We have all heard about the family of Rotary. I want you to know that our District is truly a family of Rotary. Recently, as many of you are aware, my husband has been dealing with some significant health issues. You may not know how much it has helped and meant receiving get well cards, emails, texts, and words of encouragement from fellow Rotarians all across the District.
My family and I thank you for your understanding when I have had to turn down invitations to attend your events and for your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. Time after time you have stepped up, pitched in, and covered stuff for me. There are no words that can accurately portray how grateful we are for that. I am so proud to say that the family of Rotary is truly alive and well in District 6420.
Your support in big and small ways has made all the difference to us.
The other thing I want to remark on today is the power of involving more young people in Rotary.
Our commitment to Service Above Self and giving back to our communities in big ways and small is hard to overestimate. Further, there are special Rotarians here in District 6420 that make incredible contributions day in and day out both locally and globally. To shine a light on the best of the best throughout District 6420, District Governor Laura will be bestowing End-of-Year Awards for the following:
District 6420 is proud of our current District Governor Laura Kann for the great leadership she has demonstrated, not only this year, but in the last few years with her involvement in district leadership.
Her inspiring example of what it means to be a Rotarian rose to a new level as she and her husband, Wick, achieved the status of members in the Arch Klumph Society. Most of our members are familiar with the various levels reached in one’s cumulative giving to The Rotary Foundation, including various levels of Paul Harris Fellows and Major Donors.
We are nearing the end of District Grant season. As you may know, all 2022-2023 District Grant final reports are due no later than May 15.
As of right now we have received District Grant reports from 8 of the 39 clubs that need to submit a final report.
District Grant Applications for the 2023-2024 Rotary year are also due May 15. None of those have been received yet, but I know lots of clubs are having discussions about the projects they want to do and grant applications are being drafted.
According to a Rotary International report as of March 26, 2023, thirteen Rotary clubs in District 6420 have gained 63 members resulting in a net increase in membership in each of these clubs since the 2021-22 Rotary year.
In other words, to date, these clubs have gained enough new members this year to make up for any losses in membership last year.
We recognize and celebrate the good work of these clubs.
Keep reading to discover the clubs... is your club on the list?
Our District Public Image team suggests we "tell our story" so that we might engage others in what Rotary is all about. Below is one Rotarian's effort to share Rotary's story.
We have all been taught the who, what, where, when, why and how method of writing a story. We need to get a point across, teach something new, tell a story or promote an event.
As the only service club in Putnam County my goal as President this year was to get the people in our County to know WHO Putnam County Rotary is, WHY we still thrive after over 50 years of service, WHAT we are doing this year and HOW we work.
The Brand Center is continually updated with new materials to help you promote your club! You'll find tips on raising awareness of Rotary, ready-made print and digital ads, images, videos, audio clips, templates to download, and more.
These resources allow you to create messages that show your community that Rotary members are people of action making a difference.
(Photo Caption: Students at JAMS in one of their large classrooms)
International Service Spotlight: Jane Adeny Memorial School for Girls
One of the goals of nearly every Rotary club is to have both a community and international service focus. Often, community service needs are readily apparent and are very fulfilling to participate in.
International service, on the other hand, can seem daunting and difficult to arrange, particularly for smaller clubs.
This article highlights how one club leveraged a member’s connections to participate in international service.
It has been four months since the last wild polio virus case was found. We are making progress and we all need to understand that.
Bill Gates has recommitted to the 2:1 match program for the next two years.
Public health service surveillance programs around the world continue to show occasional findings of the virus in sewage areas. You probably heard about the incident in the state of New York, and Montreal recently had a positive sample. Mozambique has had a case traced to Pakistani visitors. This all reenforces the need for ongoing active immunization programs.
We know Rotary is quickly responsive to emerging needs around the world. So it was not a surprise when the Trustees of The Rotary Foundation made decisions for funding recovery efforts for Turkey and Syria after the deadly earthquake struck in early February.
After receiving a communication from district leadership in District 2430 in Turkey about ways to help financially, our district leadership in District 6420 made the decision to donate $20,000 of our District Designated Funds to help in these efforts. They have significant ongoing needs from clothing, food, water, and fuel to excavators and construction vehicles.