Important Note: Deadline for district newsletter submissions is the 25th of each month. The newsletter will be distributed by the first full week of the month.
District Governor's Message
Rotary Awareness
 |
Dean Dickinson |
Dear Rotarians,
This Rotary year is half over and, like the oft repeated philosophical test, the question before us is the year half over or do we look to another half of a year in which to do the good work of Rotary. We could ask, has your thirst for Rotary been satisfied or do you still wish to drink from the well of Rotary awareness. The Rotary theme for this month is “Rotary Awareness”. We should be incorporating into our meetings, each and every month, the Rotary story about how, in and through Rotary, we are changing lives, making a difference, extending world understanding, goodwill and peace.
This month I trust that a concerted effort will be made to share the Rotary minute, a short message, with a Rotary point, that will inform and excite club members to what a great thing it is that we belong to, this thing called Rotary. How about adopting, as a matter of procedure, the sharing of the Four Way Test of the things we think, say and do. It should be the ethical mantra of our members. Do you know what the Object of Rotary Is? This statement is published in every edition of the Rotarian and frankly, should be shared frequently in our club meetings. Rotary Awareness can be enhanced by a program presented by one of our GSE Team members. Our district sends out groups of four young people to other countries where they are immersed into the culture for a month. The result is life changing for those who participate and they have a story to tell. Invite one of them to share their story with your club. We have several clubs in the district that are involved in international service projects. Invite a representative to come to your club and present on what they are doing to make a difference. The story they tell will surely increase your Rotary awareness.
I have sent to each of the clubs a wonderful DVD, “This is Rotary”, that showcases Rotary involvement in making this world a better place. It could be used for a couple of programs this month. Club Presidents, please use this resource to share with your members some amazing stories about how ordinary people are do extraordinary things in the world.
If we increase Rotary Awareness then the issues of club membership, attendance development and retention, will become less of a burden. If we increase Rotary Awareness then more of our members will step up to support the Rotary Foundation which provides the life blood to our good intentions in service to the world. Our members want to know that they belong to a significant organization and it is our responsibility to share the great story of Rotary with them.
Yours in Rotary,
Dean Dickinson
District Governor
Rotary District 6250
District News, Events and Announcements
Club Visioning - Impressions From the Field
District 6250 has created a stable of trained Rotarian facilitator volunteers on-call and available without fee to support a club interested in defining its own, unique future. Since 1987, I have been a member of the Rotary Club of Madison. Our District’s new Visioning initiative is the most welcome and powerful initiative that I recall. I was there – I was trained.
Even for a large club such as mine, that from time to time conducts its own re-visioning efforts to modify it’s future course of action, it will be easy and very appropriate to use a team of well trained Rotary facilitators from within District 6250 (but outside our own club) to help us sharpen our future focus. I was impressed with both the quality of the trainers, Rotarians with international training experience in facilitation, and the quality of the trainees, Rotarians, many of whom have had previous experience as facilitators.
Will your Club’s hallmark be International programs? Community projects? Fun and fellowship? Activities for families and spouses? Will you aggressively recruit new members? Concentrate on retaining members and preserving longtime friendships? Will your Club bend its efforts to support youth? Education? The community’s poor? Or civic booster-ism? Will your Club prefer to offer financial support or hands-on assistance? Will you be engaged in a single long-term project or in many projects? Do you want to cap membership or treble it?
For all that unites our district’s 60 clubs and the planet’s 32,000 Rotary Clubs, like snowflakes, are unique. The only thing sure about a club’s future is that if the members lack a common vision, they are unlikely to arrive there.
In October 2009, District 6250 summoned two dozen Rotarians from all parts of our district and subjected them to a full day of training -- led by a professional trainer with tons of national and international experience -- to equip each of them with the wherewithal to facilitate a Club’s drawing its own map to its future.
