Author Archives: Carol Dois Woodward

Meeting Paul Harris

22 Tuesday Aug 2017

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Rotarians meet Paul Harris every day:

As the header photo above indicates, in July a number of District 7600 Rotarians visited Rotary International Headquarters in Evanston to learn more about Rotary operations, The Rotary Foundation, and membership status in Rotary International.  Dana Rieves, the District Communication Officer, took some notes during the visit and composed this short article below.

I had the pleasure of visiting Rotary International Headquarters with the District 7600 delegation in July.  We had a lot of fun and fellowship, but we also leaned a great deal about Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation in the briefings given to is by the Rotary International staff.  

The Rotary Foundation:

Only 7% of Rotarians belong to the Paul Harris Society, but these proud Rotary Donors contribute 44% of the total giving to The Rotary Foundation.  Grants are a growing component of the Foundation and of all of the global grants submitted to the Foundation only 11% are declined.

Membership:

Membership:  There are 1.2 million Rotarians worldwide in over 35,000 clubs.  Female membership is at 21 – 22%.  Overall, there is a member retention rate of 88 – 90%.  Satellite clubs are a growing concept in Rotary and it requires only 8 members to start a satellite club which is affiliated with a home club.

Rotary International Operations:

Dana & Paul HarrisRotary International:  Headquartered in Evanston, Illinois, RI employs 520 staff members, many of whom are Rotarians, themselves.  RI has been hard at work revamping some features of rotary.org and now if you visit My Rotary, you will find an updated, more user-friendly interface.  There is an updated club brochure template and an updated club ad template.  Also, what was previously known as the Presidential Citation is now known as the Rotary Citation. There are also lots of goodies to buy at shop.rotary.org.

And how did I meet Paul Harris?  Well, he didn’t move fast enough!

 

 

 

Time for D7600 to celebrate

15 Tuesday Aug 2017

Posted by in Foundation Giving, Rotary 7600 Foundation News

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District Conference … heading into a great Rotary year!

DGE John Padgett and Al Rossendaal2District 7600 is riding high this year!  We have a committed leadership team lead by District Governor John Padgett, who is a terrific guy, even if a bit sartorially adventurous. Past District Governor and District Rotary Foundation Chair, Chuck Arnason, is in a celebration mode with three Rotary Foundation giving records having been broken in 2016-17 under his and Past District Governor Diane Hagemann’s leadership.

How can you be part of the celebration?

District Conference: Attend the District Conference September 22-24 in Norfolk.  Can’t Beegeesattend the entire conference? There is a one-day ticket registration available. Prefer social activities well, there is a commemorative special draft beer, ‘Spirit of 7600’, a wine tasting, a river cruise, and just lots of fun at the House of Friendship which will showcase club activities, projects, and fundraisers. You can register now at dacdb.com calendar.  Don’t wait … ‘Just Do It!’

Foundation Awards Banquet: Most of you know about this event from having attended before.  It is one of our 7600’s favorite dining events.  This year on November 9,  in Williamsburg,  a few things are being ramped up, so be prepared for an evening that is a tad shorter and for some other surprises to make it a memorable evening.  Along with clubs receiving awards for outstanding giving, the district will also be awarding the Outstanding Alumni Award, and the James Pierce Foundation Leadership Award. Registration and further details will be available beginning on September 25, you got it, on dacdb.com calendar.

FlyerShel

Don’t forget to peek at live videos from the 2017 Foundation Workshop.  Click on documents & videos at the top of the page.

And while you are at it, please subscribe to this weekly update by email.  Just put your email into the window provided.

 

Facebook live video and learning

08 Tuesday Aug 2017

Posted by in Rotary 7600 Foundation News, Training

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The attendees at the Foundation Workshop had an adventure:

The 45 or so attendees at the Foundation Workshop who had brought their smartphones, Rotarians Facebooktablets, or laptops got the chance to engage with live videoing of the topics presented by the superior Foundation leaders on August 5. After turning their volume down on their devices they were invited to join the live videos, adding comments, and posting “#rotary7600”  periodically.  There were a few amusing discoveries, e.g., one must have a Facebook account to join in, but a couple of folks signed up that day.   Others were delighted to see how easy it was to join in on the fun on their smartphones.

None of this would have been possible without the able phone camera work by Sarah Hanbury and Shel Douglas of the Prince George Club, who served as the mentors and videographers at the workshop.  These videos are about 15 minutes or so in length and were videoed by topic.  They can all be seen by scrolling down the District Foundation’s Facebook page, clicking on the big arrow in the middle of the image, and turning the sound up on your device.  OR you can view all of the videos on the ‘Documents & Videos’ tab on this website.

