As December rolls in and 2007 comes to an end, I realize that we are nearly half way through this Rotary year. I have continued on my club visits and this journey continues to be most amazing learning about each club and their commu- nity service projects, international projects, fundraisers, youth programs, membership strategies, Rotary Foundation giving initiatives, fellowship activities, and the list goes on and on. I have been thrilled with the large percentage of clubs that have presented PolioPlus contributions to me. I have also assisted with the induction of many new mem- bers in our clubs and have presented several Paul Harris Fellows. All of these activities exemplify how Rotary Shares. During this month of celebrating the Family of Rotary, I reflect on my club visits and how rewarding and enjoyable it has been to spend time with my Rotary family! Each and every day as I interact with Rotarians throughout 6290, I appreciate more and more what we accomplish together and how we change lives. I had the opportunity in November to meet with some of the newest members of our Rotary family, our new Rotaract Club at Grand Valley State University. These college stu- dents, led by President Anne Harkema, have been meeting every Thursday evening on campus. They will be offi- cially chartered this year and have com- pleted their first fundraiser and first community service project. They held a bake sale on campus in November and also put together a Thanksgiving dinner basket for a needy family in the Allendale area. I thank Anne for her leadership. I also thank Pete Bolthouse, Governor’s Representative to the Rotaract Club and Bart Merkle, student advisor and member of our provisional club in Allendale. It is a great pleasure to have these students as part of our Rotary family in 6290. As we all celebrate the holidays this month and take part in our own social, spiritual and family celebrations, remember to include your Rotary family. Take the opportu- nity to celebrate our youth, including our exchange students, STRIVE students and Interact students. Celebrate your fellow Rotarians, spouses, partners and children. And our Rotary Foundation Alumni, which includes our Ambassadorial Scholars and GSE team members. As a matter of fact, our outbound GSE team, lead by Rotarian Christine Langlois from the Rotary Club of Grand Rapids, will leave on December 28 for their 4-week journey to District 3120 in northern India. Safe travels to Christine, Karisa, Patrick, Carly and Anne! The Family of Rotary gives our organization extraordinary meaning as we connect with individuals in every corner of the world who share the same ideals. Include fam- ily in your daily Rotary life and in the life of your club and throughout our district…and take advantage of the opportunities to expand our Rotary Family and show that Rotary Shares. Special points of interest: • Exciting News from the Gates Foundation • New Provisional Club in District 6290 • New Year’s Eve Gala Event • Rotary International Receives United Nations Association Humanitarian Award • New Speaker’s Bureau for District 6290 Greeting from the District Governor Grand Haven Rotary Club Program 2 Rotary Public Relations Tips Call for Nominations for District Governor 3 Rotary Club of Allendale Our Rotary Foundation 4 Our Rotary Foundation Photos The Family of Rotary 5 District Conference News Rotary Club of Grand Rapids Gala Concert 6 Rotary International Receives Award Thirsting to Serve Water Conference New Speaker’s Bureau 7 Club Visit Photos 8 District Statistics 9 Dec 2007 Volume 1, Issue 6 District Governor Chris Etienne [email protected]
Transcript
As December rolls in and 2007 comes to an end, I realize that we are nearly half way through this Rotary year. I have continued on my club visits and this journey continues to be most amazing learning about each club and their commu-nity service projects, international projects, fundraisers, youth programs, membership strategies, Rotary Foundation giving initiatives, fellowship activities, and the list goes on and on. I have been thrilled with the large percentage of clubs that have presented PolioPlus contributions to me. I have also assisted with the induction of many new mem-bers in our clubs and have presented several Paul Harris Fellows. All of these activities exemplify how Rotary Shares.
