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DISTRICT GOVERNOR'S MESSAGE

Fellow Rotarians!

What happened in District 6250 in January?  A lot!  Just one example.  The fastest growing club in our District had their annual Bierfest and raised about $15,000 to fund projects.  How did Mayville become our fastest growing club?  Simple.  Club members enjoy each others company and have a lot of fun together.  They are constantly inviting people to join them for lunch, join them in service, join them for a beer, just join them! 

Finally, when someone does decide to join the Club, the new member is immediately engaged and made to feel part of the "gang".  No secret sauce in Mayville!  Paraphrasing new member Broc Fleischer "I kind of joined because I thought I should; but this whole Rotary thing is really dope!"

Being dope is exactly where we need to get with all of our new members.  RI President-Elect Holger Knaack recently said “We need to stop thinking of new members as people we can mark down as statistics and then forget about.  Every new member changes us a little bit. That person brings a new perspective, new experiences. We need to embrace this constant renewal. We will grow stronger as we learn from new members.”   Mayville has this figured out.  Does your club?  Don't think about Membership as a task and instead, like Mayville, embrace the idea of constant renewal. 

As I mentioned in my JULY VIDEO; there are lots of good people out there who have not discovered Rotary.  We all know someone who would benefit from Rotary and who would bring something new to our club.  Invite that person in, spend some time with that person and explain where your passion for Rotary comes from and then tell that person that you'd be honored if they should decide to join the greatest networking/service organization in the world!
 

 
2020-21 ROTARY THEME - ROTARY OPENS OPPORTUNITIES!

Rotary International President-elect Holger Knaack is encouraging Rotarians to seize the many opportunities Rotary offers to enrich their lives and the communities they serve.

Knaack, a member of the Rotary Club of Herzogtum Lauenburg-Mölln, Germany, revealed the 2020-21 presidential theme, Rotary Opens Opportunities, to incoming district governors at the Rotary International Assembly in San Diego, California, USA, on 20 January.

Rotary isn’t just a club for people to join, but rather “an invitation to endless opportunities,” said Knaack, who becomes president on 1 July. He emphasized that Rotary creates pathways for members to improve their lives and the lives of those they help through service projects.

“We believe that our acts of service, big and small, create opportunities for people who need our help,” Knaack said. He added that Rotary creates leadership opportunities and gives members the chance to travel the world to put their service ideas into action and make lifelong connections. “Everything we do opens another opportunity for someone, somewhere,” said Knaack.

FULL HOLGER KNAACK ROTARY INTERNATIONAL ASSEMBLY VIDEO ADDRESS AND STORY HERE

 

ROTARYFEST - THE DISTRICT CONFERENCE WITH A TWIST!
Special RotaryFest update!  PDG Ronnie Gabalda and his wife Sanda from District 3850 in the Philippines will be joining us at RotaryFest as the RI President's Official Representative.  Ronnie will being showing us how Rotary Connects the World!  Registration for RotaryFest, the District Conference with a Twist, is open and many activities are filling up fast ... especially the Friday night Fireside show and the Friday Golf Outing.  
 
RotaryFest will take place June 19-21 in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin.  One of Rotary International President Mark Maloney's major goals is to make Rotary more family friendly  ....  we're aiming to do just that!  Come one come all!  Check out the RotaryFest video that describes almost everything that will be taking place.  Register here as soon as possible:  ROTARYFEST REGISTRATION AND VIDEO LINK
 
 
IMPORTANT DISTRICT DATES

Please keep in mind that some important District Events are taking place in the coming months.  Registration for these events is available here REGISTER HERE, via the District website and via the links provided further down in this eBulletin.  If you are having problems registering please contact me at ROTARYDISTRICT6250@MORGANDATA.COM ... we're always here to help!

 

MISSION CONTROL CENTER  - HOW ARE WE DOING?
As our lift off continues I want to offer an apology.  As District Governor I haven't been doing a good job promoting giving to both our Annual Fund and to PolioPlus with the result that, collectively, we are not doing as well as we have in previous years.  So in the months to come I'll try to do better and I'd like to ask everyone to consider contributing so that your club and our district can get back on track.  If you have any questions concerning the Annual Fund please contact our Annual Fund Chair, Dave Warren.  Direct questions regarding PolioPlus to our PolioPlus Chair, Randy Sproule.  You can also contact me at 1-920-563-9461.
 