My Club, periodically, has, with the aid of a trained facilitator, re-examined the Club’s vision of its future and modified its course as merited. This has been tremendously important for every aspect of the Club’s success- -- membership, programs, community activities, and more. An outside facilitator, however, can be expensive and drawing on a member of the club to facilitate can undermine the facilitator’s neutrality and effectiveness in fostering the club’s discussion and decisions about its future.
If you are interested in learning more about club visioning for your Rotary club, click on the club visioning logo on the District 6250 homepage or contact Tom Mickelson at mickelson@farmjobsearch.net.
Submitted by Roth Judd, Facilitator
Club Vision Facilitation Team
Member, Rotary Club of Madison Downtown
If you would like more information on the Club Visioning process, visit the District Vision webpage or feel free to contact Committee Chair and District Governor Nominee Chuck Hanson or any member of District 6250's Club Visioning Committee. You can find all the names and e-mail addresses on the District website.
If you would like to request a club visioning event for your club, you can download the request form and fax it to Morgan Data using this link: Club Vision Facilitator Request Form. The District 6250 Club Visioning Committee looks forward to hearing from you.
Chuck Hanson (District Governor Nominee) and District 6250 Club Visioning Chair
Tom Mickelson, Member, District 6250 Club Visioning Committee
Hotel Reservations Available for 2010 District Training Dates and District Conference!
If you plan on attending any of the 2010 District Training Sessions or the 2010 District Conference, make your reservations now to secure special pricing.
Registration for these events and complete details will be available soon.
District Team Training Seminar, Friday and Saturday, February 19-20, 2010
Glacier Canyon Lodge, Wisconsin Dells
Rate: $115
Reservations: 800-867-9453
Reservation Code: #158208, Rotary 6250DTTS
President-Elect Training Seminar, Thursday and Friday, March 18-19, 2010
Glacier Canyon Lodge, Wisconsin Dells
Rate: $99
Reservations: 800-867-9453
Reservation Code: #158118, Rotary 6250PETS
District Assembly, Saturday, April 24, 2010
Glacier Canyon Lodge, Wisconsin Dells
Rate: $109
Reservations: 800-867-9453
Reservation Code: #158194, Rotary District 6250
District Conference, Friday and Saturday, May 20-22, 2010
Radisson La Crosse and La Crosse Convention Center, La Crosse
Rate: $129-139
Reservations: 608-784-6680
Reservation Code: Rotary District Conference
Rotarians at Work Day May 1, 2010
“Rotarians at Work Day” is scheduled for Saturday, May 1, 2010. A district wide community service event, it serves several purposes:
Firstly: It serves to fulfill our responsibility to perform community service.
Secondly: It provides us with the opportunity to roll up our sleeves and to work together in a common endeavor.
Thirdly: It will serve to raise awareness of Rotary in our respective communities.
Fourthly: We might get lucky and have someone ask about joining our club.
Lastly: Because we are being encouraged to do a fellowship over the noon hour, we get to enjoy our fellow members over brats or burgers or whatever your club is good at.
NOW is the time to register your club for the Rotarians at Work Day scheduled for May 1, 2010. Don’t forget…the first 500 Rotarians to sign up will get a special T-Shirt. Check the district website to view all the clubs who have signed up so far.
The latest club to register a project is the Rotary Club of Columbus/ Fall River. They will be doing a highway clean up – an ongoing project; in a newly “adopted” area. A second roadside clean up in the Fall River area is also planned. If time allows, a spring clean up of their Rotary Park will also happen. 50% of the club (15) members will participate. Sign up now with the chair of “Rotarians at Work”, Sandy Ott, of the Rotary Club of Menomonie at: sandyott@charter.net
Rotary Traveling Bell
After traveling through the district at a pretty good pace the Rotary Traveling Bell has been stuck at the Rotary Club of Wisconsin Rapids for several weeks. The poor bell is feeling neglected, unwanted, under appreciated.
The next club to capture the bell, other than the Rotary Club of Wisconsin Rapids Sunrise will earn a check from the District Governor in the amount of $100, payable in the name of the club, to the polio eradication fund raising effort.