During this month of celebrating the Family of Rotary, I reflect on my club visits and how rewarding and enjoyable it has been to spend time with my Rotary family! Each and every day as I interact with Rotarians throughout 6290, I appreciate more and more what we accomplish together and how we change lives. I had the opportunity in November to meet with some of the newest members of our Rotary family, our new Rotaract Club at Grand Valley State University. These college stu-dents, led by President Anne Harkema, have been meeting every Thursday evening on campus. They will be offi-cially chartered this year and have com-pleted their first fundraiser and first community service project. They held a bake sale on campus in November and also put together a Thanksgiving dinner basket for a needy family in the Allendale area. I thank Anne for her leadership. I also thank Pete Bolthouse, Governor’s Representative to the Rotaract Club and Bart Merkle, student advisor and member of our provisional club in Allendale. It is a great pleasure to have these students as part of our Rotary family in 6290.
As we all celebrate the holidays this month and take part in our own social, spiritual and family celebrations, remember to include your Rotary family. Take the opportu-nity to celebrate our youth, including our exchange students, STRIVE students and Interact students. Celebrate your fellow Rotarians, spouses, partners and children. And our Rotary Foundation Alumni, which includes our Ambassadorial Scholars and GSE team members. As a matter of fact, our outbound GSE team, lead by Rotarian Christine Langlois from the Rotary Club of Grand Rapids, will leave on December 28 for their 4-week journey to District 3120 in northern India. Safe travels to Christine, Karisa, Patrick, Carly and Anne!
The Family of Rotary gives our organization extraordinary meaning as we connect with individuals in every corner of the world who share the same ideals. Include fam-ily in your daily Rotary life and in the life of your club and throughout our district…and take advantage of the opportunities to expand our Rotary Family and show that Rotary Shares.
Special points of interest:
• Exciting News from the Gates Foundation
• New Provisional Club in District 6290
• New Year’s Eve Gala Event
• Rotary International Receives United Nations Association Humanitarian Award
• New Speaker’s Bureau for District 6290
Greeting from the District Governor Grand Haven Rotary Club Program
2
Rotary Public Relations Tips Call for Nominations for District Governor
3
Rotary Club of Allendale Our Rotary Foundation
4
Our Rotary Foundation Photos The Family of Rotary
5
District Conference News Rotary Club of Grand Rapids Gala Concert
6
Rotary International Receives Award Thirsting to Serve Water Conference New Speaker’s Bureau
T he Grand Haven Rotary Club Musical Lights program is presented nightly on Harbor Island in Grand Haven from Thanksgiving through December 30th. This amazing show is set to holiday music and consists of more than 138,000 lights! There are sixteen lighting control systems driving over
250 independently controlled zones. The program features an international theme, recognizing holidays and sym-bols of many of the world’s religions. By tuning your car radio to the designated FM station, you can enjoy the ac-companying music as you drive through the show. There is also room to park and take in the entire twenty minute show. The program will run continuously on Sunday through Thursday from 6 - 10 pm and on Friday and Saturday from 6 - 11 pm. The Sunday through Thursday shows will be with traditional music and the Friday and Saturday shows will have more Trans Siberian Orchestra music. The display is free to the public and donations for local charities are welcome. To learn more about the program or access a map to the event, click here: http://grandhavenrotarylights.org/index.php?page=news
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR DISTRICT GOVERNOR FOR THE ROTARY YEAR 2010-2011
W ho will lead our District in the Rotary year 2010-2011?
We invite every Rotary Club and every Club President in District 6290 to consider now which members of your club have the potential for District leadership.
Please review whether any of your club’s past-presidents has the strengths and availability to serve as District Governor. If one of your past-presidents is willing to serve, and your Board supports their nomination, then please forward their name and the attached document to PDG Donald Moss, our District Nominations Chair. All nominations must be received by January 15, 2008.
Don Moss will then send you the RI Governor-Nominee Data Form for your nominee. Please assure that the nominee fills in the necessary information, and that your Club secretary co-signs the form and submits it to PDG Don.