As we advance into 2020 our DISTRICT 6250 MISSION CONTROL CENTER is pushing out a lot of new data about our lift off and how your club and our District are doing.  Follow the previous link to see the Rotary opportunities that your club may not be taking advantage of and "Read More" below the example spreadsheet to see if your club is among the leaders in our District in terms of Membership and Foundation Giving.
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BRAZIL FRIENDSHIP EXCHANGE THIS FALL!
 
 
If you have never been on an Rotary Friendship Exchange, now is your chance.!  The fall Brazil Friendship Exchange will take place from October 3rd through the 14th in central Brazil in Belo Horizonte.   Never been on a Friendship Exchange then you have priority!  Bring your spouse, bring your son or daughter, bring a friend!   For details, contact Mark Etrheim, 608-769-7200 or MARK@MCHLAX.COM.  Read more for extra details.
 
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DISTRICT INTERACT AND ROTARACT REPORT
Stay tuned ... coming up in March ... monthly Interact and Roteract reports!  At the same time the District eBulletin will be distributed to Interact advisors and Rotaract members in an effort to get news about Rotary to everyone in our Rotary District family.
 
 
 
SPARTA ROTARY - NON PROFIT OF THE YEAR!
The Sparta Rotary Club was recently honored by the Sparta Chamber of Commerce as the City's non-Profit of the Year!  Congratulations to all the Rotarians in Sparta, past and present, who have kept this club a true community asset and active and vibrant for over 80 years.
 
 
 
SERVICE OPPORTUNITY - ROTARY BOOKS FOR THE WORLD
Madison Breakfast Rotary coordinates the Madison Area Books for the World program.  In 2020 we're NOT looking for lots of used books (we get so many already), we're NOT looking for book transportation to Houston (unless you can do it for free) , we ARE looking for small teams of volunteers to come in and pack books.  So if you're looking for a fun, fulfilling and simple service activity just e-mail me at TWEISS57@GMAIL.COM or just give me a call at 1-608-212-7005.
 
 
POLIOPLUS - THE FIGHT CONTINUES!
The January eBulletin included an article from  Science Magazine detailing how tough the  final push to eliminate Polio has become.  Last week Bill & Melinda Gates announced that their 2:1 match continues in an effort to raise $450 million dollars over the next three years.  At the same time Rotary International provides  in-depth detail on how the Polio fight is being carried out!  No fluff piece here.  See both videos below and donate to PolioPlus if you are able.
 
 
 
 
ROTARY GEEK?  READ THE ROTARY ZONE NEWS!
Rotary Districts are organized into Zones and Zones are organized into pairs.  District 6250 belongs to a Zone that encompasses clubs in the Midwest but our Zone pair stretches from Canada to Venezuela!  If you're a Rotary Geek then you'll find plenty to read in the JANUARY ROTARY ZONE NEWSLETTER.  
 
DISTRICT MEMBERSHIP GRANTS
As in previous years, in 2019-20 the District is again awarding Membership Grants to Clubs that meet the requirements.  Requirements were given to all the current Club Presidents at PETS.   
 
Read more for all the details! 
 
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ALOHA!  HONOLULU INTERNATIONAL ROTARY CONVENTION!

When you are in Honolulu for the Rotary International Convention, 6-10 June, make sure to save room for dessert, because the Hawaiian Islands have some sweet treats in store for you.

 

Read more...
REGISTER FOR UPCOMING EVENTS IN THE DISTRICT
District Team Planning for 2020-2021 Rotary Year
Kalahari Resort
Feb 08, 2020
8:00 AM – 2:30 PM
 
Rotary District Board Meeting
Kalahari Resort
Feb 08, 2020
2:30 PM – 5:30 PM
 
2020 Grant Management Seminar - Madison
Sheraton Hotel
Feb 19, 2020
5:30 PM – 9:00 PM
 
PETS 2020 (President Elect Training) -Register Now
Westin Resort, Itasca
Mar 06, 2020 – Mar 08, 2020
 
View entire list
 
THE SWISS ARMY KNIFE THAT IS ROTARY ... JUST A FEW EXAMPLES BELOW ... IT'S UP TO YOU TO USE IT!
 
THIRSTING FOR MORE?  THE ROTARY INTERNATIONAL NEWS FEED!!!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Russell Hampton
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