Governor's Message - September 7, 2015

Governor's Message - September 7, 2015

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
So Little Time And So Much To Do
 
By Jim Fusco
 
It is hard to imagine that we have already completed two months of the 2015-2016 Rotary Year. There is so little time and we have so much to do!
 
I have now visited 42 clubs and have only nine to go: Bedford, Concord Lunch, Dracut, Fitchburg, Franklin, Nashoba Valley, Tewksbury, Westford, and Westwood.   
 
Last week, I visited Marlborough and Natick and was, as usual, so impressed by the great things that these clubs do. Although I did not have any social events on the calendar, I had many things to do:
 
Membership Think Tank for the Under 40: Membership attraction and retention is a major concern of every club. So Rotarians of ages 40 and under were invited to attend a Think Tank on August 31 to extract ideas as to how Rotary can increase the number of younger members. Many great ideas resulted and it was decided that we will have a panel discussion presenting these ideas at the District Membership Forum on October 14. This panel discussion will be moderated and include under-40 Rotarians. Many thanks to District Governor Nominee Karin Gaffney for coordinating this meeting and to Justin Camuti of the Rotary Club of Westborough for chairing this meeting.
 
Copies of the 2015-2016 Rotary International Central Massachusetts District Directory are out. They are now being distributed to the club presidents and all district leaders. I know that you will find the Directory to be a valuable tool for your Rotary Year. It includes Rotary International and District 7910 information and tools that can enhance your Rotary experience. In addition, it includes a full directory (name, phone, address and e-mails) of all D7910 Rotarians and a Yellow Page section, so you can do business-to-business with Rotarians. While Directories are provided to the club and district leadership, additional copies can be ordered for $6.00 each. For extra Directories, contact me jim.fusco2@gmail.com. The Directory is now posted on the District website. Click here to access it in PDF format. You will need to login to ClubRunner to access it.
 
Membership Forum Planning Meeting: Last Thursday, Assistant Governor Satya Mitra, chair of the District Membership Committee, held a meeting to continue planning for the District Membership Forum on October 14. We have a great event planned and you don’t want to miss it.
 
Bandey Hefler Friendship Exchange Chair Victor Tom held our final Bandey Hefler Committee meeting last Wednesday. We had 28 people in attendance and finalized details for the visit by Rotarians from England that begins on September 29. We still need to fill 4 hosting slots. So, if you are interested in hosting, contact Victor at vtom0@yahoo.com.
 
Rotary Day at the United Nations will be on Saturday November 7. This is a unique opportunity to visit the UN and meet RI & UN officials. It is quite a thrill to sit in the same seats that are used by our UN Ambassadors and Delegates. Unfortunately for us, all the adult tickets are sold out. But you may still register to get your name on the waiting list in case there are dropouts. To get on the Waiting List click here
 
The District Public Image Forum will be held this Wednesday, September 9 at the Holiday Inn in Boxborough, so please plan to attend. District Public Relations Committee Chair Laura Spear and her committee have worked hard to plan this event and it should not be missed. PR is the
 key to letting the public know what we do and this, in turn, will help grow membership. We need your support! To register, click here.
 
I want to thank the club presidents who are using the D-7910 Planning Worksheet 2015-2016 to track their progress. Reporting monthly to clubs on the Planning Worksheet progress is instrumental to having a great year. As I stated in the last Newsletter, every club member should be familiar with the “D-7910 Planning Worksheet 2015-2016," which can be downloaded from the District website. To do so, click here.
 
Finally, I want to share with you this fun photo (shown, right) that was taken of me (seated) during my official visit on August 22 to the Rotary Club of Gardner. I was trying out the outhouse, which is part of the club's Out Box project. Shown standing, is Gardner Club President Christian Orobello.
 
Keep up the great work in bringing new members! 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.