Rotary International District 6780 Newsletter
Monday, March 10, 2008 |
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EVEN MORE WORLD ROTARY DAY CELEBRATIONS
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 Saturday, February 23rd was the 103rd birthday of Rotary International. All clubs were asked to conduct a service project in celebration of the event and to use the event to enhance the image of their club and Rotary in their communities. Lamar Outdoor Advertising donated the use of ten billboard spaces. Public Relations Chair Townes Osborn (Knoxville) received a Public Image Grant from RI that paid for the printing of the billboard material and for 30-second announcements that ran on WUOT-FM during February.
 Following are more summaries of what clubs did to celebrate our birthday:
Hoping for a Fair Field for Playing Baseball!
The Fairfield Glade Club obtained a District Simplified Grant to supply a concession stand for use during baseball games this spring at the new Stone Memorial High School near Crossville. Club members will staff the stand, participate in maintenance activities and Rotarian Geoff Fine will serve as the announcer for the Panthers' games. (They call him the "Mouth from the South," but I remember him having a Yankee accent!) Those white spots aren't on your screen, they are visual effects resulting from the sleet and snow that fell during the event that was postponed 'til February 26 because of weather on the 23rd!
 Food Forged by the Pigeon
Members of the Pigeon Forge Club cooked meals for 30 seniors that are on a waiting list of 3-5 years for Meals on Wheels. 150 meals were prepared that day, which meant that 5 meals could be given to each senior at one time for future use. Club members delivered these meals to the seniors, along with goody bags and paper goods.
Oak Ridge Breakfast Hatches Special Section
President Karen Bridgeman, Brenda Thornbugh, and Pat Imperato (Chester, PA, now in Oak Ridge) designed a 24-page special section for the February 20 edition of The Oak Ridger. Publisher Richard Esposito (Oak Ridge Breakfast) and Editor Darrell Richardson (Oak Ridge) assisted in the production that celebrates the history and activities of the two Oak Ridge clubs and Rotarians around the world. Advertising sales resulted in $5300 for Breakfast Club community service projects. See the entire layout at The Oak Ridger's site. Click on the Rotary logo on the left side of the home page. This section even got attention in RI's web list of World Rotary Day activities.
 Seymour Cleans Up On Sevier
Fifteen members of the Seymour Breakfast club, along with friends, family members, and Rotary Exchange student Mario Bravo donned Keep Sevier Beautiful vests and collected 30 bags of trash at the intersection of US highways 411 and 441 and along Boyd's Creek and Chapman highways. They also replaced four old Rotary signs with new ones.
To date, 25 clubs have reported projects that were conducted in honor of RI's 103rd birthday. That's terrific! If there are more, please send me the info so I can include it next week.
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GOURMET GUYS COOK FOR LITERACY
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 First Ever North River Club Fund Raiser
The Rivermont Elementary School (Hixson) uses computer technology that assesses the students' reading abilities, then gives personalized computer instruction to correct their deficiencies. To increase benefit from this technology, the David Townsend organized the first Gourmet Guys of North River fundraiser at Rivermont Presbyterian Church last Saturday between 4 PM and 7 PM. Favorite dishes were prepared by 25 non-professional male chefs, including Rotarians, city leaders, neighbors and members of various organizations in the North River area. Ticket sales, sponsorships and advertising have brought in more than $13,000 so far. The 324 ticket-holding guests voted for their favorite creations, and prizes were awarded to the winning chefs.
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ROTARY FOUNDATION NEWS
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 Is Your Club a STAR This Year?
Congratulations to the 16 clubs in our district that became STAR Clubs by the end of January!! For the third year in a row, the Farragut Club was the first to achieve STAR status, sending their funds in on July 1!
The 16 clubs in order of per capita giving so far this year are:1. Sparta - $324.32
2. Chattanooga - $221.06
3. Farragut - $195.85
4. Maryville - $194.21
5. Hamilton Place - $179.59
6. Tellico Lake - $157.08
7. Pigeon Forge - $152.34
8. Fairfield Glade - $147.28
9. Oak Ridge - $124.24
10. West Knoxville - $122.92
11. Rogersville - $115.88
12. Oak Ridge Breakfast - $113.81
13. Bradley Sunrise - $105.71
14. Smithville - $105.00
15. Shelbyville Breakfast - $103.77
16. Cookeville Breakfast - $100.42
Another six clubs have contributed more than $80 per member and are within reach of STAR status. They are Lenoir City ($96.15), Tullahoma ($95.80), Kingston ($95.00), Crossville ($92.39), Knoxville ($89.52), and Gatlinburg ($86.40). In order to receive its STAR at the District Awards Luncheon, the Rotary Foundation must have received the funds in time to be accounted for in the March 31 report. I know all clubs will want to be there by the end of the year. Please don't wait!
 Dave Gardner - Giving Drops to Save Lives
From February 17 - 28, Dave (Hamilton Place) participated in a National Immunization Day in District 9120 (Nigeria). The trip was led by polio survivor Ann Lee Hussey and PDG Dave Groner, who will be presenters on Friday evening and Saturday morning at our Multi-District Conference April 18-20. In the photo, Dave (on the right) is paying homage to President Henry Pate on his return.
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WHY DO I LOVE CONFERENCE?
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 DGE Carol LaRue
Since becoming a Rotarian in 1991, I have tried to attend every conference. I have always looked forward to celebrating the Governor's year.
Each governor puts his or her own personality into this celebration. Group Study Exchange Teams connect with their host families again while at conference. Rotary Exchange students always make a great impression. Hearing about successful projects completed by some of our 65 clubs thrills me. Rotarians always find a way to MAKE IT HAPPEN and I love to hear these success stories of Rotarians helping their communities and their world. This is YOUR chance to participate in the BUSINESS of our District. We always have a business meeting where we elect our Nominating Committee for District Governor selection and review our budget. This is MY chance to be part of the system. The fellowship with friends and families is a real plus. Sharing conference with Rotarians is the highlight of the Rotary year. I'm looking forward to seeing YOU there! |
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IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES
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March 24: GSE Team from South Korea arrives (Nashville)
March 27: Deadline for conference rate at Music City Sheraton
March 27: Assistant Governors' Institute (Nashville)
March 28-29: Mid-South PETS (Nashville)
March 31: Next registration deadline for Los Angeles Convention
April 5: Certification due for Presidential Citation
April 5: Certification due for Governor's Club of Distinction
April 18-20: Multi-District Conference (Nashville)
April 21: GSE Teams to and from South Korea depart (Nashville)
May 1: Nominations due for District Leadership Academy
May 17: District Assembly (Cookeville)
June 14-19: International Convention (Los Angeles)
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WHERE'S GOVERNOR ROBIN THIS WEEK?
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Tuesday - Deliver dictionaries to Oakdale Elementary School (Scott County)
Wednesday - Oak Ridge Breakfast Club
Friday - 2008-2009 Planning for Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary
Saturday -2008-2009 Planning for Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary and Stuff PETS packets (Knoxville)
Sunday - Stuff PETS packets (Knoxville)
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Rotary Shares
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How does your Rotary club check members in and record their attendance? If volunteers in your club are spending much time with this activity each week and a few are not computer-phobic, you might imitate the Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club and automate the process with a UPC scanner. If interested, I'll send you a one-pager from President Karen Bridgeman on how to "git 'er done."
DG Robin Textor
Rotary International District 6780
www.rotary6780.org
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