For the second year, Rotary District 7910 is preparing to provide meal service for a week to veterans at the New England Center and Home for Veterans (NECHV) located near Government Center in Boston.
The Week of Rotary covers 10 meal service shifts spread out between Monday May 27th and May 31st in honor of Memorial Day. Fifteen Rotary clubs participated in this program last year and found great meaning and inspiration in this service opportunity. By proudly partnering with NECHV, clubs are helping to ensure that veterans of every era have the resources they need to live with dignity and independence.
We have lots of information in this Newsletter! I would love to say it is because we have so much going on in the District (which we do), but also time demands did not allow me to get this letter out sooner (oops!). When I put these together, I have no idea who, if anyone, will read the letter, but, apparently based on the emails I received asking where is the February newsletter, more than just a few of you read this! Before I get into the substance of this month's message, I just want to encourage EVERYONE to send me articles and pictures on what your club is doing. You work hard to give back and your club should get some recognition. More importantly, what you do inspires others, so together, let's Be The Inspiration and share our stories!
February 23 is Rotary's anniversary. This year marks the 114th anniversary of Rotary's founding. We have come a long way since rotating meetings in people's offices. Just pause for a moment and reflect upon all the great things Rotary clubs have done over the past 114 years to build and strengthen communities. None of us were involved in the first Rotary project of building a comfort station in Chicago, but
Do you know anyone who might be a candidate for our D7910 Morley Scholarship? Rotary District 7910 is pleased to announce that Global Grant applications are now being accepted for the David & Eleanor Morley Endowed Global Grant Scholarship, now open from February 1st through March 31, 2019. This $35,000 one year scholarship is open to any resident of the 117 cities and towns represented by District 7910 who is planning on graduate study abroad.
Unique to D7910, the Morley Scholarship was established by a generous WPI graduate and Rotarian. It is managed by The Rotary Foundation Permanent Fund in cooperation with the D7910 Rotary Foundation Committee (Scholarship). The window of application of two months will be followed by an interview, and the announcement of one qualified candidate. Read more for the qualifications and application information.
So you joined rotary? You had a fireside chat or a breakfast with an experienced club member. He or she told you what you needed to know to function as a good club member. Needless to say you did not learn everything about rotary in that hour!
Or, maybe not!! If you think there is more to learn, like what is Rotary's Manual of Procedure, or just how to learn more about Rotary and what other clubs do, read on. There are many resources to learn more about this great organization. Just attending meetings and talking to your fellow club members will give you a little bit of knowledge each week. But if you want to know more and faster, there are some ways to get to know more.
Imagine having your newborn placed in a neo-natal intensive care unit. You and your family are traveling, or maybe you live nearby but can’t spend every waking hour in the hospital. How can you watch your baby’s progress and growth? If your child is in the Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit of the University of Massachusetts Memorial Children’s Medical Center in Worcester you are in luck — thanks to Rotarians throughout District 7910.
When Shrewsbury Rotarian Roy Balfour helped to coordinate the neonatal intensive care unit web cam project (NICView) at UMass Memorial back in 2014, he didn't know that one day he would become one of the benficiaries of this multi-club project. Since it's inception, NICView has allowed families from across the state, country, and even around
Many of you know or participated in the Bandey-Hefler Friendship Exchange between Rotarians in the suburbs of Boston (District 7910) and London (Districts 1110 and 1145). Since 1977, approximately 20 couples have been traveling across the Atlantic from England to the U.S. followed by 20 couples the following year going from the U.S. to England. In the fall of 2018, it was our District’s turn to host. Rotarians that hosted are eligible for an all-expenses-paid 12-day trip (excluding air fare) to England in 2019.
In addition to Bandey-Hefler, the Rotary Friendship Exchange is now another international exchange program for District 7910 Rotary members and friends that allows participants to take turns hosting one another in their homes and clubs. Rotary friendship exchanges are organized around at least one of three themes: culture, fellowship, and vocation.
Participants may travel as individuals, couples, families, or groups, and may be Rotary members or not. For help in finding potential international hosts and planning your itinerary, contact the District 7910 Rotary Friendship Exchange Chair, P.J. Avella, of the Littleton Club at avellap@comcast.net.
It took nine (9) months, but District 7910's Global Grant to support the Guatemala Stove Project received the final approval from The Rotary Foundation on Tuesday, January 29, 2019. The global grant, officially entitled “Construction of stoves to prevent respiratory diseases in Guatemala” enables the clubs in Rotary District 7910 to work with the Rotary Club of Nueva Guatemala of District 4250 to install efficient stoves that are vented out of the residence, and to establish a committee to monitor and improve the respiratory health of the communities where the stoves are being installed in 3 rural villages near Panajachel Guatemala. Huge kudos and thanks to Westborough Rotarian Jorge Yarzebski for shepherding through the grant application to make it comply with the new Rotary Foundation guidelines.
A group of approximately fifteen (15) Rotarians for clubs in District 7910 will be traveling to Guatemala to install the stoves March 23-30, 2019. There are still spots available if you want to join in the travel. Please email Jim O'Connor <HERE> for more information about the travel. If you and your club are not sending someone, please consider making a donation to the project of any amount. The donations will help defray the expenses of the volunteers traveling to Guatemala and provide additional resources for the project. Donations can be made to the Westborough Rotary Fund, Inc., 21 East Main Street, Westborough, MA 01581. Please specify the donation is for the Guatemala Stove Project.
In 2011, Kiran Singh Sirah turned 35 — “halfway through our life’s journey,” he says, citing Dante’s Divine Comedy. The UK native had been living in Edinburgh and Glasgow for a decade, working on a variety of cultural endeavors. “I felt I had done everything I needed to do and learn in Scotland. It was time to take my experiences and move them to the next level.”
