Congratulations to the Rotary Club of Elk Grove for a tremendously successful fundraising event during the most challenging fundraising year we've seen in ages.
The club's annual Beef 'N Reef Bash was creatively revised for it's 15th year because, well, 2020.
Instead of cancelling, they turned this beloved event into a "To-Go" meal and had an online auction as well. Serving 340 meals on Sept. 26 (with many going to families in need in the surrounding area), the club was able to raise approximately $40,000 during a year most people assumed we'd have to write off fundraisers on our long list of things that didn't happen.
“This event is our club’s primary source of working capital for the year," said Les Willmon, club president. "Proceeds raised allow the Rotary Club of Elk Grove to provide funding for a variety of community and international service projects. Over the past 14 years this event has raised nearly $850,000 for such community causes as the Senior Center of Elk Grove, Elk Grove High School FFA, scholarships for local students, Elk Grove Food Bank, Project R.I.D.E., improvements to local park facilities, operational costs for the H.A.R.T. transitional houses, dictionaries for 3rd grade students, housing and school facilities for children in El Salvador, furnishings/supplies for orphans in Africa, and restroom facilities for Iruri Primary School in Kenya.”
Congratulations to the Rotary Club of Elk Grove for setting a great example, raising the bar for all of us during this challenging year, and for raising so much money for their Rotary causes.
Join the South Placer Rotary Club for a 2020-friendly Halloween drive-thru.
Oct. 31, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at the RC Willey parking lot
Roll your windows down about halfway and Rotarians will attach a treat bag with suction cups. Volunteers and local businesses sponsoring the event will place candy and treats into the bags as you drive though. South Placer Rotary has worked alongside local officials including the county health department to be sure the event follows the safest protocols possible.
Costumes and car decorations that don’t interfere with the driver’s vision are encouraged!
There is a voluntary donation of $5 per participant, requested.
To get more info and secure your tickets, click here.
If you'd like to sponsor this event and/or host a "booth" to provide tricks 'n treats for the kids of South Placer, please contact SPRCHalloween@gmail.com.
Help us eradicate polio from the world! We are 99.9% there, but it remains wild in just two countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan. District 5180 is giving an extra big push to end polio throughout the month of October.
Matching contributions all month!
District 5180 will be matching contributions to PolioPlus ALL MONTH LONG! All you have to do is make a donation, and it will be matched by the district, and then matched AGAIN by the Gates Foundation!
PolioPlus Society:
Additionally, we have established the PolioPlus Society for those who pledge to contribute at least $100 per year until Polio is eradicated. For those that join the PolioPlus Society by Oct. 24, Zone 27 will match your contributions with Paul Harris points! As a member of the society, you pledge to donate a minimum of $100 each year until the world is certified polio free by the World Health Organization.
Rotarians and their friends who join the society will be honored with a special pin, certificate and an “End Polio Now” bracelet which will be presented at your Club meeting. Of course, all donations will be matched 2 to 1 by the Gates Foundation making this an even better opportunity, as well as receiving Paul Harris Credit for your donation. If you donate before World Polio Day (October 24th), we will DOUBLE your recognition points.
How to join PolioPlus Society:
All you need to do to join the society is complete the PolioPlus Society pledge form, which can be found on the District PolioPlus page and email it to Robert Mutchler.
How to donate:
The easiest way to donate is through the End Polio website. You can make a one-time donation there, or sign up to make it a recurring donation, which will also automatically enroll you in the PolioPlus Society. You can choose to make monthly, quarterly or annual payments. But make sure you have registered and are signed in on rotary.org for a My Rotary account, to ensure both you and your club receive proper credit. Signing up is quick and easy.
You can also donate by writing a check to “The Rotary Foundation” with “PolioPlus” in the memo section and submitting to your club’s Foundation Chair, or if you want to set up recurring payments, you can fill out the Rotary Direct form, and mail it to the address on the form.
But wait, there's more!
We also have a special webinar scheduled for Oct. 24, World Polio Day. Join us to get an update on Rotary International's efforts at Polio eradication, and how District 5180 is supporting The Rotary Foundation. Click here to learn more and register!
COVID can't keep us from making a positive impact in the lives of future Rotarians!
This year's Rotary speech contest chairperson is Bill Highland, and he has taken the challenge to heart and isn't about to let social distancing keep us from a successful contest. Meet Dr. Zoom:
Monday, September 21 is the UN's International Day of Peace. It's the perfect day to make a statement about what Rotary stands for, about kindness and compassion. Please join us.
It's time to reboot. On Nov. 7, we're going to get our district's club leadership together to brainstorm about how to grow membership and engage our current members better.
Some of you may have participated in last year's Rotary Reboot, where we focused on how to work better together. This year we are training leadership in the clubs on the best ways to build membership. The 3-hour training will be a combination of video and live-streaming events, and we'll be teaching principles for marketing, community service, membership, and other ideas to help you attract and retain members.
So if you're a club leader, this is for you. We're targeting presidents, president elects, chairs for membership, marketing, community service and/or anyone who thinks they can make a positive difference in their club. Bring the whole gang (virtually, of course)!
It's September, and so far, 2020 has been one challenge after another. I'm a glass-half-full kind of guy, though. So, while there is no shortage of negative aspects to the coronavirus, I'd like to share a positive - something we can take advantage of right now.