We are also exploring how to upload them to YouTube and to the District Website, but did you know that you can share the videos from Facebook to your own club’s Facebook page or at least the administrators or editors for your club’s page can.  Talk with them about it.

For the moment … here we share one of the videos.  This is Joy Kline Annual Fund Chair for the District Foundation Committee extolling how well the District did this last year in exceeding our giving goals.

A favor please … if you are reading this page and have not done so already … navigate to the top of the page and subscribe by email.  That way you will get a weekly email from this page with the update for the week.  How easy is that?

 

 

A milestone D7600 Foundation year

01 Tuesday Aug 2017

Posted by in Foundation Giving

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Thank you, District 7600 Rotarians … a message from your District Rotary Foundation Chair (DRFC)

This message from DRFC/PDG Chuck Arnason appeared in the July/August issue of the Spirit of 7600.  Chuck is away playing at Rotary International Headquarters in Evanston, so this article is printed without his permission :))

 

d7600 group at Ohare

Shel Douglas Prince George (Front) Cora Huitt (Bon Air) L, Dana Rieves (Prince George) DRFC Chuck and PDG Diane

A Milestone Giving Year for District 7600 … Donating to a charity is always a very personal decision. We all give to charities because we have some affinity for the organization’s cause or goals.  It is the same with our Rotary Foundation. Rotarians give to The Rotary Foundation (TRF) for a variety of reasons.  We may feel that the cause of making the world a better place through Rotary is a worthy goal. We may be encouraged by the SHARE program which sends money back to the district after three years for district specific initiatives.

 

Donating to a charity is always a very personal decision. We all give to charities because we have some affinity for the organization’s cause or goals.  It is the same with our Rotary Foundation. Rotarians give to The Rotary Foundation (TRF) for a variety of reasons.  We may feel that the cause of making the world a better place through Rotary is a worthy goal. We may be encouraged by the SHARE program which sends money back to the district after three years for district specific initiatives.“Doing good in the world” comes in many forms. During the Centennial

“Doing good in the world” comes in many forms. During the Centennial Celebration of TRF, our district had a very successful year. We were able to establish some new milestones.  Per capita Annual Fund giving was up 8.5% over our previous high to $229.32.  Our total Annual Fund giving was $632,246.42, a new milestone.  Our total giving to TRF for the year was $791,095, up from our previous record of $748,419.  The success isn’t in the numbers but what the increased giving means to communities around the world. The increased giving this year means that people we will never meet and faces we will never see will have a better life through Rotary.

The “Giving Tuesday” effort our district held on May 30 produced contributions of $50,000 to the Annual Fund. By using the matching points offered that day, 47 Rotarians were able to become a Paul Harris Fellow or reach their next level of Paul Harris Fellow. 

Whatever your reasons for giving, I want to thank you! Because, as District 7600 Rotarians, you continue to Make A Difference in the world.

Chuck

Rotary Foundation & Membership #bffs

25 Tuesday Jul 2017

Posted by in Training

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August 5 Foundation & Membership Workshops: Answers to “but”

 

“But I went to a workshop two years ago.”

Thank you. And what you learned then was cogent and tailored to the rules and recommendations for success at that time.  But being smart enough to be a Rotarian, you know that things change as do the rules and recommendations for success.  Changes?

  • understanding how the pillars of public image, Rotary Foundation, & membership interplay
  • more flexible ways to structure existing clubs or create new ones — satellite clubs, eclubs, and others
  • corporate memberships
  • flexible attendance/engagement standards
  • the requirement for Club Grant Management Seminar attendance certification for a district grant
  • understanding of how Vocational Training Teams fit into a global grant
  • how Social Media helps Rotarians reach out to each other and to their community members
  • sharing the global vision and leadership of Rotary International with other organizations

“But, it is on a Saturday morning.”

This is true.  But Williamsburg is a city known worldwide for its commitment to history, shopping, wine, and golf.  The key is that you spend only the morning in the workshop.  At noon, hook up with your loved one, who you thoughtfully broad along to shop or golf while you attend the workshop, and go do some of those fun things together.  If he or she wants to hang while you are in class there are lots of comfy seating and guest wifi to allow the spouse to read or surf for an hour or two. Plus the Bar & Grill open around 10:30 so he or she can get an early start on the wine.

“But, it is Saturday morning and I hate getting dressed up.”

crazyshortswinnersheadershot

Glad to hear that.  Don’t get dressed up.  Wear what you like.  Summer or tropical attire is encouraged.  We draw the line at swim suits, but knowing District 7600 Rotarians we know that someone will push the envelope on that.  We are guessing it will be South Richmond or South Hill.

