First, a special thank you to everyone who worked on our fabulous district conference. It was a great success and that was because of the many, many people who spent so much time planning and carrying out the event. Thanks, too, to the 500+ people who attended and are now bringing information back to their clubs and communities and working to "Make Dreams Real"! You can get links which will take you to photos of the conference at http://rotary6440.blogspot.com/2008/10/photos-available-for-viewing.html.
We're now beginning Foundation Month. Please try to schedule a program about The Rotary Foundation at one of your weekly meetings. Ron Hamelberg (ronnan660@aol.com) coordinates those speaker requests. It will be helpful to your membership if someone from your club can attend Estate Planning in Uncertain Times on November 20th (http://rotary6440.blogspot.com/2008/10/estate-planning-seminar-november-20th.html). Although representatives of The Foundation will be presenting, the information will be useful in any estate planning.
As in the past, our district has a program to match contributions to The Rotary Foundation's Annual Giving Fund ( http://rotary6440.blogspot.com/2008/10/rotary-foundation-match-program.html). But this year's program ends December 31st, so act quickly to take advantage of the match.
I visited 50 of the 71 clubs in our district by the end of October and have been amazed at how different each club is. I am thoroughly enjoying the education I'm receiving and look forward to visiting the other clubs. All visits should be scheduled by now. If yours is not, please contact Kristina, our district administrator (admin6440@gmail.com).
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
New Members
If you'd like your club's new members to be listed here, please send their names to Jill Brickman (jillbr@aol.com).
This month we welcome Donna Fousekis to the Deerfield club.
This month we welcome Donna Fousekis to the Deerfield club.
Future Vision
At its June meeting, the RI Board adopted the Future Vision Plan for The Rotary Foundation, a far-reaching effort to simplify access to the Foundation, direct more resources to projects with high-impact and sustainable outcomes, and gain greater public recognition for the Foundation’s work. The Board agreed to initiate the three-year pilot in July 2010 to focus resources and attention on Rotary’s number one priority, polio eradication, and Rotary’s US$100 Million Challenge. The Foundation will be sharing more information about the plan and its implementation throughout 2008-09 and will incorporate training for pilot districts into Rotary’s standard training cycle.
Under the Future Vision Plan, the Foundation will offer two kinds of grants: Rotary Foundation District Grants, which provide districts with access to up to 50 percent of their District Designated Fund, and Rotary Foundation Global Grants, which support larger projects with sustainable, high-impact outcomes in one of six areas of focus: peace and conflict prevention/resolution, disease prevention and treatment, water and sanitation, maternal and child health, basic education and literacy, and economic and community development. Clubs and districts can either create their own global grant projects in the areas of focus or sponsor packaged global grants, which The Rotary Foundation will develop in conjunction with a strategic partner organization that has expertise in the selected area of focus.
All districts will be encouraged to apply to participate in the pilot. In selecting pilot participants, the Trustees will attempt to compose a representative group of districts in terms of location, size, effectiveness, and level of involvement with the Foundation. Pilot districts will follow the new grant structure and not participate in current Foundation programs, with the exception of PolioPlus and the Rotary Centers for International Studies.
Interested districts will need to secure the agreement of two-thirds of their clubs and complete the pilot application form online between February and June 2009. During the next few months District 6440 clubs will have the opportunity to have a Future Vision presentation at a club meeting as part of the process to consider their interest in participating in Future Vision. Please contact DGN Bruce Baumberger (gov.bruce@rotary6440.org) t o schedule a presentation for your club.
The list of selected pilot districts will be posted on the RI Web site on 1 July 2009. The 2010-11 governors and Foundation chairs of the selected pilot districts will attend mandatory training sessions at RI’s expense in early 2010.
Watch a video about Future Vision.
Download a Future Vision presentation from Foundation leadership.
Read a Future Vision Plan brochure.
Under the Future Vision Plan, the Foundation will offer two kinds of grants: Rotary Foundation District Grants, which provide districts with access to up to 50 percent of their District Designated Fund, and Rotary Foundation Global Grants, which support larger projects with sustainable, high-impact outcomes in one of six areas of focus: peace and conflict prevention/resolution, disease prevention and treatment, water and sanitation, maternal and child health, basic education and literacy, and economic and community development. Clubs and districts can either create their own global grant projects in the areas of focus or sponsor packaged global grants, which The Rotary Foundation will develop in conjunction with a strategic partner organization that has expertise in the selected area of focus.
