Zone Institute, Fall Training and More

Where is September going? It is half over already.

Our District had GREAT representation at the Zone 28/29 Institute in Chicago September 8 - 11. Among the highlights was district recognition for giving to the Annual Programs Fund during 2010-2011 (3rd in the zone). Way to go PDG Craig Leiser and Foundation Committee Chair Newell Krogmann– and all the past club presidents.

September 17th the Technology Committee rolled out the 200 videos in 200 days project at the Fall Membership/Foundation/PI Seminar. Participants were gathered into groups and invited to create 30-second videos based on content presented during the seminar. Several of these are quite good! Kirk Anderson and John Cermin, both from the St. Croix Falls Club, will be doing some editing and you’ll be able to see these on our YouTube Channel.

Those attending the training received a real treat when Anita Rieder, the RI primary contact for EREY (Every Rotarian Every Year). Anita gave a great presentation, and showed a wonderful video from Rotary UK!

OK. Next up is the Foundation Celebration on the 5^th of November – please put the date on your calendar and watch for upcoming information.

September Highlights

Welcome September! I cannot believe where the time is going. I wanted to give you a heads-up on some September events.

Books for Africa will be honoring several Rotary Clubs – Woodbury and Roseville are two that come to mind - who have been partners in their efforts at creating libraries in various African countries at the Fall Celebration. If your club has partnered with BFA, be sure to contact them and representatives from your club at the September 17^th event.

The annual South African-style braai (barbecue) will be at the BFA warehouse (715 Minnehaha Avenue East Saint Paul, MN 5510) on Saturday, September 17, from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. The event is free. There will be plenty of delicious South African wine and beer and lots of food, and live music from the Marimba Africa band.

Be watching the district website for the final Youth Protection Policy. We will have some more comments on the policy in an upcoming blog.

The Rotary Foundation and its goal of world understanding and peace as well as Polio Plus, has asked that individual clubs support the International Day of Peace on September 21st of each year. Your clubs can each choose how to recognize the International Day of Peace. Simple ways to observe this day are to have a moment of silence, sing a song of peace, or have a special speaker; for more ideas you can go to

www.internationaldayofpeace.org

to see just a few examples of what is being done around the world.

FINALLY - 15 years of Rotaract in the Twin Cities – Congratulations and YEAH! And the club just keeps growing, adding three new members in August. If you are on facebook, be sure to visit their Twin Cities Rotaract facebook page.

End of July

Hi Rotarians!

July is behind us. WOW. I am going to be sending out Headline News emails that will highlight things that you need to know. It occurs to me that you might miss something important should you not visit the blog.

I got a note from our district Health and Hunger chair, Bob Walz. Bob notes that focus in health care should be: prevention, polioplus activities, and localized health issues (clean water, malaria prevention, AIDS prevention, vaccinations etc) In working on grant and fund programs you want to give Priority to programs that purchase foods IN the developing countries they are seeking to aid.

The district owns the DVD, “What are we doing here, has foreign aid hurt Africa?” It is owned by the FFH project. Anyone working on projects in Africa might want to borrow that DVD. Contact Ed Marek at hanakaga@yahoo.com

Finally, Bob notes that this is the year of Fair Trade and he encourages the use of Fair Trade at Club meetings and event.

I am very much enjoying my club visits. The club in Elk River surprised me with a “culture” box from their community. It was interesting to see what they all selected to be part of the contribution. I am looking forward to going to places south next week!

Half month into my year as DG

Hi Rotarians!

I am a bit over a half month into my year as District Governor. I am very much enjoying my club visits. Thank you to the clubs for your hospitality and for arranging your schedules to accommodate my being at your club.

This week’s announcements include a note from Anita Reider, the Rotary Foundation Annual Programs support person, that District 5960’s per capita giving to the Rotary Foundation was $96! GREAT job PDG Craig and your team.

Jingle received a question about what fund-raising activities clubs have used successfully in the district. This is a good question and one that has been posed in the past. This information is contained on the district website under the “Club Event Calendar.” You can access the calendar by going to the district website

http://www.rotary5960.org

click “What’s New” and then click “Where to Find Rotary Fun”. That should do it for you.

NOW, shameless promotion of an upcoming event.

Fall Membership/Foundation/PR Training Event

This event will be held at YCamp St. Croix in Hudson on Saturday, September 17 from 9 to 3. It will include information about the above topics and will also be the “roll out” of the district PR plan, “200 Videos in 200 Days” – and you will have a chance to try making some YouTube videos to help us get started! Registration will be via Survey Monkey online. The cost of this event is included in your training fees. Come for breakfast and stay for lunch and beyond. The YCamp will be a great place to spend a Saturday! AND Anita Reider will be able to join us and speak to the group.

OK, that is all for now. If you have anything that you want to share – please feel free to post a comment. Or send me information in a format that can be copied and pasted into the blog. THANKS.

DG Judy's Info for July 2011

Governor’s Thoughts

Get ready, get set – we are blogging!!!!

Those of you who viewed the UTUBE video “Here’s Hudson” know that I have lots of nerve ☺ So here I am, starting my year by creating a blog that will supplement the District Newsletter. As you may have surmised, the newsletter will also be supplemented by – you guessed it – UTUBE videos, radio interviews – HEY, we are asking YOU to be innovative, creative and flexible at the club level, why not at the district level as well.

I want to thank those of you who were able to attend the DG – 2011-2012 Installation at the Phipps Center for the Arts, in Hudson. The committee, headed by Hudson Daybreak Past President, Dick Whitcomb, did an outstanding job – I know, because everyone who attended that event has been telling me that. The committee included Rotarians from the Daybreak club, the Hudson Rotary club, and even non-Rotarians who offered an evening filled with fellowship, entertainment, and the DG installation program – NICE. Visit the district website for photos of the event. (As always, thank you, Gayland Bender.)

I am hardly started as DG, so I thought I would capture the essence of my “talk” at the installation on the 23rd. I focused on RI President Banerjee’s topic of Family/Community, inviting clubs to proactively come to know their local “culture” and discern how they embrace that culture in what they do in their communities, and how they see themselves mirrored in artifacts from their local area. The writer from our local newspaper, the Hudson Star-Observer, called this the “community in a box” notion
(www.hudsonstarobserver.com/event/group/group/Communities/).

I love it! Actually, visit this link and you can read all about the installation!

It is WAY too early in my year to have features, to do lists – these will come in due time. For now, savor the summer, plan for the Fall, and carry all thing Rotary in your heart.

Comments Please

Rotary involves lots of participation on the part of many members.