That’s when Sirah heard about the Rotary Peace Fellowship. Since the program began in 2002, more than 1,200 peace fellows have received fully funded scholarships to study at one of six peace centers at universities around the world. With help from Rotarians in Scotland, Sirah eventually landed one of those scholarships and headed to North Carolina, where he earned a master’s degree in folklore studies and a graduate certificate in international peace and conflict resolution.
The Paul Harris Society has grown to over 21,000 members in 138 countries worldwide and 16% of donations to The Rotary Foundation came from this special group last year. Are you looking for ways to encourage growth in the society within your club? Or new ways to keep society members engaged? If so, join us on Tuesday, 12 February from 10:00 am - 11:00 am CST, for a webinar hosted by the Foundation’s Annual Giving team. During the webinar, Rotarian panelists will provide tips on how to recognize new Paul Harris Society members, how to engage them after they join and continuously for years to come. In addition, we will include a brief history and update on the Paul Harris Society.
Rotary Connects the World! 2019-2020 Rotary International President Mark Daniel Maloney announced next year's theme to the District Governors Elect at the Rotary International Assembly. The theme for the 2019-2020 Rotary year is: Rotary Connects the World.
President-elect Mark writes: "I encourage you to share our theme widely with your fellow club members and throughout your districts to help create enthusiasm and excitement for the year ahead. . . . It is only by working together that we can truly accomplish great things."
Rotary's Race Across America ("RAAM") team seeks to raise $1,200,000.00 for polio in the annual 3,000 mile bike race! Here is what the RAAM team tells us about what they are doing:
The Race
We have entered a four-person bicycle team in Race Across America (RAAM) (www.raceacrossamerica.org) for 2019…our fourth year in a row. Many Rotarians followed us last year and gave to PolioPlus in support of our effort to eradicate Polio. RAAM is one of the 25 most difficult events in the world and about 30 countries are represented in the race. With 3000 miles distance and over 170,000 feet of climbing (that’s six times Mt. Everest), it is an intense, grueling, and challenging bicycle race. However, it is not as grueling or as challenging as living with polio.
The Rotary Club of Framingham—serving Holliston, Hopkinton, Ashland, and Framingham—presented its second Random Act of Kindness (RAK) award in December to a little girl suffering from a number of serious physical and developmental problems, including severe breathing difficulty stemming from a mutation of the pigngene. The club’s provision of a portable oxygen concentrator for Bialennys Polanco Mercado, now two years old, will make travel with her mother Yanitsa to doctors and hospitals for treatment much easier than with the very heavy, bulky unit they have been using. The new unit cost $2,595.
Posted by Logan Johnson, Communication Specialist for Rotary Alumni Relations on Jan 10, 2019
or the past few years, Rotary International has been promoting Reconnect Week as a time to remind Rotary clubs of the value of reaching out and “reconnecting” with alumni of Rotary programs like Interact, Rotaract, scholarships, Rotary Peace Fellowships, youth exchange and other regional programs. But celebrating alumni and making them feel welcome to your club is something you can and should do year-round. Alumni of Rotary make great leaders and innovators and may possess the skills you need for your next service project.
So in that spirit, we collected five events that impressed us during this year’s Reconnect Week in October to encourage you to think of ways you can reconnect with alumni in the new year.
District 7020 Alumni Association – Video Conference
District Alumni Chair William Inniss of Cayman Islands has made it a tradition with his district’s alumni association to hold an annual video conference for Reconnect Week. Since his district is made of many islands, travel between them is more difficult for in-person meetings, so this is simply the best way to keep up. During the meeting, members of the alumni association discuss their past experiences and decide how best to partner with local Rotary clubs.
Northern Illinois Rotary Alumni Association – Networking Event
Members of the Northern Illinois Rotary Alumni Association, Rotaract Club of Chicago, and Rotarians in the greater Chicago region came together for an evening of networking at One Rotary Center in
The Rotary Citation recognizes Rotary clubs that support each of our strategic priorities by completing certain activities. One of the three strategic priorities is to Support And Strengthen Clubs through membership-related activities.
To meet the membership requirements for the 2018-19 Rotary Citation, at least 3 of the following goals must be achieved:
Achieve a net gain of 1 member
Maintain or improve your club’s retention of current and new members:
Improve your club’s retention rate by 1 percentage point or
If your club’s retention rate was 90 percent or more in 2017-18, maintain it
Achieve a net gain in female members
Have at least 60 percent of club members report their birth dates through My Rotary
Vocational service can mean many things to many people. In Rotary, Vocational Service means holding ourselves and our businesses to the highest ethical standards. As the 4 way test instructs us, in all we think, say or do . . . Maintaining ethical standards is ever so important in today's society where we prefer to repeat inflammatory discourse rather than engage in discussion to understand opposing views and seek compromise. It is beholden upon us as leaders to set an example for young people and others.
Happy New Year! It is hard to believe that half a Rotary year has passed already. We have accomplished much, and yet there is so much more we need to do.
While the Rotary year begins on July 1, the calendar year has just begun. Many of us make resolutions for the New Year. I hope each of you will include Rotary in your resolutions. Here are a few suggestions:
Resolve to bring in at least one new member;
Resolve to contribute more to The Rotary Foundation;
Resolve to get involved in one more community service project;
Sanjay Deshpande, our District Rotary Foundation Chair, was honored today by his Wachusett Area Rotary Club with a significant Rotary World Appreciation Honor. Sanjay is relocating to Orlando later this month. As much as Sanjay has done for the clubs in our district helping with Foundation grants, scholarships, training, and fundraising, he has done more in his club. The club also awarded five (5) Paul Harris Fellows at their meeting. It was a wonderful tribute to a wonderful Rotarian who will be very missed by our District. Safe travels Sanjay!
