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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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Pfister Hotel,
April 20 - 22, 2012
Milwaukee, Wis. |
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May 6-9, 2012
Bangkok, Thailand |
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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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208 Days
Law of Diminishing Returns!
Dear Friends in Rotary:
Have you ever wondered how a concept from one area of human endeavor applies to another?
Consider the "Law of Diminishing Returns" which applies to manufacturing processes. If we try to apply it to our Rotary tasks, it may sound incongruous and even not rational but let us indulge ourselves for a moment.
Let us try to apply at least the bare concept: Adding more of the same eventually reduces output. Alternatively, doing the same will reduce desired results.
We are a service organization. We joined Rotary to serve others and, for the most part, our clubs help us do this admirably. However, from time to time we get into a rut. We continue doing the same things not realizing that the desired results are eluding us. We want to increase services to others and increase the number of people we serve. Yet, we fail, because we lose members.
Every member we lose increases the load on the rest of us, reduces the appeal of our club to outsiders, decreases good will and our visibility in the community, and even may create a source of negative publicity.
So, how do we avoid these diminishing returns?
It's not simple. We need to look at our clubs with a different set of eyes. We need to see them not from our perspective of dedicated Rotarians that forgive unappealing programs or lack of action because we just enjoy each other's company.
We need to be brutally honest and say, "If I didn't know these friends in Rotary would I have joined?" "Would I have found a welcoming environment for me to grow and gain friends?" "Would I have found intriguing projects that allow me to express my initiative and serve people that benefit from my talents?" Finally, "How long would I have waited to get involved in a project?"
This is the challenge that faces our clubs today. And, here is my challenge to you today: What are you doing in your club to prevent "Diminishing Returns"?
Yours in Rotary Service,
Governor Carlos
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N e w s F l a s h -- Rotarians met the $200 million End Polio Now Challenge Grant...six months early, and received $50 million more !
As of January 17, 2012, $202.6 million has been raised. See the article about Rotary's role, as well as perspective on the Polio fight, in the current issue of The Economist. For additional details and background, see also the story on the Rotary International website. 
The additional $50 million grant is from the Gates Foundation and is not part of the challenge: it results from Rotary's early achievement of the $200 million milestone and from the need for continued funding support for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. Read more.... |
 Interact Club Plans Service Trip to Tanzania
The District 117 Interact Club in Antioch is organizing a service trip to Tanzania next June/July, and is opening this opportunity to other Interact and Rotary Clubs in the District.
Kerri Elliott, one the club's Interact Faculty Advisors, is in Tanzania for a  one year sabbatical. She is a Director of EdPowerment. She has made contact with the local Rotary Club in Moshi and will become a member of that club with plans to maintain membership in Antioch once she returns. Nancy Clutter, our other Faculty Advisor, will also be going. A fascinating look at the trip, and more information, is available here and on this You Tube video. If we get enough interest from the District we will schedule the trip. For more information, contact Mike Schwert. |
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A Short List ...of Short Items
- Those great speakers at the District Conference are waiting for you April 20-22 at Hotel Pfister. The weekend outing in Milwaukee will be a great way to welcome Spring. Featured
 are businessman and philanthropist J.B. Pritzker as Keynote Speaker, Hall of Fame broadcaster Don Alhart, and Katie Ehlis who spoke so eloquently at our Fall Seminary. Save the dates (and even stay an extra day).
- Outcome of Vote on Council of Legislation Proposal - Our clubs approved submitting a proposal to the Council on Legislation, 68 to 12. Our District Representative, PDG Tony Tolbert, will present it at the meeting of the Council in 2013. For background about the proposal which was brought forth by the Rotary Clubs of Batavia, Northbrook and Skokie Valley, click here.
- Remember, the Bangkok International
 Convention is a unique, surprisingly affordable, and exciting opportunity - to learn more about this May 6-9, 2012 event, click here. To learn more about discount air fairs, click here.
- District Governor Elect (DGE) Mike Yesner and his wife Donna attended the International Assembly in San Diego where they completed the training required for their Governorship year. To read what Rotary International President Banerjee told them and other governors elect about leadership, click here. They also had an opportunity to listen to Rotary's President Elect, Sakuji Tanaka (see story below on Peace Through Service).
- Need some new graphics and ideas for promoting your club ? Click here to see a sample of some of the tools available to you through the district.
