Email Blast

In response to the catastrophic loss of homes, businesses, and livelihoods for many Oregonians, Rotary has established a Fire Relief Fund to help victims of the fires rebuild their lives. Oregon communities that have been severely devastated, if not eliminated, in the wake of these unprecedented fires will need help in both the near and long term.

“For the painful and challenging times ahead, Rotary is ready to accept the public and corporate support to help those in need in our local communities. The focus is on raising and leveraging funds for future distribution via District Disaster Grants that help rebuild the fire devastated areas,” said District Governor Cindi O’Neil of Bend, Oregon. Click here to learn how to donate and help with relief efforts.

I am deeply saddened by the historic size and impact of the recent wildfires in our District. Our hearts go out to those who have lost family members, homes, businesses and those displaced. We are moving quickly to provide multiple ways forward for Rotary to respond to this crisis.

District 5110 Leadership has established a Fire Relief Fund to provide mid to long-term relief to those impacted by the wildfires. Our international friends from District 3340 in Thailand have generously pledged up to $10,000 for each dollar we raise. District 5110 has now pledged an additional $10,000 from the District Reserve Fund to match Thailand’s generous pledge. The challenge is now 2/1! Generous Rotarians and others have contributed, but we have $9000 to go. Please give to the D5110 Fire Relief Fund and leverage your funds 2/1! The need is great. Click here on how to donate and for more detail.

The great ROTARY STEPS TOGETHER virtual fundraiser begins today! Register now: https://www.charityfootprints.com/rotarystepstogether/

It’s time for members to sign up to raise funds for your Club, the District 5110 Fire Relief Fund, the Annual Fund, or PolioPlus. And now the fundraising platform has been adjusted so you can walk, run, bike, hike, golf, or whatever activity you choose to log miles and raise dollars for all the serious needs in our communities related to the catastrophic fires.

Click here to learn how to participate.

Many individuals who lost homes in the Phoenix/Talent Oregon Almeda DR Fire also lost the tools they use for their small businesses. Thanks to fast work by our District Rotary Foundation Committee Chair, Tim Mobley, we have received, in just hours, $25,000 in disaster relief from Rotary International.

These funds will be immediately granted to community members who have lost almost everything: their homes and their livelihoods. Escaping with their loved ones, they will now also reclaim their dignity: the ability to go back to work to feed, house and care for their families. Bravo Rotary! These funds made available through the Disaster Relief Fund #RotaryResponds. Click here for the website story.

The Rotary clubs of southern Oregon are collaborating with other organizations and local governments to rebuild what was lost in the Almeda/Glendower, Obenchain and surrounding fires. Their efforts will be focused on immediate disaster relief as well as long-term recovery.

Visit www.RotaryRebuildsSouthernOregon.com to learn more and to donate. The clubs are accepting financial donations to support these efforts by mailing them to P. O. Box 3333, Central Point, OR 97502. For more details about Rotary efforts, click here.

The fires have displaced over 40,000 Oregonians who are now scattered in many shelters and hotels in major city hubs. The Red Cross is seeking experienced, knowledgeable volunteers from Rotary to help with the myriad of tasks associated with helping those in need. You can help. Sign up to become a Registered Red Cross volunteer at www.redcross.org/volunteer/become-a-volunteer.html
.
You must register, become vetted and go through training courses, just a three-hour commitment in order to qualify as a volunteer. When you have completed your registration, vetting and training, email me at DGcindi5110@gmail.com. Click here for the whole story with our thanks for considering this valuable work!

Between COVID and the seemingly endless series of regional wildfires, the need for the eNews levity is greatly enhanced these days….thus, we’ll cite the dry wit of comedian Steven Wright:

1. I remember the first time I had to go to sleep. Mom said, “Steven, time to go to sleep.” I said, “But I don’t know how.” She responded, “It’s real easy. Just go down to the end of tired and hang a left.” So I went down to the end of tired, and just out of curiosity, I hung a right. My mother was there and said, “I thought I told you to go to sleep?”
2. The severity of the itch is proportional to the reach.
3. What’s another word for Thesaurus?
4. You can’t have everything……where would you put it?

