We have lots of information in this Newsletter! I would love to say it is because we have so much going on in the District (which we do), but also time demands did not allow me to get this letter out sooner (oops!). When I put these together, I have no idea who, if anyone, will read the letter, but, apparently based on the emails I received asking where is the February newsletter, more than just a few of you read this! Before I get into the substance of this month's message, I just want to encourage EVERYONE to send me articles and pictures on what your club is doing. You work hard to give back and your club should get some recognition. More importantly, what you do inspires others, so together, let's Be The Inspiration and share our stories!
February 23 is Rotary's anniversary. This year marks the 114th anniversary of Rotary's founding. We have come a long way since rotating meetings in people's offices. Just pause for a moment and reflect upon all the great things Rotary clubs have done over the past 114 years to build and strengthen communities. None of us were involved in the first Rotary project of building a comfort station in Chicago, but
Do you know anyone who might be a candidate for our D7910 Morley Scholarship? Rotary District 7910 is pleased to announce that Global Grant applications are now being accepted for the David & Eleanor Morley Endowed Global Grant Scholarship, now open from February 1st through March 31, 2019. This $35,000 one year scholarship is open to any resident of the 117 cities and towns represented by District 7910 who is planning on graduate study abroad.
Unique to D7910, the Morley Scholarship was established by a generous WPI graduate and Rotarian. It is managed by The Rotary Foundation Permanent Fund in cooperation with the D7910 Rotary Foundation Committee (Scholarship). The window of application of two months will be followed by an interview, and the announcement of one qualified candidate. Read more for the qualifications and application information.
So you joined rotary? You had a fireside chat or a breakfast with an experienced club member. He or she told you what you needed to know to function as a good club member. Needless to say you did not learn everything about rotary in that hour!
Or, maybe not!! If you think there is more to learn, like what is Rotary's Manual of Procedure, or just how to learn more about Rotary and what other clubs do, read on. There are many resources to learn more about this great organization. Just attending meetings and talking to your fellow club members will give you a little bit of knowledge each week. But if you want to know more and faster, there are some ways to get to know more.
It took nine (9) months, but District 7910's Global Grant to support the Guatemala Stove Project received the final approval from The Rotary Foundation on Tuesday, January 29, 2019. The global grant, officially entitled “Construction of stoves to prevent respiratory diseases in Guatemala” enables the clubs in Rotary District 7910 to work with the Rotary Club of Nueva Guatemala of District 4250 to install efficient stoves that are vented out of the residence, and to establish a committee to monitor and improve the respiratory health of the communities where the stoves are being installed in 3 rural villages near Panajachel Guatemala. Huge kudos and thanks to Westborough Rotarian Jorge Yarzebski for shepherding through the grant application to make it comply with the new Rotary Foundation guidelines.
A group of approximately fifteen (15) Rotarians for clubs in District 7910 will be traveling to Guatemala to install the stoves March 23-30, 2019. There are still spots available if you want to join in the travel. Please email Jim O'Connor <HERE> for more information about the travel. If you and your club are not sending someone, please consider making a donation to the project of any amount. The donations will help defray the expenses of the volunteers traveling to Guatemala and provide additional resources for the project. Donations can be made to the Westborough Rotary Fund, Inc., 21 East Main Street, Westborough, MA 01581. Please specify the donation is for the Guatemala Stove Project.
In 2011, Kiran Singh Sirah turned 35 — “halfway through our life’s journey,” he says, citing Dante’s Divine Comedy. The UK native had been living in Edinburgh and Glasgow for a decade, working on a variety of cultural endeavors. “I felt I had done everything I needed to do and learn in Scotland. It was time to take my experiences and move them to the next level.”
That’s when Sirah heard about the Rotary Peace Fellowship. Since the program began in 2002, more than 1,200 peace fellows have received fully funded scholarships to study at one of six peace centers at universities around the world. With help from Rotarians in Scotland, Sirah eventually landed one of those scholarships and headed to North Carolina, where he earned a master’s degree in folklore studies and a graduate certificate in international peace and conflict resolution.
The Paul Harris Society has grown to over 21,000 members in 138 countries worldwide and 16% of donations to The Rotary Foundation came from this special group last year. Are you looking for ways to encourage growth in the society within your club? Or new ways to keep society members engaged? If so, join us on Tuesday, 12 February from 10:00 am - 11:00 am CST, for a webinar hosted by the Foundation’s Annual Giving team. During the webinar, Rotarian panelists will provide tips on how to recognize new Paul Harris Society members, how to engage them after they join and continuously for years to come. In addition, we will include a brief history and update on the Paul Harris Society.
Rotary Connects the World! 2019-2020 Rotary International President Mark Daniel Maloney announced next year's theme to the District Governors Elect at the Rotary International Assembly. The theme for the 2019-2020 Rotary year is: Rotary Connects the World.
President-elect Mark writes: "I encourage you to share our theme widely with your fellow club members and throughout your districts to help create enthusiasm and excitement for the year ahead. . . . It is only by working together that we can truly accomplish great things."
Happy New Year! It is hard to believe that half a Rotary year has passed already. We have accomplished much, and yet there is so much more we need to do.
