A total of 27 inbound exchange students from several Districts, including the five from our District, spent the weekend learning more about our country by visiting the PA State Capitol and going to the Farm Show. During the Rodeo, when the announcer asked if there were anyone there from another country, he was greeted with a big surprise!
Youth Exchange Director Jill Tenny generously hosted everyone, including chaperones, in her full house, and the Harrisburg Club assisted with the dinner (incoming President Shaun Eng was stirring up meatballs over a hot stove as everyone arrived), making for a very interactive weekend. It was another opportunity by caring Rotarians to enhance good will and understanding for our young international guests!
Another essential youth-oriented activity comes from Rotarian Hagir Elsheikh concerning her major initiative in founding Kareem’s Mission, a plan to empower young individuals with autism to thrive and celebrate their unique abilities, through the creation of a facility, an Autism Center, to give them the opportunities they need to succeed, while providing their families with resources to navigate the many challenges they all face.
The facility will be located on the campus of Central Penn College and will require many support items, and a labor of love, in its buildout. Additional information about how Clubs and individual Rotarians can contribute in any manner can be learned by contacting Hagir.
The grand opening of the Autism Center is scheduled for April 19, 2025, during Autism Awareness Month, after which it will serve as a hub for education, resources, and community collaboration. Another compassionate act by a caring Rotarian!
Looking ahead, please plan to attend the Multi-District Conference in Hershey on April 4-6. There will be many activities pertaining to every aspect of Rotary, from friendship and fellowship, to profound engagement in the many life-changing missions that define us.
The Rotary Clubs of West Shore, District 7390 Passport, Mechanicsburg North and Yellow Breeches will host the 74th RMB networking event in Rotary District 7390 history and the first event of the 2025 RMB season.
The event will take place on Thursday, February 13 from 5:00 to 7:30 PM at the Brand-New Joseph T. Simpson Library Learning and Book Sale Center at 45 West Allen Street, Mechanicsburg, PA.
The event will be FREE to attend. There will be light hors d’oeuvres, wine, beer and water provided.
This will be another in a longstanding series of great business networking opportunities for both profit and non-profit organizations. The Mechanicsburg Area RMB has drawn over between 50 and 60 participants every year. Do not miss it. Also, please consider bringing potential Rotarian guests, Rotaractors, and Family of Rotary.
When we do business with Rotarians, we support the mission of Rotary.
Rotary’s Mission: We provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through our fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders.
Additional Sponsors are welcome and encouraged. For more information contact PDG John Anthony at Rotary7390DG2020@gmail.com or 610-587-1358
Our gratitude goes out to our sponsors: Venue Sponsor:
Joseph T. Simpson Library
Event Sponsors:
Rotary Club of West Shore Rotary Club of District 7390 Passport Rotary Club of Yellow Breaches Rotary Club of Mechanicsburg North
Mother Hubbard’s Custom Cabinetry
McKonly & Asbury
Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp of Mechanicsburg and State College
Positive Peace is built on ongoing and sustainable investments in economic development, knowledgeable institutions, and the predominance of societal attitudes that foster peace. In other words, positive Peace involves people, attitudes, and policies that can make positive peace a reality.
Hector is one of the more than 300 Positive Peace Activators and one of the 42 in North America and the Caribbean that Rotary and the Institute for Economics and Peace have sponsored to build positive peace in the world.
Hector is committed to spreading positive peace knowledge and understanding and is willing to train others on conceptualizing positive peace and the framework of peace-building models. It is not about telling one what to know, what to say, or what to do. In other words, “before you try to fix something, ask first” to understand it says Hector Ortiz who is presenting an opening availability to go to your Rotary Clubs and present about Positive Peace and Rotary.
PDG Hector Ortiz is available to speak at Rotary clubs, district functions, community settings, and other venues to promote the importance of positive peace and enhance community peace-building initiatives.
As Global Peacebuilder District, Rotary clubs and Rotarians play an essential role in supporting the work of the Rotary Peace Centers and our grassroots efforts in peacebuilding. It is time to invent and reinvent peace and it must start with us.
Join us for an evening of learning and sharing. Rediscover with us best practices in serving in the AG role and updated knowledge on the RI Strategic Pan and tips to influence ways to increase our impact in our area clubs. We would love to see you at the next AGs Quarterly Forum to be held on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2025. 7:00-8:00 pm EDT. Zoom Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81313802765?pwd=SgscaEJF40Xz2bpVI4DOLLvCjb9NoV.1
Quarterly AG Virtual Forums to discuss challenges and opportunities for AGs Guest Speaker: Tom Gump, Aide to Rotary International President 2024-25. Chair, RI Membership Growth Committee 2025-26 and RI Director Elect. Topic: Growth Through New Club Development: Rotaract, Companion, Impact, Passport, Satellite PDG Hector Ortiz & PDG Kathy Gallagher Zones 32 and 28 AG facilitators
District leadership had goals for this Steps for Peace one mile walk and resolution.