More to come…….be safe and help out those who haven’t been as fortunate!

This week’s BUSINESS OF THE WEEK RECOGNITION visits the Rotary Club of Lebanon and honors Rotarian James F. Wright and his company, Alika Media Group. James is President of Lebanon Rotary this year.

Check out Alika Media Group at rotarybusinessnetwork.org/business-listing/alika-media-group/ and learn more about its video production, multimedia production, web design and hosting, non-profit organization building, and media consulting services at alika.media/. By participating in RBN, James demonstrates his support for businesses networking in District 5110. James wants Alika Media Group to be the one-stop shop for all your media needs. Click here to follow James’ lead and take advantage of RBN benefits.

Register now: https://www.charityfootprints.com/rotarystepstogether/

On September 15 the great ROTARY STEPS TOGETHER virtual fundraiser begins! It’s time for members to sign up to raise funds for your Club, the Annual Fund, PolioPlus, or all three! You can walk, run, bike,
hike, golf, or whatever activity you choose to log miles and raise dollars for all the great things Rotary supports in our communities and the world.

The ROTARY STEPS TOGETHER website is available for you to register, create your profile, and send to your friends to collect pledges for the miles you log over an eight-week period. Your Club is your team but your goal is your own! Your steps, logged on your mobile device, will be recorded on the virtual fundraising platform. No mobile device? No problem. You can log exercise miles manually on your
profile (4-Way Test applies!). Have fun and challenge another Rotarian to a virtual eight-week race.

Research shows that exercise during these times can help boost your immune system. What better way to stay healthy, have fun, and raise funds to serve our communities! GET REGISTERED for ROTARY STEPS TOGETHER!

Paul Chappell, director of the Peace Literacy Institute headquartered in Los Angeles, CA, believes peace education and activism needs to be taught in the same way that we teach soldiers to wage war and students to learn reading and mathematics.

The Iraq War Veteran and West Point graduate will offer a peace literacy conversation on Sept. 17 that will provide “new frameworks for understanding complex conflicts”, said Chappell, referencing recent peace protests in Portland, Oregon.

“Peace Literacy,” he said, “can offer people new skills for navigating conflicts in ways that move
communities and the world toward greater peace and justice.”

Chappell’s Zoom event will be held on Thursday, Sept. 17, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The public event is sponsored by Rotary International District 5110, which involves 66 clubs and 3,300 Rotarians in central and southwestern Oregon and northern California. Chappell has written a seven-book series, titled The Road to Peace, where he writes about waging peace, ending war, the art of living, and what it means to be human.

For more on Chappell and this perfectly timed presentation, click here.

As requested by the participants last month, we will focus on “Holding Engaging Meetings” at the next District Membership Forum on Tuesday, September 15 at 10am. This is an opportunity for clubs to share their challenges and solutions.

This month’s facilitator is 2017-2018 5150 District Governor Ron Gin. Ron is a charter member of the Rotary Club of San Francisco Chinatown. He served as Club President in 2009-2010, when the Club won the Best Small Club in District 5150. He has also served as Area Membership Coordinator for 2012-2013. He has been a Certified Financial Planner with Morgan Stanley since 1998. Ron has two children, a granddaughter, and enjoys hot rods, golf, cycling, tennis, and of course Rotary.

The District Membership Forum is held every third Tuesday at 10am, and focuses on a topic chosen by the participants from the last forum. Here’s the link for the Forum every month: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82289120983 or dial in at 1 669 900 6833. For more information, contact Chris Waugh or click here.

Rotarians from the Rotary Club of Ashland volunteer at their community garden each year from early March through October, providing much needed fresh produce to the Ashland Emergency Food Bank. The Rotary garden donations provide nutritious vegetables to supplement dry goods and non- perishables available in the food bank.

DG Cindi awarded the “Rotary Hero Award” to garden founders Mark Jaffe, Juli Di Chiro and Paul Nicholson. Find out how the Ashland Garden/Emergency Food Bank model gives those in need an empowering shopping experience. Listen to the podcast here. (LINK to the “Conversations in the Garden” – Ashland Oregon)

Register now for the Zoom Social Hour for DG Candidates and Interested Members on Thursday at 7 p.m.

