District 6440 Team Heads to Guatemala

Governor Pam departed for Guatemala today with a team of 42 Rotarians from District 6440. The trip was organized by District International Service Advisor Larry Kanar. The team will continue from Guatemala City to Rio Dulce and the Ak’Tenamit school where they will contribute their labor to improve the living conditions of nearly 500 Qe’chy Mayan Indian children. This is a continuation of last year’s trip and it is the third district-wide hands-on international service project.

Message from the Governor

At our District Conference, we distributed daffodil bulbs. That wasn't a random choice; it was because of a story by Jaroldeen Edwards. I hope you'll take it to heart.

The story is about a woman who planted thousands of daffodils...one at a time...and before long, the hillside near her home was abundant in golden yellow daffodils. In the story, the narrator walks up to the house to learn more about the daffodils, and she finds this poster: "Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking. 50,000 bulbs. One at a time, by one woman. Two hands, two feet, and one brain. Begun in 1958."

For Ms. Edwards, "that moment was a life-changing experience. I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than 40 years before, had begun, one bulb at a time, to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure mountaintop. Planting one bulb at a time, year after year, this unknown woman had forever changed the world in which she lived. One day at a time, she had created something of extraordinary magnificence, beauty, and inspiration."The moral of the story: "Learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at a time--often just one baby step at a time--and learning to love the doing, learning to use the accumulation of time. When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We can change the world."

Use the Daffodil Principle. Stop waiting. There is no better time than right now to start your own Daffodil Principle and "Make Dreams Real." If you'd like to read the entire story, just click here.

March 15 Deadlines Approaching

Applications for vocational scholarships and for presidential citations are due to Sandy Frum and Chuck Bartling, respectively, by March 15th. Don't miss out! You can get the necessary forms and more information at www.rotary6440.org.

Guatemala Trip

Rotarians and guests representing 15 clubs in our district will spend the first week of March on a service trip to the rain forests of eastern Guatemala. The 42 people will work under the auspices of Ak'Tenamit, an indigenous community development organization (www.aktenamit.org). This is the second year that we've sent people and supplies to the region to help with the group's mission of providing long-term solutions to poverty.

You can follow the service team's adventures on the team blog at Guatemala.

Welcome to New Members

A warm welcome to these people who've recently joined Rotary clubs in District 6440: Jesse Pleuss (Park Ridge); Wesley Jasinski, Norman Levin, Courtney Olson, Paul Pryma, Rita Verhing and Pete Wirtz (Northbrook); Marvin Edelstein and Jaime Varela (Evanston Lighthouse); Patti Loris (Libertyville Sunrise); Craig Zieleniewski (Dundee Township); Charles Maupin (Evanston); Richard Hill (Glenview Sunrise); and Sandy Morganstein (Dundee Township).

Frequently Asked Questions About Expansion (New Clubs)

The District Membership Committee would like to clarify a number of misconceptions regarding sponsoring new Clubs. Expansion success is at the center of Rotary’s growth for the sake of all humankind. If our mission is worthwhile then it is equally worthwhile to invite others to join us.

These are some of the questions we hear. Answers are posted at FAQ.

1) Why should we start new clubs?

2) Will a new club take away members from an existing one?

3) Some clubs struggle to get new members. Will chartering a club be easier?

4) How significant is the problem?

5) Why can’t you help recruit members to our existing club?

6) Do we have a target age for charter members?

7) Isn’t it difficult to charter new clubs in these economic times?

8) Are there any new ideas for new clubs?

9) How do we go about finding charter members?

10) Is there any benefit to sponsor a new club?

11) What help can the district provide?

We hope these questions and answers will help you initiate a dialog in your club. We would appreciate hearing from you with suggestions, ideas, or more questions.

The Future of Rotary is in Your Hands

Submittted by DGE Bill Ferreira

This is the new Rotary theme for 2009-2010. RI President-elect John Kenny
introduced this theme at the recently held International Assembly in San Diego, California.