Increase awareness of the District 7390 40 clubs throughout our 7 counties.
Underscore our designation to Positive Peacebuilder both globally and locally.
Engage Rotarians and families in Peacebuilding activities.
Alert the public to opportunities to engage in Positive Peace through District events.
More than 40 Rotarians and family members, plus 8 furry friends, stepped out for Positive Peace completing the one mile walk around the State Capital and under the camera lenses of WGAL 8 and WHTM 27. Those walkers represented a cross section of society and our community in ages, ethnicities and roles in Rotary.
Even on this cold and windy day, enthusiasm was high. District Governor Paul Thompson gave interviews as did other walk participants underneath the massive billboard on 3rd and Forster Streets in Harrisburg.
That evening and through the next day both TV stations ran their coverage multiple times during their pre-network and post-network news programs. Samples of their coverage are also available on each station’s website.
You can view the station’s videos by clicking on the links provided.
District Governor Thompson extends a heart-felt, “thank you to each of the brave walkers and their furry friends, to Andy Rebuck of the Harrisburg Club for the billboard placement and Bob Saline of the Mechanicsburg North Club for informing and engaging the TV stations.
Our initiative for Positive Peace both globally and locally continues via our contribution at the Rotary International level and scheduling of member and public learning sessions about Positive Peace. Everyone can also view the Rotary /EIP Positive Peace course at positivepeace.academy/Rotary on YouTube.”
Since 2002, 1700 individuals have become Rotary Peace Fellows and now work in 140 countries around the world. Many serve as leaders in governments; NGO’s; education and research institutions; peacekeeping and law enforcement agencies; and international organizations like the United Nations and the World Bank.
District 7390 is seeking individuals who have a background in peace work and would like to further develop their skills as a peace builder. Each year Rotary awards 130 fully funded fellowships for dedicated leaders from around the world to study at one of Rotary’s peace centers.
The Rotary Peace Fellowship is designed for leaders with work experience in peace and development. Fellows must be committed to community and international service and the pursuit of peace.
The Rotary Peace Fellowship provides training for a master’s degree or a program certificate (shorter length of study). Rotary Peace Fellowships may not be used for doctoral study. Rotary members and their family are not eligible to receive these fellowship (see more details below).
The application process for study in 2026-2027 will be open on the Rotary International website February 2025. Applications may be submitted between February and May 15. Please carefully review the qualifications for this prestigious fellowship and consider if your club knows a potential candidate you can encourage to apply. Interested applicants need to review the Peace Fellowship program, determine if they meet the qualifications, and compile the required information/documents.
District 7390 will provide a recommendation for an applicant if they prepare a competitive application. Contact Anna-Mae Kobbe, District 7390 Peace Fellows Chair at amkobbe@gmail.com or 717-457-0632 if you have questions.
Applicants must follow these steps to prepare a competitive application:
Research the curriculum and programs at each of the Rotary Peace Centers. For the master's program, you will be asked to rank the two centers you prefer if you meet the eligibility criteria for both programs.
Engage with Rotary. Use the Club Finder to locate the Rotary or Rotaract club nearest you. Connecting with a Rotary club or district is a great way to learn about Rotary's work in your community and around the world.
Read the Application Overview to learn the steps involved. An overview with more instructions on submitting a thorough and complete application is available when you start an application.
Gather required documents. Applications require a resume, academic and/or professional recommendations, personal statement video and essays, transcripts from postsecondary colleges and universities attended (master’s only), English language proficiency test scores (master's only), and social impact plan (certificate only). Allow time to request university transcripts and register for IELTS or TOEFL exams if your program requires these. All materials must be in English.
Submit your application between February and 15 May. All applications are considered final upon submission. Ensure your academic and/or professional recommendations and Rotary district recommendation are entered prior to submitting your application.
Await qualification notification and selection results. If you are selected for a fellowship, you will be notified in November which Rotary Peace Center will be the site for your studies.
Apply for admission to the university where your Peace Center is located. Being selected for the fellowship does not mean you have been admitted to the university.
Certificate program eligibility
Candidates for the certificate program at Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda, either must be from Africa, have worked in Africa, work with African communities or initiatives outside the continent, or demonstrate a compelling interest in learning about peacebuilding approaches within the region.