You are invited to a PDG Social Hour Zoom Meeting with past district governors and potential candidates. Our goal is to give any Rotarian an opportunity to talk with those who have served as District Governor about their experiences. You need not be an official candidate to participate. It is enough that you are curious about the selection process, or merely interested in what a district governor does.

Anyone interested in being considered for this prestigious position should immediately contact his, her, or their club president to complete the application and club approval certification. Nominations will remain open until Wednesday, September 23, 2020.

To register, click here and go to Register NOW for PDG Zoom Social Hour for DG Candidates!

The Rotary Business Network is really catching on with some of our D5110 clubs? Why not yours? This week’s BUSINESS OF THE WEEK RECOGNITION visits the South Coast to honor Ann and Bruce Parker and their business, River Cities Realty, Inc. The Parkers are a D5110 Dynamic Duo Rotarian couple serving as pillars of Coquille Rotary Club. Bruce is the club’s immediate past president. Ann continues another year a club treasurer. Whatever your Real Estate needs are, Rivers Cities Realty is eager to be your RE guru.

Rivers Cities Realty sports a FREE RBN listing at rotarybusinessnetwork.org/business-listing/river-cities-realty- inc/ Every D5110 Rotarian with a business or profession is entitled to a FREE listing in the Rotary Business Network directory. Click here to learn more and benefit from the RBN!!

A little test for 5110 Rotarian consumption of this eNewsletter…let’s see if you read this far…(stupid joke to the left…I picked it for the picture!)

Four two-liners worth a Rotary smile:
1. I threw a boomerang a few years ago. I now live in constant fear.
2. You don’t need a parachute to go skydiving. You need a parachute to go skydiving twice.
3. Parallel lines have so much in common. It’s a shame they’ll never meet.
4. Someone stole my Microsoft Office and they’re gonna pay. You have my Word.

More to come…….as I will be here all week.

On Sept. 15 the great #ROTARY STEPS TOGETHER virtual fundraiser begins! It’s time for clubs and members alike to plan their strategy to raise funds for clubs,, the Annual Fund, PolioPlus, or all three! Rotarians can walk, run, bike, hike, golf, or whatever activity they choose to log miles and raise dollars for all the great things Rotary supports in our communities and the world.

In just a few days the #ROTARY STEPS TOGETHER website will be available for members to sign up, create their
profiles, and send to friends to collect pledges for the miles logged over an eight-week period. Rotary
Clubs are the team but each member’s goal is their own! Steps, logged on a mobile device, will be recorded
on the virtual fundraising platform. Click hear to read more about a great collective club event!

What better way to stay healthy, have fun, and raise funds to serve our communities! GET READY, GET SET, GET STEPPING for #ROTARY STEPS TOGETHER!

On Sept. 15, Rotary District 5110 launches #RotaryStepsTogether, a virtual fund-raiser for 3,500 Rotarians and 68 clubs from throughout southwest and central Oregon, and Northern California. Websites, flyers, emails, social media, and individual club activities are planned to promote this opportunity to raise money for the eradication of polio in our world and services for families in need (globally and locally) for food, medical supplies, education, and transportation support.

Your business name and logo could be front and center before 3,500 Rotarians and the approximately 1.2 million people who live in their communities by sponsoring this huge event. Sponsorship opportunities are available by contacting Beth Sheehan by Sept. 15 at bethgaisersheehan@gmail.com at the levels below (click here to see all the Rotary and general public recognition available through sponsorship of this great #RotaryStepsTogether event).

District Governor Cindi (pictured left) and PDG Claudette McWilliams (pictured right) recently sent all in the District an email containing the Zoom link for the September 10^th Zoom PDG Social Hour at 7 p.m. Don’t delete it! You will need it to join us for a lively discussion of the life of a district governor in District 5110. You need not be an official candidate to participate. It is enough that you are curious about the selection process, or merely interested in what a district governor does. Click here for more!