All districts will be encouraged to apply to participate in the pilot. In selecting pilot participants, the Trustees will attempt to compose a representative group of districts in terms of location, size, effectiveness, and level of involvement with the Foundation. Pilot districts will follow the new grant structure and not participate in current Foundation programs, with the exception of PolioPlus and the Rotary Centers for International Studies.
Interested districts will need to secure the agreement of two-thirds of their clubs and complete the pilot application form online between February and June 2009. During the next few months District 6440 clubs will have the opportunity to have a Future Vision presentation at a club meeting as part of the process to consider their interest in participating in Future Vision. Please contact DGN Bruce Baumberger (gov.bruce@rotary6440.org) t o schedule a presentation for your club.
The list of selected pilot districts will be posted on the RI Web site on 1 July 2009. The 2010-11 governors and Foundation chairs of the selected pilot districts will attend mandatory training sessions at RI’s expense in early 2010.
Watch a video about Future Vision.
Download a Future Vision presentation from Foundation leadership.
Read a Future Vision Plan brochure.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Presidential Citation for Clubs
District Governor Pam Kerr must submit her nominations of clubs deserving of Rotary International Presidential Citations by April 15, 2009.
This award is designed to motivate clubs to actively participate in service. Revised on an annual basis by the RI president, the award traditionally highlights the president’s emphases.
Download the Presidential Citation brochure (900A) and the nomination form for Rotary clubs (900B), or download the nomination form for Rotaract and Interact Clubs (900C).
The brochure link is http://www.rotary.org/RIdocuments/en_pdf/900a_en08.pdf and the nomination form link is http://www.rotary.org/RIdocuments/en_pdf/900b_en08.pdf.
Every club in our district is eligible for this honor. Please make sure that yours is on track to earn it.
This award is designed to motivate clubs to actively participate in service. Revised on an annual basis by the RI president, the award traditionally highlights the president’s emphases.
Download the Presidential Citation brochure (900A) and the nomination form for Rotary clubs (900B), or download the nomination form for Rotaract and Interact Clubs (900C).
The brochure link is http://www.rotary.org/RIdocuments/en_pdf/900a_en08.pdf and the nomination form link is http://www.rotary.org/RIdocuments/en_pdf/900b_en08.pdf.
Every club in our district is eligible for this honor. Please make sure that yours is on track to earn it.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Estate Planning Seminar November 20th
The District Planned Giving Committee invites all Rotarians, family and friends to a seminar, Estate Planning in Uncertain Times, on Thursday, November 20th at North Shore Country Club in Glenview. This event is free and will feature a keynote presentation by G. Holger Hansen, Regional Rotary Foundation Coordinator, Mid-Atlantic States, who was formerly Director of Major Gifts and Annual Giving for The Rotary Foundation. PDG Ron Axel of Minneapolis will speak about leaving a lasting legacy through The Rotary Foundation, PDG Jack Blane will explain why he gave $1 million to The Foundation, PDG Dave Waring will outline deferred giving options, and Karena Bierman, an attorney who is The Foundation's Director of Major Giving will speak about the latest developments in national legislation. A distinguished group of professional estate planning Rotarians will be at the event to answer individual questions.
This is a unique opportunity to take advantage of a lot of expertise in one easy session. Please consider attending. Registration will begin at 3:30 p.m. with the program at 4:00 p.m. Please contact Elke Friedman (schatzi85@aol.com or 847-272-7916) to confirm your attendance.
This is a unique opportunity to take advantage of a lot of expertise in one easy session. Please consider attending. Registration will begin at 3:30 p.m. with the program at 4:00 p.m. Please contact Elke Friedman (schatzi85@aol.com or 847-272-7916) to confirm your attendance.
Wanted: Vision Facilitators
There are openings for people who'd like to be vision facilitators in our district. Facilitators help clubs develop long range plans through visioning workshops. Without such plans, Rotary’s annual leadership turnover creates inconsistency as new leaders come aboard with new ideas. When a plan is put in place and a vision has been defined, present and future club leaders work together to move the organization forward. Besides providing continuity, consistency and consensus, an unexpected result of visioning sessions has been an increase in leadership.
According to PDG Terry Mueller, "Being on the visioning team has been one of the most rewarding and fun assignments that I have held in Rotary. I hope more people will join us in this important effort to strengthen our clubs."