September is Rotary's Basic Education and Literacy Month - a time to reflect on what we're doing to help reach this key Rotary focus area in our communities and/or internationally. Learn more about this important focus area on the Rotary International website.
But, in addition to that, because we're all meeting virtually, we can really use this opportunity to beef up our own basic literacy and understanding of what it means to be a Rotarian, by hearing from those at the top.
Rotary International has many people available to speak to your clubs. You could hear from those who know it best about things like membership, foundation, grants, club and district support, Polio Plus, and more. Plugging into the opportunity to have guest speakers from all around the world right now could really help build our understanding of Rotary and solidify the passion you have for this organization that I can honestly say has changed my life - and the lives of my family members.
If you'd like to have someone speak to your club, you can reach out to Nick Taylor.
Also, you may not be aware, but there's a Speaker's Bureau page on our website. Just go to the homepage, under "For Rotarians" and you'll see it in the drop down. There's a list of vetted speakers, many of them make great virtual speakers.
Global Grant Scholarships & Rotary Peace Fellowships
Rotary Peace Fellowship
Promoting peace is one of Rotary's main causes. The fully funded Rotary Peace Fellowship covers tuition and living expenses, increases the capacity of existing leaders to prevent and resolve conflict by offering academic training, field experience, and professional networking.
Up to 130 fellows are selected every year in a globally competitive process based on personal, academic, and professional achievements. Fellows earn either a master’s degree or a professional certificate in peace and development studies at one of the seven Rotary Peace Centers, located at leading universities around the world.
More than 1,300 program alumni are working in more than 115 countries as leaders in national governments, nongovernmental organizations, social enterprises, the military, law enforcement, and international organizations such as the United Nations
As our country faces trying times of divisiveness and racial tension, Rotary is about peace and bringing people together.
Our Peace Committee has been hard at work developing resources that can be used by clubs and individual members who are interested in growing and building bridges, to help ensure that all Rotarians know and feel our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.
We've only just begun building that resource, but on District 5180 website, you can find a resource page that we'll continue to build out with books you can read, webinars you can view or attend, and speakers you can invite to your club to help us all grow and become better humans, better Rotarians, at a time when the world really needs people who can bring togetherness.
This page is new, but we are always seeking to add to it. If you have more ideas or suggestions about programs or resources we can add, please reach out to our Peace Committee chairperson, Lynette Anderson.
So August is Membership Month for Rotary. And with virtually all of our meetings VIRTUAL, there's never been a better time to invite a friend!
When District Governor Hastey says Rotary is "FFF'n Amazing," one of those F's is for Friends! This is the time to invite your friends to join us, to learn more about what Rotary stands for, and to check out a meeting or join us for a (safe) community service project! With virtual meetings, it's easier than ever for someone to attend. Just make sure you welcome them and help them understand what to expect.
Now, more than ever, people want to connect and find a way to serve their communities. Let's make the most of this wild time, and introduce as many people as we can to the clubs, and to the organization, that we all love. As this year's theme touts, "Rotary Opens Opportunities," but Rotary can also be a light and a spark of hope for people who want to be part of the solution.
Not sure where to start with a potential Rotarian, check out this web page with great information about what Rotary is about, and links to the various clubs in our district.
And if you haven't already, please make sure you add your online meeting information to your website. It's only visible to members, but lets prospective members know that you're still active, meeting and serving your communities in spite of all we're facing these days.
COVID Strikes Again, Rotarians Rise to the Occasion
Just when some of us were beginning to return to some kind of "normal" in the time of COVID-19, the cases have started rising significantly in our region, forcing the shutdown of our in-person meetings and cancelling events. Deja Vu, right?
I just have to share how impressed I am with all of the flexibility you've shown.
In the last few weeks, I've seen incredibly creative demotions done online, virtual fundraisers planned, and truly inspirational meetings and speakers all done via Zoom.
If you do gather in small groups for community service or meetings of any kind, I ask you to please, wear masks, ensure you're six feet apart and practice good hygiene. It's incredibly important that Rotary set a good example, but it's a whole lot more important that none of you get sick or spread the Coronavirus to others.
So please, continue to be creative and think out of the box, and if you've got an idea that could be easily replicated among other clubs, please share them with us, so our other clubs can also thrive during these challenging times.
Together, we thrive.
Thanks so much for all that Flexibility and your commitment to Rotary,
Jennifer E. Jones, a member of the Rotary Club of Windsor-Roseland, Ontario, Canada, has been nominated to become Rotary International’s president for 2022-23, a groundbreaking selection that will make her the first woman to hold that office in the organization’s 115-year history. Jones will officially become president-nominee on 1 October if no other candidates challenge her.
Brent Hastey assumed the role of District Governor today, but in light of social distancing requirements, outgoing DG, Ray Ward, had to get creative about how to best pass the baton. Here's what he came up with:
District Leadership Transition in the Time of COVID-19
Rotary and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are renewing their longstanding partnership to end polio, announcing a joint commitment of up to $450 million to support the global polio eradication effort.
Rotary & the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Commits to Eradicate Polio
Shanti Landon from the Rotary Club of Lincoln created this lovely video explaining some of the misconceptions about Rotary and what we truly are as an organization.