Other Important Dates:

• Applications with club nominations due September 23, 2020
• DG Candidate speeches at September 25, 2020, Awards Presentation.
• Candidate Interviews on October 3, 2020

Contact PDG Claudette with questions at dgclaudette1718@gmail.com or 541.912.7592. See you there!

Join fellow Rotarians for the second Rotary Now!/Leading Change event to be held Sept. 17 at 7 p.m. This facilitated discussion will offered with Paul Chappell, the Director of the Peace Literacy Institute, an initiative of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. Chappell is a graduate of West Point and veteran of Iraq war. He created the idea of Peace Literacy after his time in the military, then further developed this topic in a seven-book series, The Road to Peace. Here he writes about waging peace, ending war, the art of living, and what it means to be human.

“Attendees at DisCon 2019 in Coos Bay enjoyed spending time with keynoter Paul Chappell and hearing his inspiring message,” said Past Rotary District Governor Bill Grile. Registration for the Zoom conversation is through the calendar on DACdb for Rotarians. Rotarians may also register a guest on DACdb. Click here to read more about this special presentation!

This week’s BUSINESS OF THE WEEK RECOGNITION stays in Southern Oregon and honors Ashland Food Coop and its general manager, Emile Amarotico. Emile was sponsored by PDG Tim Bewley and serves as this year’s President of the Ashland Rotary Club.

From its humble beginnings in 1971 as a food-buying club to its current status as Southern Oregon’s first and only Certified Organic Retailer, over 10,000 members strong, the Ashland Food Coop has been connecting the Ashland community to healthy, local food for decades. Its cooperative business model places “people, principles, and the planet before profit—always.”
Learn more at: https://rotarybusinessnetwork.org/business-listing/ashland-food-co-op/

Here’s more: https://youtu.be/bLDjnfsLLYg District leadership hopes you will contact Rotarian Dan Smith (team@rotarybusinessnetwork.org) if you have questions or need help, or visit the Rotary Business Directory at rotarybusinessnetwork.org/ Have you noticed that our Rotary Business Network is really catching on with some of our D5110 clubs? Why not yours?

A little test for 5110 Rotarian consumption of this eNews…let’s see if you read this far…

Three of Murphy’s Other Laws:
1. He who laughs last, thinks slowest.
2. A fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well.
3. Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

Email me at mike.corwin@comcast.net if you appreciate these lines to contemplate and carry through your day and you might get another set next week.

Some people’s ambition and vision are bigger than their own bodies. You are invited to join the Eugene Metro club next Tuesday, September 8 to experience the ambition and unstoppable vision of three-time world champion Lex Gillette – the most success completely blind long jumper and triple jumper in the history of U.S. Paralympics.

He is a four-time Paralympian, a 14-time national champion, and the only totally blind athlete to pass the 22-foot mark in the long jump. But clearing 22 feet isn’t enough for Lex – he’s already written his first book and is now working on releasing his first album. Read more here about joining them for this inspirational hour!

“Doors open” at 5:50 pm. Please come ready to catch fire with this author, musician and athlete. Fair warning – his motivation is contagious!

Are you wondering how your Rotary Club can raise funds for your Club service projects and the Rotary Foundation during these social-distancing times? We have an answer to that — let’s go virtual. This is a great opportunity to work together while staying six feet apart.

Join us for a great stay-at-home personal fund raiser, titled #RotaryStepsTogether. From Sept. 15 to Nov. 15, District 5110 Clubs can collectively take on the “quarantine 15 pounder” with a fitness fund raiser suited to any fitness or ability level. This is a virtual fund-raising opportunity for Rotary members to step together in whatever exercise method they are passionate about. Friends, family and other club members pledge online in support of your efforts measured in miles.

DG Cindi O’Neil is committing to walk 100 miles in 8 weeks and is hoping that friends and family will pledge one dollar-a-mile to go toward raising funds for her designated project, Rotary’s Annual Fund.

Your club can fund raise for your own Club funds, The Annual Fund, PolioPlus or all three! This virtual fund raiser, #Rotary Steps Together, can help your Club exceed its goals for The Rotary Foundation and PolioPlus! As we approach “Steptember and Walktober”, you can walk, run, hike, golf, swim, dance, row, box, CrossFit or rake leaves and vacuum your way to those Rotary Foundation goals! As long as you can move, you can #RotaryStepsTogether.

