Greetings fellow Rotarians,One month already has passed in the 2017/18 Rotary year. I’m sure club leadership teams are enthusiastically settling into their new roles and working on developing their year’s programme and activities.
These will ensure the promotion of Rotary (remember – no acronyms!) and enhance membership and through the numerous programmes, be Making a Difference throughout our communities.
Membership, new Rotary basics: As the new Rotary year has commenced can I encourage you all to take up Rotary International President Ian Riseley’s Presidential Citation Challenge and give a lot of emphasis to the awareness of supporting the eradication of polio and the need to increase our membership.
New members can feel overwhelmed trying to understand their club, the Rotary lingo, and how they fit in. Rotary Basics is a comprehensive guide to all things Rotary. It covers everything from how Rotary began to how you can optimize your membership experience. It’s great for new members to have for reference and look at on their own time. Purchase copies (US$2 each) from www.shop.rotary.org to give to new members or give them the link to the downloadable pdf.
The Rotary Foundation: Our District, under the encouragement of Past District Governor Keith Owens, gave very generously last year and I thank Rotarians and Clubs for their unprecedented support for The Rotary Foundation’s Centenary Year -
Annual Fund: 2016: $112,558 2017: $138,504 Increase: 23.1%
Per Capita YTD June 2017 2016: $ 65.71 2017: $ 82.54
Polio Challenge -YTD 06/17 2017: 2016: $ 32,261 2017: $ 40,435 Increase: 25.3%
World Polio Day is once again upon us, and it’s time to start thinking about the many ways we can get the story across to our supportive communities.
Last year there were something like 1,400 events organized by clubs in support of World Polio Day and more than 30 of those were in our region.
It’s a good opportunity to sell the Polio message and maybe generate a few dollars to keep the end result squarely in the public’s eye. There’s a link to register your event on the End Polio Now website at the address www.endpolionow.org/register-your-event
Also, Rotary is again hosting a special event to celebrate World Polio Day. This year it will be held at the Gates Foundation in Seattle, USA and will be live-streamed.
More details later but time is precious if you want to plan a special event.
I have enjoyed visiting many clubs during July and meeting such positive and hospitable Rotarians. Each visit has been special and I have particularly enjoyed the acknowledgment of fellow Rotarians and community leaders who have over the past year Made a Difference.
My official Club visits start in August and I look forward to sharing ideas, participating in activities and assisting with your promotion of Rotary.
Together we will be Making a Difference in 2017/2018
Leonie Tisch
Governor 2017/18
Rotary District 9930
