Posted by DG Bill Downes (Mountain Foothills) DGBill2016.17@rotary5450.org
Rotary is an International organization. We have a responsibility to help communities around the world through disease eradication, water, sanitation and hygiene systems, promoting peace, education and literacy programs and helping the disadvantaged everywhere - among other things. These are expressed through our six Areas of Focus which is why RI wants us to justify our grants in this way. The world depends upon Rotary to lead this charge.
But don’t forget our local communities too. Every club has local communities that they serve, be it an outlying club serving individual towns or cities or a core city club serving neighborhoods. These communities need our help too. Be sure to know the communities that you serve. Be sure to know their needs. And be sure to serve their needs.
The best clubs I have seen are ones that have a robust local community presence as well as some kind of international giving program. Your communities will support you if you support them. It just makes everything so much easier from recruiting to knowing, really knowing, where your hard earned time and money is going in benefit of those in need.
I can give so many examples of clubs who are well known in their community and when they call for action, the community responds. If your club has lost its identity, go visit your community leaders. Identify their needs and work out a plan to serve them. If you need help, contact your Assistant Governor or anyone at District. We will help.
Remember to identify with those around you. Give internationally, but give locally too. Your reward will be tenfold and can re-energize your club.
Posted by Debi Bush (Denver Cherry Creek) membership@rotary5450.org
Happy 2017 Rotarians of District 5450!
There is a lot happening between now and the end of June (our Rotary year). The events or meetings that focus around or include the topic of Membership include:
Series of 3 monthly webinars for Club Membership Chairs (starting in February)
PETS training for our Presidents-Elect (PEs) and Presidents-Elect Nominees (PENs)
Annual Membership Workshop (mark your calendars for June 3rd)
Ongoing support
I want to share a brief story with you about how successful and easy attracting new members can be and hope that it reinforces what your club is doing right when it comes to membership or gives you a golden nugget to help you take the membership efforts to the next level.
Several months ago I received a lead from RI (someone had filled out a web form and was from our District’s geography). Given where she lived and worked, I recommended a few clubs for her to visit. My Denver Cherry Creek Rotary Club happened to be one of them that fit her criteria or schedule. All clubs that were introduced to this RI lead (i.e. prospective Rotarian) received an e-mail (the President and Club Membership Chair) and expected to reach out to an RI lead quickly and invite that prospect to an upcoming meeting or event.
Posted by Gail Lehrmann (Parker) glehrmann@aol.com
Pledging Through Every Rotarian Every Year (EREY)
For those who have not yet committed a gift to the Rotary International Foundation, please consider your support in 2017! Take the time to reflect upon your involvement in Rotary’s commitment to bring change in the world. Revisiting what we value and what we share is at the core of Rotary’s mission. As Rotarians, we have an incredible passion to “make a difference” and a conviction to share in the positive impact of Rotary.
As you reflect on your support of Rotary in its far-reaching conviction to impact many lives, take time to consider sharing through an Every Rotarian Every Year gift. Giving sporadically or at a last minute appeal in a Club meeting does not usually feel generous – it comes from a moment of pressure that does not usually feel generous because it comes from a moment of pressure that does not make time for the reflection mentioned above. Planning to give connects us to the ritual in a thoughtful and joyful way that can transform our stewardship philosophy.
Many Rotarians do not pledge because they don’t think the amount they can share is worthy. Yikes! Whether you commit to sharing $10, $25, $50, or $100 monthly or quarterly, it does matter…and…it DOES make a difference. Whatever you have to give is worthy of being shared. Pledging is a bold and simple way to respond to your commitment to Rotary and people/projects around the world. Committing to financially support Rotary means standing together with other Rotarians for a purpose beyond yourself. It means that together our gifts are more than enough to… change the world. Click here to complete the Rotary Direct giving form now!
Posted by Nan Jarvis (Mountain Foothills) johnnan@comcast.net
Vaccines are one of the safest and most effective public health interventions in history. Colorado ranks 9th among the states for the highest rates of vaccine exemptions, with 4.3%, or nearly 3,000 kindergarteners opting out of one or more school-required vaccines making the state, and schools and communities with clusters of high opt-out rates increasingly vulnerable to outbreaks of vaccine preventable disease. In fact, Colorado just ended a 3-year sustained pertussis epidemic, there were 6 pediatric deaths associated with influenza in the 2015-16 flu season, and 460 Colorado children were hospitalized in 2014 with vaccine-preventable diseases resulting in $20.6 million in hospital charges. 25.7% of two year olds in Colorado are under or unvaccinated against one or more vaccine-preventable diseases.