Individuals who raise $150 or more, and teams that raise $1,500 or more by Nov. 15, 2020, will receive a #RotaryStepsTogether water bottle! Look for participation information in the Sept. 1 edition of 5110-in-Action eNews and District5110.org People of Action web posts (click here) for those updates as they become available.

Nominate our future 5110 leader. The opportunity remains open for the 2023-24 District Governor for another three and a half weeks.

Clubs wishing to nominate a candidate will need to submit a Nominee form along with a Club District Governor Certification Resolution to the District Nominating Committee and DG Cindi O’Neill, DGE Gerry Kosanovic, and DGN Aimee Walsh. All necessary forms have been sent to each 2020-21 club president and are also available by request from PDG Claudette Mirassou McWilliams at dgclaudette1718@gmail.com or 541.912.7592.

On September 10 at 7 p.m., the Nominating Committee will host a Social Zoom Meeting with past district governors, so that potential candidates may talk with those who have served as District Governor regarding their experiences and answer potential candidates’ questions. Other important dates include:

• September 23 Deadline for nominations
• September 25 DG Nominee Speeches at Zooms Awards Presentation at 7:00 pm
• October 3 Nominating Committee Meeting at a time to be determined

Past District Governors should contact PDG Claudette with questions, suggestions, or comments.

Have you noticed that our Rotary Business Network is really catching on with some of our D5110 clubs? Why not yours?

This week’s BUSINESS OF THE WEEK RECOGNITION visits Southern Oregon and honors Marla Kasdorf and Kasdorf And Associates LLC, an independent agency specializing in Medicare coverage: Advantage/Part C plans, Prescription plans and Medigap.

Marla Kasdorf is President of the Rotary Club of Greater Grants Pass and when not helping clients with their insurance and financial services needs, makes great use of her Master’s Degree in music by performing and teaching. “What’s best for the client” is a core value that describes how Marla matches her business practices with The Four Way Test.

Check out Kasdorf and Associates LLC in the Rotary Business Network at rotarybusinessnetwork.org/business-listing/insurance-2/ and visit the company’s web site at kasdorfinsurance.com/. District 5110 hopes you will contact Rotarian Dan Smith (dan@dewaga.com) if you have questions or need help, or click here to visit the Rotary Business Directory

Aimee Walsh, District Governor Nominee, led a conversation about Committing to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the first ROTARY NOW!/Leading Change session. Anyone interested in participating in the Subcommittee/Taskforce mentioned on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion can email Kacie Bohme at kaciebohme@gmail.com. Don’t forget to sign up for Sept. 17 session featuring a conversation with Paul K. Chappell on peace literacy.

Click here for a link to books, a film and Rotary International links that can be shared.

DG Cindi O’Neill has established a number of strong initiatives that provide our 5110 members easy access to increased opportunities for service and philanthropy. Here are some links to keep on file toward enhancing your community service of time and dollars:

For information on Rotary Volunteer Connect, and access to district-wide projects that could be multi-club success stories, click here.

For virtual fundraising events that enable you to add to the strength of TRF and your club’s projects, click here.

For connecting Rotary professionals with other Rotary professionals and enhancing the “inter-Rotary” circle of commerce, click here for the Rotary Business Network. To find other club resources, click here.

How’s my club doing??? For Rotary International’s club assessment tool, click here.

Rotary Clubs throughout District 5110 are working in their communities to serve critical needs — food boxes, hospital supplies, school supplies, gardening efforts, COVID masks, hand sanitizer, and letters to seniors among them. Rotary Volunteer Connect is an effort to share and “connect” Rotarians to projects. Each week, District Governor Cindi will share a Rotary Volunteer Connect story about club projects. Click here to listen to the Podcast.

