Notes from the Governor
People of Action,
Coincidently, the Rotary theme for March is water and sanitation. I do not think this is lost on anyone as we, as a community, nation, and world are in the midst of an unprecedented health challenge. But as you already know, Rotary has been on the forefront of addressing the importance of hygiene to prevent the spread of disease. We have a long history of being leaders in this space.
It is during this time that we must use our knowledge and experience to help others and be leaders in this area. And it is of utmost importance that we demonstrate by our actions what local, state, and national health authorities have asked us to do. If we lead by example, we will ensure the health and safety of our club members, our families, and our communities.
As I stated in the email sent out on March 15th, it is time for us to find ways in which the district and its clubs can leverage our strengths to support those most vulnerable during this pandemic. Some who most need our assistance are low-income children who are out of school and are in need of nutritious meals and the elderly community who may need help with refilling live saving medications and who need household staples.
I am asking if you have a good idea, a connection or general thoughts on how we can safely support our communities in this time of need, please contact me immediately. I look forward to working with club leadership in the coming days to develop a plan of action.
Though we may feel a bit isolated right now, we are still here together championing the hope that Rotary brings to the world. We will persevere and when the dust settles, we will be stronger and wiser.
I am convinced that the struggle we are in today is developing the strength we need for tomorrow.
I think God that we, as members of District 7610, continue to be People of Action.

YIRS,
In This Issue
  • A Little Fun at the Little Theater
  • Rotary By the Numbers, 4,5,6
  • Well, Pack My Snack Bags
  • From Poverty to Professional Pride
  • Valentine for our Senior Citizens
  • Speaking of Life-Changing Experiences
  • A Home Run for the Home Team
A Little Fun at the Little Theater
By John Ledebur, Springfield
The Rotary Club of Springfield sponsored a fun night at the Little Theatre of Alexandria. Each year the club participates in a lottery set up by the Little Theatre to “win” a performance night so that we can raise funds for the many service projects we support. This year we were fortunate to have “Moonlight and Magnolias” on February 28. This was a comedy about the frantic re-writing of the classic “Gone with the Wind” script after the producer, David O. Selznick, realized that the original script was terrible.
The play was clever, the refreshments were delicious, and the fellowship was enjoyable. Thanks to all the members who worked so hard to make this possible and to the many friends and family who attended. It was especially nice to have members from five different area Rotary clubs attending the event. Join us next year when we will sponsor "Prelude to A Kiss," on March 2, 2021.  
Rotary By the Numbers, 4,5,6
By Earl Baughman, District Membership Chair
Have you ever gotten caught like that guy in the old Kris Kristofferson song, "Lookin' for something unfoolish to say" when a prospective member or a friend says, "What's Rotary?" You know what Rotary is, but how do you hit the high spots in a brief conversation without leaving out something important? Here's something I ran across on the Rotary Zones 33-34 website that is almost as easy as 1,2,3. (You just have to remember to start with 4 instead of 1.) Just think about the following to get the conversation off to a meaningful start.
The Four Way Test
Five Avenues of Service
Six Areas of Focus
Of course, now you need to be able to talk intelligently about the Four Way Test (That should be easy, we recite it every week), the Five Avenues of Service, and the Six Areas of Focus. However, with the 4,5,6 as the reminder you should all be able to handle the rest.
Well, Pack My Snack Bags!
(All 1,00 of 'em)
By Jim Kirkpatrick, West Springfield
Volunteers Packing Snack Bags
Photo By Enola Thaboun
Packed and Ready to Go
Photo By Enola Thaboun
The Rotary Club of West Springfield and Britepaths held a “Food4Thought” community event on the MLK Day of Service to provide snack bags to help feed local school children who often go hungry on weekends and school holidays. Over 100 volunteers met at the Springfield Hilton on January 20 to unload food, organize the items onto five assembly lines, prepare and pack the snack bags and box them up for delivery. 1,000 snack bags were prepared and packed in under two hours, and then delivered to Montrose Learning Center, Cardinal Forest Elementary, Keene Mill Elementary and Koinonia. Local sponsors included the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce, The Journey, Koinonia, Greenspring, WilkinsonPM & HomeFirst Realty, Interstate, Andrews Federal Credit Union, Springfield Golf & Country Club, FCPS and the Alexandria Central Rotary Club. 
According to Enola Thaboun, president of West Springfield Rotary, the event was so successful that it will become an annual event for the club.  She noted that Rotarians are “people of action” and that events like this have a direct and positive impact on the local community. 
From Poverty to Professional Pride
By Nancy Garcia, Vienna
This is the story of a young man, George Omiro, and how his passion for books and his outstanding intellectual ability managed to turn him into a leading professional. This despite the poverty surrounding him in Kenya, the country where he was born.
 
