Rotary District 7910 Newsletter - February 29, 2016

Upcoming Events

You may submit event information per the District 7910 Promotional Guidelines. If your club does not use ClubRunner, please send your event information to Rotary District 7910 Newsletter. And make sure to add jim.fusco2@gmail.com to your club's distribution list.

Notice To All Clubs: You must send in your payments for your RYLA Students by this Tuesday, March 1!

Click here for the two-page informational flyer, in PDF format

Next RYLA Committee Meeting

Tuesday, March 1

6:30 p.m.

Holiday Inn, Boxborough

2016 District Conference: Plymouth Rocks!

by District 7910 Conference Committee

May 20, 21 and 22

Hotel 1620 At Plymouth Harbor, Plymouth

Click here to Register Now!

Click here to download the eight-page 'District Conference Booklet,' which contains:

Schedule
Pricing
Hospitality 'Sweets' Request Form
Frequently Asked Questions
Facebook "Like" Contest

Click here to watch the three-minute promo video, produced by Assistant Governor Richard Simon

Rotaract Advisor

Training Seminar

by District 7910

Rotaract Committee

Tonight, 5:30-8:30

Framingham State University: McCarthy Center, Third Floor, Faculty Dining Room

This free event is open to all Rotarians and Rotaractors

Click here to register now

Click here for the two-page event flyer, in PDF format

Club Visits

Invite District Governor Jim Fusco to your club's special events!

Just Ask!

If you have any special club events that you would like me to attend or any inductions or presentations that you would like me to make, please let me know.

DG Jim

jim.fusco2@gmail.com.

District Events

Monday, February 29-Monday, March 7

Rotaract Advisor Training Seminar

Tonight!

5:30-8:30 p.m.

Framingham State University

Area #3 Team Meeting

Tonight!

6:00-8:00 p.m.

Home of Assistant Governor Richard Simon, Sudbury

Area #2 Team Meeting

Tuesday, March 8

6:00-8:00 p.m.

Office of Assistant Governor Steve Levitsky, Acton

Resolutions Committee Meeting

Tuesday, March 8

6:30-9:00 p.m.

Holiday Inn, Boxborough

Northeast PETS

Thursday, March 10-Saturday, March 12

Sheraton Tara Hotel, Framingham

RYLA Group Leader (GF) Training Session #1

Sunday, March 13

12:30-5:30 p.m.

Holiday Inn, Boxborough

District Conference Committee Meeting

Thursday, March 17

6:30-9:00 p.m.

DoubleTree Hotel, Leominster

Rotary Leadership Institute

Saturday, March 19

7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

York County Community College, Wells, ME

Area #1 Team Meeting

Wednesday, March 23

4:00-5:30 p.m.

Location to be determined

Rotary Leadership Institute

Saturday, March 26

7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Amica Mutual Insurance, Lincoln, RI

District AG Meeting via Webix

Tuesday, March 29

7:00-8:00 p.m.

View these plus more upcoming District Events

RI Spotlight

Register for the Jubilee of Rotarians

Don’t miss a rare opportunity to celebrate Rotary with Pope Francis during the Jubilee of Rotarians on April 30 in Rome. This special Jubilee event, called on by Francis, is a commitment to serve with joy and in peace across the world. The registration deadline is March 15. Learn more about the Jubilee, click here.

Attend A Presidential Conference

Find innovative ways to improve your community by attending one of five presidential conferences in 2016, hosted by Rotary International President K.R. "Ravi" Ravindran (shown) and The Rotary Foundation Trustee Chair Ray Klinginsmith. Each will highlight one or more of Rotary’s areas of focus:

Conferences will be led by local Rotary districts and are open to both members and non-members. They will feature engaging speakers, informative general sessions, and hands-on workshops. Attendees will have the opportunity to network with fellow leaders and take away new ideas and strategies to put into action.

Zone 32 Foundation Webinar Now Available

On February 2, Rotary Zone 32, of which District 7910 is a part, held a webinar titled “Best Practices to Improve Foundation Giving." If you missed that webinar, click here to watch video of it, and click here to download the PowerPoint presentation for it.

To read Zone 24 & 32's February 2016 Beyond Borders newsletter, click here.

2016-2017 Rotary Theme: 'Rotary Serving Humanity'

To download the image in JPEG format, click here.

Check Out Rotary Voices Blog

Check out Rotary Voices, the official blog of Rotary International. This blog features stories by and about Rotary members, Rotary program alumni, and the people we partner and work with.

