District Governor's Message
The 2009 District 6250 Conference
Tom Marshall
Dear Rotarians,
The District Conference planning committee has put together an outstanding program of events for all District 6250 Rotarians and their spouses and friends!
[BREAKING NEWS: District Conference to Waive Registration Fees for Non Rotarian Spouses and Partners - Because of the very tough economic times that have impacted so many of us, the District Conference Planning Committee is offering non Rotarian spouses and friends the opportunity to have their registration fee waved if they are only planning on coming for a lunch or dinner. This is with the understanding that the registration fee of $50 must be paid if the spouse or friend plans to attend any of the Conference sessions. Many non Rotarian registrants have already paid the $50 fee and this will be refunded by the end of May. ]
It is not too late to get that phenomenal $75 rate at Hotel Mead and it is certainly is not to late to register for the Conference.
As I mentioned in the last newsletter, we are extremely fortunate to have Past International President Chuck Keller and his wife, Carol, join us for the weekend. Chuck's wealth of Rotary knowledge is most impressive. He will be sharing some wonderful experiences that he has had throughout his years of Rotary service. Seldom does a District Conference have the honor of having such a distinguished Rotarian participate in the program. The District Conference planning committee has put together an outstanding program of events for all District 6250 Rotarians and their spouses and friends!
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Dick Bennett |
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Past International President Chuck Keller |
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GSE Philippines Talent Show Team |
It is not too late to get that phenomenal $75 rate at Hotel Mead and it is certainly is not to late to register for the Conference.
As I mentioned in the last newsletter, we are extremely fortunate to have Past International President Chuck Keller and his wife, Carol, join us for the weekend. Chuck's wealth of Rotary knowledge is most impressive. He will be sharing some wonderful experiences that he has had throughout his years of Rotary service. Seldom does a District Conference have the honor of having such a distinguished Rotarian participate in the program.
Dick Bennett, former UW basketball coach will also be joining us for the weekend and his powerful stories will entertain us on Friday evening.
Jerry Mills, a well known motivational speaker will tie things together for us through speaking and singing. The title of his presentation is "Even in the toughest of times........" He will be a delight to listen to will impact our Rotary thoughts in many different ways.
Miss Wisconsin, Briana Lipor will be entertaining us with her marvelous voice and will discuss her platform.
Friday night, we are going to be entertained by our very own Rotary Youth Exchange students. They will be putting on a talent show that will be second to none. They have been busy practicing for several months and will be ready to go on May 1. Also, as part of the talent show, we will be entertained by the Philippine Group Study Musical Team and our musical Team which is currently in the Philippines. What a night we are all going to have!!!
Then on Saturday night------we have the outstanding 17 piece River Cities Jazz band that will entertain us after the banquet. Whether you simply want to listen or dance, you will find their performance to be exceptional.
The Silent Auction is shaping up to be one of the very best ever. We have asked our Inbound students from all over the world, to bring an item that represents their part of the universe. You will be amazed by the tremendous items that you will want to bid on.
And-----of course, on Sunday morning, we will have our Ecumenical Memorial Service where we will honor all Rotarians who have died during this Rotary year.
Plan to attend!!! It is certainly not too late to become involved. I hope to see you there!!!
All of this excitement surrounded by a wealth of Rotary information and events will make the District Conference one to remember forever.
Click here for more information and to register!
Tom
Register Now! 2009 District Conference, May 1-3, 2009, Hotel Mead, Wisconsin Rapids.
Make your Hotel Reservations Now! Call 1-800-843-6323 and mention Rotary.
District News, Events and Announcements
District Conference News
Silent Auction Items Needed for District Conference- We are hoping that this Silent Auction will be the very best that we have ever had. We do need items that can be auctioned off. All Inbound Rotary Youth Exchange students have been asked to bring an item from their part of the world. These items will be part of the auction.
All proceeds will go directly to polio plus and this money will be matched.