Remember, capturing the bell provides your club with the opportunity to reach out to another club, to discover how much we Rotarians have in common and to have fun…so stick it to the DG and go get the bell!!
Foundation Facts At-a-Glance
Did you know that Charity Navigator ranked the Rotary Foundation in the Top 10 (#3) of Charities? Charity Navigator is a source of information for those looking to make intelligent charitable giving decissions.
The Rotary Foundation was founded in 1917 by the sixth president of Rotary International, Arch C. Klumpf.
The foundation was funded by a contribution of $26.50 from the Rotary Club of Kansas City, Missouri. Contributions to the Rotary Foundation in 2005-2006 amounted to almost 118 million dollars.
“The mission of the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International is to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education and the alleviation of poverty.”
In short form, this means that the Rotary Foundation is committed to those programs which support the premise that there cannot be world understanding and peace when people are hungry, sick, uneducated and living in squalor.
The Council of Legislation in 2001 set a EREY goal of $100 and that decision was endorsed by the 2004 Council of Legislation.
The Rotary Foundation is comprised of these major funds:
-
ANNUAL PROGRAMS FUND: Supports Ambassadorial Scholars, Supports Group Study Exchange, Supports District Simplified Grants, Supports through DDF Matching Grants,
-
THE WORLD FUND: Supports Humanitarian Grants, Supports World Peace Scholars, Supports 3H Grants, Supports Matching Grants
-
THE PERMANENT FUND: An endowment fund established in 1982
-
THE POLIO PLUS FUND: Supports the ongoing efforts of R.I. to eradicate polio.
DONOR DESIGNATIONS
-
Sustaining Member $100 per year
-
Paul Harris Fellow $1000 in cumulative giving to the foundation
-
Benefactor $1000 or more to the Permanent Fund
-
Paul Harris Society $1000 in annual giving to the foundation
-
Bequest Society $10,000 or more to the Permanent Fund
-
Major Donor $10,000 or more to the APF, PF or TRF
Foundation Raffle
The District Foundation Committee is happy to announce a Foundation Raffle intended to reward those of our district membership who are sustaining members of the Rotary Foundation. Each Rotarian who contributes at least $100.00 to the Annual Programs Fund (EREY) in Rotary year 2009-2010, on or before May 1 st, 2010, will have his/her name entered into a raffle drawing. Additional tickets will be entered for each subsequent contribution of $100. Three winners will be drawn on Saturday evening, May 22, 2010, at the District Conference Celebration Dinner. The prizes?
3 rd Place 26” Flat Screen T.V.
2 nd Place 36” Flat Screen T.V.
1 st Place 42” Flat Screen T.V.
The more you contribute the greater number of chances you will have to win one of these great prizes but donations must be in increments of $100 to qualify for a raffle ticket. If you are making a contribution through a billing statement from your club you will want to ask your club treasurer to remit your contributions to the Rotary Foundation so that they arrive not later than May 1st, 2010.
This raffle is conducted in compliance with Wisconsin Raffle Rules and Regulations.
There is no cash value associated with these prizes and they may not be redeemed or exchanged.
Winners need not be present to win but are responsible for the delivery of the prize to their home (so plan on coming to the conference and make it easy on yourself)
Dean Dickinson
District Governor
Rotary District 6250
Mary Kessens
District Foundation Chair
Rotary District 6250
Friendship Exchange with District 1240, Essex, England
Clubs in District 6250 have an opportunity to take part in a Rotary Friendship Exchange with District 1240 of the United Kingdom. District 1240 is located in the southeast of England close to London. The exchange suggests our English friends visit us in the late summer of 2010 and we visit them in the Spring of 2011. The exchange will last ten days and visit three clubs in each area. Five to six hosts will be required in each city to host 10 to 12 visitors. If your club is interested in participating in the exchange please contact Bill Erickson at billjneteric@tds.net or (608)849-7445.
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.
Inspiring Report from District Ambassadorial Scholarship Recipient
A Letter to Rotary District 6250 from Rotarian Peter Groth...
