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Quick Event Information
See additional information about these events in this newsletter and on the District website at: www.rotary6440.org |
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Combined
District Conference
Pfister Hotel,
April 20 - 22, 2012
Milwaukee, Wis. |
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May 6-9, 2012
Bangkok, Thailand |
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GSE Team Farewell Party - Day at the Races
Arlington Park Race Track
May 12, 2012 (12 p.m.) |
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Evanston Golf Club
Jun 29, 2012 |
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| The Rotary District 6440 Newsletter is filled with announcements, articles, and links to announcements, stories, and information about our clubs, our members and making a difference through Rotary. |
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292 Days
Almost ten months into this year!
Dear Friends in Rotary:
There is an unexplained tendency in some Rotary clubs to think of the last quarter of the Rotary year as reflection time. Some of us may look back, relax, complete the last fundraisers and projects, and rejoice in our accomplishments. This is the time we plan our installations and perhaps a late spring fellowship event. Our newly elected board may or may not hold a first meeting, or perhaps have a joint meeting with the 'old' board. In general, some of us adopt a relaxed attitude and a 'look back' demeanor.
This will need to change next year, and the sooner we realize it, the stronger our clubs will be. Future Vision, the redesigned Rotary Foundation approach to funding projects, will be influencing our decisions next year. Bigger projects, faster approval processes, enhanced District flexibility with funds, and a strategic planning mode will benefit us all. However, we will need to prepare.
We will have a whole year to 'get with the program'! When we reach the last quarter of next year we will need to have 'all our ducks in line,' (I guess I am into 'folksy' sayings and quotations marks today!)
Some of you know I am a firm believer in the importance of education and this applies to our beloved Rotary as well. Future Vision is not something that can be read in a couple of minutes and executed. We will need training. We will need to learn the best ways of taking advantage of this new design. Furthermore, we will need to learn how to present proposals for funding before we start 2013-2014 Rotary year.
Do not fear, the District is here! We have an outstanding Future Vision Committee that has already developed a great training program. No, they are not going to teach us while we sleep! However, they will teach us in multiple modes so all us can learn in our own way and take advantage of this opportunity. They will start rolling out this program with a presentation at the District Conference and follow up with timely communications and learning opportunities.
We have an outstanding District viewed in awe by Rotarians everywhere. Future Vision will provide us an opportunity to improve even more and do projects that are only limited by our imagination. Learn, prepare and succeed!
Yours in Rotary Service,
Governor Carlos
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There's Still Time -- close by or far away: Milwaukee, this weekend's District Conference ! Bangkok, May 6-9, the International Convention.
Last minute decisions can be the most enjoyable ones!
 | | At the Milwaukee Art Museum, or maybe at a Hospitality Suite ! |
There's a lot of good Rotary, and good outside Fun in Milwaukee and Bangkok -- for Milw. info and registration, click here. For an adverture of a lifetime in Thailand, click here.
Among Conference speakers is Emery Moorehead, famous tight end of the 1985 World Champions Chicago Bears. Plan to listen to Narayan Murarka explain our Future Vision Training Plans on Saturday at the Conference.
We can look forward to visiting friends and fun at Hospitality Suites by the following clubs (in Milwaukee, not Bangkok !): Arlington Hts., Barrington Breakfast, Batavia, Carol Stream, Chicagoland Korean, Elgin, Highland Park - Highwood, Lake In The Hills, Northbrook, Schaumburg - Hoffman Estates, Skokie Valley, Wheaton, Wheeling, Wilmette Harbor, and Winnetka - Northfield.
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GSE Taiwan Farewell & "Day at the Races" -- It's the day before Mother's Day -- Take Mom to the races?
The district will host a Farewell Party for the Taiwan GSE Team and a district "Day at the Races," on Saturday, 12 May, at beautiful Arlington Park Racecourse.
- $25.00 covers, the $8.00 cost of admission, $12.00 box seat charge, a $15.00 food voucher for lunch at the 3rd Floor Bistro and a donation of $5.00 per person, to The Rotary Foundation, by Arlington Park.
- Reduced prices for children and tickets available at www.arlingtonpark.com, use Ticket Code ROTARYGSETEAM before May9th for discount.
- Contact Jim Runnfeldt, GSE General Chair (312-259-7906), for additional information.
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Rotary is Service. And Rotary is Fellowship(s)...World-wide!
Rotary Fellowships are autonomous, international groups of Rotarians, Rotarian spouses, and Rotaractors who join together to: 
- Share a common interest in worthwhile recreational activities (sports, hobbies, etc.)
- Further their vocational development through acquaintance with others of the same profession
- Make new friends around the world
- Explore new opportunities for service
- Have fun and enhance their Rotary experience
Learn more about Rotary Fellowships -- click here. |
Barrington Hills-based Rotarian volunteers earn national award and start Young ShelterBox Club --
Members of Barrington Noon Rotary Club, Reese and Steve Mates and their eleven year-old daughter Hannah, have created the Young ShelterBox Club (YSB Club), a club that encourages elementary and middle school students and their teachers to prepare for disasters with their family and community, as well as volunteer to make a difference by making a global impact.
