Governor's Message

 

               
       The First Month!   

There's only about a month left to submit applications for Team Leader and Team Member for this year's Group Study Exchange to Chennai, India.  This will be the last year of GSE as we know it.  Under Future Vision, a new concept called Vocational Training Teams will be introduced. 

Check the District Website page for details on the trip and the needed forms.

• On Friday, 7/20, our Membership Committee announced the district will try a shared membership program, and provided a sample application.  Please note that clubs are not required to participate. 
• The program provides a methodology for people to have, in effect, a substitute at a meeting they have to miss, coupled with a way for the club to keep in contact with the substitute. 
• Contact Membership Chair Rodney Adams (rodneycadams@msn.com) for more information.  Clubs can hold a Board discussion to determine if they wish to have Shared Members.  The District Membership Committee can help determine the best process for your club.  The sample application has an explanation of some program detail; to see it, click here.

With the new president of Rotary international being from Japan, you might be interested in reading and seeing more about him and about his home country, and his plans for Rotary this year.

Of all the Rotary countries and geographical areas, Japan boasts the third-largest number of Rotarians. RI President Sakuji Tanaka is a member of the Rotary Club of Yashio, Saitama. Find out more about Rotary in Japan.

• Read a profile of Sakuji Tanaka, or watch the video below.
• Learn how Rotarians are helping Japan recover
• Read Tanaka's blog and learn more about the president.
• Read more about the changesfor this 2012/2013 year.

A profile of RI President Sakuji Tanaka EN

FALL SEMINAR DAY / Pre-PETS (President Elects Training)  / Grant Management Seminar

November 10 is the date.  Medinah Banquets is the place.  ABC's of Rotary, Membership Seminar, PR/Social Media Seminar, and Introduction to Future Vision will all be held in the morning.  It is an absolute Rotary International requirement for a club to have a member complete a Grant Management Seminar to receive matching funds next year; attending the morning and afternoon sessions qualifies. 

Your club has already paid for 4 people to attend. Participants are guaranteed to become more engaged Rotarians.  For information, click here.

This list includes several items which have been sent to club officers.  They are shown here to foster discussion among club members and officers about tools and resources which can make our rotary experience more enjoyable and productive.

What is Future Vision ?  Rotarians sometimes say Rotary's project funding process is confusing.  There's a useful explanatory sheet about the Rotary Foundation's new model to support humanitarian and educational projects of the district and club -- the "Future Vision Plan".  To see it, click here.

• Nominations For 2015-16 District Governor

  -- Have you noticed someone in Rotary or your club who would make a good governor?  Applications for District Governor are available on the district website.  Deadline for clubs to submit applications to Carlos Fr�m (carlos@frum.com), Past Dist. Gov.,  is midnight, September 17, 2012.  Candidates must have served as club Presidents.  To see the guidelines about prohibited lobbying practices, click here.

• Could your club use an extra $500 -$1,000 to serve your community?  Information on and applications for Districted Simplified Grants (DSGs) for 2012-13 are available on the District website.  Money can be used locally, and requires (1) a club match and (2) most recent year giving to TRF greater than the amount requested. Applications are considered in the order received, and will be processed until such time as funds are exhausted.  
• Speaker/Program INFO -- Our District website has a listing of speakers and programs clubs have enjoyed.  It can be a very good resource for club program chairs.  It could be an even better one if more people posted information on speakers they found engaging.  Find it on the home page, right hand side, bottom of the column, under District Links: Speaker Information Exchange Forum.  Add to the list when you have an exceptional speaker.
• Club Surveys.  The Rotary Club of Palatine recently surveyed their club, using a questionnaire they designed, and a free data collection service.  The design allowed for follow-up questions when members gave negative responses.  To see a sample of the survey, http://palatinerotary.com/UCCASS/survey.php?sid=29 . For more information, contact  cyoung@rainbowhospice.org.  Consider a survey of your members every 6 months.
• There's a good explanation of the various levels of recognition given in Rotary for an individual's donation.  Click here to see the page from the Rotary International Website.  It also includes what Rotary does for the donor and a contact for questions.

Recently, each of the Club Presidents received an e-mail about a Presidents' Project. Governor Mike urges clubs to participate in it: "I hope each President will choose to take part in what could become a great 6440 tradition" -- it's clubs working together in the spirit of the upcoming Future Vision Rotary effort.