Governor's Message - February 22, 2016
Governor's Message: Lots of things to do this week!
By Jim Fusco
I hit the ground running last Monday following our R&R in the Caribbean aboard the Royal Princess. I spent my first day back reading and responding to e-mails. On Tuesday, Pat and Skip Doyle held their second Pre-PETS session at the Holiday Inn in
Boxborough, and I stopped in to say "hi" to the presidents elect. (What a great class they are). I then attended the meeting for club RYLA chairs run by Christine Pinney. Great job, Christine.
The Area 4 Team meeting was held on Wednesday. I am honored that I have been selected to serve as an Assistant Rotary Zone Coordinator starting on July 1, 2016. And, on Thursday, I traveled to Rotary International headquarters in Evanston, Illinois for three days of training. I got back home at 10:00 on Saturday night and on Sunday I hosted our monthly Steering Committee meeting.
Shown, left to right, posing with me (far left) is the rest of the Zone 32 Rotary Coordinator Team: Carolyn Johnson, governor of District 7780; Karien Ziegler, governor of D7470; Bonnie Sirower, governor of D7490; Carol Hemphill, governor of D7410; Eileen Rau, governor of D7890; and Drew Kessler, of governor of D7210.
This week will be another busy one as we hold our second Foundation Transition meeting today at the Holiday Inn in Boxborough. All are invited to this meeting as we plan for the transition from Roy Balfour to Sanjay Deshpande as chair of District 7910's Foundation Committee. On Tuesday, don’t forget to celebrate the 111th anniversary of Rotary. Our monthly District Assistant Governor’s meeting will be held on Tuesday, as will the Area 6 & 7 Team meeting. Our District Conference Committee will continue to visit clubs promoting the District Conference in May.
Foundation: Don’t forget that the second Foundation Transition meeting will be held tonight at the Boxborough Holiday Inn. We want this transition to be as seamless as possible so we encourage you to attend this meeting so you can see firsthand the great things that are being planned.
Just a reminder: The District Grant Subcommittee will be changing from a committee of one to an expanded committee. This new structure (similar to structures in other districts) will allow us to quickly approve grants, monitor grants, review the final reports, and to quickly disburse funds when grants have been completed. At Pre-PETS, the presidents elect were briefed on some of the District Foundation Committee changes that will be taking place and were provided with a form to fill out to identify proposed grant projects for their 2016-2017 year. Our goal is to publish the grant guidelines so every club knows how to apply for grants, what is needed to do to qualify, how much money is available, and the allocation for each year as set by the district governor elect. The goal is to publish these guidelines before our presidents elect go to PETS so planning can immediately begin on grants for the 2016-2017 Rotary year. The Grants Subcommittee will be there as a resource to help clubs apply, qualify for grants and obtain a fair allocation of Foundation resources. It is the goal of the Foundation Committee that every club will participate in a District Grant. Our District has added the Grant Module to our ClubRunner account to make it easier to apply for District Grants. Information on using this new Grant Module will be rolled out soon to the clubs.
Final Report deadline is April 15: If you club has a District Grant for the 2015-2016 Rotary year, then you should be working on your Final Report, which is due by this April 15, so that you can receive your grant match from our district. If you have any questions, please contact Co-District Governor Elect Skip Doyle at skipdoyle2@verizon.net.
RI Semi Annual Dues & District Semi Annual Dues: I just checked the records and noted that 40 clubs have paid their Rotary International dues and 32 have paid their District 7910 dues. Progress has been made since last week but it is important that all clubs have paid their dues by now. This week, I will be contacting all clubs that still owe dues to remind them to make their payment. If for some reason your club did not receive your RI or District invoice, please contact me ASAP at jim.fusco2@gmail.com.
Club Planning Worksheet: 
So far, 23 clubs have sent me their in-progress Club Planning Worksheets. That is a great start. If you have not been filling out your worksheets, please start doing so now so you can forward them to me. The Club Planning Worksheet is very important to me, so I would appreciate it if every club would respond to me. Thank you in advance for your cooperation in this matter. To download the Worksheet in Excel format, click here.
So far, 23 clubs have sent me their in-progress Club Planning Worksheets. That is a great start. If you have not been filling out your worksheets, please start doing so now so you can forward them to me. The Club Planning Worksheet is very important to me, so I would appreciate it if every club would respond to me. Thank you in advance for your cooperation in this matter. To download the Worksheet in Excel format, click here.Facebook Contest (ends on April 15): Hopefully, you have visited our District Conference event page, which is part of pour overall Facebook page. It is our goal to increase the "likes" and "shares" on our Facebook page, so we are 
running a contest to increase them. This contest ends this April 15 and the club with the most amount and the club with the highest percentage of members liking our page as of April 15 will win a free harbor cruise on the Pilgrim Belle during the District Conference.
running a contest to increase them. This contest ends this April 15 and the club with the most amount and the club with the highest percentage of members liking our page as of April 15 will win a free harbor cruise on the Pilgrim Belle during the District Conference.District Conference 2016 in Plymouth: It is hard to imagine, but your annual District Conference at The Hotel 1620 at Plymouth Harbor to celebrate your Rotary year is only 91 days away - 
and registration is open. To register, click here.
and registration is open. To register, click here.Please check out the fun in the informative "Plymouth Rocks" video that Assistant Governor Richard Simon of the Nashoba Valley club has produced to promote our District Conference. To watch it, click here.
In addition, we've produced an eight-page, black-and-white (making it less costly to print) District Conference Booklet containing the schedule, pricing, Hospitality "Sweets" request form, frequently asked questions, and Facebook "Like" Contest. To view and download it in PDF format, click here.
Meanwhile, members of the District Conference Committee members have been visiting clubs to promote the annual event. We will have a great time and want to ensure that you do not miss out. Don’t forget that this is a family-friendly conference, so think about bringing your kids and grandkids. Did you know that at the District Conference there will be a special reception for club presidents, presidents elect and new members?
Highlights of the District Conference: The District Conference will be held from May 20 through 22 and hopefully you will be there to celebrate with us. 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; and a Harbor Cruise on the Pilgrim Belle. Don’t miss the fun! To register, click here.
District Banners: Our District Banners have been busy. To reserve one of those banners, contact Laura Spear of the Nashoba Valley club, who chairs our district's Public Image Committee, at laura@spear.net.
Rotaract Training: Our first Rotaract Training Seminar will be held next Monday, February 29 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Framingham State University. All club Rotaract chairs are urged to attend. This event will be videotaped and many photos will be taken. To register for this free seminar, click here. If you have any questions, contact District Rotaract Chair Carl Gomes at carlcgomes56@icloud.com.
Next Rotary Leadership Institute on March 26: District RLI Chair Doug Detweiler of the Concord club and I have stressed the importance of having Rotarians attend RLI. This program is geared toward all Rotarians - new members as well as current and future club and district leadership. The next RLI will be held on Saturday, March 26 in Lincoln, Rhode Island. To register, click here.Thank you for being part of a great organization and for being a Gift to the World.
We are having a great year!
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