Don Moss’ FAX number is: (616) 842-1277 and his email is [email protected] Click here to access DG Nomina-tion form: http://www.clubrunner.ca/data/6290/html/27036/dg_nomination_form.pdf
Page 3
Rotary and Gates Foundation partner to provide US$200 million for polio eradication The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced today that it will award Rotary Interna-tional a US$100 million challenge grant specifically for polio eradication. Rotary has pledged to match the Gates grant dollar-for-dollar over the next three years to provide a much-needed $200 million for the global fight against polio. Rotarians are strongly encour-aged to share this newsworthy story with their local media. Rotary has prepared a press release that Rotarians can localize by adding content describing their club or district polio eradication activities, submitting photos of local participation in National Immunization Days, or adding comments from local Rotary leaders pledging continued support for this vital effort. The official press release can be downloaded here. Sample Op-Ed Template Available Rotary has also created a sample op-ed template, pegged to the Gates Foundation grant that Rotarians can submit to the opinion section of their local newspaper. Using this template helps ensure that a consistent message about polio eradication and the Gates grant is shared around the world. As with the press release, the op-ed piece can be localized by inserting information about local Rotary polio eradication efforts. The op-ed template is available in all Rotary languages and can be downloaded here. PolioPlus Headliner Kit and Fact Sheet Though not specific to the Gates Foundation grant, the PolioPlus Headliner Kit is another resource clubs can use to help publicize polio eradication. The kit contains samples of a news feature, a press release, an opinion piece and a letter-to-the-editor, all de-signed to be easily localized. It also is available in additional languages by contacting [email protected]. For additional information, download the PolioPlus fact sheet here.
Promote polio eradication with print and broadcast PSAs Rotary also encourages clubs to use the polio-themed print and broadcast public service announcements (PSAs). Many clubs have members who work in the local media or have strong media contacts, and they often can successfully place these professionally produced PSAs with newspapers and television and radio stations in their communities. These materials focus on Rotary's commit-ment to polio eradication and can very effectively supplement the news release and op-ed piece. The PSAs are designed to be eas-ily localized by adding information about local polio eradication efforts and club contact information. Download PSAs here.
STILL FEEDING HUNGRY MINDS reprinted from Every Rotarian Every Year November 2007 edition
Foundation programs supported by the Annual Programs Fund often yield a wealth of long-term dividends. In 2003, Katie Krueger and two other U.S. Ambassadorial Scholars studying in Senegal started a school lunch program for underprivileged children there. The three Foundation alumni continue to run the program — Pro-ject Japalé Gouné — as a team. Recently, Krueger posted this message on the program’s Web site. “As [the project] wraps up for this school year, we realized that sometime in the last year or so we served our 10,000th lunch! . . . Congratulations to our partner school, L’Ecole Primaire de Point E2, for their recent recog-nition from the president of Senegal. They were selected to be the recipient of 30 IBM computers. This is not only a great honor but a seed of opportunity.” How does Krueger feel about the Ambassadorial Scholarship that made her experience in Senegal — and Project Japalé Gouné — possible? “I know that for years to come, you will be able to find a small piece of Rotary in each and every success that I have. Thanks a million for that.”
Keep up-to-date with the Every Rotarian, Every Year initiative and encourage other members of your club to become involved by receiving this quarterly newsletter. View or subscribe to the newsletter through the RI Web site at www.rotary.org (search “EREY newsletter”). If you are a current subscriber and your Internet service provider has changed, please subscribe using your new e-mail address.
Sign me up! Reprinted from Every Rotarian Every Year November 2007 edition
Rotary Club of Allendale is a provisional club in District 6290 that will be obtaining their official charter soon. In
the meantime, please visit them for an official makeup on Wednesdays at 12:00 noon at Peppino's Ristorante and Sports Lounge, 5053 Lake Michigan Drive, Allendale. Visitors Welcome! For more informa-
tion, please contact Alan Hoffman, President, [email protected], or Pete Bolthouse, Governor's Special Representative, [email protected].
Come and Visit!
CHECK YOUR CONTRIBUTION HISTORY reprinted from Every Rotarian Every Year, November 2007 edition
Dr. John D. Johnson received his Paul Harris Fellow designation from his father John H. Johnson from the Rotary Club of Petoskey during a surprise presentation at the Zone Institute in Davenport, Iowa.