Wachusett Area Rotary Club Honors Sanjay Desphpande
How would you like to have not only your own Rotary Club members contact information but also the entire District at your fingertips? You can and so much more by downloading the new and improved ClubRunner Mobile App. You can also access club and district leadership, stories and events all with just a few clicks. Connecting to them is as easy as clicking on the phone number or email address.You can download it on the AppStore or GooglePlay and be on your way in minutes. Now would also be a good time to make sure that your profile is current, and if you do not have a picture saved, or your birthday listed, considering updating your information now! Reach out and collaborate with other like minded Rotarians from around our district and be the People of Action that your are!
The Rotarian Action Group Addiction Prevention (RAG AP) was recognized by Rotary International January 2016. Focus area is disease prevention and treatment. RAG AP is supporting actions from Rotary clubs and districts in the EU, US and in India. 3 global grants are progressing as well for prevention as for treatment. The Focus of the RAG AP however is on prevention.
Addiction is a very complex problem involving and influencing many families. In every Rotary club we will find one of our friends with an addiction problem or at least addiction problems in his/her family or amongst the friends. We are all in touch with the problem as well in the North and the West, the opiate problem is an example, as well in East and South. The products can be very different, but it is not only about using products but also about behavior when addicted to the internet games or film series, ....
What will you do about it, what can your club do, how can your district support and stimulate clubs to take action to implement prevention programs in your local region. RAG AP will help you and will provide you with all information and materials you need to make a well considered step to involve your clubs and districts in the struggle to protect children as early as possible from getting addicted.
Welcome to December! Rotary's Disease Prevention and Treatment Month! December is a time to celebrate the holidays and wrap up the calendar year. It is also the time to make sure next year's leaders are training and planning, as well as helping our current leader's execute. We will be hearing more about the training opportunities shortly.
The big event is the District Holiday Party on December 16, 2018 at Arturo's in Westborough starting at 5:30 pm. We want all of you there to join us in celebrating the holidays! <CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION>
There are still openings for travel with our District Service Project installing stoves around Panajachel, Guatemala. <CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION>
I wish everyone a happy holiday, and a safe, healthy and happy new year! I look forward to seeing all of you at our Holiday Party!
[The following story has been adapted from an Article on the Framingham Rotary Club appearing in the Ashland Local Town Pages -Ed.]
The Framingham Rotary Club is making life a little safer for an elderly Ashland family. If the weather cooperates, the family’s crumbling front steps will soon be repaired, thanks to an award from the Rotary’s Random Act of Kindness program.
Posted by Matthew Johnsen, Ph.D., Rotary Peace Fellow
"Don’t be content in your life just to do no wrong, be prepared every day to try and do some good"
Three years ago, I traveled around the world. I was powerfully affected by what I experienced. As a sociologist, I knew about global connectionsand the ways different parts of the world depend and interact with one another. What I experienced most deeply on this journey, however, were personalconnections. The storiesof students, tour guides, taxi drivers, hosts, friends, random people met in restaurants, border agents, even people I met on the street flooded my consciousness during the trip. These narratives brought the world together for me, one story at a time.
I experienced tremendous hospitality, a warm welcome, openness and friendliness on a journey that took me through 19 countries across three continents. I learned that the life experiences that join us together are much greater than the differences between us. I learned to value each interaction as an opportunity to contribute something positive. I also met people who were making a difference in the world: some small and some large. My friend Somit in Varanasi shared a vision based on his own life: expelled from school because his parents could not pay school fees, he now provides schooling to as many children as he can at no cost. He has organized many entrepreneurial efforts (a small guest house, a restaurant, yoga education, travel services and more) as social enterprises— directing the profits from each to teach young children in schools he organizes. His vision of peace is making the world better.
We recently received an email from Camilla Vogt, the recipient of our District’s endowed Global Grant Morley scholarship. This scholarship provides funding for a year of foreign study pertaining to one or more of Rotary's Six Areas of Focus. Camilla, shown here writes "I hope your fall is going well! I can hardly believe it is almost November. My first month here has flown by. We are halfway through the academic term, and school is taking up a tremendous amount of time. I have already written three papers and have an economics test every week. I am trying my hand at rowing, which means early (and chilly!) mornings, and organizing a student speaker series at my department. Each day is rich and full, and I am loving it here so far!"
PDG Dick Manelis has lead international service projects from District 7910 for almost 20 years. He meets a lot of interesting people helping him out along the way. Here is Dick's message about one of those people:
INTRODUCING: Carlos Centeno. I met Carlos in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. He was an active member of the local Rotaract Club and had volunteered to work with us on our humanitarian project in Copán Ruinas for 3 days. We would cover his expenses. He not only worked with us for three days but lived with a friend, worked the full week and refused to accept any compensation.
Please join us in congratulating Susan Peghiny as the Nominating Committee's selection for the 2021-2022 District Governor for Rotary District 7910! Susan is a past President of the Rotary Club of Newton and is currently serving as the District Secretary and an Assistant Governor. The Nominating Committee interviewed candidates and selected Susan as the best qualified of all the candidates in the pool this year to lead our district!. If confirmed, Susan will assume the role of District Governor Nominee Designate (DGND).
Susan lives in Newton with her husband Ron Faccenda (who is PE of the Newton Club) and her father, Jim. All three of them work in the family clock and watch repair business located in their home. Sue has had a wide variety of jobs and experiences, but it wasn’t until she joined Rotary that she finally figured out what she wanted to be when she grew up: a Rotarian.
Adapted from an article by Alyce Henson, Rotary International staff photographer
Using photography to tell a story can feel complex and challenging, but it doesn’t have to. By following a few guidelines, having a focused mindset, and applying a bit of confidence, you can take great pictures. Below are some photo tips based on recent images the author took in Nassau and Seattle, as well as some from our own district. Try these tricks, and you might be surprised what you can capture.