Governor's Message

Happy birthday to our leap year Rotarians

By Jim Fusco

I checked our records and we have two Rotarians who were born on February 29. Can you imagine having a birthday only every four years? Are you aging slower than the rest of us?

Click here to download or print this newsletter, in PDF format.

Click here for past issues.

Download or print the meeting minutes for 2016 District Conference Committee

(Rotary member login is required)

Welcome, New Members

Please welcome the newest Rotarians in our district (alphabetical order by last name):

Brett Conaway, Natick

Kristin Costello, Clinton

Michael Gropman, Brookline

Heidi Heilman, Weston-Wayland

Avis Hendrickson-Brown, Clinton

Kristen Morales-Lemieux, Sturbridge

Donna Morel, Groton-Pepperell

District & Club Rounds

District Conference: Things I want you to know

By Jim Fusco

I will run “Things you should know” in every Newsletter until the 2016 District Conference on May 20 through 22 in Plymouth - and I will highlight different items each week. This week, I am presenting “Saturday afternoon free time.”

We have two prepaid options for you to celebrate your free time on the afternoon of Saturday, May 21. Free time will be from 12 noon to 4 pm. Register for only one of these options because they will be occurring at the same time.

Harbor Cruise aboard the Pilgrim Belle: click here. Five-minute walk from the hotel. 1-1/12-hour cruise of Plymouth Harbor. You must register and pay for this event in advance because space is limited. Your price includes a box lunch: for Deli Box lunch $30, click here; and for Lobster Roll, $40, click here.
Golfing at the Squirrel Run Golf Course: click here. 14 minute drive from the hotel. Tee time is 12 noon. A great opportunity to golf at the beautiful Squirrel Run Golf Course. Price is only $40 person and includes your golf cart. Space is limited so make your reservations early: click here.

Many other things to do

There are also many other things in the Plymouth area you can do. Here are a few suggestions. Registration is not required for these activities:

Plymouth Rock: Hotel 1620 at Plymouth Harbor is only 75 feet from the waterfront, and Plymouth Rock is only a short walk away, along the harbor. After seeing the Rock, just stroll along Water Street and enjoy the quaint shops.
Plimouth Plantation: 13-minute drive from the hotel. In our House of Friendship, there will be a display by Plimouth Plantation. Stop by the display and pick up your discount tickets. Enjoy Plimouth Plantation on Saturday afternoon and again on Sunday, with admission.
Walking Tour of Plymouth: Just walk out the front door of the Hotel 1620 at Plymouth Harbor and you will be a short walk from quaint shops, restaurants, ice cream shops, souvenir shops, wineries and more.
Stay at Hotel 1620: If you choose not to leave the hotel, there would plenty to do. Wander through the House of Friendship and see all the great displays that your clubs and District 7910 have created. Or, just enjoy a leisurely afternoon at the indoor pool.

For our eight-page Everything-You-Need-To-Know Conference Booklet, which contains the Schedule, Prices, Hospitality “Sweets” Application Form, Frequently Asked Questions, and Facebook “Like” Contest, click here.

In just 81 days - our annual District Conference will take place at The Hotel 1620 at Plymouth Harbor in Plymouth.

Registration is now open. To register now, click here.

To download the District Conference Souvenir Book order form, click here.

To watch the 'Pilgrim Jim' promo video, which was produced by Assistant Governor Richard Simon of the Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley, click here.

Register Now For This Free 'New Generations' Event!

District 7910's First-Ever Rotaract Advisor Training Seminar, which is open to all Rotarians and Rotaractors

Tonight, 5:30 to 8:30, Framingham State University - McCarthy Center, Third Floor, Faculty Dining Room.

To Register Now for this free event, click here

To download the two-page Event Flyer, in PDF format, click here

Youth are the future of Rotary. If you lead a veteran Rotary club, what are the diversity, energy and youth metrics for your club? Rotary is at a crossroads in terms of membership – particularly, in North America. Many clubs have stagnant, minimal or decreasing membership. Rotary International along with District Governor Jim Fusco and our district’s leadership of New Generations programs are addressing this issue. One of the solutions is to attract and engage younger members – those under 40 - and to develop strong and vibrant youth programs, in particular, Interact and Rotaract.