To eat, or not to eat; that was the question. I have partaken of the sharpest cheddar and tangiest Limburger that my home state offers, but nothing could have prepared me for the piece of Bedouin goat cheese that now sat in my hand, waiting to be eaten. The taste wasn't just strong, it was ferocious. The first bite had made my eyes water, and I was concerned that the second bite might actually draw tears. By my estimation, it was going to take me about eight more bites to finish the cheese, granting that I didn't expire before that. I had chosen the biggest piece, mistakenly thinking the waxy chunk to be candied mango, or one of the other sweets that we regularly see here. I looked around at my friends who were sitting cross-legged in a rectangle beneath the camel hair tent; they had managed to escape this quandary by cleverly sneaking the cheese into their pockets. I could not manage such an escape, as I had chosen the closest seat to the family elder; his weathered face now turned towards me awaiting my second bite. Bedouin hospitality and international diplomacy dictated that I must eat the cheese. I smiled in thanks to the elder, took a deep breath, and went in for bite number two.
The Ambassadorial Scholarship Program has been in existence for over sixty years, and it is as important to achieving Rotary's goals of peace, goodwill and understanding as it has ever been. Globalization and advances in communication continue to make our world a smaller place and increase encounters between nations, cultures, and individuals. Without understanding, these encounters can turn into clashes. With this in mind, Rotary International began the Ambassadorial Scholarship Program in 1947, and to date, has given over 30,000 men and women the invaluable opportunity to develop themselves personally and advance the goals of Rotary by participating in it.
I arrived in Amman, Jordan, in June of 2009 to begin my scholarship term studying Arabic at the University of Jordan. I had wanted to study Arabic for many years, and was very excited to be embarking on such an adventure. In fact, my excitement and enthusiasm for the opportunity have not faded since I first received word that I had been chosen to represent Rotary District 6250 in the program, in September, 2008. I often discuss Rotary and the Ambassadorial Scholarship Program with people I meet. The subject comes up naturally, because the moment they hear that I am here on scholarship, and that the scholarship is privately funded, they are intrigued. They often ask me what qualifications Rotary looks for in a candidate. The first time that I was asked this question, I was not sure how to answer it, and after further reflection, I realized why; Rotary doesn't invest in qualifications, it invests in people. More accurately, it invests in individuals. From the first day of the application process through the final committee interview, I was convinced that Rotary was interested in me as a person rather than a collection of facts and numbers. One only needs to attend an Ambassadorial Scholar conference to realize that there is no scholar "type" in regards to background or ethnicity. Scholars come from all walks of life and from an impressive spectrum of academic subjects; but what binds them together is an enthusiasm and commitment to the vision and ideals of the program.
A deep and inspiring optimism lies at the heart of Rotary, emanating from the belief that individuals do have the ability to improve the world that they live in. Every year, when a new group of Ambassadorial Scholars are sent out to all corners of the globe, this faith in the individual is reaffirmed. For a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar, this faith can have a strong impact personally. Upon being selected for the program, an Ambassadorial Scholar gains a group of friends and the support of an organization that believe not only in who they are, but also the potential of who they may become. This is a powerful act of faith that can have a lasting impact on a scholar’s life. Rotary's faith in its Ambassadorial Scholars is evident in the freedom it allows each one for best utilizing his or her scholarship term. The scholar is permitted to study any subject as long as it is in line with the goals of Rotary and the scholarship program. Likewise, each scholar is encouraged to participate in volunteer work or create a service project while they are abroad, but no guidelines are dictated; the scholar is free to seek or create a project that best utilizes their skills and serves the needs of the community they are living in.
