I am happy to report that all of the official visits to 43 clubs in Rotary District 7390 have been completed. To boot, some members of alternative meetings invited me to make presentations too. All told, I have travelled over 2700 miles and distributed over 300 candy bars as part of my 45-presentation tour. My sincere appreciation for all of the hospitality extended to me over the past 6 months. Thank you for the warm meals; for the creative Rotary bling; and for the kindness and fellowship.
I have absorbed and learned so much from my fellow Rotarians. Some things have really stuck out in my mind…maybe these observations will be of interest to you too.
We live in a beautiful region. From the mountains of Perry County to the rich farmlands across EVERY county; from the quaint downtowns like Lebanon and Lititz to the bustling urban centers of Harrisburg, Lancaster and York; from the energetic college towns like Carlisle, Elizabethtown and Shippensburg to the historic landmarks of Gettysburg and Harrisburg; from the sweetest place on earth to the snack food capital of the country ~ I have thoroughly enjoyed exploring south central Pennsylvania. If you haven’t taken advantage of the beautiful sights and scenes outside of your own town, perhaps Rotary can be your reason to do so! Consider visiting a club or several clubs in the district and see what I’m talking about! Some regional scenes and landscapes are below.
One size does not fit all. There is no “correct” size for a Rotary Club. I have learned that being a bigger club does NOT eliminate challenges and obstacles. I’ve learned that being a smaller club doesn’t equate to being a “struggling” club. In fact, I’ve been so impressed with clubs of 14-15 people who conduct service projects each and every month. I’ve met with members of what might be considered smaller clubs at 25 or 30 people who raise more money than some clubs twice and three times their size. When it comes to club size, it's having ENGAGED members that matters much more than a number. I hope you’ll join me in looking past the size of the roster to really see a club’s value in terms of the quality of their members and the outcomes & impact of their service.
Student success is our strongest common bond. I’ve asked every club board to talk about what is most unique about their club and of what service projects & activities are they most proud. Most board members, in all reaches of the district, responded in the same way: supporting local schools. Our clubs are decidedly dedicated to working with the local school district through things like scholarships; Student, Teacher and Employee of the month; dictionary & book distribution; early reading programs, mentoring and more. Many clubs actively participate in district & international initiatives such at Youth Exchange, the 4-Way Test Essay and Speech Contests; RYLA, Interact, Rotaract and even Early Act. The Rotary Club of Hanover organizes a college fair for high school students every year. The Rotary Club of Lancaster hosts a basketball extravaganza. The Rotary Club of Harrisburg facilitates the Youth Community Development Team with three different high schools. The Rotary Club of Palmyra supports swim programs in their local schools. The list goes on and on. The one thing that I can say, for certain, is that Rotarians in District 7390 are dedicated to student success in a myriad of ways and that our impact on the lives of those students might just be our greatest contribution to the world. We should all be proud of our relationships with schools and students in our communities.
On Fundraising. Clubs on every side of the district have similar fundraising efforts like wreath and Christmas tree sales; pancake breakfasts, golf events, chicken dinners and more. Some of the more unique fundraisers I learned about included community-wide events. These have produced the greatest success. If you’re looking for a fundraiser, do something that engages the community. A few prime examples include the Craft Festival hosted by the Rotary Club of Lititz; A Taste of Western Lancaster County hosted by the Elizabethtown Rotary Club; ROTARY ROCKS community benefit concert hosted by the Rotary Club of New Holland; Dueling Pianos hosted by the Rotary Club of Uptown York; the Harrisburg Baking Championship hosted by the Rotary Club of Harrisburg; the Annual Beer & Wine Festival hosted by the Rotary Club of Mechanicsburg North. There are many more great examples to help demonstrate the point ~ if you want to increase the success of your fundraiser, get the community involved. Food, fun and drinks will help too!
Through all of the conversations and meetings and receiving input from club members and board members, I’ve been able to identify the one ingredient that is consistently at the center of success. The success of membership drives; the success of service projects; and the success of fundraisers depends upon LEADERSHIP. The LEADERSHIP might come from the Club President or it might come from a veteran member or even a brand new member, but when it’s present, it’s unmistakable. LEADERSHIP is what inspires people to want to participate and to want to succeed. LEADERSHIP is palpable. It is magnetic. LEADERSHIP breeds leadership because the most effective leaders are empowering and developing leaders as they work. If LEADERSHIP isn’t blossoming within your club, start looking in unexpected places. ASK for volunteers and allow them the freedom to explore the expanse of their talents. LEADERSHIP of tasks and assignments can lead to LEADERSHIP of initiatives which can result in LEADERSHIP of committees which can result in board LEADERSHIP and, ultimately, LEADERSHIP at club and district levels. If you are interested in district level leadership, please let me know! We have many roles and responsibilities available.