As your District Governor-elect, I attended this Assembly to learn, share, discuss and debate Rotary with 535 governors-elect from all over the world. Needless to say, this was an experience of a lifetime.

In his theme speech to us, RIPE John Kenny reminded us that we are part of a great
Rotary tradition, as links in a chain joining our future to our past. If that chain is to continue, every link in it must be strong. It is our responsibility to forge solid links to Rotary's future. It is our responsibility to fulfill our promise of a polio-free world today so that Rotary can take on other great challenges tomorrow. Rotary International has developed a strategic plan with seven priorities that set the course for a strong future:

1. Eradicating polio is our first and main priority.

2. Advancing the recognition and public image of Rotary to help attract new
members.

3. Increasing Rotary's capacity to provide service. Rotarians are encouraged to
continue to focus their efforts in the areas of water, health and hunger and literacy.

4. Expanding membership globally in both numbers and quality.

5. Emphasizing Rotary's unique vocational service commitment, by
demonstrating our strong commitment to high ethical standards in our professional
lives.

6. Optimizing leadership talents within RI is essential to Rotary's future.

7. Fully implementing the strategic planning process to ensure continuity.

RIPE John Kenny emphasized that Rotary is a great organization and has the potential to become even greater-- if each one of us rises to the challenge and takes
responsibility for its future. It is time to stand up and commit to doing the best job you can--with all your mind, your heart, and your soul because The Future of Rotary Is In Your Hands.

Chicago Indoor Racing

The Rotary Club of Buffalo Grove will once again sponsor an indoor racing event. This year's will be held Sunday, March 29th, at Chicago Indoor Racing in Buffalo Grove with check-in beginning at 12:45 p.m. Cost is $155 per team.

More information is available at http://www.clubrunner.ca/Data/6440/html/54251/2009%20Chicago%20Indoor%20Racing%20Event%20Flyer.pdf.

Just Ask!!!

Since the beginning of the current Rotary year we have received 48 referrals of potential members from Rotary International. These leads have been distributed to the clubs according to the place of business or home indicated by the prospects. Six of these leads resulted in inductions. Many others have been invited to visit the different clubs and are in the process of becoming members.

These individuals approached us via the RI website which begs the question: Why haven’t we approached them?

It seems that even in these troubled economic times there are individuals out there interested in serving above self.

Is your club engaged in an active membership campaign?
Do you have a working membership committee asking for names of potential members?
Is every member in your club encouraged to invite friends and acquaintances to breakfast, lunch, or dinner at your club?

If any answer to the questions above is negative then you should ask yourself: Am I doing everything possible to grow my club and preserve Rotary?

Please note that these questions are directed to no one in particular but to every Rotarian. It is up to each of us to do everything in our power to help arrest the decline in membership affecting our clubs.

Do your part and ask somebody to visit your Rotary Club.

Rotary's 104th Birthday

The first Rotary club met in Chicago on February 23, 1905, making this week Rotary's 104th birthday. More information is at anniversary, along with some ideas for celebrating this birthday.

RYLA Sponsorships

Rotary Youth Leadership Awards is a potentially life-changing experience for teenagers. It is an amazing program that groups teens with speakers (this year including a best-selling author) for an action-packed weekend of motivation, training and fun. Aimed at young people who've displayed leadership skills or potential, RYLA enhances their skills to help them lead throughout their lives.

We have many more applicants than our funding allows. Your club can choose to support RYLA by sponsoring one or more of those applicants for just $325 each, which includes all costs, even transportation to the conference site.

We also have sponsorship opportunities for corporations. If you know of a company which would like to market itself to a selected group of local youth, please contact Chair Sean Nelson at sean_nelson@ymcachgo.org. For more information on RYLA, visit www.rotary6440.org.

On to Birmingham

There's still time to make plans to attend Rotary International's convention in Birmingham, England, June 21 - 24. With the pound dropping, the convention has turned into a real value for American travelers.

Plenary sessions, the House of Friendship (social gathering spot), special events, networking, and learning more about Rotary's activities around the world all make the convention a great experience. These conventions usually draw people from 130 countries, making attendance a truly international experience.