While the Rotary year begins on July 1, the calendar year has just begun. Many of us make resolutions for the New Year. I hope each of you will include Rotary in your resolutions. Here are a few suggestions:
Resolve to bring in at least one new member;
Resolve to contribute more to The Rotary Foundation;
Resolve to get involved in one more community service project;
Vocational service can mean many things to many people. In Rotary, Vocational Service means holding ourselves and our businesses to the highest ethical standards. As the 4 way test instructs us, in all we think, say or do . . . Maintaining ethical standards is ever so important in today's society where we prefer to repeat inflammatory discourse rather than engage in discussion to understand opposing views and seek compromise. It is beholden upon us as leaders to set an example for young people and others.
The Rotary Citation recognizes Rotary clubs that support each of our strategic priorities by completing certain activities. One of the three strategic priorities is to Support And Strengthen Clubs through membership-related activities.
To meet the membership requirements for the 2018-19 Rotary Citation, at least 3 of the following goals must be achieved:
Achieve a net gain of 1 member
Maintain or improve your club’s retention of current and new members:
Improve your club’s retention rate by 1 percentage point or
If your club’s retention rate was 90 percent or more in 2017-18, maintain it
Achieve a net gain in female members
Have at least 60 percent of club members report their birth dates through My Rotary
Sanjay Deshpande, our District Rotary Foundation Chair, was honored today by his Wachusett Area Rotary Club with a significant Rotary World Appreciation Honor. Sanjay is relocating to Orlando later this month. As much as Sanjay has done for the clubs in our district helping with Foundation grants, scholarships, training, and fundraising, he has done more in his club. The club also awarded five (5) Paul Harris Fellows at their meeting. It was a wonderful tribute to a wonderful Rotarian who will be very missed by our District. Safe travels Sanjay!
The Rotary Club of Westborough recently hosted a clothing drive to benefit Dress for Success. Dress for Success is a nonprofit whose goal is to empower women to achieve economic independence by providing professional attire and a network of support.
Donated clothing is used to prepare women for job interviews. Volunteers work with clients to choose the perfect outfit as well as prepare and support them for the interview. Women leave with professional attire to carry them through once they secure a position.
Westborough Rotarians partnered with the Westborough Public Library and the Boroughs Family Branch YMCA for this event. Both locations served as drop-off sites for the donated clothing.
It took seven cars and SUVs to transport all of the items to Dress for Success office. According to Beth Butler who oversees operations for their Worcester location, the items collected – which included suits, dresses, shoes, coats, boots, belts and handbags – were valued at $22,500.
Teen leadershave started a district-wide service project! They hope their service project will also be an activity that is selected for the multi-district youth day on May 4.
Firstteen leaders established a Teen Council and now they hope to connect teens representing every Interact club. Teens can represent their community on the council by connecting and registering for the GroupMe chat through council members Andrew Kung (20kunga@wpsraiders.org) and/or Rohan Prabhu (rohanp03@bu.edu).
Thenfounding council members from Baypath, Milford, Nashoba Regional, Wellesley, Westborough, Weston and other communities teleconferenced in November and December. They agreed to launch a district wide service project inviting teens from each club to participate in a series of video clips being exchanged with the teens in Mundagod, India, who are also participating in the Interact Peer Leadership & Depression Prevention project. The initial video clip examples have been created by teens in Mundagod and Wellesley and the questions they address will evolve in each exchange.
Eventually the exchange will expand with other schools participating in the project, including those in Puerto Rico and Nigeria. The picture below shows students at the newest school, which joined through a global grant among three clubs of District 7910 (Merrimack Valley, Needham, and Wellesley) and the Rotary club of Ibadan Idi Ishin.
Finally, in other news, the monthly Interact committee teleconference is on the District Calendar for January 7; all are welcome - just follow this link. In the meantime, please check out the Facebook page @Interact7910, where all Youth Chairs (RYLA, Interact & ESSEX) are now posting events and opportunities. Please add your own pictures, posts and comments!
How would you like to have not only your own Rotary Club members contact information but also the entire District at your fingertips? You can and so much more by downloading the new and improved ClubRunner Mobile App. You can also access club and district leadership, stories and events all with just a few clicks. Connecting to them is as easy as clicking on the phone number or email address.You can download it on the AppStore or GooglePlay and be on your way in minutes. Now would also be a good time to make sure that your profile is current, and if you do not have a picture saved, or your birthday listed, considering updating your information now! Reach out and collaborate with other like minded Rotarians from around our district and be the People of Action that your are!
Has your club recently hosted a service project that you want to showcase to be the inspiration to other clubs? Are you planning something in the near future that you would like to share with your fellow District 7910 Rotarians?
Our District 7910 eBulletin, Website, Facebook and Instagram depend on the content provided by our clubs, so please submit your stories and we will publish them on the district website, in the next eBulletin, and on social media. Stories that showcase your club's service projects should be submitted in plain text along with a photo. If you are promoting an event, please send the flyer along with a sentence with the details of the event. Please send your stories to ssager@sagerlegal.com with the words Rotary Story in the subject line.
The Rotary Club of Westborough recently hosted a clothing drive to benefit Dress for Success. Dress for Success is a nonprofit whose goal is to empower women to achieve economic independence by providing professional attire and a network of support.