My time as an Ambassadorial Scholar has been filled with many memorable moments, such as being invited by a father and son to share in their traditional Ramadan dinner in the ancient marketplace of Aleppo, or having a Jordanian student at the University of Jordan stop and thank me simply for studying his language; and of course, eating goat cheese and drinking tea with a Bedouin family near Jordan’s border with Israel. Concerning the goat cheese, I did finish it with the help of six cups of tea. As chance would have it, the ferocity was not simply in the taste, and I ended up sick in bed for the next two days. The event didn’t surprise a Jordanian friend of mine, who, upon hearing the story, informed me that the cheese sometimes is left to sit out in the sun for a few weeks before being eaten. I wouldn’t trade the experience despite my sickness, but it certainly makes me more appreciative of the alternative cheese production methods employed by the farmers in my home state!
The Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship Program is something for which every member of Rotary can be very proud. The program exemplifies this organization’s ideals and carries them to every part of the world. Representing Rotary District 6250 as an Ambassadorial Scholar has been a tremendously enriching and unique experience for me, and I am deeply appreciative of being given the opportunity to represent you. I am confident that as the Ambassadorial Scholarship Program moves forward, it will continue be an inspiring example of Rotary’s vision.
Looking for a FUNdraiser for Polio Eradication? "Making Children Part of the Solution"
If your club is searching for a FUNdraiser for the polio eradication effort, consider a “Purple Pinkie” Project.
A link to one club’s version of this fundraiser follows. This is from the Rotary Club of Lake City, Florida: http://www.rotary6940.org/pdfs/PurplePinkieProjectHandbook.pdf
A great way to raise money and awareness!
RI News
Safe water & sanitation projects - some new opportunities for Rotarians!
WASRAG, in partnership with the Millennium Water Alliance, has reached agreement with the U.S. Department of State to participate in a $300,000 program to provide access to water and sanitation services and create greater hygiene awareness in schools in some 15-20 target countries. The program will be reinforced by public outreach events and media coverage at each school.
Rotary clubs in developing countries, with support from international partner clubs, can participate in this program. Eligible clubs are those clubs that are currently implementing water and/or sanitation projects that could be scaled up to feature outreach and media events. The sponsor is seeking early returns and there will not be time to start new projects. There will however be time to build on existing projects.
U.S. Embassies in the following countries have expressed an interest in participating in this program: Bolivia, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Belize, Ghana, Mauretania, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania and Timor Leste.
Please spread the word to every Rotarian who may know of any current project to bring safe water to schools in any of these countries. Ask them to contact info@wasrag.org with brief details of the project, including location, the size of the community and school, specific nature of the project, and names of local partners, Rotary clubs and others.
And, please put the word "AWASH" in the subject line of your email to help us move them along as quickly as possible!
FUNDS AVAILABLE FOR PROJECTS IN GHANA The International H2O Collaboration* in Ghana proposes to work in up to 120 rural communities in four regions ( Volta, Greater Accra, Eastern and Central).
The USAID mission and Rotarians have been working closely with the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA - the branch of the Ghanaian government working in rural communities focusing on water, sanitation and hygiene needs) to identify the communities and develop the projects. The communities were chosen using specific criteria, including need, readiness and proximity to a Rotary club. Within each community projects will involve the provision of capacity building, borehole(s), mechanized water system(s), Ventilated Improved Pit (VIP) latrines, water closets, rainwater collection vessel(s), and/or hygiene education.
USAID will fund and implement the bulk of the education and behavior change components, while Rotarians will fund and implement the bulk of the infrastructure.
WASRAG is looking for Rotarians, clubs or districts to "adopt" the identified communities to help complete the funding. In addition, USAID is matching all Rotary money dollar for dollar by financing the costs of the education and behavior change components, including education in good sanitation and hygiene practices.
To put it simply, we are looking for Rotarians, clubs or districts who will fund one-half the cost of the infrastructure needs for a village, with the other half paid for by matching funds from The Rotary Foundation. Contributions from Rotarians, clubs and districts are effectively matched 3 for 1 when the USAID contribution is taken into account.
Funding can be in cash or DDF. For more information contact:
Amanda Robertson
Project Manager, RI/USAID Humanitarian Grants The Rotary Foundation
Phone: 847-866-3412
Fax: 847-866-9759
Email: amanda.robertson@rotary.org
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
January Foundation Calendar
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.
