 February 2012 View this Newsletter on the District 5950 website. Comments or questions? Contact the District Executive Secretary Diane Confer. |
February is “World Understanding Month.” Just think of all of the projects that Rotary club members take part in on a daily basis. With over 34,000 clubs worldwide and a membership of over 1.2 million people, what a difference we have made. Rotary has allowed us to be a part of, and have a huge impact on, lives throughout the world.
As we on our own energy, passion and vision as to what a difference our own clubs have made locally and across the world, District 5950 participation and involvement on International projects is truly an amazing story in and of itself. Just imagine the list of projects (found here /news.asp?docID=379 ) that have been sponsored, supported and participated in. Our 62 clubs with our army of over 2,900 volunteers has truly exemplified our Foundation and enhanced “World Understanding.” It is just an amazing story.
I would like to share just a few projects from District 5950 that have made a difference; this is a very short list because you and your club are engaged and active in so many projects that I can not do them all justice in the newsletter. Let’s start in Haiti where we are digging 7 wells and have provided a 15-passenger van to transport orphans. Then we’ll move on to Nigeria where we are building latrines and providing desks, chairs and books for a school. Next, in India we have multiple projects; providing cataract and cornea surgery for 350, numerous toilet blocks, and a mobile library to serve 8 schools. Lastly, in Thailand we are providing playground equipment and will build this to be dedicated at this year’s RI Convention. Just think, this is only the tip of the iceberg for 5950. The total list is extensive and diverse, uniquely reflecting you and your clubs.
Our District is fortunate to have an extremely strong team led by Bruce Hedblom, Tim Murphy, Art Quinn, and Carol Parrish. Their efforts and energy, along with every club’s Foundation chair helps make these projects a reality. Continue to contribute to the Annual Fund this year, so we can continue these great works. In the words of Arch Klumph: The Rotary Foundation has been so effective because it matches money with people. Money alone does little good. Individual service is helpless without money. The two together can be a godsend to civilization.”
Continue to “Reach Within to Embrace Humanity.”
“Got60.org”
By Tim Dillon, District 5950 PR Chair
District 5950 launched our 2012 PR campaign on January 23, including billboards and banner ads promoting Rotary through the end of March 2012.
"Got60.org" is a call to action and invitation to spend 60 minutes to learn more about Rotary and to consider the difference 60 minutes a week can make. The campaign uses digital billboards, website ad banners, and social media to invite users to visit Got60.org.
Allowing Rotarians to tell their brief Rotary stories is the most powerful way to share the Rotary message; this campaign features video testimonials allowing Minnesota Rotarians to share their message. The campaign is launching with about 40 video testimonials, but we expect over 200 as the campaign proceeds. For a web page to display 200 videos is an accomplishment, so this is a powerful way for Rotarians to share their messages.
“Many people are aware of Rotary, but what they are not aware of, is the scope of Rotary, what it means to be a Rotarian, and the broader opportunity for them personally,” said Chuck Berg, Rotary District 5950 Governor. “This campaign allows Rotarians’ stories to be the hero of the campaign and makes it personal.”
Attention-getting headlines such as 60 Minutes to Save the Planet and Humanity in Motion on the billboards and web banner ads, are designed to create interest in visiting the Got60.org website. The Got60.org campaign web page allows the visitors to view testimonial videos and invites them to attend a local 60 minute meeting.
Campaign creators invite Rotarians to submit headline ideas. “We want Rotarians to be the messages behind this campaign. Rotarians submit headlines, and if we like them on Thursday, they can be live on billboards across the Twin Cities on Monday,” shared Tim Dillon, District PR Chair and Hopkins Rotarian. "It’s another great way to allow Rotarians to be a part of this campaign."
Got60.org is a simple idea and challenges the audience to consider what they can accomplish in 60 minutes. Over 7000 Rotarians meet weekly in over 170 Minnesota locations. Many people are not aware of this amazing opportunity to be a part of something bigger and give back right in their own community.
A Year without Polio in India
By Don Goering, Zone Regional Rotary Foundation Coordinator
On January 15, 2012 India surpassed one year without detecting a single case of wild Poliovirus. India has traditionally been considered one of the toughest places in the world to eradicate Polio. In 2009, India reported 741 Polio cases - more than any other country in the world. In 2010, India reported just 42 cases, out of 1,352 cases reported globally.
The Work Must Continue for Polio Eradication
* Polio remains a threat in a number of countries, particularly in neighboring Pakistan.
* India needs to sustain its high-quality efforts to prevent re-introduction of Polio, and to ensure all children are protected from the disease.
