Governor's Message - March 21, 2016
Governor's Message: I still have plenty to do
By Jim Fusco
As I prepare to write my 37th newsletter, I realize how much I still have to do and how little time I have to do it. Before I talk about what I did last week and what I plan to do this week, I want to discuss the District Conference in Plymouth, which is only 60 days away!
District Conference: We will be celebrating your year on May 20-22 in Plymouth and there are a bunch of things that you should know to make this an unforgettable experience. So here you go:
- Package deals are available to save you money, so register now.
- Saturday afternoon will be free time: Either take a harbor cruise on the Pilgrim Belle and enjoy a lobster roll lunch or a deli lunch; or play a round of golf at Squirrel Run, click here to register.
- Business Meeting on Friday, and every club should send a delegate.
- House of Friendship on Friday and Saturday, and every club should have a display.
- Silent Auction on Friday and Saturday, and every club should donate an auction item.
- Hospitality “Sweets” on Friday and Saturday, and every attendee should enjoy the fellowship. Click here, for reserve a "sweet."
- Reception for New Members/Presidents/President-Elects on Saturday
- Reception for Past District Governors as well as Major Donors on Friday.
- Paul Harris Dinner on Friday, with keynote speakers from Plimouth Plantation.
- And much, much more!
For the complete District Conference Booklet (see, left), click here.I began last week by holding a District Communications Committee meeting, during which we analyzed our progress on directing traffic to our weekly newsletter, website and Facebook page. We are making great progress and our Facebook “Like” Contest (see below) is helping to increase traffic to both our Facebook page and our website.
Last Tuesday, I ha
d the honor of presenting Paul Harris Recognition to four members of Billerica Rotary. I also held a District Golf Fellowship meeting to plan for the five golf dates starting on May 12 at Sterling Country Club (click here for details.) Last Wednesday, I traveled to Neponset Valley Rotary to attend the Veteran’s Breakfast (see photo, right). On Thursday, I was at Fitchburg State University with the RYLA Committee to put the finishing touches on the contract for RYLA 2016 at FSU. We also held a District Conference Committee meeting and, of course, drank a beer to celebrate St. Patty’s Day.
d the honor of presenting Paul Harris Recognition to four members of Billerica Rotary. I also held a District Golf Fellowship meeting to plan for the five golf dates starting on May 12 at Sterling Country Club (click here for details.) Last Wednesday, I traveled to Neponset Valley Rotary to attend the Veteran’s Breakfast (see photo, right). On Thursday, I was at Fitchburg State University with the RYLA Committee to put the finishing touches on the contract for RYLA 2016 at FSU. We also held a District Conference Committee meeting and, of course, drank a beer to celebrate St. Patty’s Day.Saturday, I was at the Rotary Leadership Institute in Wells, Maine - I was told that some of our Ro
tarians would be attending - and don’t forget that the next RLI is this Saturday, March 26 in Lincoln, Rhode. And on Sunday, my wife, Karen Fusco of Fitchburg Rotary, and I attended Northborough Rotary’s Pancake Breakfast and enjoyed flipping pancakes with Co-District Governor-Elect Pat Doyle, who is also that club’s president (see photo, left).
tarians would be attending - and don’t forget that the next RLI is this Saturday, March 26 in Lincoln, Rhode. And on Sunday, my wife, Karen Fusco of Fitchburg Rotary, and I attended Northborough Rotary’s Pancake Breakfast and enjoyed flipping pancakes with Co-District Governor-Elect Pat Doyle, who is also that club’s president (see photo, left).While this week is not packed with club visits, I will be kept busy. Today, three of our Rotarians will be attending the “Rotary Means Business” event (a Rotary Fellowship that our district may join) being hosted by District 7930. And tomorrow, the District Area 1 Team meeting will be held. The District Steering Committee will be meeting on Wednesday and, on Thursday, I will be at Franklin Rotary for their Foundation night. On Saturday, RLI will be held in Lincoln, Rhode Island and District 7910 will be well-represented there.
Presidential Citation: The deadline to qualify for the Presidential Citation is only 10 days away. As of today, only one club has qualified for the Presidential Citation, but many are also getting closer. Keep up the work of entering your club’s goals and accomplishments into Club Central and your club could qualify. Don’t let your club down! Yesterday, I contacted those clubs that are getting close to qualifying, so watch for my 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 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 watch for my e-mail.
Foundation Grants: Foundation Grant Management Training is required for a club to qualify for grants as explained by Incoming District Foundation .jpg)
Chair Sanjay Deshpande in his presentation on both February 29 and at the recent Northeast Presidents Elect Training Seminar (Click here, to view and download the February 29 version, in PDF format). Two training dates have now been set: Saturday, April 30 at the Hilton Garden in Waltham and Monday, May 9 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Leominster; . For more information, click on the one you want to attend.
Chair Sanjay Deshpande in his presentation on both February 29 and at the recent Northeast Presidents Elect Training Seminar (Click here, to view and download the February 29 version, in PDF format). Two training dates have now been set: Saturday, April 30 at the Hilton Garden in Waltham and Monday, May 9 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Leominster; . For more information, click on the one you want to attend.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
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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 7910 dues. It is extremely important that the Rotary International dues get paid because clubs that are 120 days overdue could lose their charter. This is something that we do not want to see happen.
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 that "Like" 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! (Click here for Facebook "Like" Contest flyer, in PDF format)
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 that "Like" 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! (Click here for Facebook "Like" Contest flyer, in PDF format)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 12-page Conference Booklet, 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 (click here); 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 on Saturday March 26 in Lincoln, RI. 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!
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