From District Governor Russ-

Today is February 1, 2024. In 93 days, I will be in Grand Rapids Michigan. I hope to see you there.

I have a confession. I did not attend any district conferences until 9 years ago when I was club president. I very much regret not starting sooner. I didn’t realize the district conference isn’t about Rotary; rather it is about why we are in Rotary. We come together to hear how we “create lasting change - across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.” Conference can be a time we realize the change in ourselves.

I have attended every district conference since that first one. They are fun. I see old friends and meet new friends in a relaxed, social setting. I learn from the successes at the clubs in our district. I learn about Rotary and myself and recharge my enthusiasm for the next year. Last year, we heard Mitch Albom talk about his work in Haiti. I’m sure there wasn’t a dry eye in the house, not from sadness but from the joy of knowing the success of his programs. Mitch now knows about Rotary’s work in Haiti and HANWASH. At one of my first conferences, I heard Laurie Smolenski talk about being a Rotary Peace Scholar. Her experience helped me understand the power of The Rotary Foundation to effect change in the world. Part of the reason I got involved with The Rotary Foundation at the district level is her story. Attending the district conference might help you better understand why you are in Rotary and your opportunities to make a difference.

In this newsletter, you will find the promotional flyer with information on the program, our speakers, and the link to register. Please join Barb & me in Grand Rapids, May 3-5.

This is the time of year the clubs are wrapping up their winter projects and preparing for spring. Importantly, this is the time of year to prepare our clubs and leadership for the next Rotary year. In this newsletter you will find more information to help you get ready for an exciting 2024-2025.



February is the shortest month, 29 days this year. Spring is just around the corner.

Stay safe, warm, and healthy. Finish the Rotary year strong. Remember to “Be the One” and to “Create Hope in the World.”

DG Russ

Registration for District Conference 2024 is now open! Click here to find out more & register!

She continued, "Every club develops its own culture. Country to country, Rotary is done differently. You can have Rotary clubs in the same district that are very different. We need every club to take a moment, do an assessment, and look at the four priorities of the Action Plan."

"Then they must ask themselves, Is there something we can do a little differently, or are we already doing the best we can in this or that category? If you’re already irresistible, then stay that way. But we have to attract people to our existing clubs, and we have to start new clubs. That’s the way to grow Rotary and to have a future."

Why is it important to give to our Rotary Foundation?

Your donations make it possible for us to hit our target goals for Annual Giving, Polio Plus Campaign and Rotary's Endowment.

We want to encourage Rotarians and clubs to support the Foundation that helps us to Do Good in the World, and in our communities, now and well into the future.

Please consider supporting the Rotary Foundation today! We look forward to celebrating your generousity at the District Conference in Grand Rapids this May.  To ensure that we recognize new Paul Harris Fellows (at various levels), Major Donors and other members who have reached recognition milestones, please be sure to make your donations by the end of March, so that we receive your recognition items in time.   

A small child in Haiti will have clean water to drink, and students in Ghana will have a school to attend, thanks in part to your help!  

Please Contact PDG Noel Jackson or PDG Sue Goldsen if you have any questions. And read on for a great story from Windsor-Roseland Past President Gisele Seguin on how a specific project, funded by a Rotary Foundation Global Grant, is doing good in Miami, thanks to your contributions...

In 2022, the United Way of Miami-Dade county reported that nearly two in 10 (17%) of Florida children live below the United States federal poverty line. Children living in poverty are more vulnerable to low academic achievement, dropping out of school, abuse and neglect, behavioral and socioemotional problems, physical health problems, and developmental delays.

A Global Grant – a joint initiative of the Rotary Club of Key Biscayne in Florida, the Rotary Club of Windsor Roseland in Ontario, Canada and Rotary International, provided the Nicklaus Children’s Hospital with funds to support the expansion of the hospital’s tele-behavioural health program. These critical funds enabled the hospital to expand availability of mental healthcare services for South Florida children and their families bringing health resources to over 400 people through over virtual 860 visits.

The grant built upon Nicklaus Children's existing telehealth program, Pediatric Virtual Care. Pediatric Virtual Care offers convenient access to pediatric care for a wide range of mental health services. Most importantly, the grant allowed Nicklaus Children’s Hospital to increase their capacity to provide services to more children in their county.

Nicklaus Children’s Hospital is South Florida’s only licensed specialty hospital exclusively for children, with approximately 370 beds, 850 attending physicians, including more than 500 pediatric subspecialists.

Phase two of this program has recently been approved and our support will continue.

Today, over 70 million people are displaced as a result of conflict, violence, persecution, and human rights violations. Half of them are children.

We refuse to accept conflict as a way of life. Rotary projects provide training that fosters understanding and provides communities with the skills to resolve conflicts.

Rotary creates environments of peace

As a humanitarian organization, peace is a cornerstone of our mission. We believe when people work to create peace in their communities, that change can have a global effect.

By carrying out service projects and supporting peace fellowships and scholarships, our members take action to address the underlying causes of conflict, including poverty, discrimination, ethnic tension, lack of access to education, and unequal distribution of resources.

Our commitment to peacebuilding today answers new challenges: how we can make the greatest possible impact and how we can achieve our vision of lasting change. We are approaching the concept of peace with greater cohesion and inclusivity, broadening the scope of what we mean by peacebuilding, and finding more ways for people to get involved.

Rotary creates environments where peace can happen.

We also have ongoing peace programs within District 6400...

In this effort we have now found interest and support from leaders of the Rotary Action Group for Peace (RAGFP). We hope also to engage local Rotary clubs in our areas of significant Arab and Jewish populations, such as Dearborn and West Bloomfield, to promote greater understanding and dialogue.  

Last Fall TAFP held a very successful and informative conference on Human Trafficking at Henry Ford College, with over 200 participants, featuring testimony by victims and preventive and protective programs alike. Now by featuring prominent peace advocates and joint efforts we hope to inspire progress toward reconciliation in Israel-Palestine, especially among Rotarians. Among notable participants of interest would be "Combatants for Peace," a joint advocacy group of former Israeli and Palestinian soldiers, as well as "Breaking the Silence" a peace advocacy group of former IDF soldiers, and the "Parents Circle," a group dedicated to protecting and saving children on both sides. We also intend to feature the inspiring advocacy of Dr. Izzeldine Abuelaish, the first Palestinian physician to practice in Israeli hospitals who lost three daughters and a niece in an Israeli tank attack in Gaza over a decade ago and wrote the remarkable book "I Shall Not Hate." He has since lost 22 more of his extended family in the recent Gaza fighting yet retains his advocacy for the equality and security of both peoples. Such remarkable individuals and groups are in the best Rotary tradition. 

Prof. Fred Pearson

Past President, Rotary Club of Detroit

Grosse Pointe inducted its two newest Rotarians last month, Amanda DeVeaux (below left) and Todd Litton (below right).

Photo from left: Laura Tiberia (Operations Manager of the Rotary Club of Windsor (1918), Drew Dilkens (Mayor of Windsor), Allan Kidd (President of the Rotary Club of Windsor (1918) and Art in the Park Chair), Jennifer Charron (Art in the Park Sponsorship Chair)

We need your club news!

Please make sure you email your club's news and upcoming events by the 20th of the prior month to sue@goldsen.com.

RYLA APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN!

Join us for a new RYLA experience this April. This is a collaboration with 6400 and 6380 for an unique and exciting overnight RYLA experience. We ask you club please consider sponsoring a student or 2. Click here to download the application and share with a student!

Join your fellow District 6400 Rotarians in exotic Singapore for the 2024 Rotary International Convention! CLICK HERE to register!