“But, it costs $30.”

True again.  Did you know that measly $30 includes the world famous Full Southern Breakfast and a whole lot of neat door prizes.  Actually, if you eat a lot and if you win a door prize, you’ll come out ahead.

OK, register already! dacdb.com calendar.

 

 

 

Only one more week to register

18 Tuesday Jul 2017

Posted by in Upcoming District Events

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Last week to register for the workshops

We need for Rotarians to register by July 28 for either the Foundation or the Membership Workshop.  The next day is the head count reporting date to the Colonial Heritage staff. If you have been to the workshops before, you will remember the world famous Full Southern Breakfast.

Go to dacdb.com, pull out the plastic, scroll down the calendar, and register, please. Attire is summer (tropical) comfortable, casual.  Sandals are perfectly OK.  Flip flops are perfectly OK.  We do draw the line at swim suits.

Learn the Membership or Foundation ropes.  We promise that you will learn new things.

Looking forward to seeing the colorful Rotarians of 7600.

2017 Workshop Flyer 2

 

 

12 Wednesday Jul 2017

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Annual Summer Foundation & Membership Workshops

August 5, 2017, is the date.  Colonial Heritage Golf Club, Williamsburg, Virginia, is the place for the annual morning workshops for all things Foundation & Membership.  The registration deadline is on July 28 so we can report a head count for the caterer.  It is a memorable breakfast so get your registration done.  Pull out your credit card and go to the dacdb.com calendar and sign up for the event on August 5.

Choose one of the two workshops, depending on your club role or personal interest. Whether you choose the Foundation or the Membership workshop, you will find the emphasis of each is on innovation, attracting younger members, and engaging more experienced members in the riveting world of The Rotary Foundation and robustly building your club membership.

We are waiting with baited breath to see if DG John will have a creative new blazer forBill Bills and his tropical friends the event.  As for the rest of us … the attire is tropical casual.  Hawaiian shirts, cargo shorts, moo moos, tee shirts … almost anything goes, except for swimsuits.  We are Rotarians, after all,  we must uphold our dignity.

It would be great for folks from a club to carpool, lowering the carbon footprint, and having spirited conversations along the way.

Let’s talk spouses.  Due to size restraints of some of the rooms, we must discourage the attendance of nonRotarian spouses.  However, the Pottery is virtually across the road from the Colonial Heritage, there is the golf course, and there is guest wifi with comfy seating throughout the public spaces for reading or surfing the web. When the workshops end at noon there is plenty of time for love birds to reunite and pursue great adventures in Williamsburg.

For more information contact Carol Woodward or Mike Jallo. The District Executive Secretary is also eager to help with registration issues.  Visit the dacdb.com calendar for the event for their contact information. IMG_20170709_0001

See you on the 5th!

 

The fourth has been with us

04 Tuesday Jul 2017

Posted by in Foundation Giving, Training, Upcoming District Events

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Our commitment as Rotarians continues

by Chuck Arnason, District Rotary Foundation Chair

We are no longer this close, we are counting down to ZERO.

I was in the audience of nearly 40,000 Rotary members attending Rotary’s annual convention in Atlanta. During one session, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation renewed their longstanding support for ending polio. Rotary committed to raise $50 million per year over the next three years, with every dollar to be matched with two additional dollars from the Gates Foundation. This expanded agreement will translate into $450 million for polio eradication activities, including immunization and surveillance over the next three years. This critical funding helps ensure countries around the world remain polio-free and that polio is ended in the remaining three endemic countries: Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan.

Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and RI President John Germ DRFC Report Jun 2017-Picannounce new pledges toward the polio eradication effort at the Rotary Convention in Atlanta.  During the session, we heard the news that world governments and other donors have pledged to contribute US$1.2 billion total to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative for polio eradication efforts. The government funding will substantially help to close the US$1.5 billion funding gap, allowing partners to immunize 450 million children every year and support rigorous disease surveillance in both endemic and at-risk polio-free countries. While the government funding makes considerable headway in the fight to end polio, continued support from donors remains vital to achieve a polio-free world.

Next week or so we’ll look at the final giving numbers from 2016-2017.  It looks like it will be a ‘banner’ year.

Heads’ up folks … registration is now live for the 2017 Foundation and Membership Workshops on August 5.  Go to dacdb.com calendar and register.  You won’t be disappointed.