- This is the start of the second six months...and we're ahead ! President Carlos shared, "I am starting the year with a great feeling! Our membership according to RI stands at 2,469. That is 19 members more than our lowest number this year! According to our District website, we broke through 2,500 and we stand at 2,501! ...." He went on to congratulate the clubs and especially their presidents. Keep up the good work so we stay ahead of attrition. "Invite someone to Rotary !"
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"Peace Through Service" - RI President Elect Sakuji Tanaka Announces Theme
President Elect Tanaka's speech not only entails his rationale for choosing the coming year's theme, it also gives an insight into his growth as an individual and as a Rotarian.
"...Before I joined Rotary, my view of the world was narrow. I was the fourth of eight children. We were poor, and so was nearly everyone we knew. I had never met anyone who was not Japanese...
"One day, I was asked to join the Rotary Club of Yashio. And it was two years later that someone came and spoke to us about the idea of vocational service. From that day, slowly, I began to change. I realized that the purpose of my life was not just to earn more, to sell more, to make my business better than anyone else's...."
It's worth the read -- click on the "more" at the bottom of this featured story on our website. For more about Rotary's efforts toward peace, see the additional features below the story, and comments from around the world, on the Rotary International website. |
 Time to Recruit Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) Participants
The Rotary District 2012 RYLA leadership retreats are scheduled for
 | | RYLA District 6440 April 2011 |
March 15 - 18 and April 5 - 8. These are extremely valuable and popular experiences for high school students. Take a look at this video for a look at last year's retreat.
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End Polio Concert in Northbrook
 The Rotary Club of Northbrook and the Rotary Club of Chicagoland Korean, in partnership with the Northbrook Symphony Orchestra, present a concert on February 26, 2012 to support the End Polio Now! effort. Visit www.northbrooksymphony.org/rotary/ for concert information and to order tickets. |
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Thanks to a Rotary International Public Image Grant and contributions from 49 clubs, a Facebook Ad Campaign began January 3rd. Targeting  service-minded adults living in Northeast Illinois, ads appear on Facebook and link to the District's Facebook Pages, including our "Welcome" and "20 Reasons to Join a Rotary Club" page.
You Can Help!
To be effective, the campaign will need a steady stream of new ads. We're looking for help creating ads, and are offering a $100 cash prize to the Rotarian who contributes the most effective ad! Read how on the District webpage story. |
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This really happened -- Could it happen at your club ?
Hi (name withheld),
You may recall me writing to you about 6 weeks ago, asking you to recommend a club for my friend from (name withheld) who was interested in joining Rotary. The Rotary Club of (name withheld) invited him to a meeting, and I drove out to introduce him.
President (name withheld) was, I believe, the only club member to speak to him. The person at the door did not know to make his lunch complimentary.
Still, he was very impressed with the meeting, and had a definite interest in joining. I asked him recently if he had attended again, and if he was joining. He told me he had not heard from the club again, and guessed they didn't want him.
I am certainly not suggesting this problem is unique to that club. On the contrary, I fear that we lose many potential members due to inadequate or non-existent follow-up. I thought you'd like to know what happened in this specific case.
(name withheld) |
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Welcome New Members !
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Club | Name | | | Central DuPage AM | Matthew | Greenfield | | Crystal Lake Dawnbreakers | Richard | Kuranda | | Des Plaines | Ella | Bramwell | | Glenview-Sunrise | Scott | Daniels | | Lake Zurich | Nancy | Needham | | Libertyville Sunrise | Brian | Kelchen | | Christopher | Quick | | McHenry - Sunrise | Amber | Frantz | | Dan | Schmitz | | Mt.Prospect-Prospect Hts. | Conrad | May | | Mundelein-Vernon Hills | Anna | Knepler | | Melvina | Lupe | | Northbrook | David | Kassner | | Paul | Kredow | | Skokie Valley | Bret | Fahnstrom | | Val | Noronha | | Wauconda | Wayne | Stone | | Wilmette Harbor Rotary Club | Townsend | Albright | | Linda | Yonke | | Winnetka-Northfield | Tom | Babinszki |
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Don't get scammed - "Travelers beware" -- the good, the bad, and the beautiful.
Try this article in the January Rotarian, and click to the Rotarian Home Page. There are some remarkably interesting articles there. Membership development and retention is one of our major projects.
So many areas of interest, information, connections, and opportunities are mentioned in the Rotarian magazine. We each receive one, so this is a suggestion to take the time to actually look through it. You'll see the richness of experience that is Rotary...and realize it's something we can proudly talk about to potential members, and with which we can rejuvenate ourselves and our fellow members ! |
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