Lead Your Membership: Inspire Innovation and Action. Rotary members are our friends, our community businesses, our community leaders, and our dedicated servants to the communities in which we live. Are we caring for and connecting with our members? Do we value them? Do we reward them? Do we call them when they are missed in meetings? And most importantly, are we delivering the kinds of leadership opportunities, service opportunities, networking opportunities, and fun fellowship that we promised when they joined Rotary?

Rotarians, we must deliver these promises to our members! I offer some ideas I have heard about as I visit other clubs: Click Here for a must read for any current or future Club President.

 

 

Wondering how your Rotary club can raise funds for the Rotary Foundation and your club service projects during these social-distancing times? We have a great opportunity to work together…..while apart! Get ready for #RotaryStepsTogether! Beginning Sept. 1 and lasting through the month of October, we can take on the “Quarantine Fifteen” with a fitness fundraiser suited to any fitness and ability level. It is a virtual fundraising opportunity for Rotary members

The basic virtual fund-raising platform has been registered and financially supported by District 5110 and each club member will be invited to participate. Details of this fundraiser and “fun-raiser” with Charity footprints is still to come to all club Presidents and Assistant Governors. To check out Charity Footprints’ website, click here.

Looking for GREAT club programs as the weeks ZOOM by? These challenging times provide a unique opportunity to enjoy club programs from speakers near and far using ZOOM and the District 5110 Speakers Bureau. We are building a list of club speakers and great programs to delight your members with interesting topics from around our region …and beyond!

When times are tough, Rotarians innovate. Keep your club vibrant with ZOOM meetings that are interesting and engaging. If you have had a great program at your club or you yourself OFFER a great club program, please contact bethsheehan@comcast.net and we’ll get you on the list. Click here for a list and your next program opportunity.

District Governor Nominee Aimee Walsh (pictured left) has been working and advocating for children, youth and families who experience disability, mental health challenges, and special needs throughout her career. Walsh, a member of the Rotary Club of Eugene Metro, will facilitate the first conversation of a brand new program titled Rotary Now!/Leading Change.

Aimie invites all District 5110 Rotarians to participate in the first conversation session — titled Committing to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion — Thursday, Aug. 20, at 7 p.m on Zoom.
To learn how you can participate, click here.

This week’s BUSINESS OF THE WEEK RECOGNITION goes to Michael McGowen and GK Soundbooth, Inc. in Lakeview. Mike McGowen is a dedicated and engaged Rotarian, serving this year as President of Lakeview Rotary Club. GK Soundbooth, Inc. is an innovative company that designs and manufactures sound isolation booths and a wide variety of noise control products. Check out the company’s RBN listing at https://rotarybusinessnetwork.org/business-listing/deskshield-by-gk-soundbooth-inc/. Without doubt, there are many, many businesses in District 5110 that would benefit from GK Soundbooth, Inc. GK Soundbooth, Inc. soundproofing products. See illustrations and details about these at the company’s website: https://www.gretchken.com/

District 5110 hopes you will contact Rotarian Dan Smith (dan@dewaga.com) if you have questions or need help, or visit the Rotary Business Directory at https://rotarybusinessnetwork.org/; #rotarybusinessnetwork.

In February 2018, then RI President Ian Riseley hosted an Environmental Sustainability and Peace Conference in beautiful Vancouver BC. I was delighted to encounter Cindi O’Neil at that conference and connect on our shared earthly interests. I knew then that come 2020-’21, I would be eager to engage with the District on Environmental projects. How timely that Rotary International has now incorporated Environmental Sustainability as an area of focus!

On behalf of District 5110, I invite you to share your passion for our world! Please read more details by clicking here.

Paul Nicholson of Ashland Rotary is at it again! The district’s training coordinator, who led the virtual Club Training Assembly, has been tasked with launching a brand new program titled Rotary Now!/Leading Change. The program is an outgrowth of the Rotary Leadership Institute, which has been paused this year because of COVID-19. Past DG Bill Grile, who spearheaded the Institute, is helping Nicholson and District 5110 with program ideas.

