District 6270 Governor Jeff Reed joined TM Rotary as guest speaker during the Tuesday, October 10th Meeting.
Reed shared that he first joined Rotary back in 2000 as a member of the Fond Du Lac morning club. His father George was a Rotary President in Maryland. Reed was always impressed by the cause of Rotary and the service above self mentality, he wanted to serve.
Governor Reed shared his impressive experiences in Irkutsk, Siberia. Irkutsk is a city with a population of 800,000. He was a part of the revolving micro-loan project where funds were utilized to improve lives of community members. One example shared was of an Irkutsk woman who chose to use funds from the micro-loan project to rebuild her barn.
The Rotary theme this year is 'Making a Difference.' Bill Gates kicked off the year with a 2 for 1 match to Rotary generated Polio Plus fundraising, which would bring the amount raised to $450 million. Polio Plus has immunized 2.5 million children to date. The impacts of Polio Plus funding have been dramatic, lowering the amount of Polio cases from thousands per day to 11 in total this year. India has now been Polio free for 4 years.
Reed emphasized how important it is to continue raising funds for Polio Plus. Polio could see a resurgence unless completely eradicated from the globe. Based on transportation capabilities today, resurgences of polio could reach 200,000 cases in one year's time. It remains incredibly important to continue the efforts to eradicate the disease.
Reed shared some history with the Club. The foundation started in 1917 with leftover funds of $26.50 from the 1917 Rotary convention. That fund has grown to more than $3.7 Billion in 100 years time.
Reed challenged the TM Rotary Club to reflect on a question: What is your Rotary value proposition?
Greetings Rotarians! During September, I visited many more fantastic clubs around District 6270 – clubs that are doing outstanding work both in their communities and abroad. By the end of September, I have been to 46 clubs – only 8 more.
So, what are my general impressions?
Clubs are conducting many wonderful projects demonstrating Service Above Self. Rotarians are Making a Difference in so many ways. I have seen projects dealing with Community and Economic Development, Education and Literacy, Water and Sanitation. Clubs are working to support abuse victims, support educational achievement, promote literacy, improve medical and dental care, assist with disaster relief, do community beautification and promote cultural development. Hopefully, you have seen pictures of some of these projects posted on our District 6270 Facebook page. Rotarians, thank you for all that you do!
One of our goals for District 6270 this year is for at least half of the clubs in the district receive recognition in the form of a Rotary Citation. But, to do that a club has to report goals on Rotary Club Central. As of the end of September, some clubs have not completed posting of goals. Here is the status:
Measure on Club Central
Target
Actual (Clubs) Reporting 1Q-17
Membership Goals
54 (100%)
46 (85%)
Foundation Annual Fund Goals
54 (100%)
35 (65%)
Foundation Polio Plus Goals
54 (100%)
27 (50%)
Clubs with Service Goals
54 (100%)
26 (48%)
I encourage all clubs to post your goals on Rotary Club Central.
October is Economic and Community Development Month in Rotary
One of six focus areas of Rotary and our Rotary Foundation, is to promote economic and community development. We do this by providing training, supporting development of well-paying jobs, and providing access to finance. Efforts vary from assisting people with equipment to vocational training. We work to support local entrepreneurs and community leaders.
At the end of this message are examples of several projects in this focus area.
October 24 is World Polio Day
Join Rotary’s 5th annual live streaming World Polio Day event on October 24th. The event will be co-hosted and streamed live from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Headquarters in Seattle, WA. Learn more at: https://www.endpolio.org/world-polio-day
Plan and hold your own club’s World Polio Day event. Register your event onhttps://www.endpolio.org/register-your-event . Help raise awareness about polio and polio eradication. Raise money for polio eradication. This activity even supports your club’s work on a Rotary Citation.
Notice
I am beginning to compile information for our District 6270 October Newsletter. Feel free to send me information about the following:
· Events. If you have an event coming up in November or December - let me know.
· Partnerships. If you are seeking a partner for a service project (either in your area or abroad) - let me know.
· Funding. If you are seeking financial support for a project – let me know.
· Accomplishments. If you have recently completed a major service project or activity – let me know.
As I have indicated in my visits to clubs, we do NOT do enough in letting others know about our activities, projects, and successes. Help me let others know about your clubs successes.
Rotary Highway cleanup on Cedarburg Road will take place on November 4th. Club members willing to volunteer are asked to meet at Kwik Trip on Cedarburg Road at 9am.
Exchange student, Chiara, attended Homestead's Homecoming. She marched with AFS in the parade, and spoke with AFS at the pep rally in front of the entire school.
Chiara and fellow students attended dinner and the homecoming dance.