If you see a great moment happening naturally don’t be afraid to ask people to continue doing the action that caught your eye in the first place. In this case, the photographer saw these two Rotarians passing a seed pod to one another. She asked them to pass it back and forth a few times and to look at each other. It only took an extra minute or two to get a successful image.
The Rotary Club of Langhorne, Pennsylvania meets for lunch at a restaurant in a historic mansion, but at times attendance was at risk of falling below the minimum 20 meals required by the venue. “We were losing members because they couldn’t make meetings,” recalls Club Membership Chair at the time, Bill Kaufmann.
Board discussions yielded ideas but no firm solutions. Then one member started sending his office manager to meetings in his place. “That was my ‘aha’ moment,” says Kaufmann, now Club President. The Club then decided to let members designate a business associate or family member to attend meetings and participate in projects in their stead – or alongside them.
The Club now recognizes the stand-ins, named “Clones”, who must have a family or business relationship with the primary member and pay $25 in annual dues to the club to cover the cost of name tags and
ROLL TO THE POLLS! On Election Day (Tuesday, November 6th), the Rotary Club of Westborough helped voters access the polls at Westborough High School. Rotarians, wearing brightly colored Rotary Club vests, helped with wheelchairs, golf carts and umbrellas from their cars to the High School entrance and to the gymnasium where the polls were located. Upon exiting the polls voters were helped to return to their cars. The finishing touch…a pop-up tent to keep voters dry, donuts and free coffee and welcome smiles! This is the second time the club has hosted this event. It’s a simple one, provides necessary service and offers great visibility. The Club is already in the planning stages for Roll to the Poll 2020!
The Framingham Rotary Club of held its Annual Pancake Breakfast on November 3—it was the seventh in the series— at Keefe Tech High School’s East Room, which is the showpiece and training center of the school’s culinary and hospitality department. Some 300 guests, individuals and families from the City and adjacent towns enjoyed pancakes with genuine maple syrup, hash browns, sausages, juice, coffee, tea, and milk. All of the proceeds will support scholarships to selected high school seniors in Framingham, Ashland, Holliston and Hopkinton.
Welcome to November! We are 1/3 of the way through this Rotary year of being the inspiration! It is far too early to pause to reflect upon our accomplishments as so much more is being planned by clubs in our District. We have had a few Rotary Days already, and several more are being planned. Clubs have been raising money to pay for their service projects, and those fundraisers have been fun. All of us who, together, pitch in to take a small part in producing these Club service projects and fundraisers, ARE the inspiration.
The Rotary Foundation. November is The Rotary Foundation Month. This month we celebrate a vital part of our Rotary community, the Foundation. Many of the projects we do, and much of the impact Rotary does in the world, is funded by The Rotary Foundation money. Money that you and your clubs donate to the Foundation! Clubs in our District are celebrating The
Child trafficking happens here in the U.S. and in virtually every other country. The Rotary Club of Northborough together with the Northborough Junior Woman's club are partnering to present a fair Trade luncheon and a screening of the award winning film "Not My Life."Many people are familiar with UNICEF’s work providing children with things like emergency aid, clean water and medical care, but UNICEF also has a strong record protecting children from violence, exploitation and abuse. The End Trafficking project
On Monday evening, 10/29/18, 8 district Rotaractors from 3 of our five clubs met with District Governor, Steve Sager; Governor Nominee and Youth Chair, Diana Nestorova; and Rotaract Chair, Susan Rack, in Framingham for pizza, information sharing and fellowship. The clubs represented were Boston University Rotaract Club, Worcester Polytechnic Institute Rotaract Club, and the community based Wellesley Rotaract Club.
Interested in hosting an exchange student? A student from Peru is looking for a host family starting in January 2019. KIKE is 17 years old, is a soccer player, has Good English skills, no medical problems, looks to be a good academic student. Please ask around to see if your club can find a host. For more information, please follow the link to contact our District Essex (Eastern Student Exchange) Subcommittee Chair, Marcia Davis and District Governor Nominee and Youth Chair, Diana Nestorova.
Rotary has a new partnership with Habitat for Humanity International that will enhance club and district service activities by providing access to Habitat’s resources and programming. Clubs can work with Habitat affiliates and local communities to design and provide long-term, affordable housing to families in need of shelter. And now they can use global grants to fund the types of low-cost shelters that Rotarians and Rotaractors have been building with Habitat for Humanity for years.
On Tuesday October 16th the Hudson Rotary Club celebrated the official charter of the Hudson Interact Club. The student organization joins 12,300 Interact Clubs in more than 133 countries. The club will host and participate in various service projects with the assistance of their advisor Pamela Porter. Rotarians celebrated the occasion by presenting the students with certificates, pins, tshirts, and a club banner. The students meet Wednesdays at 2pm in room F105 at Hudson High School. To learn more about the Hudson Interact Club visit www.HudsonInteract.com. Founded in 1923, the Hudson Rotary Club is a service organization that supports the community of Hudson as well as other regional and international service projects.
In addition to the awards that we have typically given out every year, Rotary International is offering new awards to recognize members and clubs within a district. Start thinking now about how your club can recognize your members and the service you do! Members of the Rotary community help make clubs stronger, communities better, and peace possible. Thank them for their dedication and valuable contributions by recognizing them with a Rotary award.
On October 21st, the Marlborough Rotary Club participated in the first annual “Trunk or Treat” event, sponsored by the Marlborough Junior Woman’s Club (MJWC) and the One Hines Women’s Network. The event was held at The Campus in Marlborough, a business complex located off of Rt. 20, just west of Rt. 495.