You can sign up at www.rotary.org.

Sun-Times Article Highlights Polio Eradication Efforts

The Chicago Sun-Times has published an article on three people from our district who've participated in National Days of Immunization. The article is available online at Sun-Times.

New Meeting Places for Lake in the Hills and Skokie Valley

The Rotary Club of Lake in the Hills is now meeting at the Colonial Cafe, 2555 West Bunker Hill Drive in Algonquin. Meetings remain Wednesdays at noon.
The Skokie Valley Club is now meeting at Zhivago, 9925 Gross Point Road in Skokie, still on Tuesdays at 12:15 p.m.

Adopt-a-Beach Results

In September the Rotary Clubs of Evanston Lighthouse and Wilmette Harbor again participated in the International Coastal Cleanup through the Alliance for the Great Lakes (www.greatlakes.org). Their participation not only improved the health of the Great Lakes through litter removal but also helped to raise awareness about the problem with litter along our shorelines and in our waterways.

Nearly 7,000 volunteers in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan removed 26,271 pounds of trash from 209 cleanup locations.

Clean water is an important Rotary initiative. The annual cleanup is a simple way to help locally. Please consider participating next September.

Billboard is Up

As you're driving west on I-90 (the Kennedy Expressway) be sure to be alert just before the junction with I-294 (the Tri-State Tollway). The first of our billboards is up at that location.

Introducing our GSE Team to New Zealand

Alicia Mentell is a Texas native and past president of the Rotary Club of Waukegan. She is Superintendent for Recreation Services for the Waukegan Park District and is the team leader.

Dayna Niemi moved to our area from Michigan three years ago. She is a Recreation Specialist for Fitness and Aquatics for the Waukegan Park District.

Jeff Akin grew up in Tennessee and Virginia. He studied at several US institutions as well as in England and Thailand. He is with Astellas Pharma US, Inc. and is married to Leah.

Emily Buckler is another Michigan native. Like Jeff, she has studied in England. She also taught in South Africa. Emily is now an associate editor in the Reading Department at Pearson Education.

Jon Mariano grew up in Barrington and studied in Australia as well as the US. He is in commercial lending at Barrington Bank & Trust.

This team is working hard to prepare for the trip of a lifetime. They will represent us well.

$10,000 to The Rotary Foundation

The Rotary Club of Chicagoland Korean – Northbrook announced a $10,000 contribution to Rotary’s $200 Million Challenge during the Korea Day celebration held at the Rotary International Headquarters on 29 January.

The Chicagoland Korean – Northbrook club presented a mock check for $10,000 to RI President D. K. Lee at the event. President Lee said, “Your donation is particularly admirable coming from a Rotary club in its first year.”

President Lee presented the club charter to the Chicagoland Korean-Northbrook club with District Governor Pamela Kerr on 22 August 2008. Attendees were asked to make a $50 donation to Rotary's $200 Million Challenge. About 175 people attended the charter night and the event raised $6,000.

The Korea Day was a special celebration of the philanthropy and leadership exhibited by an elite group of Korean Rotarians. President Lee honored four Rotarians from Korea by inducting them into the Arch C. Klumph Society, named in honor of our Foundation’s founder.

Each of these dedicated Rotarians has donated at least $250,000 to The Rotary Foundation. Korean Rotarians have distinguished themselves as true leaders in the Rotary community; outside of the US, Korea has the greatest number of Arch C. Klumph Society members in the world.

Literacy Committee Members Visit Clubs

The Literacy Committee has as its goal for this Rotary year to visit every club in the district! A number of clubs have already been visited by one or two members of the Committee. The program consists of a dvd highlighting three different successful literacy programs that clubs in the district have done. Information is provided about how to do a literacy program in your club. There are many options and opportunities for clubs to get involved in a literacy project.

Committee members will be contacting the presidents, vocational and literacy chairs of clubs who have not yet had a visit from the Literacy Committee.