The satisfaction that you feel when you hear a young Rotarian speak who is full of talents, and a desire to serve humanity is incomparable. This is the feeling the members of the Rotary Club of Vienna had when George was our guest speaker on Wednesday March 4. There, he spoke about his life, and the way that being a Rotarian helped transform it.
 
He talked about the difficulties that Kenya has gone through and the joy of having found an organization like E3 Kids International (Equip, Empower, Educate) that served as a sponsor in his educational development. Their support, coupled with his innate abilities, allowed him to excel as a student during his secondary and university studies. They supported him with the materials and resources he needed to achieve his goals of being a professional. 
 
George’s father was a successful Nairobi businessman until a political, economic, and humanitarian crisis erupted after the disputed outcome of the presidential election in December of 2007.  His father’s businesses and merchandise were destroyed, leaving the destitute family to return to his rural hometown. 
 
At the present, George is on break and is interning at the Central Rappahannock Regional Library. He is very interested in libraries, of which Kenya has very few.  
 
George is also the Vice President of the Rotaract Club of University of Nairobi School of Business.  
Valentines for our Senior Citizens
By Amelia Stansell Warrenton
Members of the Rotary Club of Warrenton showed their “Senior Love” by filling bags of candy at their February dinner meeting as a Done In A Day project and attached hand written love notes. Rotarians and their family distributed these “love packages” on Valentine’s Day at a low income assisted living facility. The sweets were welcomed with big hugs and smiles from the residents! 
Amelia Grace Stansell, Age 7

Speaking of Life-Changing Experiences...
By Leigh Ann Poland, President, Stafford
The Stafford Rotary Club recently ventured into two life-changing experiences by way of guest speakers. One was Dr. Marion Sanford, Director of Multicultural Affairs at the James Farmer Multicultural Center at UMW, and the other was Walter Hughes, Jr, an award-winning, disease-fighting, water and education-delivering Rotarian from the Rocky Mount Rotary Club. Both showed us the power of compassion and determined action that impacts not only individuals but entire communities, countries and generations.
Dr. Sanford and her department at the University of Mary Washington focus on respect and understanding of all peoples and cultures, but the last year has provided a spotlight on the life and work of Dr. James Farmer, civil rights activist and instructor at UMW. In celebration of Dr. Farmer's 100th birthday, activities, exhibits and special presentations were provided to bring to life the civil rights struggle and the impact on individuals and our country. One event recreated the Freedom Rides of the 1960s, when African American students and individuals would respectfully and bravely ride buses through the segregated South, after the Federal Government declared all bus systems must be desegregated. Our predecessors experienced verbal abuse, beatings, tear gas and worse because of the color of their skin. Remembering and identifying with those experiences reminds us of the danger of discrimination and the bravery of those who fight it.

See the below video she shared of Dr. James Farmer of UMW.
Walter Hughes, Jr has championed projects, over the past 14 years, in communities with the highest incidence of Guinea worm disease in Ghana and South Sudan. He has partnered with 256 Rotary Clubs around the world, as well as non-profits and churches to bring sanitation, drinking water and educational buildings and supplies to children, families and communities. Walter's calm and steady but determined approach inspires others to join the effort to positively change the trajectory of people's lives. The Stafford Rotary Club has been honored to partner with Walter on water projects as well as the building of the Soronoase Elementary School in Ghana. The below link provides a window into his team's work.

A Home Run for the Home Team
By David Pierce, Rappahannock-Fredericksburg
Members of the Rappahannock-Fredericksburg Rotary Satellite Club assisted in setting up a travelling Smithsonian exhibit entitled, “Hometown Teams: How Sports Shape America,” at the Fredericksburg Area Museum (FAM). Since it was chartered in late 2019, the Satellite Club has held its monthly business meetings in the old Fredericksburg City Council chambers at the FAM, and this is the latest chapter in the association between Rotary and the Fredericksburg Area Museum. 

FAM President and CEO, Sara Poore stated, “Members of the local Rotary Clubs have provided significant assistance with events at FAM, especially our annual Sound of Summer concert series. We are happy to host the new Satellite Club monthly business meetings in our facility and are very glad to have their help in setting up our new exhibit. Please plan on stopping in to see it when we reopen on March 1st.”

The photo shows the Rappahannock-Fredericksburg Rotary Satellite Club members and the staff members from the FAM after the work was completed. The exhibit is now ready for opening day!
New Members
These are the new members added in February 2020