Steve, Reese and Hannah Mates were recognized by President Obama and ShelterBox USA with a Presidential Volunteer Service Award for their efforts during 2011. "Hannah volunteers her time to ShelterBox by interviewing ShelterBox Response Team members, ...as well as sharing global culture by spreading the word that kid are heroes when they make a difference for families around the world through the YSB Club," said Reese. "Hannah is making an impact both in the local community and making a global impact through her efforts."
 On March 14, Rotary International and the ShelterBox organization signed a project partner agreement last month, allowing the two organizations to collaborate more closely to provide relief and temporary shelter to survivors of natural disasters.
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An Impressive List ...of Rotary in the News
We can be proud of what Rotary is doing. We can get others involved in helping...and can share efforts by inviting friends to celebrate at a Rotary meeting, telling friends of your club's accomplishments, informing "friends" through "social media", and publicizing activities in the community and in the media.
The following are samples of recent stories and blurbs about several of our District clubs. Keep up with ideas by following the District on Facebook and by checking the District Website. You can also post your club's news with local reporters or through Reader-Submitted content.
- Rotary fish for food and fun --
 Families can help release minnows, catfish and more into Turner Pond in Roselle or Lakeview Pond in Bloomingdale as part of the annual fish stocking by the Roselle-Bloomingdale Rotary Club. The event also collects food donations for the Bloomingdale Township food pantry. Read more.
- How local coffee drinkers can help Honduran farmers -- Erlo Roth, international service director for the Rotary Club of Naperville/Downtown, introduces himself to Morgan Fett of Union Micro Finanza, which organizes small loans to coffee growers in Honduras - including those that sell the beans that end up in Irish coffee at Quigley's in Naperville. Read more.
- Barrington Rotary Brings WW II vet, Olympian, to share his story with students -- Louis Zamperini, 95, whose World War II heroics are the subject of a best-selling book "Unbroken," spoke to students and fellow veterans at Barrington High School. Read more.
- McHenry Rotarian Remembered - C.R "Chuck" Peterson, a founding member of McHenry's Rotary Club and longtime local businessman, was remembered for his selfless commitment to the McHenry community. "Some people will talk the talk. But Chuck Peterson truly walked the walk," said Donna Schaefer, McHenry Township supervisor and Rotary Club member. "He was a living example of all the things Rotary teaches us about community service and ethical behavior." Read more.
Memories of what life was like before the polio vaccine -- April 12 was the 57th anniversary of the world-changing announcement that the Salk vaccine was effective in preventing polio. I remember the announcement well. It was broadcast over the public address system in my elementary school in Ann Arbor, Mich. My teacher, Mrs. Balas, was very excited when she heard the news. As an adult, I now understand why. Read more.
Rotary Club Sponsors Electronics Recycling -- You could discard old electronics April 14 at Mundelein's commuter train station, 205 N. Archer Ave. The village, the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County and a local Rotary Club hosted the event, which ran from 9 a.m. to noon. Computers, keyboards, printers, fax machines, telephones and other devices will be collected. Items should be unboxed.
Combined Breakfast Meeting To Lean About Helping Others -- Helping others is what Rotary clubs do best. At a recent
 | | Helping In Kenya |
meeting, members of the Tri-City Rotary Clubs had a chance
to learn how they could help others beyond the local community. The clubs - Geneva, Batavia, and both St. Charles Clubs (Breakfast and Noon) - recently met at the St. Charles Hotel Baker for a combined breakfast meeting. Speakers at this meeting were Greg Bachman of Lifewater International and Miguel Perez, a foreign exchange student from Mexico. Read more.
- Combined Fund Raiser: "60 Men Who Cook" --
Can you cook?: Organizers of the 60 Men Who Cook fundraiser have a significant task at this time of year - making sure they have 60 men who can cook for the May 11 event at the Kane County Fairgrounds. Said one participant, "This event draws a big crowd, and it's a lot of fun to see people and let them try your specialties." Anyone interested in participating by making 200 bite-size portions of a main dish, side dish, appetizer or dessert, should contact Terry Emma at (630) 244-8896.
The event raises money for the Geneva Chamber of Commerce, Geneva Lions, Geneva Rotary and Geneva History Center.
- 5K Fundraiser for St. Pat's Day -- The Rotary Club of Naperville Sunrise and the West Suburban Irish hosted a 5K race, run and walk at 8 a.m. on Saturday prior to the downtown Naperville parade. The race began and ended at the corner of Jackson and West Streets. Proceeds are used to provide health-related services to those in need. Visit stpaddys day5k.org for details.