Trunk or Treat provided safe, free, family-friendly trick-or-treating, craft activities, food trucks, pumpkin carving contests, costume contests, music and more. There was a photo booth, and free pumpkins and decorating kits were given out so that families could continue the fun at home.
The Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley, with support from the Sudbury History Center and the Sudbury Senior Center, hosted a Sudbury Repair Café on October 20, 2018. This free event was held at Sudbury Senior Center in Sudbury. Residents of Sudbury and surrounding towns were invited to come and find out what a Repair Café is all about.
At a Repair Café, everything centers on making repairs. Knowledgeable volunteers help repair items such as clean and mendable clothing, knitted and crocheted items, lamps, small appliances, computers and other electronics, bikes, outdoor power equipment, toys, and jewelry. They also can sharpen knives, scissors, and garden tools. Visitors pay only for needed parts, and when possible are encouraged to bring parts with them to save time.
October 24 is Rotary’s 5th annual World Polio Day. What are you and club doing to help eradicate polio?
To start, you can livestream Rotary International’s World Polio Day event, which is marking the occasion from the College of Physicians in Philadelphia, starting at 6:30 PM. The event will highlight the steps being taken to reach Rotary’s goal of polio eradication. We’ll also celebrate 30 years of achievements by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI)
Closer to home, you can host your own viewing of the event, sponsor your own fundraiser, or participate in the events that neighboring clubs are running. For example, the Brookline club has sponsored a video running on a screen outside in Coolidge Corner and asked pedestrians for donations. The Nashoba Valley club works with the schools in its regional school district to get donations from the students in exchange for a purple pinkie. To our north, the Gloucester club runs an annual polar plunge into the Atlantic Ocean in the middle of winter, raising thousands of dollars. Other clubs have sponsored races, “mic-athons,” and speaking events.
Polio, Service Projects, Foundation Dinner and Training are the core messages this month.
Polio. October is World Polio Awareness Month, and October 24 is World Polio Day. Many clubs are planning activities to raise awareness, and raise funds, to help with the global efforts to eradicate Polio from this planet. Our leadership team has been planning a couple incentives to encourage more activities this month.
I challenge all clubs in the District to donate, collectively, $25,000 to PolioPlus during the month of October. That is an average of just $500 per club. If we achieve that goal, I will jump in the Atlantic Ocean in February as part of the Polar Plunge in Gloucester.
If that was not enough, we will award a pair of tickets to the limited seating World Polio Day event in Philadelphia on
JOIN US INSTALLING STOVES PROJECT IN PANAJACHEL, GUATEMALA
MARCH 23-30, 2019
Please join Rotarians from Rotary District 7910 with our hands-on District Sponsored Global Grant Project installing stoves in the rural villages around Panajachel, Guatemala. This International Service project is done in collaboration with several Guatemala Rotary Clubs.
Are you a Rotarian interested in installing stoves in homes where currently an open fire in the center of the house is used for cooking. Cooking on an open fire in an unventilated area increases respiratory diseases and burn injuries, particularly with mothers and children. It also results in rapid deforestation as open fires are inefficient. These stoves will improve the ventilation in homes thereby decreasing the carbon monoxide, it will reduce injuries, and will decrease wood consumption by at least 50%.
The answer to the question of how early Rotarians consumed Rotary is pretty easy. It was through our traditional clubs centered around a meal and back then it was typically lunch or dinner. The advent of breakfast clubs was a bold experiment to widen our appeal to those who could not fit into what then was our typical model of delivery, how we were consumed.
My own early exposure to Rotary was through my Dad’s Rotary Club. It was a large lunch club. Consumer patterns were different then. I remember listening to baseball games on the radio with my Dad. Now, while many still attend games or watch on TV, a large segment of sports enthusiasts of all types consume sports via social media, on highlights shows, or streaming over the internet. Back then TV was three major networks and some UHF channels, now it’s hundreds of channels and numerous ways to view offerings from TV’s to computers to handheld devices.
Take a look at retail. Oh my, how times have changed our consumer patterns. Brick and mortar stores will probably always have a place, but look what online buying has done to the way we consume retail products. You can look at almost any area of your life and see, feel, and measure how dramatically the change has been in how you consume information, products, and services.
Highlights from the June and “July” 2018 Rotary International Board of Directors Meetings
The 2017–18 RI Board of directors held its fifth and final meeting on 21 June 2018 in Toronto, ON, Canada. The 2018–19 RI Board held its first meeting on 29 June 2018 in Toronto, ON, Canada. At these meetings the Board reviewed reports from six committees and recorded 39 decisions.
Winning the Gold Best Club for 2017-2018 was an incredible experience, and one that didn’t seem possible just a few years ago. Newton is an old club – we were established in 1926 – and had been know as a “check writing” club. That was a very good thing for a very long time - the club made a real difference in the lives of many people over the years. But the world was changing, and Newton Rotary had to evolve…to make ourselves more attractive to members, and to energize the existing membership. That journey happened to lead us to Best Club.
Why bother with awards anyway? Winning awards has never been important to our club. But it’s amazing how proud our members are of these achievements. To have your time and effort recognized and appreciated is a powerful thing. Our morale is incredible (great for going into a new year), and we’re using these “wins” as a marketing tool to attract new members and supporters.
So what did we actually do? Here are what I’d call “the biggies” that were key in moving us forward (along with suggestions on how you might apply them):
World Polio Day Competition – Your Club could win $500 for its WASH Projects!
What is World Polio Day?
World Polio Day is celebrated on October 24th. World Polio Day was established by Rotary International to commemorate the birth of Jonas Salk, who led the first team to develop a vaccine against poliomyelitis. Use of this inactivated poliovirus vaccine and subsequent widespread use of the oral poliovirus vaccine, developed by Albert Sabin, led to the establishment of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.