Please consider having your Club donate an item for the auction. Thank you very much. Should you have questions, please contact John Steele at 715-423-9368.
Bring a Book to the District Conference - Your book will travel from Wisconsin Rapids to Madison, Wisconsin to Texas to South Africa to help children orphaned by Aids 
become literate. These books will be donated to the Rotary Books for the World project. Our Inbound Exchange Students have been collecting and packing books along with the Madison Breakfast Rotary club to donate to this worthwhile cause. Please help by bringing a book to our district conference. Our Inbound Exchanges students will be on hand to collect and pack your books. Boxes will be available at registration. Look for the students packing up the books and display of our project on the second floor of the hotel near the area of the silent auction.
Flower Photo Exhibit - A Fund Raiser for Polio Plus - An artistic Rotarian from Wisconsin Rapids Sunrise Rotary Club will be exhibiting her works on Thursday, April 30th from 4:00PM until 6:00PM at the Hotel Mead in Wisconsin Rapids. This exhibit will be a prelude to the District Conference which will begin the next day. Kim Auman will display and sell her artistic photos of flowers during that two hour time period and also throughout the District Conference. Kim, a well recognized artist in the state will donate all proceeds in our battle to eradicate polio in the world. Plan to arrive a day early for this outstanding display of art and assist the Rotarians of the world in our efforts to free the world of this horrible and dreaded disease!
District-wide PR Communications Program is Underway
By Bob Boelter, District PR chair
Our district applied for, and received, a $10,000 advertising grant for 2008-2009 from Rotary International. That grant was matched by the District with an additional $5,000.The district PR committee then negotiated a matching amount of exposure from selected media outlets to increase the value of the advertising effort to $30,000. In order to achieve the best combination of reach and frequency the committee decided to focus on regional business publications whose circulation covers approximately 90% of the district.
The selected business publications, their schedule and circulations are:
Business News – Western Wisconsin – 4 ads February through May (Circulation 6,000 each time); Chippewa Valley Business Report – 2 quarterly ads April and July (Circulation 7,500 each); Capital Region Business Journal – 4 ads February through May (Circulation 15,000 each); and Business Beat of the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce – 2 ads (Circulation 5,000). The total campaign circulation is 109,000.
The advertising approach consists of four different ads from the “Humanity in Motion” campaign furnished by Rotary International. The Rotarians represented in the visuals reflect youth and diversity.
Individual clubs are encouraged to design their publicity and member development programs to take advantage of the awareness-building function of the district advertising program. For example the Rotary Club of Madison has created a member development direct mail program. It consists of a series of three direct mailings over a 12-15 month period to a targeted prospect list sent to their homes. The front panels of the brochures carry the images of the “Humanity in Motion” ads. The brochure insides feature unique club attributes like the special interest groups (bicycling, motorcycling, and Scotch drinking) that represent clubs within the club. Each mailing is accompanied with a personal letter.
Rotary International is taking the lead among service clubs by moving beyond the vagaries of free publicity to purchasing awareness-building advertising that controls the image that is projected. The district is pleased that it received the maximum grant possible and hope that it benefits clubs in the district who take advantage of the opportunity
Group Study Exchange - Japan and Uruguay
During the 2009 - 2010 Rotary year, District 6250 will again be having two Group Study Exchanges. The first will be to Japan and our team will leave on October 16th and will return on November 12th. We are currently looking for team members and a team leader. The team leader must be a Rotarian with no age restrictions and team members must be non Rotarians with ages between 25 and 40. They must live or work in our District and cannot be a family member of a Rotarian.
The second team will go out in 2010 and will be going to Uruguay. This will be an agriscience team so the participants must be in some career that relates to agriculture.
Please contact us if you know of anyone who may be interested in applying to be team members. You may contact Rob Stroud at 608 257 2281 or Tom Marshall at 715 423 1921.