There will be a mandatory training session for all current vision facilitators and anyone else interested in joining the facilitation team. The training will be held at the Palatine Library, Room 3, on November 15, 2008, from 9:30 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Lunch and all training materials will be provided. Please RSVP to Terry Mueller (roterry@sbcglobal.net) or Mike Ericksen (gov64400708@aol.com) by November 12th.
The District Vision Facilitator works with a team of 2 - 3 other facilitators to facilitate the visioning process to clubs in our district. District Visioning Sessions are offered to clubs on the 1st and 3rd Mondays and the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month. Facilitators are expected to be available for at least one session per month.
The skills required for the facilitator position are:
Past or current governor or assistant governor or past president of a Rotary club
Teaching, training and/or facilitation experience
Detail-oriented, proactive planner with an ability to manage schedules and calendars
A professional presence when speaking to a group
High level of verbal communication skills for presentations
Experience with Power Point and other presentation technology tools
According to PDG Terry Mueller, "Being on the visioning team has been one of the most rewarding and fun assignments that I have held in Rotary. I hope more people will join us in this important effort to strengthen our clubs."
There will be a mandatory training session for all current vision facilitators and anyone else interested in joining the facilitation team. The training will be held at the Palatine Library, Room 3, on November 15, 2008, from 9:30 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Lunch and all training materials will be provided. Please RSVP to Terry Mueller (roterry@sbcglobal.net) or Mike Ericksen (gov64400708@aol.com) by November 12th.
The District Vision Facilitator works with a team of 2 - 3 other facilitators to facilitate the visioning process to clubs in our district. District Visioning Sessions are offered to clubs on the 1st and 3rd Mondays and the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month. Facilitators are expected to be available for at least one session per month.
The skills required for the facilitator position are:
Past or current governor or assistant governor or past president of a Rotary club
Teaching, training and/or facilitation experience
Detail-oriented, proactive planner with an ability to manage schedules and calendars
A professional presence when speaking to a group
High level of verbal communication skills for presentations
Experience with Power Point and other presentation technology tools
Rotary Foundation Match Program
Our district is running a matching program for contributions to the Annual Giving Fund of The Rotary Foundation but you must act quickly: the program lasts until December 31st (or sooner if points run out) and the deadline is firm.
Matches are available for contributions of $500 or more in $100 increments. The match is 1:1 with recognition points with a maximum of $1,000. Please make checks payable to The Rotary Foundation and mark them for Annual Giving (no matches are available for contributions to polio eradication this year). Mail them to PDG Terry Mueller, 6201 North Wyndwood Drive, Crystal Lake, IL 60014. Please direct questions to Terry at roterry@sbcglobal.net.
This is a quick way to achieve Paul Harris recognition.
Matches are available for contributions of $500 or more in $100 increments. The match is 1:1 with recognition points with a maximum of $1,000. Please make checks payable to The Rotary Foundation and mark them for Annual Giving (no matches are available for contributions to polio eradication this year). Mail them to PDG Terry Mueller, 6201 North Wyndwood Drive, Crystal Lake, IL 60014. Please direct questions to Terry at roterry@sbcglobal.net.
This is a quick way to achieve Paul Harris recognition.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Is there a canyon in your future?
It just might be the Lodge at Ventana Canyon, a luxurious resort located in the foothills of Tucson and the site of District Governor Pam's Fellowship Retreat. It's scheduled for January 16 - 19, 2009. You can anticipate four days of desert sunshine, coupled with a multitude of resort activities, including spectacular golf on courses designed by Tom Fazio, tennis and many other options for both the sportsman and the outdoors enthusiast. Governor Pam and Andy will host a cocktail reception Friday evening.
Tour features include air via American Airlines, transfers between the airport and the resort, in addition to the all-suite resort itself. Cost is $775 per person, share basis, exclusive of meals. Spouses and significant others are welcome.
Make plans now to enjoy a bried respite from Chicago's winter with Governor Pam and Andy and your fellow Rotarians. For more information and reservations, please contact Stan Sherman (847-498-3450 or 847-498-3495 fax). Space is limited.
Tour features include air via American Airlines, transfers between the airport and the resort, in addition to the all-suite resort itself. Cost is $775 per person, share basis, exclusive of meals. Spouses and significant others are welcome.
Make plans now to enjoy a bried respite from Chicago's winter with Governor Pam and Andy and your fellow Rotarians. For more information and reservations, please contact Stan Sherman (847-498-3450 or 847-498-3495 fax). Space is limited.