Polio is a disease caused by a virus that affects the nervous system and is mainly spread by person-to-person contact. Polio can also be spread by drinking water or other drinks or eating raw or undercooked food that are contaminated with the feces of an infected person.
$$$$$ - THE PRIZES!
$500 US for the best project (i.e. the one with the most impact)
WHAT VALUE DOES YOUR CLUB HAVE FOR YOUNG PROFESSIONALS?
By Michael Walstrom, president of the Rotary Club of Downtown Boca Raton, Florida
Rotary, like any business, has customers. For us, those customers are our members and we must provide value to assure satisfied customers. The key to attracting and retaining young professional “customers” is presenting a Value Proposition that is attractive.
From the Young Professional (YP) Membership Development project, a 10 question survey designed by District 6930, we learned that young professionals are looking for networking and mentorship, but have concerns about time, money, and family commitments. Fortunately, Rotary has considerable value to offer in all of those areas.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at a global level, over 300 million people are estimated to suffer from depression, equivalent to 4.4% of the world’s population. Depression is ranked by WHO as the single largest contributor to global disability1. Given the severity of these statistics, creating innovative ways to address the prevention of mental illness and the promotion of mental health and wellness is of critical importance. Following its pioneering spirit and mission of global change, Rotary has boldly stepped up to this challenge in two important ways:
(1) introducing prevention as a broader and important component of health to include mental health, not just physical health
(2) funding projects that reach children and adolescents - and the adults who care for them - to specifically address depression education
District 7910 Outbound Exchange Students Prepare to Depart!
On Wednesday July 25 five young people attended the final outbound orientation in preparation for their year-long study abroad sponsored by Rotary's Student Exchange program, the Eastern States Student Exchange ("ESSEX"). All of the students are excited about their year abroad. Kira and her twin Noah are sponsored by the Bedford Club. Kira will be travelling to Bolivia, while Noah will be living in Belgium. Kelsey, sponsored by the Acton-Boxborough Club, is headed to France. Lauren, sponsored by the Needham Club, is excited to be going to Switzerland. Ben, sponsored by Framingham Club, will be studying in Columbia.
Does your Interact club have a representative on the district teen council?
If not, please get a teen nominated before the September 15 kick-off event; provide the name and contact details by email to BobAnthony@AdolescentWellness.org or by calling 781-727-8617.
These teen leaders will:
lead the activities that day
prioritize projects during the year
define the co-host role for the May 4 multi-district event
The Rotary Foundation transforms your gifts into service projects that change lives both close to home and around the world. During the past 100 years, the Foundation has spent $3 billion on life-changing, sustainable projects. With your help, we can make lives better in your community and around the world.
Why should I donate to The Rotary Foundation? Your donation makes a difference to those who need our help most. More than 90 percent of donations go directly to supporting our service projects around the world.
How does The Rotary Foundation use donations? Our 35,000 clubs carry out sustainable service projects that support our six causes. With donations like yours, we’ve wiped out 99.9 percent of all polio cases. Your donation also trains future peacemakers, supports clean water, and strengthens local economies.
What impact can one donation have? It can save a life. A child can be protected from polio with as little as 60 cents. Our partners make your donation go even further. For every $1 Rotary commits to polio eradication, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has committed $2.
What are the areas of the Foundation’s focus? Promoting Peace, Providing Clean Water, Saving Mothers and Children, Supporting Education, Growing Local Economies, and Fighting Disease. Even the United States has problems in all six areas of focus, the reason for Global Grants, assistance going in all directions to help promote a better world.
The Framingham Rotary Club, continuing its annual effort to help keep very low income seniors in public housing cool and healthy during hot weather, last week delivered thirty-seven 6000 BTU air conditioners for installation at units managed by the Framingham Housing Authority (FHA). The project, a collaboration among the Rotary club, the FHA, and the Callahan Center (the Framingham Council on Aging Senior Center), has now delivered 212 units over the past six years.
By Geoffrey Johnson Illustrations by Rocco Baviera
When it comes to finding new members for his Minnesota Rotary club, Tom Gump doesn’t just walk the walk, he trots the trot: the turkey trot. Gump is a former president of the Rotary Club of Edina/Morningside, which makes boosting membership a priority. In fact, that’s the fourth item on a list of 10 tips to attract and retain members which has been prepared – and practiced – by the club. It’s tip No. 10 that finds Gump clad in a turkey suit. More on that shortly.
The tips work: During Gump’s 2016-17 stint as club president, Edina/Morningside added 31 members. Eleven of them were women; 10 were under 40 years old. With 94 members, the club “went from being classified as a medium-size club to being one of District 5950’s large clubs,” says Gump, who will be the 2020-21 district governor. “There were 13 clubs larger than our club in our district, and now there are only four.” The tips have proven so effective that Gump has taken the Edina/Morningside show on the road, using a PowerPoint presentation to coach other clubs on specific ways they can expand their membership. “I have been called a good salesman,” says Gump (who, for the record, is a real estate lawyer and a developer). “But to me, recruiting new Rotary members is not really selling. It’s matching up potential members with what he or she wants in a club.” So if you’re looking to add members to your club, consider taking a page from the Edina/Morningside playbook. Read on for the club’s 10 tips, as well as five suggestions for increasing membership from other Rotarians and Rotary clubs.
Pre-Conference September 18-20, 2018 | Conference September 20-22, 2018 Hotel Bonaventure in Montreal
The 2018 Montreal Zone Conference is a unique event, and we want to invite you to be a part of it. Whether you’re an incoming District Governor, District leader, Past District Governor, or a Rotarian with an interest in becoming more engaged in Rotary….the Montreal Conference is for you! The theme “People Coming Together” fits our goal of providing you with an extraordinary and unforgettable event. This is why we're inviting everyone to be a part of the excitement!