Annual Program Pledges for Rotary Foundation
Annual Programs support of the Rotary Foundation is the life blood of so much of what we value in Rotary. Our financial support provides the enabling funding of the matching grants that allow us to extend humanitarian assistance to those who are in need as well as simplified grants that can be utilized within the district.
Annual Programs funding also supports a range of educational programs such as Group Study Exchange, Ambassadorial and Peace Scholarships and scholarships for university teachers. Our district, via the Club Goal Reports filed by the current club presidents last spring, pledged support in excess of $250,000 to Annual Programs. We are lagging in getting those pledged amounts into the foundation. We are nearly three quarters of the way into this Rotary year and have provided about 40% of our pledges. I would ask club presidents, secretaries and treasurers to be sure to send the monies to the foundation as they are available. All pledges, in order to be credited to this Rotary year, must be at the Rotary Foundation prior to June 30, 2009.
**Please Note! It is important that when the Global Contribution Form is sent that the correct designation for the Annual Programs Fund is selected on that form. Monies sent, and misapplied to the polio eradication effort or to the Permanent Fund simply do not count toward our district Annual Programs goal. Thank you for making this request a priority in your club.
Dean Dickinson/DGE and Annual Programs Chair
Successful President Elect Training Program
On Friday, March 20 th, President Elects and President Elect Nominees from throughout District 6250 gathered at the Glacier Lodge in Wisconsin Dells for their annual training conference. Among many other subjects, the attendees learned about our Rotary International Foundation and how it continually improves the lives of people around the world.
At the close of the hour long program by Foundation chair Mary Kessens and Annual Program Chair, David Warren, the group was asked to make their own commitment to our foundation. Far exceeding the EREY (Every Rotarian, Every Year) goal of $100 per capita, the group raised almost $14,000! When leveraged through the Foundation, in three years, these dollars will result in over $24,500 in humanitarian grants being issued and support of GSE teams, Ambassadorial Scholars and other educational programming. That is the power of OUR Rotary Foundation! Please make your annual gift today. For additional information, please visit http://www.rotary.org/en/contribute/contributenow/Pages/ridefault.aspx or contact David Warren at dave@davesace.com .
Rotary Membership Tips
MEMBERSHIP DEVELOPMENT AND RETENTION COMMITTEE MEMBERS
“25 – 45 – Facebook – Retention - The Future of Rotary is in Your Hands.”
That’s the chant invented for PETS, March 20, 2009, to describe the theme for District 6250 Membership Development and Retention this coming year along with the theme of Rotary International President John Kenney for 2009-2010.
Recruit Gen X and Gen Y - Use Facebook / LinkedIn
Our future is in the hands of people 25-45 years old. It’s about time we stop paying lip service to the old fashion Rotary chant “We need more young members in our club” and replace it with the new chant above and take deliberate actions to identify, introduce, invite, induct, inform and orient, involve, and educate this age group. Start networking with your current members in this age group – touch one each day with a Facebook message. That’s a great way to start. Then, get your club’s message out using social networking tools such as Facebook or LinkedIn. That’s another good way to reach out to this age group.
Take Action: Contact through Facebook a few members of your club who are 24-45 years of age. Ask what activities might attract new members to your club. E-mail the results of your conversations to Tom Mickelson, In-Coming Chair, District 6250 Membership Development and Retention Committee at mickelsoln@gdinet.com. Tom will share your responses in future newsletters with all District 6250 Rotarians.
Retention is critical as we try to maintain the numbers and quality of the members already associated with your club.
Our Membership Development and Retention Committee in District 6250 has been charged with the following challenges as a result of discussions and questions raised by President Elects at PETS on March 20, 2009.
Charge : Develop a model “Rotary Club Economic Stimulus Policy (RCESP)” that can be used by interested and creative clubs to address the following actual or perceived situations as a result of the economic downturn using one or more the following approaches and others yet to be invented by your club:
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Send thank you notes to all CEO’s who sponsor members of your club thanking them for their sponsorship of your member.