District 7390 is blessed with an abundance of leaders from one end of our footprint to the other and I have been deeply enriched to witness many of them in action. While the first half of the Rotary year comes to an end and my tour of official visits has concluded, I hope you’ll invite me back for special occasions and celebrations! It has truly been a pleasure to visit all of the clubs in the district. My presentation slides are available by clicking here. A photo album of each and every club visit is available by clicking here.
Next on the DG agenda will be updating the district’s Strategic Plan; working on a club-crossing membership safety net; establishing a grant information exchange forum; preparing for the District Training Assembly, district wide Day of Service, and District Conference. There is no shortage of work to be done, only shortage of time in the day!
Thank you all for your continued support. Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year to all of you!
District membership for November 30, 2017 is 2,323.
District giving to the Annual Fund of The Rotary Foundation as of November 30 is $87,225. The District Annual Fund giving goal for 2017-18 is $107,740. Club Presidents - If you have not entered your Foundation goal in Rotary Club Central, please do so!
The Zones’ 24 – 32 Foundation Teams are pleased to offer the 2018 webinars listed below. These webinars are aimed at educating Club and District Leaders and Rotarians to enable them to use the Rotary Foundation to improve club experiences and grow their engagement with the Rotary Foundation in order to enable them to “Do Good in the World”.
Note: Only the January Webinar for Club Foundation Chairs has a set date, stay tuned for dates for the other webinars.
Webinars
Save the Date
January 25 7:00 PM EST
Rotary Foundation for Club Foundation Chairs and Club Officers Moderator: Eva Vida, RRFC Zone 24W
To Be Scheduled... Stay Tuned for Date Announcements
March 2018
Rotary Foundation Grants – District Stewardship – Passing Audit (For Grant Chairs/DRFCs/District Leadership)
Moderator: Ron Smith, RRFC Zone 32
April 2018
District Grant Policies and Procedures – Sharing Practices (for DRFC's/Grant Chairs/District Leadership)
Moderators: Eva Vida RRFC Zone 24W & Russ deFuria RRFC Zone 32
May 2018
Developing & Managing Rotary Foundation Global Grants (for Club Foundation Chairs/ GG's/District Grant Chairs/ Rotarians)
Moderator: Ron Smith RRFC Zone 32
June 2018
Strategic Planning and Managing District Designated Funds (for DGE/DGN/DRFC/Grants Chairs)
Moderators: Karen Oakes RRFC Z-24E & Ron Smith RRFC Z-32
Carlisle’s two Rotary Clubs conducted their annual holiday dinner and auction on December 8th at the Comfort Suites in Carlisle. Thanks to very generous donations and sponsorships, it raised $17,099. Proceeds from the auction will benefit the Cumberland County Historical Society’s "Pocket Park" adjacent to its building located at 21 North Pitt Street.
Funds raised by the event will support Rotary's themed project called “Rest and Refresh” in the park. The “Rest” aspect is the purchase of four hardwood benches that will offer people a place to sit and relax at the park. The “Refresh” aspect will be Rotary-labeled bottles of water providing facts about water around the world. Signage in the park will direct visitors inside the Historical Society’s building for free water, compliments of the Rotary Clubs. Signage near the refrigerator will provide facts about Rotary’s clean water efforts internationally.
Event Chairperson Cindy Gleim-Pool noted, “The auction success was a team effort between the members of both the Rotary Clubs. Carlisle-Sunrise Rotarians Larenda Twigg and Marv Salsman took the lead in soliciting numerous local and national businesses for donations. Along with fellow Rotarians, they generated dozens of silent and live auction items. Carlisle Rotarian Bill Blankmeyer took the lead in soliciting sponsorships, generating almost $6,000. It was a truly awesome effort! ”
According to Blankmeyer, "The original goal was to raise $8,500. The bottom line is that our Rotarians and guests were amazingly generous once again. After we pay for the 4 benches, the design of a new logo for our Rotary water bottles and the signage inside the Historical Society that tells our Rotary story, we will have sufficient funds to sustain our Rotary water supply for years to come – VICTORY!!"
Gleim-Pool had particular praise for Comfort Suites. "The Comfort Suites has the perfect combination of superb customer service and a kitchen that produces first class meals! We appreciate all the extra work the staff did to make this a successful event. From adding a separate wine area to helping with the growing Silent Auction table needs…anything we needed was taken care of quickly and with total professionalism."