- Grayslake Rotary members will donate $1,000 to Avon Township's food pantry. Club officials presented a check to Township Supervisor Sam Yingling on April 16 during a weekly meeting at The Vine in Grayslake. "Our club is committed to giving back to the community and participating in service projects throughout Grayslake. There are families in need of food, and we realize this time of year and the Avon Township Food Pantry often times struggles to keep their shelves stocked. As a club, we want to help fill those shelves and help feed those less fortunate in our community," Rotary member Greg Koeppen says. Grayslake Rotary recently hosted a wine-tasting event at The Vine in downtown Grayslake to raise cash for Avon's food pantry and other local programs and services.
 | | Dundee-Crown Interact Club students spoke about their positive Rotary Youth Leadership Academy experience and thanked the club for the opportunity to attend. From left are Ashley Brooks, Kelly Tracey and Brandon Rohlwing. |
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Easter basket donations: Members of the Rotary Club of Carpentersville-Morning are assembling and collecting donations for Easter dinner baskets that they will give to needy families on April 7.
On average, one basket costs between $35 and $40 and each member intends to donate at least one....If you'd like to help or make a donation, send an email to CarpentersvilleRotary@gmail.com. Checks can also be made out to: The Rotary Club of Carpentersville-Morning at P.O. Box 946, Carpentersville, IL 60110. Please write "Easter dinner" in the memo line.
Current stories on the District Website to read include:
There are several clubs on Facebook, and one on Twitter as well. |
Visit Ak'Tenamit Table at District Conference --
Ron Crawford and his wife Diane are looking forward to seeing many of
 you at the District Conference in Milwaukee. "We will have a table in the House of Friendship to promote our Guatemala service trip for next year and we will be joined by Engineers Without Borders. You may know that due to District 6440's efforts, EWB will be sending a team to Ak'Tenamit to help address their water, sanitation, and infrastructure needs.
"I thought you would be interested to see how the deck that we built for the girls' campus is being used. They have even installed lights to make it usable after dark. This is a major improvement for the girls lives and activities at Ak'Tenamit. We can be very proud of this accomplishment and we are starting to plan our work for next year." |
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Thanks, Sean Nelson: Celebrating 10 years as head of RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) - with 117 students, in March, 115 in April !
Said, Sean, "I was surprised at camp with a wonderful plaque from my staff and they read your letter in front of the students. My wife has the video. Extremely touching. I love what I do for this wonderful Rotary organization. I am truly blessed with family, friends, my work and my involvement with Rotary. My two favorite weekends of the year are the RYLA weekends. They give me hope and the knowledge that our future is in truly great hands. It is rewarding to know that we as Rotarians are changing lives by creating better leaders and future Rotarians. Have you visited the Facebook pages? Amazing comments from the students!"
 | | Camp RYLA March 2012 |
" What a cool weekend! Over 130 young leaders from all over Northern Illinois gathered for the March 2012 RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) Camp in Troy, WI. They experienced three full days of inspiring and motivational workshops with some of the best speakers and small group leaders in the country." Sean is Executive Director of Foglia YMCA in Lake Zurich, Illinois. |
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Try Rotary Video Magazine -- see sample and find out more.
 | | How "America's Host Club" Responded to 9-11 |
See Rotary's work around the world in the Rotary Video Magazine . Each collection features a variety of inspiring videos on topics ranging from literacy and hunger to polio and community service. Find a collection that's right for you. Find out more.
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A Warm Welcome To Our Many New Members !
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Club | First Name | Last Name | | Arlington Heights | Richard | Morton | | Michael | Sweeney | | Barrington Breakfast | David | Loop | | Buffalo Grove | Nadine | Pomilia | | Central DuPage AM | Matthew | King | | Evelyn | Pacino-Sanguinetti | | Elgin | Robert | Szmutko | | Highland Park-Highwood | Jonathan | Rigoni | | Lombard | Georgianne | Ludwig | | Northbrook | Kellie | Allgauer | | John | Rudnick | | Lorena | Stevenson | | Park Ridge | Gary | Nyberg | | Michael | Sons | | Schaumburg-HoffmanEstates | Robert | Fleisher | | Zainab | Khan | | Wilmette | James | Hardee |
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For those who are Media and Computer Adverturous -- a Test is Available of a New Rotary Tool Being Developed.
Said Kristin Brown, Rotary International Manager, Rotary Service (kristin.brown@rotary.org) "There may be bumps along the way and please be patient with us. As long as the early users understand that they are essentially helping us "polish" the product, we are happy to encourage use. We decided on a "soft launch" in April so that the product could be better in Bangkok because of input from early users." Here's what it's about --
Rotary Showcase is Rotary International's newest online tool to help Rotarians broadcast information and share their service projects globally with the Rotary family and beyond. Users can add their club's service projects, connect with other clubs and districts, and explore the variety of projects that Rotarians are undertaking worldwide. The best part is that all of this is done through an application that connects directly to Facebook.
Rotary Showcase will be fully unveiled during the RI Convention in Bangkok, and Rotarians attending the convention will be able to take a full look at what it has to offer.
Click here to preview some initial projects on Rotary Showcase before it is shared with the rest of the Rotary community. Users will be able to upload pictures, create discussions about their initiatives, and even join projects that other Rotarians have created. We hope you enjoy this new and exciting way to promote your projects, and look forward to sharing it with you in its full potential at Convention! |
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