Candidates for the certificate program at Bahçeşehir University, Istanbul, Turkey, either must be from the Middle East or North Africa, have worked in the region, work elsewhere around the world with communities or initiatives related to the Middle East or North Africa, or demonstrate a compelling interest in learning about peacebuilding approaches within the region.
Selection process
Submitted applications are screened for eligibility requirements. Qualified applications move forward for further review and evaluation. The Rotary Peace Centers Committee, composed of Rotary members, and university representatives review the top candidates and select finalists. Selected candidates are notified in November.
Throughout the process, applications are reviewed based on the following criteria:
Qualification based on the eligibility requirements
English proficiency
Commitment to peace and development
Leadership potential
Compatibility with fellowship objectives and fit with Rotary
Academic record and compatibility with preferred university program
Feasibility and impact of Social Change Initiative (certificate only)
Eligibility restrictions
The following people are not eligible for the fellowship:
Active Rotary members, or Rotaract members who are also Rotary members*
Employees of a Rotary club or district, Rotary International, or other Rotary entity
Spouses, lineal descendants (children or grandchildren by blood or legal adoption), spouses of lineal descendants, or ancestors (parents or grandparents by blood) of any living person in these categories
Former Rotary members and their relatives as described above (within 36 months of their resignation)
* Rotaract club members who are not also Rotary club members are eligible to apply.
Candidates must have at least three years between the completion of their most recent academic degree program (undergraduate or graduate degree) and their intended start date for the fellowship. Candidates currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program, or who will be enrolled in the upcoming academic year, are not eligible to apply.
Rotary Peace Fellows who have completed the certificate program, master’s program, or a Global Grant Scholarship, must wait three years between the end date of that program and their intended start date for the fellowship.
Pictured L-R: Melissa Kopp-Smith, President Karen Anthony, Holly (Ho Ho's Billiards), Carmen Calderon, Karen Tillman
On Saturday, January 11, 2025, the D7390 Passport Club held a successful fundraiser at Ho Ho's Billiards in Harrisburg. 18 teams participated in the tournament. There was also a silent auction and 50/50 raffle. This will become an annual event for the Club.
The Club would like to thank the following sponsors for support this event:
Rotary Global Grants Scholarships fund an awardee’s first year of graduate study abroad in one of Rotary’s seven Areas of Focus (listed below). Candidates must live in or attend college in District 7390, which encompasses Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry and York counties in Pennsylvania.
Scholarship highlights…
Plan to pursue career in one of Rotary’s Areas of Focus (listed below).
Award is for first year only of graduate studies abroad
District 7390 will not fund any applicant’s study which is for the second or later year of a multi-year graduate study program abroad.
Minimum study budget of $30,000 per year. Award capped at $30,000.
Must be proficient in language of host country.
Based on…
Academic merit
Studying a Rotary Area of Focus
Residence in or attendance at a college in District 7390
Rotary’s Areas of Focus are…
Promoting peace
Fighting disease
Providing clean water, sanitation, and hygiene
Saving mothers and children
Supporting education
Growing local economies
Supporting the environment.
The deadline to apply for a Global Grant Scholarship is January 25, 2025. The interviews will be held February 15, 2025 and applicants MUST be available for the interviews on that date.
Celebrate Rotary’s 4-Way Test by engaging with high school students in your local communities! The March 7, 2025 deadline for your club’s entries in this year’s District 7390 4-Way Test Speech and Essay Contests is fast approaching. If you have not already started planning your contests, now is a great time to start.
All of the information about both contests can be found at https://www.rotary7390.org/page/four-way-test-speech-contest. At this page, you can find rules, information, guidelines, suggested timelines and prize information which will help your club organize and hold its own contests, with your club’s winning entries being submitted to the District Contest by March 7. Both contests ask students to either speak or write about how the 4-Way Test can impact their everyday life.
The Speech and Essay Contest Committee stands ready to serve as a valuable resource to your club. Please contact Mike Handshew (mrhandshew@gmail.com)for questions about the speech contest and Steve Grubb, (stevengrubb@comcast.net) regarding the essays.
This event will include District 7430, 7390, 7490 and 7410, providing a wonderful opportunity for celebration, inspiration and fellowship. Not only will you enjoy the Conference but you will have access to a large range of family-friendly activities while here!
BRING THE WHOLE FAMILY and FEEL THE MAGIC!!!
Total Conference registration is $375. Just want to attend on Saturday? Saturday ONLY registration is $200.