And don’t forget to contact your club End Polio Now organizer to register for the game in your area.  The Richmond Rotary Night at the Diamond is on July 13.  This week you probably need to get your tickets so all can sit together and boost the Rotary image with our End Polio Now tee shirts.  Just contact Debbie or Stan Wall for the shirts stan.debbie.rotary@comcast.net.

 

 

 

Change of Leadership & August Workshops

28 Wednesday Jun 2017

Posted by in Training, Upcoming District Events

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Change of Leadership & Club Awards – July 22

The District Change of Leadership and District Awards will be on July 22.  It is a great event to which to invite your spouse, children, and that visiting in-law, so all can see what a great Rotary leader you are.  We will learn at the event which clubs will be in the Governor’s Circle and which club will be awarded the coveted Governor’s Cup.  In April someone was delegated to getting the club award applications written up and submitted to district.  Here is the chance to thank them for their hard work by attending this annual ceremony.  Register on dacdb.com calendar.

This photo taken by Bill Billings at the recent Zone 33 Training Seminar in Cary, North Carolina includes many of the luminaries who will be at the Change of Leadership Ceremony.  From left Lois Billings, Stan & Debbie Wall, Dana Rieves, Shel Douglas, District Governor Elect John Padgett, and Past District Governor Bill Pollard.  Come on July 22nd and enjoy their company.

Zone Dinner

Annual Foundation & Membership Workshops – Aug 5

These two simultaneous workshops are training events and really not appropriate for non Rotarians.  However, there is nearby shopping, historic events, a golf course, or comfortable seating in the Colonial Heritage Club should they want to read or cruise the web.  You’ll be finished at Noon and from there you and your loved one can go have a great time in Colonial Williamsburg.  Registration will be live sometime this week on the dacdb.com calendar.  Here is a great Flyer with more details.

In the good ole summertime

21 Wednesday Jun 2017

Posted by in Foundation Giving, Upcoming District Events

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Rotary Nights at the End Polio Now Games in July

It looks like we will have a very healthy 2016 -2017 giving year.  Thank you, everybody.

But Rotarians’ good works are never finished.  We can kick off the new Rotary year with gusto by supporting the End Polio Now Rotary Night games with the Richmond Squirrels (July 13) and the Norfolk Tides (July 24) organized so ably by Stan & Debbie Wall and David Mansfield.  The Squirrels game begins at 6:35 pm and the Tides game begins at 7:05. The gates open earlier to allow plenty of time for hotdogs, nachos, and beer prior to the game beginning.

Each club should have appointed a club member to be the organizer of the effort for the club by taking reservations and ticket payments from the club members, and then communicating timely with the team representatives to reserved sections of the stadiums for the club members.  Attendees are asked to wear either the red End Polio Now tee shirt or any red shirt so that the Rotary sections will stand out at the games.

There is still time to order the End Polio Now tee shirt from Stan and Debbie Wall.  The
RTEE7red ‘End Polio Now’ t-shirts for sale are $10 for most shirts and $12 for the fulsome 2x and 3x sizes.  A dollar from each shirt sale goes back to End Polio Now.  You can contact Stan & Debbie at stan.debbie.rotary@comcast.net.

With this shirt, we can turn the stadium bleachers red and really ramp up the Rotary and End Polio Now profile.

A portion of each ticket is donated to End Polio Now and is one of the underpinnings our effort to support the matching grants from the Gates Foundation and other foundations and governments to thwart this crippling disease.  Each club gets credited with the donated amount generated by that club’s ticket purchases.  A great jump start to the clubs’ giving goals.

So look up your club’s Rotary Night Game organizer and make your reservations now. Remember to include family members, neighbors, friends, prospective members and just ask them to wear a red shirt.  Let’s have a ball!

Rotarians at work in Atlanta

14 Wednesday Jun 2017

Posted by in Rotary 7600 Foundation News

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Must comment on the $1.2b pledge

By now the whole world must know that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, many countries, companies, nonprofits, and nongovernmental organizations have pledged up to $1.2 billion to continue the work of eradicating the transmission of polio.

This pledge was unveiled in Atlanta and there is live video of the announcement on the Facebook pages of Rudy Lee Garcia, our district development chair, and on the Rotary District 7600 page.  Enjoy.

Upon their return please commend our hard -working district Rotarians who served in Atlanta

It’s a tough role but somebody has to do it and if anyone knows who took the photo, please advise so we can give credit to the photographer.

fungroupphoto

 

 

Twenty-four District Grant Applications

06 Tuesday Jun 2017

Posted by in Rotary Grants

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37 Clubs involved in the 24 applications

Chuck Arnason, District Rotary Foundation Chair (DRFC) reports that 24 grant applications, for a total request of $205,000, were submitted by the May 15 deadline.  A number of these were multi-club grants so a total  37 District 7600 clubs have a stake in the grant applications.

