jo Daviess County outside Galena.
The conference is planned and conducted by the Jo Daviess County League of Women Voters and the Galena Rotary Club in concert with the Galena Gazette. Participating are 60 Leagues and Rotary clubs in Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Please participate by webinar or phone in our Annual Mid-Year Meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 11.
Who should attend: Presidents, Presidents-Elect and Assistant Governors. But all district Rotarians can join in if they wish!
Agenda: Setting and achieving specific goals for President's Citation, Governor's Citation and District Awards -- EVERYONE qualifies... but how?! We will also give highlights of what's coming up in 6420!
Questions or Comments? Submit to DGScott6420@gmail.com, and they will be answered by email and/or during the webinar if beneficial for all concerned!
Goal: EVERY Club is to be "present" by (at least) your current President and President-Elect.
Register to receive information on how to log in or call in.
New Rotarians: As one of our Rotary District's newer members (two years or less), YOU are invited to join new Rotarians from all three northern Illinois Rotary Districts for a very special event at Rotary International's world headquarters in Evanston on the afternoon of Monday, Jan. 23.
The afternoon program is tailored for newer Rotarians but open to all. Here's the agenda:
2 to 3 p.m.: Tour RI's headquarters, showcasing Rotary's global impact and how it all gets done
3 to 5 p.m.: "The ABCs of Rotary" program highlighting the basics shared by Rotarians worldwide.
5:30 p.m.: Reception for all of Rotary's top brass, including President John Germ of USA, President Elect Ian Riseley of Australia, President Nominee Sam Owori of Uganda, Vice President Jennifer Jones of Canada, all the RI Directors and many RI top staff members -- a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for ALL Rotarians!
Register at http://rotary6440.org/event/abcs-of-rotary/ as "Guest." Indicate District 6420 and your club name plus any Rotary office you hold in the Comments section. Cost is just $25.
Welcome to 2017! All my best wishes go out to you as we turn the page and start a new chapter.
Even though 2016 is history, we’re only halfway through our 2016-17 Rotary year. A highlight of the first half of the year was a very successful and enjoyable Foundation Roundtable and Gala in early November. Thank you to all who worked so hard on the planning and preparation; it certainly paid off. Thanks, also, to the more than 100 people who attended, as it wouldn’t have been a party if no one came. The entire program was excellent, highlighted by our own "Dr. T" as Arch Klumph and entertainer par excellence (thanks to DGN Kathy for her writing skills), and PDG Chris Offer, keynote speaker, along with his Rotarian spouse PDG Penny Offer. They “offered” many creative ideas and spurred creative thinking related to future Foundation activities in our district.
I encourage you through your club president and Foundation chair (and anyone else with a passion for the Foundation) to take the following steps early this year:
There's still time to offer students ages 15-19 the opportunity to be paired with a student in France, Germany, Spain or Italy this summer -- spending 8 weeks together, 4 here and 4 there.
It starts with a school announcement: ARE YOU INTERESTED IN YOUTH EXCHANGE THIS SUMMER? CONTACT YOUR LOCAL ROTARY CLUB OR INTERACT CLUB TODAY!
Events will include Dixieland Jazz and our FOUNDATION DINNER on Friday, Literacy Breakfast and Youth & Youth Exchange Lunch on Saturday, Presidents' Banquet and Zydeco music Saturday night, Honoring of the Past and Celebrating the Future on Sunday, including a Young Professionals Summit, and LOTS more!
A special registration website will go live next week. Watch the district website and calendar for details.
For the latest in District Directory listings, updated Jan. 1, go to www.rotary6420.org >> Member Access >> Documents >> Documents (again!) and you will see the Directory -- broken now in three parts and all yours -- FREE for District and Club use only.
Please remember to include:
1. Deadlines for submissions/registrations.
2. Any logos or visuals that help tell the story.
3. Names of people in photos. We love photos of Rotarians!
Thanks for your contributions! Let us help you spread the good news.