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Offer a member who has lost their job free membership until re-employed so that the club can retain a quality Rotarian.
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Ask senior members of your club (perhaps members with deep pockets) to pay the membership fees anonymously for members under financial stress.
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Adjust the dues structure for a quality member experiencing financial stress so that that District and Rotary International dues get paid but the club dues and meal costs are excused for 6-12 months.
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Allow members to temporarily pay for the meals that they actually eat at the club
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Replace elaborate meals with lighter breakfasts or lunches.
Ask a few club leaders, through Face book, e-mail or face-to-face conversations, about their perceptions of how the current economic downturn situation might be affect membership development and retention activity within your club. Consider the following:
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Has a major employer downsized their organization in your community or surrounding area? Please describe.
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How has that affected membership in your club? Please describe.
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Have organizations that sponsor some of your club members withdrawn their membership resulting in members resigning from your club? Please describe.
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What steps have you taken in your club to ease the financial stress of some of your embers?
E-mail the results of your conversations to Tom Mickelson, In-Coming Chair, District 6250 Membership Dev elopement and Retention Committee at mickelsoln@gdinet.com. Tom will share your responses in future newsletters with all District 6250 Rotarians.
Future Vision Pilot Program
The Future Vision Pilot Project is fast approaching. Following is some basic information on the reorganization efforts of your Rotary Foundation. At Presidents Elect Training Session, your district’s presidents elect gave approval for District 6250 to apply for pilot project status for the Rotary years from 2010-12. Only 100 districts will be selected for the pilot and our selection will be know in the Fall 2009. We think that participation in The Future Vision Plan will give our district more flexibility to fund matching grants for both local and international projects. It will also allow District 6250 to be a part of developing the future structure of The Rotary Foundation.
Click here to learn more about the program.
Club News, Events and Announcements
Do you have an upcoming Club Event or accomplishment that you would like to announce? Send your pre-written article to: rotarydistrict6250@morgandata.com.
Reedsburg Fundraiser Idea
Are you looking for a fundraiser to achieve that $1000 goal for polio eradication? I have a great idea for you!!
Rotary International is the oldest service organization in the world. Our goal is to eradicate polio from the face of the earth. We are getting close to accomplishing this but there are still four countries in the world (parts of India, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria) where the wild polio virus is still very rampant. The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International is the recipient of several of approximately 355 million dollars from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. This grant is a tremendous validation of the ongoing efforts of Rotary and its world partners, the World Health Organization, US Centers for Disease Control and UNICEF to eradicate polio. As Rotarians, we need to match much of that amount of money. All Rotarians throughout the world are working hard to accomplish this goal.
I am hoping that your hospital or clinic will help us with this task. Recently the Reedsburg Area Medical Center, under the direction of Nurse Terri Langer, created a project that raised over $1500 that will be used in the polio eradication effort. During the District Conference, the Reedsburg-Western Sauk County Rotary Club will have the opportunity to tell you more about this wonderful effort. You do not want to miss this presentation. These types of grassroots efforts have been the backbone of the polio eradication program for 25 years.
I would like to see every Club in the District participate with the medical facilities in their community to provide an "awareness activity" that reaches out to the community while at the same time raises money to eradicate polio. This could be held during the month of May during National Nurses Week. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
Please share this idea with your Club members and identify at least one Cl member of the Club who has a connection to the health care facilities in your community. I would love to hear from you and I am sure that Terri Langer wouldn't mind if you communicated with her about Reedsburg's outstanding project. Her email address is: tlanger@ramchealth.org Be sure that you attend the District Conference so that you can hear more about this wonderful event.
Thank you very much for your consideration.
Need a Program for a Club Meeting?
Ed Smith has a PowerPoint presentation that may be right for you.
