Posted by DG Bill Downes (Mountain Foothills) DGBill2016.17@rotary5450.org
The theme for our upcoming District Conference is Perseverance. I thought I might take a moment to talk about what it means to Rotary and to me.
Rotary could not have succeeded without perseverance. Perseverance is determination, persistence or steadfastness. It is what carried Paul Harris to take that first step in founding a Rotary Club in Chicago as his counter to the loneliness of a large city. He didn’t know where it would go. He didn’t know if his idea of service would catch hold and propagate throughout the world to be carried on individually by other Rotary members following in his footsteps year after year.
In the same vein, in 1978 James L. Bomar Jr., then RI President, along with Enrique M. Garcia, the Philippine Minister of Health, started the Rotary program in the Philippines to eliminate Polio. He didn’t know where it was going to go. And after all these years, we are on the doorstep of eliminating this dreadful disease from the entire world.
PDG Dens Shao said, ‘Like rain drops merging to form little streams, streams joining to form rivers. This flow of ideals, effort and resources gathered to become an endless torrent; a Rotary tidal wave capable of changing history, making history and change the future of mankind for the better’.
But make no mistake, persistence is hard work. Newt Gingrich said ‘Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did’. It comes from being committed to your goal, and from believing in yourself and in your goal’s possibility. It carries us through the dark nights and difficult days in spite of difficulties, obstacles or discouragement.
Earl Nightingale said ‘Don’t let fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use’. It’s like The Little Engine That Could with the affirmation I think I can, I think I can. We not only think, we will. Rotarians have a lifestyle of persevering. We will never give up. Let’s keep on keeping on and Change the World and Serve Humanity.
Posted by Debi Bush (Denver Cherry Creek) membership@rotary5450.org
As my readers know by now, after five years of writing monthly membership articles, one of the topics has been FOLLOW UP. Follow up with first-time guests who then become qualified prospects and eventually Rotarians of your club or another club in our District 5450.
At the very end of January, the best practice of following upwith and reaching out to RI leads (leads who come to our District from having filled out a form on the rotary.org website demonstrating interest in Rotary) shone its brightest light ever for me. And here’s a recounting of what happened.
An RI lead notification arrived in my Inbox on a Monday in late January. On Wednesday, February 1st, I called (not emailed, not texted – called on the phone) this RI lead. He answered.
Debi - “Hi, ‘Prospect’, my name is Debi Bush and I’m with Rotary here in the Denver metro area. I’m calling to introduce myself and ask a few questions of you so that I can direct you to a Rotary club or clubs that would be a good fit for you to visit. What interests you about Rotary? Where do you live and where do you work?
Prospect – “I’d like to get more involved with my community and service. I live near Arapahoe and Parker and I work near I-25 and Lincoln. In June our office will move to Arapahoe and I-25.”
Debi – “Okay. Great. Now, let me ask if there are certain days of the week and times of day that work better for you. This will help me determine which club(s) to recommend.”
Prospect – “Evenings could work. Maybe mornings. But sometimes I need to go to work early.”
Debi – “Given this, I’d like to recommend the Centennial club which meets Tuesday mornings at the Embassy Suites. This could be a possibility and they also have an evening group, so I’ll recommend the morning meeting and you can ask about the evening.”
Posted by Gail Lehrmann (Parker) glehrmann@aol.com
For 100 years, The Rotary Foundation has been supporting Rotarians' work to create sustainable solutions to our world's most pressing needs. Last year alone, Rotarians worked together to improve lives in 180 countries. But there is still much to do, and we need your help.
Rotary gives in countless ways, focusing our service efforts in six areas: promoting peace, fighting disease, providing clean water, saving mothers and children, supporting education, and growing local economies. We're also working hard to end polio once and for all.
Give the gift of Rotary today and be a part of the positive change Rotarians are making in your community and around the world. Every gift makes a difference. The following examples show how every donation to Rotary can lead to life-changing projects in our areas of focus. A monthly gift of any amount allows Rotary to do more for those in need. Give now to Rotary’s SHARE or Polio+ efforts through your Rotary Club or make your gift online at www.rotary.org/givethegift.
$10 Mosquito Bed Net provide a safe night's rest in countries where malaria is a major health concern.
$15 Polio Vaccines can protect children for life. Polio is still a crippling threat to children in Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan.
$26.50 Books - Share your love of reading by paying for books to start libraries in classrooms and community centers around the world.
$50 Personal Water Filtersfill the need for clean water. In rural Guatemala, deadly waterborne diseases are common.
$85 Business Classesteach low-income entrepreneurs in the United States the skills they need to be successful.
$100 Sewing Machine, a microloan, and some training from Rotary, entrepreneurs can turn their sewing skills into a thriving business.
$50 Anti-bullying Campaignhelps communities create a safe and positive atmosphere where children can thrive. No child should live in fear of being bullied.
$1,000 Midwife Vocational Training provides vital prenatal care in remote areas. Mothers who receive care during pregnancy are more likely to have safe births and to seek medical care for their children.
$2,650 Irrigation system -In areas where food security is a concern, irrigation systems give farmers a reliable and efficient water source so they can grow crops and provide food for the community.
Posted by Mary Jean Ewing (Boulder Flatirons) maryjeanewing@earthlink.net
The answer isn't taxes! April 15th is the required deadline for your Polio contributions to be considered for the latest District 5450 Polio Committee Challenge. We will be presenting an award to the Club that raises the largest amount of money per member for Polio Plus. Donations must be listed on the April 15th Polio Giving Report from the RI website in order to be considered (be sure to mail your checks in ahead of the date!) In addition, all clubs that attain the goal of $50 or more per member will be acknowledged and receive a token of our appreciation at our display in the House of Friendship at the 2017 District Conference in Colorado Springs. Please come by for a visit to see what we have in store for you.
