District leaders head north for Zone event
 
Several members of the District 7210 leadership team attended last week’s Learning to Lead Zone 28/32 event in Toronto. 
 
Training was provided for incoming district governors, district governor nominees, current district governors, as well as district foundation, membership, public information and training chairs. Training was overseen by Rotary International Director and District 7210’s own Drew Kessler. Also present was RI President-Elect Gordon McInally.
 
Another highlight of the joint zone event was that our District received top honors in our zone for membership growth and Rotary Foundation giving for the 2021-22 Rotary year.
 
   
Red Hook’s Annual Backpack Distribution was a big success

   

In 2022, with a $1,000 donation from Red Hook Rotary, a $1,500 grant from Hudson Valley Foundation for Youth Health, a donation from Deep Roots Construction (Casey Van Voorhis), and Clynk monies raised by Red Hook Rotary and DKG (Dutchess County Alpha Zeta Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma - an International Society for Key Women Educators), over 120 backpacks were filled to the brim with school supplies (plus a box of tissues, a large tube of toothpaste, and a bamboo recyclable toothbrush) needed by students to start the 2022-23 academic year.

Additionally, Red Hook Rotary has reached out privately to several special needs classroom teachers where there is a need for supplemental school supplies in several local school districts. It should be noted that a donated book has also been placed in each backpack Pre-K-5.

Distribution was through various food pantries in the Red Hook Central School District.  Red Hook Rotary and the Red Hook Rotary Foundation also generously donates $3,000 to Red Hook Harvest annually to alleviate food insecurity for families with children attending the Linden Avenue Middle School and Red Hook High School.  Many of the same families express a need for school supplies for their children.

 

 

Car show combats cancer
 
The Windham Rotary just finished their Cancer Patient Aid Car Show in August,  raising around $13,000 with over 200 cars participating.  All proceeds from this event go to cancer patients in Greene County through the Greene County Women’s League.  The funds go towards patients’ co-pays and medical bills.  Patients include men, women and children. 
 
This year they were able to have a young girl who is fighting cancer give out the Best in Show trophy.  
 
People/businesses can still get involved by sponsoring the car show, volunteering at the event or just sending donations.  
 
Donations can be mailed to:
 Windham Rotary Foundation, Inc.
PO Box 453
Windham, NY 12496
Please put Cancer Patient Aid in the memo.
 
Next year’s date is scheduled for August 13, 2023 at the Ashland Town Park again.
 
Rotary keeping communities warm
 
We are entering into our first Service Season for the Rotary year!  As in past years, the first season focuses on providing warmth in our communities.  Many people lack enough warm clothing to stay protected throughout winter and lack the money to buy that clothing.  Rotary, as one of the leading service organizations in our communities, has taken the lead in filling that need.
 
Each club is asked to conduct a service project in October that focuses "Warming Hudson Valley.” One of the most popular projects is a coat drive where collection boxes are set up in the community and donations are collected throughout the month of October.  Coats are then distributed to those in need either by partnering with another organization or holding their own coat giveaway.   Each year we collect thousands of coats that go to back to those in need to keep warm through the winter.
 
Another popular project is Operation Warm.  Clubs partner with this organization to purchase brand-new, high-quality coats for the children of our communities.  Throughout the year, clubs conduct fundraisers to fund this project and then partner with the local elementary schools to identify those in need. More information about becoming a partner or simply donating to this cause can be found at https://www.operationwarm.org.
 
No matter what the service project is for the season, clubs are encouraged to promote their events and results in order to gain project momentum and establish brand recognition.  Road signs can be seen throughout the district informing people of the coat drives in their communities as well as social media posts promoting the project.  Look for the road signs in your community and follow #7210warminghudsonvalley to see all the great work our clubs are doing!
Rhinebeck Rotary grows with addition of satellite club 
 
 
The discussion of forming an evening satellite club in Rhinebeck began during the 2019-20 Rotary year.  Rhinebeck Rotary had been meeting for lunch at the historic Beekman Arms ("The oldest Inn in America") since the Club was founded in 1948, and during that long tenure had distinguished itself as consistently one of the leading Clubs in Rotary District 7210.  Yet Rhinebeck's members knew that it needed to evolve as a Club to remain relevant to the community they served, as well as in the world beyond. 
 
In order to be more inclusive of all people in the Rhinebeck community, it was decided to establish a satellite Club that met outside of the typical 9-5 business day, yet would not prevent participants from joining their families for an evening meal.  A major goal of the satellite club was to have a very casual and informal format which could encourage fellowship among current members, while also providing an environment where members could invite guests and nurture prospective members.  Under the leadership of the then-club-president Bill Schaefer and then-club-membership-chair Michelle Andrick, Rhinebeck established a monthly Wednesday evening "cocktail hour" gathering which met at a local restaurant (purposefully a different venue than their Monday lunch meetings) from 6-7pm for fellowship and casual conversations about potential service project opportunities within the community and beyond.  
 
After the first few meetings it became evident that the new monthly evening meeting format, combined with local service projects, would serve as an ideal added opportunity to Grow Rotary in Rhinebeck and achieve the goals of further engaging existing Rotarians while attracting new members.  Then suddenly in early 2020, all meetings were cancelled due to the global pandemic, and soon all of Rhinebeck's Rotary meetings were conducted virtually, postponing the establishment of an evening satellite club.
 
Happily, within the context of following CDC protocols, Rhinebeck Rotary was able to safely return to meeting in-person during the 2021-22 Rotary year, and Rhinebeck was able to pick-up where they left off prior to the pandemic, hosting vibrant meetings each Monday at lunch, and each fourth Wednesday evening.  The Wednesday evening meetings were quickly back to engaging existing members while attracting the interest of many new members.  Under the leadership of 2021-22 Club President David Ping, and Club Membership Chair Wendy Maitland, Rhinebeck officially chartered its new Rhinebeck Evening satellite club, adding 13 new Rotary members by June 30, 2022 (and two more since July 1)!  Rhinebeck Rotary's two Clubs have a total of 49 members (but by time you read this it almost certainly will be higher....).
 
"Our satellite club, called "Cocktails and Conversation", provides a wonderful opportunity to gather members in a less formal format, and to introduce prospective members to Rotary," shared Membership Chair Wendy.  "What I personally love the most is that we also utilize this evening meeting to bring the community together for our 'Cocktails for Charity' on a quarterly basis.  At this special meeting, we invite wonderful organizations doing good in our community or area to raise awareness and funds. We've raised thousands of dollars for our recipients in this way, AND it shows prospective members in real time how meaningful Rotary is. They get to participate and feel good about it immediately, which has proved to be a very effective tool in recruiting new members - a win/win for all!."  
 
[Immediate Past] President Dave adds, "We recognized that there were many people in our community who wanted to do good, but could not attend a weekly lunch meeting.  In order to expand our pool of Rotary members, the satellite club was born.  It gives people an opportunity to be a Rotarian, learn about our service projects and participate in Rotary at a time and in a format that works for them.  So far, the club has been a huge hit. Members like the opportunity to meet after work, have meaningful interactions with people in our community and participate in the wide array of service projects that Rhinebeck Rotary does.  We have many members of the ‘Monday’ club that also come to the satellite club gatherings, so there is good crossover and sharing of ideas."
 
For current information about Rhinebeck Rotary's two Clubs, contact 2022-23 Club President Joe Phelan at josephlphelan.jr@gmail.com.
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