* The network that has been established for Polio can continue to be used to immunize children against other preventable diseases and support additional health services that will ensure even the most vulnerable children to have a healthy start to life.
Check Out this Web Site about India’s First Polio-Free Year
The following would be great to show at an upcoming club meeting – perhaps as we celebrate Rotary’s February 23rd Birthday. Check out this new India focused "This Close" PSA featuring some of the biggest stars in India including Amitabh Bachchan, A.R. Rahman, Tanvi Shah, and Anil Kapoor. We are so thankful for all of the hard work that was done to get us to this point. Keep up the great work!
A chief factor in India’s success has been the widespread use of the bivalent Polio vaccine, which is effective against both remaining types of the Poliovirus. Another has been rigorous monitoring, which has helped reduce the number of children missed by health workers during National Immunization Days to less than 1%, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Friendship, Fun and Food!
The District 5950 Rotary Friendship Exchange Committee and District Governor Chuck invite you to join us at a ‘Finger & Fork Buffet,’ celebrating our inaugural Friendship Exchange to Melbourne, Australia. You’ll have an opportunity to meet our outbound travelers, share the excitement, experience the ceremony, and learn more about this unique program. The reveling will be on Wednesday, February 29 from 5:30-7:30 PM at 6117 Crescent Drive, Edina, MN 55436 (home of Rotarian Sandy Schley). You’ll be warmly welcomed! Please RSVP: Lindsey at 763-300-2814 or email lindsey_kurhajetz@yahoo.com.
A Glimpse into Rotary’s Future
By Bob Stowell, District Governor-elect
 I just arrived back from a great International Assembly with 530 other District Governor-elects from over 200 countries and representing 34,000 clubs. It was a great experience, and I have some information I wanted to pass on to you.The Bill and Melinda Gates contribution and requirement for our $200,000,000 match prior to July 1st 2012: As most of you have heard, we have already met our match and are currently at $202,000,000. I encourage all of you to continue raising funds, however, as finishing the job is our number one priority and continues to be very costly. Thank you for helping us to achieve the match necessary to receive the Gates Foundation gift.
The Gates Foundation sent a representative to our International Assembly, and knowing just how expensive it is to eradicate Polio, announced that they were contributing another $50,000,000. This gift does not have a requirement for matched giving from Rotarians, and will help us to finish the job on Polio Eradication.
RI President-elect Sakuji Tanaka announced his theme, “Peace Through Service.” I will be discussing this in much more detail in the coming weeks and months.
Here is just a little advance on meetings coming up that you may want to place on your calendars:
Some areas that will receive focus over the next year include:
We plan on consolidating some of our current committees along with adding some new committees under the direction of Tom Thorfinnson (Past RI Vice President and Past District Governor). We will have a very specific focus on some areas such as Membership, Retention, Club Extension, PR/Communications, New Generations, Member Development, Member Diversity, Young Professionals Campaign and Website both at the Club and District level. I am pleased to say that I, along with DGN Diann Kirby, DGND Jim Nelson, and Tom Thorfinnson have been working hard to decide what committees we need, and gathering names of those Rotarians in our clubs that might be a good fit for one of these committees. You should expect in the near future to have one of us possibly tapping you to assist us on one of these committees. If you have an interest in a particular area, please feel free to contact any of us. It is very important to me and the other District Leaders that we fully embrace our roles of providing significant support for the betterment of our individual clubs. We will continue to depend on the clubs letting us know how we can serve you better. Thank you all for the leadership you will be providing to your clubs in helping make them stronger in the areas of Foundation Giving, Membership, Retention, New Generations, Club Extension, and the many other areas that you do great work in.
Peace Through Service, Bob Stowell, DGE |
Past Newsletters...