He has a 30-minute program covering the launch of the space shuttle Endeavour that went to the International Space Station (ISS) in November, 2008. Ed went to the Kennedy Space Center to view the November 14 th launch, and he had a special reason. This was the second shuttle mission that his great-niece, Sandy Magnus, flew.
Sandy was Flight Engineer on the mission, and she remained on the ISS for about 4-1/2 months, returning on March 28 th. Ed’s program will take you with him from the Visitor’s Center at Kennedy Space Center through the launch (a spectacular night launch!), onto the ISS with pictures from outer space, and concluding with the landing of the shuttle Discovery which brought Sandy home.
The only equipment that Ed will need from your club is a digital projector (that can connect to his laptop computer) and a projection screen. If you want more information or would like to arrange a program date, contact Ed. His email address is elsmith@tds.net and his telephone number in Stoughton is (608) 877-8895.
RI Membership Development Awards
Creative strategies to influence the growth and development of Rotary's membership are a necessity if Rotary is to meet the growing demand for humanitarian service. The need for proactive, creative strategies to attract and retain members has never been greater.
Each year, Rotary International recognizes up to three clubs from each District, based on their implementation of a proactive and creative strategy to influence membership growth and development in one of three areas:
.Retention
.Recruitment of qualified new members
.Organization of New Rotary Clubs
If you feel that your club qualifies for any of the above areas, please notify District Governor Tom Marshall on or before May 1st.
Rotarians in Peru
For a second year, Rotary Orphan Train members began the New Year learning more about the needs of kids in orphanages first hand. This year, Rotarians from Madison West Towne-Middleton and Prairie du Chien spent nearly two weeks in Peru. Beginning in Lima, with the help of several Lima Rotary and Rotaract Clubs, the group toured four very different home settings. Imagine seeing a home of 680 kids whose cooking source is outdoor pit fires!! They’re living with very limited protein in their diets and because of this visit, Rotarians are already helping out with a rabbit project for additional nutrition with a by-product of tanning the pelts to sell to a nearby company.
Other homes of neglected, abandoned, impoverished or HIV kids highlighted the work that needs to be done to improve life for them. Working together, we can help.
We were fortunate to be able to stay for four days at San Juan Bosco in Huánuco, a home of 60 boys and girls ages 5 – 17 and we got to know the Orphanage Director, Fr Crisanto as well as the kids who live there. Twice a week they do their own baking and we were delighted one afternoon to be part of a baking session where the kids taught us how to shape and bake the rolls which feed them (and us during our stay). What fun! They also taught us how to do laundry with a bucket, board and scrub brush! As you might guess, washing machines are high on their wish list. The kids are kind, warm and caring and were eager to interact with us. Leaving them was full of hugs and tears.
For over 10 years, the Rotary Orphan Train Project has matched orphanages around
the world with groups who want to help. Currently 8 countries and over 50 orphanages are part of the project. Learn more about it at www.rotaryorphantrain.org. If your Club would like to hear more about this trip, speakers are available. Please contact Orphan Train Chair, Ed Fink at edf@itis.com or Peru Chair Mary Van Hout at Vanhout.mary@principal.com.
Keeping a Positive Attitude in Waunakee
There are so many reasons why we rely on Senior Leaders in District 6250 for guidance and inspiration during troubled times. Here’s just another reason – an inspiring e-mail message from Phil Willems, Rotary Club of Waunakee to Tom Mickelson, In-Coming Chair, District 6250 Membership Development and Retention Committee. For some outstanding Rotarians like Phil, there are no barriers to overcome – just ignore them and move forward!!
Here’s the message – embrace it!!
“We seem to be fortunate. Our membership is growing since we started to recruit younger, community minded, active and family minded members three years ago. We impressed on them that the meal charge is an easy way of raising funds for our club. After all, if you are missing the fun of attending a Rotary meal you probably are out making money!!”
“We also seem to be weathering the so called “recession” by not cooperating with that perception. We are ignoring this perception and trying to do better by increasing membership more than last year.”