District 5450 leaders have been working with the Colorado Children’s Immunization Coalition and Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialists at Children’s Hospital to see how we might help before a major epidemic does occur. The first step is to invite a speaker to your club from CCIC. Executive Director Stephanie Wasserman and her staff have already spoken to some clubs with more planned after the first of the year. She can be reached at 720-777-3270 or stephanie.wasserman@childrenscolorado.org.
68 Rotarians in our district have been identified with careers in the health care fields. They are being contacted asking for their involvement.
CCIC sponsors the Shots for Tots & Teens Clinics. The Rotary wheel is now on all of their posters and brochures. Five Rotary Clubs volunteer at the clinics – Five Points, Aurora Fitzsimmons, Aurora, Aurora Gateway, and the Arvada Club at a new clinic at the Arvada Fire Station #2. With Rotary’s help, CCIC is hoping to expand to other new sites.
Other Rotary Clubs volunteer at their county health departments or schools helping with registrations. The Summit County Club supports the Community Care Clinic with financial and volunteer help. They are also community partners with schools and school based clinics where the opt-out rates are high. Let us know if your club is involved in the Childhood Immunization effort.
CCIC will have a booth at the District Conference in Colorado Springs April 28-30. New statistics will be coming out in late January – “Vaccine-preventable Diseases in Colorado’s Children, 2016”.
Rotary District 5450 is accepting nominations for our 2019-2020 District Governor. Any Rotarian, who has served as club president and is a member in good standing of his/her club, may be nominated. This nomination must be accompanied by a formal resolution adopted at a regular Rotary Club meeting or by the club’s Board of Directors. Applications must be submitted by January 31, 2017.Click here to download the application form. Review of nominations and interviews must be completed by February 28, 2017. Any past club president interested in serving as District Governor should contact his/her club President for nomination by the club.
Nominations for District Governor are to be submitted directly to the Chair of the DG Nominating Committee, Past District Governor Mary Kay Hasz, by January 31, 2017. PDG Mary Kay Hasz, Chair DG Nominating Committee, marykay15-16@marykayhasz.com, 303-888-1867, 9372 Prairie View Dr., Highlands Ranch, CO 80126. Click here to download the application form.
Posted by Paulette (PJ) Dyon (Mountain Foothills) pdyon54@aol.com
I’ve been asked to share the “secret formula” for growing Interact Clubs within District 5450. Yet, the formula isn’t “secret” at all. District 5450 has had 13 newly chartered Interact Clubs since 2015. The people of all ages who are willing and able to look within themselves to give of their time and energies to build trust, knowledge and relationships seem to converge on the formula known as Youth Services and to manifest the greater good for all concerned.
There is a “tipping point” where a club gets enough members that it begins to be seen in the eyes of the student body that it is a viable force and a good place to be seen. This image is critical to new member attainment and club sustainability given the natural attrition caused by graduation.
Strong succession planning is critical to long term success, just like in any Rotary club you have some leaders that are stronger than others. The club needs to be able to survive both. The process of mentoring needs to be encouraged within the club to prepare the younger students for the leadership roles. This constant inflow of new members should be seen as a positive reality, it gives the younger students the opportunity to step forward and take on leadership roles, and it limits the perpetuation of “clics”.
Vital Components of an Interact Club
First and foremost, an Interact Club is not a "top down" style of management or organization model. If a Rotary Club wishes to build a successful and sustainable Interact Club, the process must begin with a small group of passionate students who have a desire to give back, supported by their school administration and a local Rotary Club.
Posted by Gail Lehrmann (Parker) glehrmann@aol.com
Thank you to all Rotarians who supported the Rotary International Foundation in 2016! As we enter 2017, we celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Foundation and the wonderful work it has accomplished through Rotarians who “want to do good” for others around the world!
Rotarians have identified reasons they support the Rotary Foundation. They include:
Want to do good
Makes them feel good
Belief in the Rotary mission
Want to support a specific project
Were inspired
Want to be seen as a leader
Someone asked them
Like our fiscal responsibility (i.e. 2016 Charity Navigator rating)
Want to leave a legacy
Feel obligated to give back
For whatever reason you have given, thank you! And for those who have not yet committed a gift to the Rotary Foundation, please consider your support in 2017! Click here to complete the Rotary Direct form now!