December 2011
[More]
November 2011
[More]
September 2011
[More]
August 2011
[More]
July 2011
[More]
June 2011
[More]
May 2011
[More]
April 2011
[More]
March 2011
[More]
February 2011
[More]
January 2011
[More]
December 2010
[More]
November 2010
[More]
October 2010
[More]
September 2010
[More]
August 2010
[More]
July 2010
[More]
MID-APRIL 2010
[More]
GOVERNOR'S NEWSLETTER
APRIL 2010 [More]
GOVERNOR'S NEWSLETTER
MARCH 2010 [More]
GOVERNOR'S NEWSLETTER
MID-FEBRUARY 2010 [More]
GOVERNOR'S NEWSLETTER
FEBRUARY 2010 [More]
GOVERNOR'S NEWSLETTER
MID-JANUARY 2010
[More]
GOVERNORS NEWSLETTER
January 2010
[More]
GOVERNOR'S NEWSLETTER
MID-DECEMBER 2009
[More]
GOVERNOR'S NEWSLETTER
DECEMBER 2009
[More]
GOVERNOR'S NEWSLETTER
MID-NOVEMBER 2009
[More]
GOVERNOR'S NEWSLETTER - NOVEMBER 2009
[More]
GOVERNOR'S NEWSLETTER -
MID-OCTOBER 2009
[More]
GOVERNOR'S NEWSLETTER -
OCTOBER 2009
[More]
GOVERNOR’S NEWSLETTER – SEPTEMBER 2009
[More]
GOVERNOR'S NEWSLETTER - AUGUST 2009
2nd Edition
[More]
GOVERNOR'S NEWSLETTER - AUGUST 2009
[More]
GOVERNOR'S NEWSLETTER - MID-JULY 2009
[More]
GOVERNOR'S NEWSLETTER - JULY 2009
[More]
GOVERNOR'S NEWSLETTER - May 2009
[More]
GOVERNORS NEWSLETTER - April 2009
[More]
GOVERNOR'S NEWSLETTER - January-February 2009
[More]
DG Newsletter - Nov. 2008
Message from the Governor, DG Candidates Sought, Council on Legislation Resolutions Sought, Membership Development, Vocational Service, International Service, Youth Service, Ethics Essay Competition, District Conference Apr. 24-25, Zone Institute - Oct. 6-10, Save the Date Reminders [More]
SEPT/OCT 2008
[More]
DG Newsletter - Aug. 21, 2008
Training in the areas of Membership, The Rotary Foundation and Public Relations will be offered Sept. 12., The Community Grants Committee recently approved several grants. [More]
DG Newsletter - August 2008
DG Chris Holm will visit all clubs before fall, Bid continues for 2015 RI Convention, Search is on for GSE team members [More]
DG Newsletter - July, 2008
DG Message and Goals for 2008/2009, The allocation formula for Neighborhood Community Service grants has changed, Dates have been announced for key District meetings [More]
DG Newsletter - June 2008
“Since Rotary, the children stopped dying.” The District’s Safe Water Plus project started nearly 10 years ago when an anonymous Rotarian was moved by these words. , ShelterBox, the UK-based Disaster Relief and Humanitarian Aid Organization has been in China since late May, giving tents to homeless victims of the earthquake. [More]
DG Newsletter - May 22, 2008 Issue
ShelterBox Assists With Cyclone-Relief Efforts ShelterBox, the UK-based Disaster Relief and Humanitarian Aid Organization has been in Myanmar (formerly Burma) since May 8. [More]
DG Newsletter - May 2008
Finish strong: With just two months left in the Rotary year, you and your fellow club leaders have a chance to make a significant impact on membership growth for 2007-2008., TRF Seeks Applicants: The Rotary Foundation is accepting applications for the 2009-11 Rotary World Peace Fellowships (RWPF) and January and June 2009 Rotary Peace and Conflict Studies (RPCS) Program sessions., Tennis Anyone? Join the International Tennis Fellowship of Rotarians (ITFR)! [More]
DG Newsletter - April 2008
57 Clubs Participate In Pets:Fifty-two Presidents-Elect and 21 other future club presidents attended the President-Elect Training Seminar on March 14 and 15. , Ten Ways To Grow Your Club:Attracting qualified Rotary members is an important task. Membership Director Greg Krauska offers 10 ways to attract those men and women. , District PR CampaignKicks Off:To raise awareness for Rotary and attract new, qualified members, this month the District will launch a public relations campaign dubbed “It’s Not (Just) Your Father’s Rotary.” [More]
DG Newsletter - March 2008
Bring in Members:You don't always have to plan a big event or promotion to attract prospectives. Use an ongoing routine to bring in new members. , 2008 District Conference at Arrowwood:Sail away to this year's joint District 5950 and 5960 Conference, to be held in April at the Arrowwood Resort in Alexandria. , District Governor Nominee Named:Lawrence Zilliox was recently named District Governor Nominee. [More]
DG Newsletter - December 2007
Foundation:Learn about the Paul Harris Society and how to become a member. , Communications:The District has applied for an RI Public Relations grant. , Bequest Society:Create a legacy of hope. , Speakers Directory:Promote your great programs. [More]
Sign up for the twice yearly Friends of 5950 newsletter or contact us for more info HERE.