Pictured: John H. Johnson, Dr. John D. Johnson, Foundation Trustee and PRIVP Lou Piconi, RI President-Elect D.K. Lee and Foundation Trustee David Morgan.
Go to www.rotary.org and click on Member Access on the upper right-hand corner. This will connect you to Rotary Business Online, where you will enter your user name and password. Once logged in, enter your membership number
(which appears on the mailing label of The Rotarian magazine in some countries), club number, and district number. If you don’t know your club number, check with your club secretary
YOUR CONTRIBUTION TO OUR US$120 MILLION GOAL IN 2007-08 WILL HELP ENSURE THAT ROTARY SHARES!
Grand Rapids North New PHF Jerry Roberson and Dorothy Berg with
President Bob Martin
Lowell New PHF Betsy Davidson and Lorain Smalligan with
President-Elect Eric Lundstrom
Petoskey PDG Ernie Mainland assists DG Chris with a surprise PHF to Chris' Dad Joe Etienne
Cedar Springs Rotarian John Rohrer receives recognition as a charter member
of the Paul Harris Society
Sault Ste. Marie ON with new PHF Bob Taylor, multiple PHF Paul Curran and
President Doug Powell
Wawa with President Bill DeVries, PDG John Morrison, new benefactors
Michael and Doreen Bugyra
As we enter this holiday season, we are all thinking of our families. Families home with us, family members away from us, and sadly family members that have gone before us.
What does the “Family of Rotary” mean to my club?
It starts even closer than the club. It starts at the Rotary table where we sit and break bread with fellow Ro-tarians and share stories. We as a ‘table’ learn about each other and the family members of those people that we maybe haven’t had the pleasure of meeting. It is then that we feel a part of their family and share in their stories. It is in these stories that remind me of a fellow Rotarian who talks about his son, a Marine, serv-ing our country. I have never met this young man, but I know that he is brave, smart, a husband and a new father. Because of these stories I know he is a part of our Rotary family. The Rotary Family extends so far into our community and it is as though we are all a Rotary Family. The sharing of Rotary’s 4-way test, and the camaraderie within our club and our district allows our families at home to see the importance of grasping our clubs as our family.
Supporting, encouraging, and being there to hold the hand of a fellow Rotarian build the foundation upon which a strong club stands.
The Family of Rotary is this and so much more. It is our fellow business sponsors of our clubs, the lives that Rotary touches, and the lifelong relationships that Rotary builds.
This, my friends, is the Family of Rotary.
Happy Holidays to you and your families,
Erika Craven, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan Rotary Club
Erika Craven Family of Rotary District Resource Coordinator [email protected]
The Rotary Club of Grand Rapids Charities Foundation presents the New Year’s Eve Gala Concert, Dave Bennett’s A Tribute to Benny Goodman featuring the Grand Rapids Symphony and David Lockington, Music Director.
December 31, 2007 7:30 pm (note time change from previous years) DeVos Performance Hall, 303 Monroe NW
Proceeds from concert go to support Indian Trails Camp and STRIVE, a youth mentoring program operated by the Rotary Club of Grand Rapids at Creston and Ottawa Hills High Schools for at risk seniors. A separate Afterglow party at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel fol-lows from 9:30 until 1:00 am. Afterglow features dancing, Hors d’oeuvres, champagne toast and cash bar.
Costs: Symphony concert only $20 - $65. Concert and Afterglow $110 and $125. Afterglow only $100.
Call 616-454-9451, ext. 4 for tickets.
New this year is a Pre-concert Mingle for Rotarians, their guests and sponsors. The mingle will be at the Huntington Bank recital Hall in the DeVos Performance Hall. This event is 5:30 pm – 7:15 pm. Cash bar, Heavy Hors d’oeuvres and Black Tie optional. Pre-concert Mingle is compliments of Smith Barney with concert ticket purchase. If you would like to attend the mingle, please call the Rotary office at 616-459-5640 by December 14.