Salvation Army Recognizes Fitchburg, Leominster And Montachusett Area Rotary Clubs

Many Rotary clubs in our district and around the world volunteer for the Salvation Army by "Ringing the Bell." The Salvation Army appreciates Rotary's support and, in

doing so, the Montachusett Area Chapter held an Appreciation Dinner to recognize volunteers in the North Central Massachusetts area. At this, dinner the Rotary clubs of Leominster and Montachusett Area were recognized for their service. Past President Rennie Shattuck accepted the award for Leominster and Past President Jim Hohman accepted the award for Montachusett Area.

Special recognition went to the Rotary Club of Fitchburg for the most money raised during their bell-ringing session.The Bell Ringing Award was accepted by President-elect Dan Cunningham.

Shown, left to right, are: Major David B. Davis of the Salvation Army; Dan Cunningham; Major Karen Garrett of the Salvation Army; and Paul Gauvin, president of the Salvation Army Advisory Board and a Fitchburg Rotarian.

Wellesley Rotary Pushes 'Chicago City Limits" To Fund Peer Leadership And Depression Prevention Project

Rotary sponsors community Interact clubs for ages 12 through 18. When the Interact club for Wellesley was launched, it adopted the Peer Leadership and Depression Prevention (PLDP) project. For the first time, the entire freshman grade at Wellesley high school – more than 300 students - completed the full curriculum. More than a dozen Interact peer leaders co-facilitated so that small group discussions were possible, allowing each freshman to address healthy stress management and symptoms of depression, including suicidal ideation. Pre-and post-curriculum surveys confirmed very positive outcomes, so the program should continue each year.

To fund PLDP, the Rotary Club of Wellesley is selling tickets to a "Chicago City Limits," a family comedy show, on Saturday, March 12. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.

Leominster Donates Teddy Bears to First Responders

More than 100 teddy bears were collected by the Rotary Club of Leominster and by the agents at LAER Realty Partners in Leominster.

The teddy bears are distributed to first responders, to be given to children in crisis.

Shown, left to right, are: Leominster Deputy Fire Chief Gary Ranno; Linda Largey, secretary of the Leominster club; and Leominster Interim Police Chief Michael Ciccolini.

Sturbridge Rotary Inducts Kristen Morales Lemieux

Past District Governor Carl Kaliszewski (shown, far left), presided recently over the induction ceremony for Kristen Morales Lemieux (second from left) as a member of the Rotary Club of Sturbridge. President elect Otto Prohaska (second from right) and Past District Governor Klaus Hachfeld (far right) presented the Rotary pin to Kristen. Congratulations and welcome, Kristen!

Ukraine Rotary Clubs Need Our Help With Recent Polio Outbreaks

Twenty-five years ago, the Rotary Club of Shrewsbury co-sponsored the first Rotary club in Ukraine,

which was the Rotary Club of Kiev. Now, a quarter-century later, Ukraine needs our help with recent polio outbreaks in that eastern European nation.

Rotary in Ukraine has now has grown to more 43 clubs. Click here to watch a video posted by our fellow Rotarians in Ukraine regarding the recent outbreak of polio. It demonstrates that with low awareness and low vaccination rates, one plane ride can cause this disease reappear again overnight and anywhere - even in America. Ukraine Rotary clubs are looking for help. The best way is to make a donation of any size. To make a donation, click here.

Every donation gets amplified by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which donates $2 for every $1 donated by Rotarians. That causes each donation of $1 to triple to $3. Click here to learn more about that match.

Major District & Club Happenings: February, March & April

Monday, February 29: District 7910 - Rotaract Advisor Training Seminar, Framingham State University

Tonight!

Click here to register for the free seminar, open to all Rotarians and Rotaractors

Click here for seminar details, in PDF format

Tuesday, March 1: District 7910 - RYLA Registration Deadline

Tomorrow! Immediate Action Required!

Click here for registration details, in PDF format

Thursday, March 31: District 7910 - Social Media Seminar

Click here for seminar details, in PDF format

Wednesday, April 6: Tewksbury - Taste of the Town

Click here for taste details, in PDF format

Friday, April 8: District 7910: Ad Deadline for District Conference Souvenir Book

Click here for the order form, in PDF format

Saturday, April 9: Uxbridge - Wine and Chocolate Tasting

Click here for tasting details, in PDF format

Friday, April 15: District 7910 - Deadline for Facebook Contest

Click here for contest details, in PDF format

Wednesday, April 20: District 7910 - Deadline for District Conference Hospitality 'Sweets'

Click here for request form, in PDF format

Submit Major Club Happenings

Send flyers of your club's major events and activities, in either JPEG or PDF format, to Jim Fusco at jim.fusco2@gmail.com.