Rotary International Convention Update
WANT TO BE A PART OF HISTORY??? At the forthcoming BIRMINGHAM
Convention, June 21-24, 2009, Rotary International will celebrate its 100th convention, truly
a milestone. Elaborate events and activities have been planned by both RI and the Host Organization Committee to make this a most rewarding and memorable gathering.
District 6440 has blocked a limited number of rooms at a city center hotel, JURY’S INN BIRMINGHAM. It is a 445-room, full-service property whose room rate per night is $139GBP ($278US), which includes all VAT & service, as well as a full English breakfast, daily. A non-refundable deposit of $200us is required to confirm your room and, as mandated by group policy, the balance of your stay must be prepaid by December 5, 2008, also non-refundable. If prior reservations havebeen made, these can be switched to the district hotel without penalty.
For this and other assistance, contact Stan Sherman at 847-498-3450 (847-498-3495 fax).
Governor Pam and Andy look forward to sharing this historical event with you and your
families.
Convention, June 21-24, 2009, Rotary International will celebrate its 100th convention, truly
a milestone. Elaborate events and activities have been planned by both RI and the Host Organization Committee to make this a most rewarding and memorable gathering.
District 6440 has blocked a limited number of rooms at a city center hotel, JURY’S INN BIRMINGHAM. It is a 445-room, full-service property whose room rate per night is $139GBP ($278US), which includes all VAT & service, as well as a full English breakfast, daily. A non-refundable deposit of $200us is required to confirm your room and, as mandated by group policy, the balance of your stay must be prepaid by December 5, 2008, also non-refundable. If prior reservations havebeen made, these can be switched to the district hotel without penalty.
For this and other assistance, contact Stan Sherman at 847-498-3450 (847-498-3495 fax).
Governor Pam and Andy look forward to sharing this historical event with you and your
families.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Rotary UN Day November 8
Each year, Rotary International and the United Nations celebrate their longstanding ties with a special day at the UN. This year it will be November 8th.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will give a special presentation to Rotarians and there will be special panel discussions and presentations on topics of particular interest to Rotarians. During the morning, there will be a program specially designed for youth.
Registration is open until October 24th at www.rotary.org/RIdocuments/en_pdf/un_day08_reg_form.pdf. The day's schedule is also available on RI's web site.
Forty-nine Rotarians helped draft the United Nation's Charter and many Rotarians became international delegates to the UN. Rotary was one of the original 42 non-governmental organizations and that affiliation continues today.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will give a special presentation to Rotarians and there will be special panel discussions and presentations on topics of particular interest to Rotarians. During the morning, there will be a program specially designed for youth.
Registration is open until October 24th at www.rotary.org/RIdocuments/en_pdf/un_day08_reg_form.pdf. The day's schedule is also available on RI's web site.
Forty-nine Rotarians helped draft the United Nation's Charter and many Rotarians became international delegates to the UN. Rotary was one of the original 42 non-governmental organizations and that affiliation continues today.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
District Governor Elect Bill Ferreira's Experience as a Visiting Rotarian
Last week during a business trip to Mumbai, India, I decided to make some time for Rotary and make up at one of the several Mumbai Rotary clubs. The club president where I was planning my makeup immediately called the District's District Governor Elect for 2009-2010 (my counterpart) and informed him of my visit. DGE Raju Subramanian superceded the club president and invited me instead to address his incoming club presidents-elect at their Pre-PETS meeting and social on Saturday evening. I agreed.
Mumbai District 3140 is made up of 124 clubs which have over 6,000 members. Last year their contributions to the Rotary Foundation via the Annual Giving Program amounted to $2.5 million. I was asked to speak as District 6440 DGE on being a club president. There were 110 PEs present, the district's leadership team, several PDGs, and spouses for a total of over 250. The energy, motivation and dedication of these Mumbai Rotarians is much to be emulated. The meeting consisted of several presentations, role playing, and each club meeting with its respective Assistant Governor.
After the working sessions, we had a sumptuous dinner and concluded the evening with all participating in the famous Indian Bhangra Dance. Not only was this an evening of learning, but the ensuing fellowship was very enjoyable. I met several Rotarians including a PDG whom I had first met in Anaheim during the International Assembly in February 2005. I discussed a potential Matching Grant program with the DGE and we plan to finalize details during our joint District Governor Training at the International Assembly in San Diego, this January. We are also discussing a friendship exchange between our two districts. The world keeps getting smaller, thanks to Rotary.
