As we enter a new year and begin the second half of the 2020-2021 Rotary year, I would like to wish you and your families good health, peace and prosperity. I hope your clubs are doing as good as possible during these difficult times. We certainly have a lot going on in D7210!
Let me start by welcoming the members of our newest club in the District- the Passport Club which will have their first meeting on February 6th. Many thanks for the leadership of President Samantha Alvarenga and District Governor Nominee Larry Palant for their persistence and determination in launching our first club since September 2018, when we chartered the Southeast Club.
The Million Mask Challenge Tour- Take 2 was a huge success as 37 out of our 56 clubs picked up 173,000 surgical, childrens and KN95 masks on January 14th at the Renegades Stadium in Dutchess County. Many thanks to Region 5 AG and Public Image Chair Jacob Lerner, Greater Newburgh Rotary President Andrew Ciccone, Region 4 AG Vicki Kessler and Region 7 AG and District Secretary Carrie Hernandez for their hard work organizing that event in about 2 weeks! I would like all clubs who are distributing the masks in their community to have a community event if you can, and track who you are giving the masks to, and PLEASE take photos/videos and post them on your FB page and website and forward them to Carrie Hernandez for the District FB and website.
January was Vocational Month and hopefully your was active in some way whether it was virtual or connecting to your Interact Club.
February is Peace and Conflict Resolution month and there is no better topic for Rotary to be involved with at this point in our world. If you are interested in placing a Peace Pole in your community, please contact Douglas Sturomski, from the Greater Newburgh Rotary who is the Peace Coordinator for D7210. Douglas can be reached at ringinpeace@gmail.com. Find a way to get involved with the Peace initiative in your community!
Our GROW ROTARY committees have been actively meeting and are making real progress! We now have over 50 club members participating on these important District committees.
Membership - Larry Palant, Chair- We have a net growth of 21 since July 1 and thanks to the Clubs who are really focusing on retaining existing members, and attracting new ones. The committee is working on retention, forming satellite clubs and providing assistance to smaller clubs. Please make membership a priority!
Think Differently (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) -Earl Miller, Chair- This group is doing some groundbreaking work in terms of tolerance, communication and conflict resolution for the clubs in our district. Expect to hear about their work very soon as they roll out this critical message to our clubs and offer to be speakers at your club meeting.
Public Image -Jacob Lerner, Chair - This group has been examining how functional and informative our District website is and how it can be improved and possibly totally re-tooled for easier access of our members. Also, our social media presence on Facebook and Instagram are being discussed, as are other forms of communication. Eventually, this group will be assisting the clubs with a "PR Toolkit".
Foundation Giving Louis Turpin, Chair- This is our largest District Committee with 19 members! And the results have been amazing as D7210 was #1 in Zone 32 with an increased YTD Change at +75.1% for donations to the Foundation (Zone average -2.4%), and #1 in EREY% (Every Rotarian Every Year) members at 47.4% (Zone average 19.5%). So, some phenomenal work by our clubs and committee members. Also we had a significant increase of Rotary Direct donations via credit card or other electronic funds transfers (checking, savings accounts, etc.) Congratulations to the team!
Youth Services - Cindie Kish, Chair -Due the worldwide pandemic, there will not be a Youth Exchange Program next year in D7210. Many districts have cancelled their program as well. Despite that, planning and re-tooling goes on. There are a handful of clubs and school districts with active Interact Clubs. The RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) will be virtual this year as well. The committee is still seeking members to join. Rotary Youth Officers from the clubs make good candidates!
Community/International Services- Judy Siegel, Chair - This group is focusing on assisting clubs with local service projects and also those clubs with international projects. They are formulating a strategy for assisting clubs and promoting projects and are looking for additional members.
So, as I said, there is a lot of great work going on at many levels in our district!
This is your CALL TO ACTION:
Please stay in touch with all of your club members, especially if they live alone.
Please keep your club relevant during these difficult times. Our communities need us NOW MORE THAN EVER!
Please attempt to hold a virtual meeting instead of not meeting at all. If you need assistance with this, please let us know.
Please continue to lead your club, if you are a President, and start planning for the new Rotary year starting July 1.
We sincerely appreciate all of your efforts to serve those less fortunate during these times.
ROTARIANS ARE PEOPLE OF ACTION!
Please stay safe and healthy!
With Much Rotary Love and Appreciation,
DG Tony