Governor's Message - March 28, 2016

Governor's Message - March 28, 2016
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Governor's Message: Only three months more to accomplish my goals
 
By Jim Fusco
 
This Friday will mark the three-quarter mark of my year as district governor. So, far it has been an amazing experience and I now have only three more months to accomplish my goals. I promise you that I will continue to work hard for the remaining 13 weeks of my year. Remember that if you have a presentation you would like me to make or an event or fundraiser you would like me to attend, just ask!
 
Before I talk about what I did last week and what I plan to do this week, I want to discuss three very important items:
 
Presidential Citation: All of our clubs have worked exceptionally hard this year and Rotary International President K.R. "Ravi"Ravindran (shown, right) wants to recognize the Rotary clubs for that effort. While earning the Presidential Citation does not come easy, it is worth the effort. There is no special form to be filled out. All a club president needs to do is have a good year and then enter the club’s goals and accomplishments into Club Central. The deadline to have all your information entered into Club Central is April 1 - and no extensions will be granted. I sent the club presidents a reminder about this deadline two days ago.
 
Club Planning Worksheet: When my year as district governor began last July 1, I explained that I was introducing the “Club Planning Worksheet” as a tool to help the clubs have a great year and, in turn, it would be used to pre-qualify clubs for district awards. Most clubs have been using this tool and the results have been exceptional. To the many clubs that have already submitted your “Club Planning Worksheets” to me, I thank you. For those still working on them, remember that the deadline to submit the worksheet to me is April 1 - and no extensions will be granted. I sent the club presidents a reminder about this deadline yesterday.
 
Social Media Seminar: Our fifth annual Social Media Seminar will be held this Thursday, March 31 from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the DoubleTree Hotel in Leominster - and it is free. District PR Chair Laura Spear has worked hard on this program so I urge you to attend with other members from your club. The event will feature a keynote speaker on creating social media strategy followed by “beginner” and “experienced” tracks for users at all levels. Learn the basics of Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter, and get Facebook tips and tricks plus advice on posting to multiple social media platforms at the same time as well as creating quick and easy videos to highlight your club. You can mix and match sessions to meet your knowledge and skill level.
 
District Conference:  In just 53 days, we will be celebrating your Rotary year on May 20 through 22 in Plymouth. 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
  • Keynote speakers from Plimouth Plantation at the Friday & Saturday Dinners
  • And much, much more!
For the complete District Conference Booklet (see, right), click here.
 
Week in review
 
Last week began with the District 7930 “Rotary Means Business” fellowship event. While our District 7910 is not a member of this Rotary fellowship, there is a possibility we will be joining. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the last week’s RMB event but our district was represented.
 
Also last week, the Area 1 Team (Athol-Orange, Clinton, Fitchburg, Fitchburg East, Gardner, Leominster, Montachusett Area, and Wachusett Area) meeting was held on Tuesday. Although attendance was not as strong as we would like, much value was gained by those in attendance. Our District Steering Committee (governor, governors elect, governor nominee, and governor nominee designate) met on Wednesday to continue our planning to assure that there is continuity in planning into the future. (I strongly recommend that every club have a Steering Committee and meet quarterly). If your club does not have a Steering Committee and needs information, just let me know.

Last Thursday was a great night, as I attended Franklin Rotary’s Foundation Night with District Foundation Chair Roy Balfour and Assistant Governor Steve Sager. I had the honor of assisting the club’s Foundation chair, Jeff Morrill, in presenting 10 Paul Harris recognitions.
 
On Friday I took a break and had an oil change for my car. The miles keep piling up and I want to assure it keeps running: 10,731 miles and 11 pairs of sneakers (see photo, left) since my journey began!
 
And, on Saturday, a Rotary Leadership Institute was held in Lincoln, Rhode Island. Congratulations to Assistant Governor Satya Mitra, past president of Worcester Rotary, for graduating.
 
Finally, it was Easter on Sunday. So it was a day to relax and enjoy my family.
 
Week ahead
 
I have lots of things on my agenda this week and I will be starting today with a phone meeting to discuss plans to hold a Multi District Young Professionals (YP) Summit in the fall. I will attend a meeting with President Elect Dawn Cassavano of Gardner Rotary and executives of The Shine Initiative to see ways that District 7910 can help.
 
Tomorrow, I will attend the Milford Rotary meeting and introduce a prospective member during my visit. And, I will be attending Fitchburg Rotary’s Foundation Night. The monthly Assistant Governors meeting will be held at the same time as Fitchburg’s Foundation Night and, since I cannot be in two places at one time, I will miss this AG meeting. But I am okay with that because the meeting will be in good hands with Coordinator of Assistant Governors Dick Andersen at the helm.
 
On Wednesday, I will have the honor of attending the Acton-Boxborough Rotary meeting to induct two new individual members and one new corporate member. For dinner, I will be attending Leominster Rotary’s Awards Night (I look forward to this event every year).
 
And, on Thursday, I will be at the Social Media Seminar (see item, above).
 
In closing
 
Foundation grants: Foundation Grant Management Training is required for a club to qualify for grants as explained by Incoming District Foundation 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
Polio giving: Because Carl Good (shown, right) 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. We still have one club that has not paid its RI 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. Our “Likes” have slowed down and we only added 2 more “Likes” in the past week. I have a suggestion: At your next club meeting, ask everyone present to take out their cell phone or tablet and go to the District Facebook page and click “Like”. This will help to keep the “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.
 
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.