“Most of our members are self-employed and the ones that are not mostly pay their own way (that is how it should be any way). Rotary is a good deal and is a lot better than taking personal development courses on company time!!”
“I feel that we are as relevant in down times as well as boom-times. We should focus on making our clubs the best place in town to be when we have our meetings.”
RI News
Ambassadorial Scholarship Applications Available
Dear Club Presidents,
Your club has a unique opportunity to support a graduate student abroad through RI’s Ambassadorial Scholar program. Applicants are reviewed, selected and funded by the District . All you have to do is encourage students to submit application information prior to August 1, 2009, to study in 2010-2011.
The Foundation of Rotary International sponsors one of the largest international scholarship programs in the world. Scholars study in a different country, where they serve as unofficial ambassadors of goodwill. Since 1947, more than 47,000 scholars from 110 countries have received scholarships of more than $476 million through The Rotary Foundation.
The purpose of the Ambassadorial Scholarships program is to further international understanding and friendly relations among people of different countries and geographical areas. The program sponsors several types of scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students as well as for qualified professionals pursuing vocational studies. While abroad, scholars serve as goodwill ambassadors to the host country and give presentations about their homelands to Rotary clubs and other groups. Upon returning home, scholars share with Rotarians and others the experiences that led to a greater understanding of their host country.
July-August 2009
Applicants should complete the 2010-11 application available on the RI website, carefully researching possible institutions of study. There is no need to apply for or take language tests at this time. Applications must be submitted to local Rotary clubs by August 1, 2009. Applications should be submitted to Marsha Barwick by August 7, 2009.
Downloadable Form: http://www.rotary.org/RIdocuments/en_pdf/139en.pdf
August/September 2009
A selection committee comprised of individuals throughout District 6250 will review applications, interview applicants and select award representatives. Clubs and individuals will be notified.
February 2010
All 2010-11 scholarship recipients will receive a packet of information from the Foundation. This material outlines the steps they’re required to complete in preparation for their term.
Please share this information with your Rotarians help us appoint outstanding candidates to represent District 6250 abroad. Please refer questions and applicants to me. Thank you for your consideration and assistance.
Yours in Rotary,
Marsha Barwick
District 6250 Ambassadorial Scholar Chair
1226 W. Jefferson Street , Marshfield , WI 54449
Day Phone: 715.389.3430, Fax: 715.387.9080
Member Access to RI Website
Do you have questions about what you can find on the Rotary International website and how you go about getting access. Check out this fact sheet with Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the RI site.
Update on Annual Giving
The Rotary Foundation is Changing! See the Zone 27 Foundation Report.
The Rotary Foundation is changing! Click here to read the Zone 27 newsletter to track our district’s results compared to other districts in our Zone. Also, more new information is being distributed about The Rotary Foundation Future Vision Plan. See how this will impact our grants and work through The Rotary Foundation.
Foundation Reports
Each club in District 6250 has established a foundation goal and the question is how are the clubs going about the achieving those goals? Have each of the clubs done an every member enrollment? Successful clubs take the time to ask each member to make a pledge commitment to the Rotary Foundation. Fulfilling that pledge might involve a quarterly billing by the club secretary/treasurer or participating in the direct deposit transfer from the Rotarians checking account to the RI Foundation account or it might mean a monthly charge to a credit card. Successful clubs establish a process that allows their members to both make and fulfill the commitment.
Click here to view the updated Club Goals Report!
Attendance Report
New Reporting Tool for District Attendance
Check out the new reporting tool for District Attendance for 2008-2009. http://www.rotary6250.org/clubs/monthlyattendance.shtml Clubs can view each month’s attendance in a visual graph. Also Club Secretary’s can request access to update their information directly online!
A big THANK YOU goes out to District 5340 for sharing this web functionality!
Click here to submit your club's attendance report
Click here to see the full Attendance Report.
