Governor's Message: A busy week capped off with NEPETS
 
By Jim Fusco
 
There was a lot for me to do as I prepared to leave for the Northeast Presidents Elect Training Seminar, held last Thursday through Saturday in Framingham.  We held a Youth Service Committee to commence planning for our second Interact/Rotaract Training Seminar, which will be held on September 17 at a place to be determined. Last Tuesday, I went to Fitchburg Rotary and had the honor of inducting Worker’s Credit Union as that club’s first Corporate Member.
 
The District Nominating Committee met last Tuesday to tie up some loose ends. Cliff Rober of Bedford Rotary was confirmed as district sergeant at arms for 2016-2019, Jack Hoell of Neponset Valley Rotary was confirmed as treasurer for 2016-2019, Tom Polito of Neponset Valley Rotary was selected to be proposed as the district member of the Zone 32 Nominating Committee (to be voted upon at the District Conference this May), and Satya Mitra of Worcester Rotary was selected to be proposed as a trustee for the District Charity Fund (also to be voted upon at the District Conference this May).
 
The District Resolutions Committee met last Tuesday to consider 20 district resolutions to be voted upon at the District Conference in May. Twelve of those resolutions were tabled at the 2015 District Conference because of a lack of a quorum. The Annual District Business Meeting will be held at the 2016 District Conference and it is important that we have a quorum present in order for that voting to take place. I urge every club to send a delegate to that Business Meeting. The district secretary will be sending each club their credentials in April - so be on the lookout!
 
The Northeast Presidents Elect Training Seminar commenced on last Thursday and ended on Saturday. We ran training sessions for 450 PEs and 84 assistant governors from eight districts. It was an extremely successful event (see front page, middle column). And the crowd of 320 people was mesmerized by Rotary International Past President Rick King (shown, right), who delivered the keynote speech on Thursday evening. It was great to network with so many new Rotarian friends. Co-District Governors-Elect Pat and Skip Doyle held two District Breakout sessions, during which PEs and AGs were briefed on the club-planning worksheet, Presidential Citations, Foundation, district budget for 2016-2017, and many more items. To view and download photos in our District 7910 NEPETS album, taken by District Archivist Cheryl Rosen and District Newsletter Editor Steve Jone-D'Agostinoclick here.
 
This week, I will be at Billerica Rotary on Tuesday to honor some Paul Harris recipients. We will start planning for the second season of our District Fellowship Golf League, which will commence in May. I will attend the Milford Rotary meeting to introduce a new potential member and attend the Veterans Breakfast at Neponset Valley Rotary. On Thursday, I will be at Fitchburg State University with the RYLA Committee to continue the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards planning. And on Thursday night, we will be holding a District Conference Committee planning meeting.
 
Presidential Citation: I don’t want you to lose sight of the approaching deadline for the Presidential Citation. Last week, I explained that time was running out for clubs to qualify for the Presidential Citation that will be issued by Rotary International President K.R. "Ravi" Ravindran to recognize the accomplishments of the Rotary clubs. As of today not one club has yet qualified for the Presidential Citation, although several are getting closer. Keep up the work of entering your clubs goals and accomplishments into Club Central - and your club could qualify. Don’t let your clubs down! Yesterday, I contacted those clubs that are getting close to qualifying - so look for that e-mail!
 
Club-planning worksheets: We are making progress on Club Planning Worksheets. The deadline to send me your club’s worksheet is this April 1 so please start filling in your information so you can get your completed sheet to me in time. I would like to see every club submit their sheet to me by April 1. Please contact me if you have any questions at jim.fusco2@gmail.com. The club-planning worksheet is very important to me, so I would appreciate it if every club would respond to me. Thank you in advance for your cooperation in this matter. Yesterday, I sent each club a reminder about the upcoming deadline - so look for that e-mail, too!
 
Foundation: Incoming District Foundation Chair Sanjay Deshpande made a great Foundation presentation in the February 29 issue. To view his since-revised presentation, click here. While I mentioned this last week, the presentation is so good that I am mentioning it again.
 
District and Global Grants for 2015-2016 Rotary year: Remember that your Final Report for your ‘15-’16 District Grants  needs to be filed April 15, so you can receive your grant match from the District 7910. If you have any questions, please contact your assigned closer. Their contact information is in the 2015-2016 District Directory. They are:
  • Roy Balfour: Hudson, Nashoba Valley, Natick, and Westborough
  • Richard Simon: Groton-Pepperell, Montachusett Area, Neponset Valley, Tyngsboro-Dunstable, and Wachusett Area
  • Joe Badenoff: Bedford, Brookline, Concord, Needham, and Newton
  • Bob Anthony: Acton-Boxborough, Auburn, Ayer, Fitchburg, and Littleton
  • Michelle Gasbarro: Framingham, Milford, Northborough, Shrewsbury, and Tewksbury
Polio Giving: Because Carl Good (shown, left) has asked me to report on polio giving for Rotary Year 2015-2016, I am again including it here. When I made my official visit to your club, I explained that I would like to see every club set a goal for polio giving, and would like to have every club donate to Polio Plus. We have made some progress since last week: 38 clubs (39, last week) have still not set a Polio Giving Goal on Club Central; and 16 clubs (20, last week) have still not made a donation to Polio Plus. I urge you to check out Carl’s article on polio contributions - and make your donations!
 
RI and district semi-annual dues: We still have three clubs that have not paid their District dues. Hopefully by next week, all payment will have been made.
 
Facebook “Like” Contest: Hopefully, you have visited the Event page for our upcoming District Conference, which is part of our overall Facebook page. It is our goal to increase the “likes” on our Facebook page, so we are running a contest to increase those “likes.” The contest ends this April 15 and the club with the “most amount” and the club with the “highest percent” of members liking our page as of April 15 will win a free harbor cruise on the Pilgrim Belle during our District Conference. The good news is that we have added 10 more “Likes” in the past week. Keep those “Likes” coming!
 
District Conference 2016 in Plymouth: It is hard to imagine but your District Conference, to be held from May 20 through 22 at the Hotel 1620 at Plymouth Harbor to celebrate your year, is only 67 days away. To register, click here. To view the promotional video, which was produced by Assistant Governor Richard Simon, click here. To view and download the 11-page Conference Booklet (shown, right), which includes the answers to frequently asked questions, click here.
 
Don’t forget that this is a family-friendly District Conference, so think about bringing your kids and grandkids. Here are just a few of the exciting things that will happen at the Conference: Paul Harris Dinner; House of Friendship; Silent Auction; Hospitality “Sweets;” Receptions for Presidents, President Elects, New Members and Past District Governors; District Business Meeting, Golf; and a harbor cruise on the Pilgrim Belle, click here. Please check out my new series of articles titled “District Conference: Things I want you to know” (front page, middle column), which will feature different District Conference highlights each week.
 
District Banners:  Our district banners have been busy. They are now available for you, so if you have an upcoming event or fundraiser and want to reserve one of the banners, please contact PR Chair Laura Spear at laura@spear.net.
 
Rotary Leadership Institute: RLI is a great program and I encourage you to attend. RLI is geared towards all Rotarians - new members and current and future club and district leadership. The next RLI will be held in Lincoln, RI on Saturday March 26.To register, click here.
 
Thank you for being part of a great organization and for being a Gift to the World.
 
We are having a great year!
 
Jim Fusco, 2015-2016 governor of District 7910, may be reached at jim.fusco2@gmail.com.