“Rotary Now is not a training,” said Nicholson. “It’s a conversation — a conversation that will happen virtually since face-to-face opportunities will likely not happen in the near future.” And Nicholson assured that the conversation will include provocative topics, ones that Rotary members will enjoy engaging with. The first conversation session — titled Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion — is Thursday, Aug. 20, with DG Nominee Aimee Walsh, at 7 p.m on Zoom. Registration is requested on DACdb in order to get the Zoom link. The event is also located on the website calendar.

Click here for full details.

Are you a leader with a passion for Rotary? Could you be the next District Governor? If so, watch this space and stay tuned! District 5110 has a long history of outstanding leadership at the district level. You may be the one to continue that tradition by becoming the District Governor for the Rotary year 2023-24.

Club nominations for District Governor for the 2023-2024 Rotary year will open after the application packet is sent to each club president in mid-August. If your club president can’t find it for you, contact Past District Governor Claudette McWilliams at 541-912-7592 or dgclaudette1718@gmail.com and I will send you one.

Ask any past district governor and s/he will tell you that serving as DG for District 5110 is an amazing experience that will change your life in many wonderful ways. Click here for the full story and next steps.

Wondering how your Rotary club can raise funds for the Rotary Foundation and your club service projects during these social-distancing times? We have a great opportunity to work together…..while apart! Get ready for #RotaryStepsTogether! Beginning September 1 and lasting through the month of October, we can take on the “Quarantine Fifteen” with a fitness fundraiser suited to any fitness and ability level. It is a virtual fundraising opportunity for Rotary members to “step” together in whatever method they are passionate about. Friends, family and other club members pledge online in support of your efforts. There’s even a mobile phone option and lots of fun competitions among Rotary members. And prizes!

The basic virtual fund-raising platform has been registered and financially supported by District 5110 and each club member will be invited to participate, compete, to collect steps, moments, miles, bike rides, golf swings….as we head into “Steptember and Walktober!” Details of this fundraiser and “fun-raiser” will be coming later this week to all club Presidents and Assistant Governors. The program is offered virtually through Charity Footprints of New Jersey. To check out Charity Footprints’ website, click here.

This week’s BUSINESS OF THE WEEK RECOGNITION goes to international educator, Thomas DeVere Wolsey.

Membership in D5110’s eClub of the State of Jefferson is a perfect fit for Thomas DeVere Wolsey. He has 20+ years’ intensive experience in education teaching English, social studies, and other elective classes in public schools, as well as 20+ years in higher education. He is currently teaching in the Graduate School of Education at The American University in Cairo. As a teacher and educational consultant, he promotes education and literacy by a listing in the Rotary Business Directory.

Check out his listing at https://rotarybusinessnetwork.org/business-listing/international-education-focus-on-literacy-for-all/ and learn how this dedicated Rotarian creates lasting change.

Rotarian Kieran Walsh of Eugene Delta Rotary and Camille Ronzio of Eugene Southtowne Rotary were part of a Rotary Friendship Exchange to Peru. Rotary District 4455 is in Peru including the towns of Cusco, Arequipa and Lima.

While there we met Jessica Liñán, who now is grants chair and Elizabeth Tordoya, a Rotaract president in Peru District 4455.

Individuals pictured above left are Lima, Peru doctors donning their masks! Click here for more on our Eugene Rotarians’ experience.

Ted Rose, member of the eRotary Club of the State of Jefferson, is a past recipient of the prestigious “Service Above Self” award, granted to him for his work in aiding marginalized children in west-central Mexico with schooling. As founder and former executive director of the nonprofit organization, Project Amigo, he focused on providing students with the support they needed to achieve their potential through education.

The rest of this great story is available at the 5110 website by clicking here.

Looking for GREAT club programs as the weeks ZOOM by? These challenging times provide a unique opportunity to enjoy club programs from speakers near and far using ZOOM and the District 5110 Speakers Bureau. We are building a list of club speakers and great programs to delight your members with interesting topics from around our region …and beyond! When times are tough, Rotarians innovate.

Keep your club vibrant with ZOOM meetings that are interesting and engaging. The Speaker’s Bureau launches NEXT week. If you have had a great program at your club or you yourself OFFER a great club program, please contact bethsheehan@comcast.net and we’ll get you on the list. ZOOM! Click here for more.