Posted by Mary Jackson (Centennial) cmajack@me.com
It all began last May when Centennial Rotary committed to making 100 stocking hats for TLC Meals on Wheels to use in their 2016 "12 Days of Christmas" celebration. Every Christmas they give a special gift to each of their 380 meal recipients. A gift is given for each of the 12 days before Christmas. For one of the 12 days, TLC wanted to give stocking hats. Our club volunteered to donate 100.
We started with a class on looming for spouses and Rotarians. We had just a few people participate but the intent and expectations were high and we realized we had a long way to go. Cheryl Sartain, a club member, just so happened to have a connection within the prison system. They offered to help, and help they did! A few inmates with lots of time, a talent for crocheting, and a desire to help, started to work and contributed 150 hats to our cause. That, combined with our 11 other hats, were donated to help warm the heads and hearts of the wonderful people to whom we deliver meals each week. Our club members and the prisoners made an unusual, but wonderful team.
Pictured is our own Cheryl Sartain with TLC Meals on Wheels Executive Director, Diane McClymonds and all the hats.
Posted by Mary Jean Ewing (Boulder Flatirons) maryjeanewing@earthlink.net
Your District Polio Committee is heartened by your continued generous support of our Rotary goal - to eradicate polio. We know that the journey has been long but enormous progress is being made, and the strategies being employed will benefit future generations.
We look forward to seeing many 5450 Rotarians at the RI President's Dinner on January 7th. If you haven't made reservations, please do. Not only will we get an update from Michel Zaffran, Head of Polio Eradication at the World Health Organization but we are also privileged to have John Germ, the current President of Rotary, share his vision of Rotary Serving Humanity.
The year 2016 saw 19 new poliovirus cases in Pakistan (54 in 2015); 12 new cases in Afghanistan (20 recorded in 2015) and 4 new cases in Nigeria (0 in 2015): a total of 35 polio cases this year versus 74 last year. Troublesome is the continued presence of poliovirus samples in Pakistan and concerns about the quality of sampling occurring in all three endemic countries. Progress is being made in administration of immunizations and towards the 'End Game goals, BUT 2016 was not the year we saw the last of polio. Let us pray 2017 will be that year.
Posted by Brandye Miller (Mountain Foothills) irisheyesaresmilin@me.com
The 2017 Rotary International Convention June 10-14 is going to be fun-filled! Come early and stay late to explore all there is to do in this benevolent city. Here’s a preview of what you can expect: https://youtu.be/pQNZQhNGNYo
The City of Atlanta has made it easy and cost efficient for you to see many of the premier attractions via their Atlanta CityPass. The pass includes:
Georgia Aquarium
World of Coca-Cola
CNN Studio Tours
Zoo Atlanta OR Center for Civil and Human Rights
Fernbank Museum of Natural History OR College Football Hall of Fame
Don’t forget to check out the “Discover Atlanta” page on the Rotary International website at the following link: http://www.riconvention.org/en/atlanta/discover-atlanta. Here you can find more things to do while visiting Atlanta along with information about exploring Atlanta’s neighborhoods and dining. Also, don’t forget to download the Host Organization Committee’s Atlanta Visitors Guide for much more information about the city.
There is so much to do in this wonderful city, you might even consider coming a little early or staying a little longer to make it a fun vacation. Whatever you decide, don’t miss next year’s District Conference in Colorado Springs! Save the date: April 28-30; we promise, you’ll be glad you did!
Rotary's member benefits program gives Rotary and Rotaract club members access to discounts on a variety of products and services selected with their interests in mind.
Discounts & Special Offers
Rotary Global Rewards offers discounts on vehicle rentals, hotels, dining, and entertainment. Products and services from companies around the world are being added every week. Check back often to see what’s new in Rotary Global Rewards – the vendor list is updated monthly. https://www.rotary.org/myrotary/en/member-center/rotary-global-rewards
How to Redeem Offers
Anyone can view the offers and discounts on Rotary Global Rewards. But onlyRotary and Rotaract club members who are signed in to their My Rotary accounts can redeem them. You can access and redeem rewards from your computer, smartphone, or tablet.
The attached reportshows Membership, Annual Fund and Polio Plus goals entered by each club into Rotary Club Central, and the numbers and per capita achieved by each club (arranged by Area.) The District 5450 goal is to have an increase in Membership, and for Every Rotarian to give something Every Year (EREY).
WHAT'S HAPPENING AROUND THE DISTRICT, CLUBS & THE GLOBE!
The 2017 District Conference is going to be unique…it will be more like a short vacation getaway than a “convention”. Here are just a few things you might decide to do during your stay: get in a round of golf at the 18 hole championship Pete Dye course 