Formerly known as the Zone Institute, this gathering was originally designed to motivate, inspire, and educate past, current and incoming district governors. That hasn't changed. Historically, however, attendance at a Zone Institute was restricted to those in the District Governor line. This year we've decided to open the conference to all Rotarians to facilitate engagement between our Governors (and their knowledge, leadership skills, and commitment) and club and district Rotarians. Visit the Montreal 2018 web page to learn more about this exciting conference and register today!
2018 Montreal Zone Conference - All Rotarians Invited!
Southborough Rotary club members helped support the Southborough Library by volunteering at the Strawberry Festival organized & held by the Library at the end of June. In the 80’s, the Strawberry Festival was a popular town event, so the Library was keen to try and restart it – Festival 2.0! Club members helped serve strawberry shortcake & strawberries to the public. And since literacy is one of Rotary's key areas of focus, the club also decided to donate 2 raffle baskets of children’s books for the event. The children’s books were all on topics along Rotary ideals like: helping others, 1 person making a difference in the world, tolerance, resolution conflict, people working together for positive change. The Strawberry Festival also featured Coco's Tropical Ice, petting goats & veggie stamping for kids, as well as the big book sale inside the library. Over 200 people enjoyed the event and many said they hoped it would be held again next year. The club also produced the fun look back video which was given to the Library and Southborough Access Media after the event.
Experience tasting over 200 crafted beers, ciders and malt beverages from 73 + breweries & enjoy delicious food from 24+ of the area's finest restaurants! Click here for more info & tickets!
The Rotary Community Corps of Sturbridge and Southbridge is tending to 21 raised beds in the Community Food Collaborative garden! Volunteers of all ages are working in the garden, including two families and a girl scout troop. One team weeds the beds, and another team that takes turns watering the garden on a regular basis - especially during the extreme heat. The Rotary Community Corps is also cleaning up the areas leading up to the garden, weed whacked the brush, and spread mulch to make it look better.
Follow this link: https://ga.vyond.com/videos/0U9HY8JzbSKsto a monthly series of animated membership-related videos being produced for clubs in Zone 32 by Lawrence Furbish, Assistant Rotary Coordinator, Sanford-Springvale Rotary Club, Maine in District 7780. All of the videos in the series will be very short (2-3 minutes) so that your Club should be able to view them and discuss how to implement the content during regular club meetings.
On Monday, August 20, the Cohasse Country Club in Southbridge will again host the Rotary Club of Sturbridge for its ninth Charity Golf Classic. Chair of the event, Dave Zonia, reports that the field of 64 golfers is filling up quickly so it’s best to make your reservations now to be included. The day begins with a tee time at 10:30 AM, a BBQ luncheon on the course and a full prime rib dinner prepared by the club’s Executive Chef. We’ll have auctions and the awarding of prizes following dinner. Cost for this prestigious event is $600 for a foursome and $150 for an individual signup, upon which you will be assigned to a group.
Sturbridge Rotary Builds New Playground at the YMCA
The Sturbridge Rotary Club recently helped build a new outdoor playground at the Tri-Community YMCA Child Development Center, 115 Marcy Street in Southbridge. The new outdoor playground, built with the help of the Sturbridge Rotary Club, will be enjoyed by more than 150 kids a day.
“This playground will help the Y provide safe and healthy spaces for our children to learn foundational skills, develop healthy, trusting relationships and build self-esteem," Glenn Juchno, Executive Director of the Tri-Community YMCA. “We are fortunate to have great partners like the Sturbridge Rotary Club who understand the impact of youth development in our community.”
A princess, 3 prime ministers, and a former first lady join 25,000 in Toronto to celebrate Rotary’s good work and plan more of it
Toronto, the Capital of Nice, opened its arms this week to welcome 25,188 Rotarians from around the world, who came to Rotary’s annual convention looking for inspiration — and finding it.
Whether it was by seeing old friends in the hallways, making new connections in the House of Friendship, or listening to eloquent speakers at general sessions, attendees found plenty at the 109th Rotary International Convention to remind them of the fellowship that binds them and the diversity that Rotary embodies. Nearly 90 Rotarians from clubs in District 7910 participated in the festivities!
Has your club recently hosted a service project that you want to showcase to be the inspiration to other clubs? Are you planning something in the near future that you would like to share with your fellow District 7910 Rotarians?
Our District 7910 eBulletin, Website, Facebook and Instagram depend on the content provided by our clubs, so please submit your stories and we will publish them on the district website, in the next eBulletin, and on social media. Stories that showcase your club's service projects should be submitted in plain text along with a photo. If you are promoting an event, please send the flyer along with a sentence with the details of the event. Please send your stories to ssager@sagerlegal.com with the words Rotary Story in the subject line.
In an effort to increase membership and highlight Rotary’s inspiring work, RI President Barry Rassin is urging clubs and districts to organize fun, informal community events called Rotary Days. District 7910 Clubs hosted 3 very successful Rotary Service Days last year and we are encouraging clubs to consider hosting them this year.
The District 7910 Membership Committee will meet on a quarterly basis (September 12, 2018; January 17, 2019; April 8, 2019) to discuss with Club Membership Chairs the best practices and success stories both outside and within the District and then how to share this information at the club level with the help of Area Membership Coordinators (AMCs). AMCs will coordinate with Assistant Governors and meet with Club Membership Chairs and Presidents on an individual or group basis to offer support in implementing membership attraction and engagement strategies in the clubs.
We celebrated the 2018-19 Rotary Club Presidents, Steve installed Betsy Moquin as President of the Rotary Club of Westborough, and Steve was installed as the 2018-19 District Governor.
Steve's daughters, mother and brother came and celebrated along with 125 Rotarians from across the District!