Committee Spotlight

RYLA Deadline: Registration required by tomorrow

Click here for registration details, in PDF format

Foundation Grants: 2016-2017 and Beyond

By Sanjay Deshpande

During the Foundation Transition meeting on February 22, I, as incoming District Foundation chair, made a presentation titled "Foundation Grants in 2016-2017 and Beyond." To view and download the presentation, in PDF format, click here.

Sanjay Deshpande may be reached at sanjdesh51@aol.com.

District Positions: Guidelines for Stewardship Committee

By Jim Fusco

The recipient of a grant or award, the grant's sponsor in application, the project committee, the selection committee, and all others associated with the grant or award are expected to: 1. Treat Rotary Foundation grant funds as a sacred trust to be constantly safeguarded from loss, misuse, or diversion and to be used only for the stated purpose that shall be strictly interpreted by Rotary Foundation Code of Policies 75, January 2016; 2. Exercise the highest attention to the prevention of even the appearance that Rotary Foundation funds are being used in an improper manner, whether such appearance may be in the eyes of Rotarians or the general public. Such attention is expected to go beyond that afforded to the use of private or corporate funds; 3. Assure competent and thorough oversight of the project with clear delineation of responsibility. Read more

Membership Corner: Is your Rotary club positive-thinking, can-do, action-oriented – or not?

By Tom Sturiale

What is the attitude of your Rotary club? Is it one of “can-do – will-do” or “can’t-do –won’t-do?” An organization’s attitude is made up of all the individual attitudes and biases of its members. What are the comments heard from your members? Are they: “We tried that before and it doesn’t work; “we’ve always done it this way;” “they’re asking us to do too much and I don’t have the time;” “we don’t need more members - the club size is okay as is;” or any combination of the above? Or are they: “Sure, I will do it; “when can I start;” “I have an idea I would like to explore;” “wow, this is fun;” “let’s get more members so we can do more good?” Read more

PR Tips: New Rotary flag and banner materials available in Brand Center

By Laura Spear

Give your Rotary flag or banner a new and professional look with Rotary International’s updated materials, available in The Brand Center. With eight options of colors and backgrounds to choose from, you can find the design that will best strengthen your club or district brand. The Brand Center also offers everything you need to create communications with the Rotary look and tone. You can download Rotary’s logo - or create your own club or district logo. And, you’ll find editable templates for brochures, newsletters, PowerPoint presentations, flyers, and more. (Make sure to sign-in on the Rotary International website - not the ClubRunner site.)

Laura Spear, chair of District 7910's Public Image Committee, may be reached at laura@spear.net.

Register TODAY: District 7910 Social Media Seminar

To Register <click here>

Are you ready to get social? Mark your calendars for March 31! It's time for our District 7910 Social Media Seminar. The content for this seminar resulted from our third-quarter District PR Meeting and is designed for new and not-so-new users of social media. Attendees can mix and match - attend a Facebook Tips and Tricks session, a LinkedIn 101 session, and a Videos session, for example. To get the most out of the event, have several members of your club attend. The best part ... it's free!

And one request: We are still looking for someone to present the 20-minute Twitter 101 session. If you know a real tweeter, contact me at laura@spear.net. The presenter does not need to be a Rotarian!

Polio Plus Breakthrough: New type of polio vaccine

A new type of polio vaccine has been produced that can provide a better injectable to people in Third World countries. Click here to watch a recent Australian TV news report on the Vaxxas Nanopatch.

Bandey-Hefler Reflections: Farewell photos and promo video

Click here to view photo highlights of the 2015 Rotary Bandey-Hefler Fellowship Exchange between District 7910 and Districts 1110 and 1145 in England

Click here to view the promotional video for 2015-2016 Bandey-Hefler program in District 7910

Peace Fellowships: Application Deadline Is May 31

By Terry Parker

Each year, Rotary International selects up to 100 individuals from around the world to receive fully funded academic fellowships at one of RI’s Peace Centers. These fellowships cover tuition and fees, room and board, round-trip transportation, and all internship and field-study expenses. Read more

2015-2016 District Directory

View and Download (requires member login)

Submit Content

To submit content for consideration for the Monday, March 7 issue of Rotary District 7910 Newsletter, please e-mail it to District Governor Jim Fusco at jim.fusco2@gmail.com. The submission deadline is Friday, March 4. All text must be in Word format. All images must be in either JPEG or PDF format.

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