Governor's Message - January 11, 2016

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Governor's Message: Truly A Week Of Meetings
 
By Jim Fusco
 
January is rapidly flying by but much has been accomplished. Although there were no major district or club events to attend last week, it was truly a week of meetings as we continued our planning for the District Conference on May 20-21 in Plymouth and for the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards on June 24-26 at Fitchburg State University. (See "RYLA Alert" at the top of the right-hand column on the front page of this newsletter.)
 
In addition, we spent time working on a plan to promote the Peace Fellowships and the Morley Scholarship. These are two great scholarship programs that are free and we want all clubs in the district to know about them. Click here for Peace Fellow Chair Terry Parker's report on the Peace Fellowships.
 
I will start out this week by going to Plymouth with members of the District Conference Committee to continue our planning. We will be meeting with Darin Fabrizio, president of the Rotary Club of Plymouth to seek his guidance in developing a program plan for our District Conference.
 
Our Visioning Program is alive and well. This Tuesday, the Rotary Club of Athol-Orange will be the next club to be “visioned.”
 
Occasionally, my wife, Karen Fusco  of the Rotary Club of Fitchburg, and I find time to attend events and meetings at my club, so this Friday we will be attending the Rotary Club of Montachusett Area’s annual Holiday Party at the Old Mill Restaurant in Westminster. It is always a great time. (Of course, we are also looking forward to a great football game on Saturday as the Patriots host the Kansas City Chiefs.)
 
 RI Semi-Annual Dues: This week, Rotary International will be sending out the semi-annual dues bills. These bills are based on the membership number that was listed for your club as of this January 1. These amounts are fixed and can’t be adjusted, so please pay ASAP the amount shown to RI.
 
District Semi-Annual Dues: Remember that your club also needs to pay semi-annual dues to District 7910. The district dues are also based on your club’s membership figure as of this January 1 and should be e-mailed to your club leadership this week. A copy of the invoice will be sent to the president, secretary and executive secretary, so be on the look-out.
 
Club-Planning Worksheet: By now, you should be tired of me reminding you about the club-planning worksheet. (Click here to download it in Excel format.) But I want to remind you again because it is so important to me that all the clubs are using this tool. Reminder: Use this worksheet as a tool to guide you to a successful year and appoint a “champion” – preferably, your club’s president elect - to monitor and report progress to your club’s board of directors and membership on a monthly basis.
 
State of The District: In the December 21/28 issue of the newsletter, I provided part one of my “State of the District Report,” and part two ran in the January 4 issue. Please read them and see what you have accomplished in the first six months. There is, as the saying goes, “so much to do and so little time to do it.” I just want to remind you that if you have a club event, a club meeting, a presentation or a new member induction and you would like me to attend, just ask.
 
District Conference 2016 in Plymouth - Reminder: It is hard to imagine, but your annual District Conference to celebrate your Rotary year is only 129 days away and registration is open. To register, click here. Please check out the fun in the informative "Plymouth Rocks" video that Assistant Governor Richard Simon has produced to promote our District Conference. To watch, click here or on image at left.
 
District Banners - Reminder: All of you have seen our district PR banners being displayed at club and district events. To reserve one of those banners, contact Laura Spear, who chairs our district's Public Image Committee, at laura@spear.net.
 
Rotaract Advisor Training - Reminder: I feel that training is extremely important. With this in mind, we will be holding a Rotaract Advisor Training Seminar on Monday, February 8 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Framingham State University. For additional details, which are being arranged by District Rotaract Chair Carl Gomes of the Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley, click here.
 
Thank you for being part of a great organization and for being a Gift to the World.
 
We will have a great year! 
 
Jim Fusco, 2015-2016 governor of District 7910, may be reached at jim.fusco2@gmail.com.