The new "pocket park" includes benches, trees, a walking path and “landmark lines” pointing in the direction of historical attractions throughout the county. "It is designed to both enhance the historical society’s visibility and create an outdoor location for people to rest in the downtown. It also will be a setting for outdoor lectures, concerts and history programs," according to Jason Illari, Executive Director of the Historical Society.
During the event, both clubs presented awards to outstanding members for service to their individual clubs and to the community. Carlisle-Sunrise presented its Buzz Coho Distinguished Service Citation, in honor of the late Buzz Coho who was instrumental in the formation of the club over 14 years ago, to Marv Salsman. Carlisle Rotary presented its Rotary 4-Way Test Award to Bill Blankmeyer.
Marv Salsman, recipient of the Rotary Club of Carlisle-Sunrise's Buzz Coho Distinguished Service Citation, smiles with Club President Rena Geesaman at the joint Christmas party put on by the Rotary Club of Carlisle and the Rotary Club of Carlisle-Sunrise.
Rotary Club of Carlisle's Rotary 4-Way Test Award recipient Bill Blankmeyer with wife Barbara (center) and Rotary Club of Carlisle President Kathleen Stoup at the joint Christmas party put on by the Rotary Club of Carlisle and the Rotary Club of Carlisle-Sunrise.
PDG Kevin ("Fuzzy") Cogan and Rotary Exchange Student Gustavo Benedetti (Brazil) share a moment at the recent joint Christmas party put on by the Rotary Club of Carlisle and the Rotary Club of Carlisle-Sunrise.
Both Carlisle Rotary Clubs want to thank the many local, regional and national businesses, merchants and individuals who donated to make this effort such a success, and invite community members to join one of the two Rotary clubs. The Carlisle-Sunrise Rotary Club meets on Tuesday mornings at 7:15 am in the Market Cross Pub. The Carlisle Rotary Club conducts a lunch meeting at noon on Thursdays at the Comfort Suites. Additional information about the two clubs can be found at http://www.carlislesunrotary.com/ and http://www.carlislerotary.org/.
The most powerful force in the promotion of international understanding and peace is exposure to different cultures. The world becomes a smaller, friendlier place when we learn that all people — regardless of nationality — desire the same basic things: a safe, comfortable environment that allows for a rich and satisfying life for our children and ourselves. Youth Exchange provides thousands of young people with the opportunity to meet people from other lands and to experience their cultures. This plants the seeds for a lifetime of international understanding.
The deadline to complete a STEP (Short-term) application has been extended to Monday, January 15, 2018.
Summer 2018 STEP applications are due to the District office by January 15, 2018. Interviews for STEP students will be held Saturday, January 27, 2018 from 1:00 p.m. until 4:30 p.m. at the PA United Church Center (900 S. Arlington Ave, Harrisburg).
Scholarships For International Study from Area Rotary Clubs
Applications for the 2018-19 Rotary Foundation Global Scholarships are now available from Rotary Clubs in Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry and York Counties and from the Rotary District 7390 District office headquartered in York.
Rotary Global Scholars must study abroad in one of the six Areas of Focus of The Rotary Foundation:
1. Peace and Conflict Prevention/Resolution
2. Disease Prevention and Treatment
3. Water and Sanitation
4. Maternal and Child Health
5. Basic Education and Literacy
6. Economic and Community Development
The scholarships, which are designed to further international understanding and goodwill, provide for study abroad in more than 200 countries and geographic areas where Rotary Clubs are located. The Rotary District 7390 Scholarship Committee will award one scholarships for 2018-19.
Rotary Global Scholarships are generally for one academic year abroad and provide funding for round-trip transportation, tuition and fees, room, board, some educational supplies, and language training (if necessary), up to a maximum award of $30,000 or its equivalent. Click here for more information.
The Rotary Foundation Global Scholarship program is the world’s largest privately sponsored international scholarship program. Focused on humanitarian service, personal diplomacy, and academic excellence, the program has sponsored more than 40,000 Rotary Scholars abroad since it began in 1947.
For more information contact the Rotary District 7390 Office: E-mail: office@rotary7390.org, telephone: (717) 854-7842, Fax: (717) 854-6938 or mail: 515 South George Street, York, PA 17401-2723. Interested individuals may also consult the Rotary web site at www.rotary.org,.
Applications must be submitted through a local Rotary club in the area of the applicant’s legal or permanent residence or place of full-time study or employment. Rotary clubs must then submit the endorsed application to the District Chair by January 13, 2018. Interviews will be held on February 17, 2018 in York, PA.
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