Steve Sager Is Installed as the 81st Governor of District 7910
Wow! Wow!! Wow!!! You guys rock!!!! 31 of our clubs applied for District Grants for the 2018-19 Rotary Year with total participation of 36 clubs. The total budget for these 31 applications is greater than $170,000.
Now, the seven club Foundation Chairs who are on the Grants Review Panel need to do the hard work of helping the grant writers refine the applications and then allocate our limited resources. The total requests for grants is more than double what we have available for District Grants. We will make sure that the Grants Review Panel allocates the funds in an equitable and transparent manner with “best use of funds” being the guiding principle. You may not get all you requested, but we will help you execute your project with Rotary Foundation funds!
The grants that were proposed are varied and interesting. Here is a short review by Rotary Area of Focus.
Disease prevention and Treatment
Among the grants proposed under this area of focus four clubs wrote grants to address the opioid crisis, others proposed care kits for emergency room visitors in need, first aid course, emergency location devices for individuals with cognitive dysfunction, emotional support dogs, clothing for the needy.
Basic Education and Literacy
Clubs wrote grants for solar panels for electricity in a school in India, sending children to camp in summer, scholarships, dictionary programs, little libraries, summer reading programs.
Economic and Community Development
Clubs wrote grants to improve a gazebo, community gardens, a wheelchair swing, cupola repair, ramps for wheelchairs, benches, improve a walking trail, planting saplings.
Maternal and Child Health
Feeding the hungry is a prominent need identified by our clubs. Entered were food packaging events, back packs for the weekends, community suppers, community gardens to support food pantries, and beds for children.
As you can see we are touching many people in many ways. It makes us all proud to be a Rotarian. And we will continue DOING GOOD IN THE WORLD and BE AN INSPIRATION..
Wow Wow Wow! 2018-2019 Presidents ROCK! 31 clubs have applied for District Grants for the 2018-19 Rotary Year with total participation of 36 clubs. Deadline for application was June 1 and the response was tremendous!
The grants that have been proposed are varied and interesting. Here is a short review.
Disease prevention and Treatment
Among the grants proposed in this area of focus four clubs wrote grants to address the opioid crisis, others proposed care kits for emergency room visitors in need, first aid course, emergency location devices for individuals with cognitive dysfunction, emotional support dogs, clothing for the needy.
Basic Education and Literacy
Clubs wrote grants for solar panels for electricity in a school in India, sending children to camp in summer, scholarships, dictionary programs, little libraries, summer reading programs.
Economic and Community Development
Clubs wrote grants to improve a gazebo, community gardens, a wheelchair swing, cupola repair, ramps for wheelchairs, benches, improve a walking trail, planting saplings.
Maternal Child Health
Feeding the hungry is a prominent need identified by our clubs. Entered were food packaging events, back packs for the weekends, community suppers, community gardens to support food pantries, and beds for children.
As you can see we are touching many people in many ways. It makes you proud to be a Rotarian. Be the INSPIRATION!
2018-2019 Grant Year off to a STRONG and INSPIRING START!
Imagine having your newborn placed in a neo-natal intensive care unit. You and your family are traveling, or maybe you live nearby but can’t spend every waking hour in the hospital. How can you watch your baby’s progress and growth? If your child is in the Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit of the University of Massachusetts Memorial Children’s Medical Center in Worcester you are in luck — thanks to Rotarians throughout District 7910.
We recently received an email from Camilla Vogt, the recipient of our District’s endowed Global Grant Morley scholarship. This scholarship provides funding for a year of foreign study pertaining to one or more of Rotary's Six Areas of Focus. Camilla, shown here writes "I hope your fall is going well! I can hardly believe it is almost November. My first month here has flown by. We are halfway through the academic term, and school is taking up a tremendous amount of time. I have already written three papers and have an economics test every week. I am trying my hand at rowing, which means early (and chilly!) mornings, and organizing a student speaker series at my department. Each day is rich and full, and I am loving it here so far!"
Using photography to tell a story can feel complex and challenging, but it doesn’t have to. By following a few guidelines, having a focused mindset, and applying a bit of confidence, you can take great pictures. Below are some photo tips based on recent images the author took in Nassau and Seattle, as well as some from our own district. Try these tricks, and you might be surprised what you can capture.
The Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley, with support from the Sudbury History Center and the Sudbury Senior Center, hosted a Sudbury Repair Café on October 20, 2018. This free event was held at Sudbury Senior Center in Sudbury. Residents of Sudbury and surrounding towns were invited to come and find out what a Repair Café is all about.
October 24 is Rotary’s 5th annual 
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When it comes to finding new members for his Minnesota Rotary club, Tom Gump doesn’t just walk the walk, he trots the trot: the turkey trot. Gump is a former president of the Rotary Club of Edina/Morningside, which makes boosting membership a priority. In fact, that’s the fourth item on a list of 10 tips to attract and retain members which has been prepared – and practiced – by the club. It’s tip No. 10 that finds Gump clad in a turkey suit. More on that shortly.
The 2018 Montreal Zone Conference is a unique event, and we want to invite you to be a part of it. Whether you’re an incoming District Governor, District leader, Past District Governor, or a Rotarian with an interest in becoming more engaged in Rotary….the Montreal Conference is for you! The theme “People Coming Together” fits our goal of providing you with an extraordinary and unforgettable event. This is why we're inviting everyone to be a part of the excitement!
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Wow! Wow!! Wow!!! You guys rock!!!! 31 of our clubs applied for District Grants for the 2018-19 Rotary Year with total participation of 36 clubs. The total budget for these 31 applications is greater than $170,000.
Wow Wow Wow! 2018-2019 Presidents ROCK! 31 clubs have applied for District Grants for the 2018-19 Rotary Year with total participation of 36 clubs. Deadline for application was June 1 and the response was tremendous!