Website link to the Grand Rapids Symphony: http://www.grsymphony.org/events/concerts/rotary-new-years-eve-gala-concert/
Conference registration and hotel registration now available!
Rotary International President Wilf Wilkinson has just announced that Rotary International Past President Glenn E. Estess, Sr. and his wife Mary will be the President’s Representa‐tives at our District Conference June 5‐8 at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. RIPP Glenn was our Centennial President during the 2004‐2005 Rotary year with the theme Celebrate Rotary. Join in the fun and fellow‐ship in June 2008 while we celebrate Rotary and provide a warm 6290 welcome to RIPP Glenn and Mary.
The Secretary-General commented that while it may be hard to believe when living in New York with plenty of rain, and rivers surrounding the city, the world's waters remain fragile. The need for a sound and sustainable approach to water resource management is pressing and water reserves continue to be wasted and degraded throughout the world. He wanted to make a point to congratulate tonight's honorees for their contributions because each of them deserves not only tonight's award, but also our collective gratitude and support. At the evening’s Gala dinner the attendees were welcomed by Peter Rajsingh, President of the UNANY and the Master of Ceremonies was Ambassador Joseph Verner Reed, the former Ambassador of the United States of America to the Kingdom of Morocco and U.S. Represen-tative of the United States to the United Nations Economic and Social Council.
Rotary International Rotary received an elegant Tiffany Crystal with the inscription: To Rotary International: “For its leadership for bringing clean water to poor communities around the world”.
President Wilfrid noted that in the years since Rotary International has started focusing on water as one of its annual service projects, we have learned just how much can be accomplished with relatively little, how a single small water project, perhaps a pump or a filter, can change the life of a community. Clean water has a great impact on nutrition, education, health, family interaction. We also learned that bene-ficiaries of water projects must be active participants in the project. A successful water project enables children to be healthier, and then can go to school, and can bring a community together. In his concluding remarks, our president also clarified that for Rotarians there is no excuse not to help with the global water effort because as Past RI President, Bill Boyd said, we need to continue to try, and even though we may not succeed, we will have not failed. To access complete article and photos, please go to: http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/
Rotary International Receives United Nations Association Humanitarian Award - October 25, 2007
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon, warmly welcomed the honorees and guests at the Annual Humanitarian Awards Dinner Reception. From left to right are Wilfrid J. Wilkinson, President of Rotary International; Guy Laliberté, founder of Cirque du Soleil and the One Drop Foundation; and Ambas-sador Joseph Verner Reed the Master of Ceremo-nies. Antony Burgmans, former chairman of Unilever, the third honoree is not in this photo
SAVE THE DATE!
Thirsting to Serve 2008 Water Conference Monday, Feb 25, 2008 9AM- 415 PM
Includes networking lunch. Location of conference at Aquinas College Performing Arts Center link to map: http://www.aquinas.edu/pdf/ampus_Map.pdf Questions E-mail: [email protected] Cost: $75 online by Jan. 31, 2008; after/at the door $90 Register online at: www.thirstingtoserve.org
New Speaker’s Bureau for District 6290
Do you have a Rotary topic or interesting program that you can share with other Rotary clubs? We are now compiling a new Speaker’s Bureau for the District to p r o v i d e o n o u r w e b s i t e , www.ridistrict6290.org, a list of names, contact information and topics available to clubs for programs. Please email DG Chris at [email protected] with any topics that you have exper-tise in and would be willing to share and present to Rotary clubs in our district. We realize that some geographical limita-tions may exist due to the size of our district.
Attention: Presidents-Elect
FEBRUARY 15-17, 2008
SAVE THE DATE!
www.greatlakesrotarypets.org
Don’t miss the chance to “See the Stars” in Los Angeles for
the 2008 RI Convention, 15-18 June 2008.
Download the convention preview brochure and visit the resource page for more on the