Mumbai District 3140 is made up of 124 clubs which have over 6,000 members. Last year their contributions to the Rotary Foundation via the Annual Giving Program amounted to $2.5 million. I was asked to speak as District 6440 DGE on being a club president. There were 110 PEs present, the district's leadership team, several PDGs, and spouses for a total of over 250. The energy, motivation and dedication of these Mumbai Rotarians is much to be emulated. The meeting consisted of several presentations, role playing, and each club meeting with its respective Assistant Governor.
After the working sessions, we had a sumptuous dinner and concluded the evening with all participating in the famous Indian Bhangra Dance. Not only was this an evening of learning, but the ensuing fellowship was very enjoyable. I met several Rotarians including a PDG whom I had first met in Anaheim during the International Assembly in February 2005. I discussed a potential Matching Grant program with the DGE and we plan to finalize details during our joint District Governor Training at the International Assembly in San Diego, this January. We are also discussing a friendship exchange between our two districts. The world keeps getting smaller, thanks to Rotary.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Youth Exchange Students Sail on Lake Michigan
Saturday, September 20th was a perfect day for the Annual Exchange Student Sail sponsored by the Chicago Fleet of the Yachting Rotarians Fellowship along with generous support and hosting from Chicago Columbia Yacht Club members. Twelve boats assembled at the Columbia dock beginning at around 10:30 a.m. and volunteers began preparations for serving a Chicago-style hot dog luncheon to all participants. At around 11:00 the first of over 80 students began arriving with their adult team leaders and drivers. These high school seniors, who will spend a school year in the USA, came from countries throughout the world. They are staying with Rotary host families in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.
The students visited and exchanged contact information and thoroughly enjoyed their lunch, although most put ketchup on their hot dogs. Ugh! Including students, adult guests, skippers and crew, we fed about 140 people in half an hour. At 12:45 they quickly assembled under the Rotary Banner with the Chicago skyline in the background for a group photo (below). Nearly all students had their own digital cameras which they dumped at the feet of volunteers who recorded the moment on their cameras too. Amazingly, everyone got the right camera back.
By 1:15 everyone was on their assigned boats and the skippers took off under near perfect conditions. The day was partly cloudy, temp in the 70s, wind 8-12 knots from SW with 1-2’ seas. Say goodbye to those conditions for a while. The boats spread out and sailed various courses off of Monroe Harbor with most boats ending the event with a motor sail past Navy Pier.
By 4:00 all boats had returned with the same number of students they had when they departed. It’s hard to figure out who had the better time, the students or the boat crews. These kids are special and it is truly a privilege to meet them and show this wonderful aspect of our great city.
Special thanks go to the seven skippers from Columbia Yacht Club and friends of Yachting Rotarians who participated with their boats to allow us to entertain such a large group.
Submitted by Phill Klein, Commodore –IYFR Chicago Fleet (easytoo@pklein.interaccess.com)
The students visited and exchanged contact information and thoroughly enjoyed their lunch, although most put ketchup on their hot dogs. Ugh! Including students, adult guests, skippers and crew, we fed about 140 people in half an hour. At 12:45 they quickly assembled under the Rotary Banner with the Chicago skyline in the background for a group photo (below). Nearly all students had their own digital cameras which they dumped at the feet of volunteers who recorded the moment on their cameras too. Amazingly, everyone got the right camera back.
By 1:15 everyone was on their assigned boats and the skippers took off under near perfect conditions. The day was partly cloudy, temp in the 70s, wind 8-12 knots from SW with 1-2’ seas. Say goodbye to those conditions for a while. The boats spread out and sailed various courses off of Monroe Harbor with most boats ending the event with a motor sail past Navy Pier.
By 4:00 all boats had returned with the same number of students they had when they departed. It’s hard to figure out who had the better time, the students or the boat crews. These kids are special and it is truly a privilege to meet them and show this wonderful aspect of our great city.
Special thanks go to the seven skippers from Columbia Yacht Club and friends of Yachting Rotarians who participated with their boats to allow us to entertain such a large group.
Submitted by Phill Klein, Commodore –IYFR Chicago Fleet (easytoo@pklein.interaccess.com)
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Photos Available for Viewing
If you missed District Governor Pam Kerr's installation or the recent District Conference, or if you attended and want to relive the fun, you can look at photos of both events. They're available at http://evlrc.smugmug.com/gallery/6151689_VJRXh#387390397_Y4qWs (installation dinner) and http://evlrc.smugmug.com/gallery/6151067_RpQ5Y#P-1-16 (October District Conference).
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