The District will have $135,000 district designated funds (DDF) to award in district grants for the 2017 -18 year. The district grants committee will be doing some careful vetting and research to determine which applications to approve.  Some applicants will receive the full amount requested and others may be approved, but be awarded less than requested. Sadly, a few applications will have to be declined but will be declined with suggestions about how to revamp the application or project if there is a round 2 or for submission in the 2018 -19 year.

Next steps

The award selection process will occur in the next two or three weeks.  When the grants committee has decided on the approved grants, a spending plan will be compiled and submitted to The Rotary Foundation, probably around late June.  At that point, the district must await the approval of the spending plan.  Once that is received the clubs will be notified as to the status of their grant applications by our grants committee.  If all goes well this will happen by the end of July.

Until then

Clubs should await notification by the DRFC before beginning any work on their grants. It is fine to continue research, obtaining additional estimates, identifying additional volunteer resources, etc., but no ordering of supplies or equipment, no expenditure of funds, no turning of ground, no painting, no commitment of funds, signing of contracts, etc., should be done until advised to do so by the district.

Historic Triange Equine Assisted Therapies

Historic Triangle District Grant Project

The other thing to do is to wrap up your club’s giving for the 2016-2017 in grand style.  It is our Annual Fund donations that return to us at the 50% level after three years to fund our grant projects such as the one above from a few years ago.  The Historic Triangle club was purchasing and installing special shock-absorbent rubber mulch at a riding school for special needs kiddos.

We are looking forward to featuring many of the 2017-2018 club grants this year. Good luck and thank you for applying.

The Rotary Foundation, our heart

23 Tuesday May 2017

Posted by in Foundation Giving, Rotary 7600 Foundation News, Training

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A total shout out to the Foundation break out at the District Training Assembly

Thirty plus Rotarians attended the Foundation Breakout at the District Assembly.  They

Denya&Trident

Denya Hankerson (Prince George) & Triton

were Club Foundation Chairs, Presidents-Elect, generous donors, district leaders, rank and file club members, and, of course, Triton.  The input and questions ranged from the very newbie and valuable questions to the experienced, nuanced questions.  All of these questions and insight are important.  It is a learning experience for all … for the attendees as well as the presenters.

 

Thank you for your commitment and interest.

Another total shout out to Stan & Debbie Wall and to David Mansfield as we navigate to the End Polio Now Baseball Games

July 13 is the date for Rotary Night at the Diamond in Richmond and July 24 is the Norfolk Tides Game.  Both games begin at 7:05 pm and a portion of each rotary game ticket sold will be donated by the teams to End Polio Now.

The WallsRTEE7 have red ‘End Polio Now’ t-shirts for sale, $10 for most shirts and $12 for the fulsome 2x and 3x sizes.  A dollar from each shirt sale goes back to End Polio Now.

With this shirt, we can turn the stadium bleachers red and really ramp up the Rotary and End Polio Now profile.

 

And one more total shout out to District Governor Diane and District Rotary Foundation Committee Chair Chuck Arnason for approving Rotary Giving Tuesday on May 30, 2017.

On Tuesday, May 30, every online Rotary donation by a District 7600 Rotarian of $100 or prouddonormore to the Annual Fund will be matched dollar for dollar with district recognition points.  This is only on Tuesday. Not Monday. Not Wednesday.  Tuesday!

Rotary Foundation Giving Tuesday

16 Tuesday May 2017

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Double your pleasure, double your fun on May 30

 

Chuck Arnason

On Tuesday, May 30, District 7600 Rotarians may donate to The Rotary Foundation and have their donations of $100 or more matched by Rotary District 7600.

Please see this message from our esteemed District Rotary Foundation Chair, Chuck Arnason …

“As The Rotary Foundation’s centennial year comes to a close, District 7600 wants to offer something special for our members who are making a difference through our Foundation.

The district is going to hold a Giving Tuesday on Tuesday, 30 May 2017. On that day, the district will provide 1:1 matching points to anyone who gives $100 or more to the Annual Fund.

  • Have you been thinking about making your first gift to support The Rotary Foundation?
  • Did you give last year but haven’t gotten around to making your 2016-17 gift?
  • Are you close to your next Paul Harris Fellow?
  • Maybe you’ve already supported the Foundation this year but want to give a little extra to celebrate the Foundation’s centennial.

Plan now! Give on May 30 at rotary.org/donate and receive double Paul Harris Fellow points for the amount of your gift.”

Yours in Rotary

Chuck Arnason