Carl Tinstman will bring us all up to date on the Polio campaign during the conference. We continue to be grateful for your generous support of the End Polio Now campaign, and hope to have 100% participation of our clubs by the end of this Rotary year.
Posted by Sharon Maybee (Commerce City) semaybee@aol.com
Commerce City Rotary Club’s – Mental Health Initiative (CCRC-MHI) continues to bring positive results by using its mission as the guiding light “To Advocate for Healthier Minds and Communities through Awareness and Education”. Within our community, our CCRC-MHI Task Force continues to have a strong alliance with the county’s behavioral health center providing education through Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) classes to Adams County residents.
The Initiative continues to execute a comprehensive awareness plan for the community that utilizes several different means:
Social media elements including a community-focused website (www.ccrc-mhi.org) that displays mental health crisis resources and links to training opportunities to name a few.
CCRC-MHI FaceBook page where MH action items and articles are placed 3-4 times weekly plus the readership continues to increase weekly.
The CCRC-MHI Task Force maintains our visibility in the community through outreach and continues to meet monthly.
Created, printed and have distributed over 20,000 mental health resource and awareness information cards in English and Spanish within our community.
We continue to outreach to other Rotary clubs and organizations and have provided MH presentations to 40+ Clubs in D5450, D5440 and D5000. At least a half dozen Clubs in D5450 have had very successful efforts within the communities that that serve; several other Clubs are in the planning stages to begin their projects. If any D5450 Club is interested in learning more about how to launch a mental health project, please contact our Club liaison, Susan Roberts Frew at susan@sunshineplumbingheating.com.
Posted by Bruce Halloran (Denver Southeast) brucehalloran@comcast.net
Save the Date: Saturday, October 7, 2017 Denver Public Works, Annual District WASH Symposium
Rotary is a great organization, filled with people with passionate and servant hearts. These hearts compel us to reach out to people in need. Needs can be categorized as immediate or long-term. Immediate needs can stem from the following: natural disasters, accidents, illness, etc. They tend to be dramatic and elicit quick response. They are also the type the media tends to pounce on. In the age of the internet, they go viral quickly. Once met, they drive a sense of accomplishment for the giver.
Long-term needs are rarely as obvious or sexy. Meeting them takes time. They can be a grind. They require a sustained focus. Collaboration is key, because it takes a village. Perseverance must win out over instant gratification. There is usually no pill you can pop, no wand you can wave, no silver bullet to fire. Western thinking meets Eastern reality, and there is usually a clash – normally subtle, but it is there.
The mystique of water and sanitation impacts both immediate (relief) and long-term (development) service. When an earthquake hits and compromises the water supply, do you step in and ‘fish’ for the community? Sure you do. But when the community approaches you and asks for assistance in delivering safe water and adequate sanitation for generations and generations to come, what do you do? You teach them to ‘fish’.
We (D5450) have recently been granted the privilege of walking alongside other stakeholders to deliver safe water and adequate sanitation to an entire country – the Republic of Georgia. Like polio, it is an enormous undertaking. And like polio, it will take a village. Our hope is that the program model used will become the gold standard for Rotarians to replicate in countries all over the world.
So again, join us on October 7, 2017 as we unveil the Georgian Initiative and use it as a case study to help Rotarians and other WASH advocates make the successful transition from projects to programs. Registration will open on the District website the end of July. See you there!
Posted by Nan Jarvis (Mountain Foothills) johnnan@comcast.net
DG Bill Downes, Nan Jarvis (Maternal & Child Health Chair), and Dave Talbot (Founder, Crutches4Africa) met with state legislators on March 9 at a “Lunch and Learn” event hosted by the Colorado Children’s Immunization Coalition. The event was requested by legislators who wanted to gain information to use when speaking to constituents about the importance and safety of vaccines. A Q&A forum featured local vaccination experts Jessica Cataldi, MD (Infectious Disease Specialist, Children’s Hospital Colorado), Dave Talbot (Crutches4Africa), and Kelly Grenham (School Nurse Consultant, CO Association of School Nurses Legislative Chair). The speakers provided an overview of the newly-released 2016 Vaccine Preventable Diseases in Colorado’s Children Report(click to read the report), information about immunization safety and effectiveness, and a review of the Colorado Immunization Information System (CIIS) and data collection practices.
April is Maternal & Child Health Month for RI. RI suggests taking action to ”develop or support programs that provide immunizations and antibiotics. Measles, malaria, pneumonia, AIDS, and diarrheal diseases are the leading causes of death in children under five.” For more information contact Nan Jarvis, johnnan@comcast.net, or 303-242-2615.
Posted by DG Bill Downes (Mountain Foothills) DGBill2016.17@rotary5450.org
It is my pleasure and honor as District Governor to announce the selection of our District Governor 2019-2020. After careful consideration our District Nominating Committee has selected Rotarian Dan Gust, a 25 year member of the Rotary Club of Longmont to be our District Governor 2019-2020.Dan Joined the Longmont Club in 1992 and served as Club President in 2013-14. Dan's Rotary classification is Hardware – Retail. After a career in high tech, Dan and his wife Karen started Gust Family Enterprises, Inc. which has owned and operated several Ace Hardware and other retail operations.
From 1997 until 2007 Dan served as a Director and Board Member of Ace Hardware Corporation serving at various times as Chair of the Retail, Nominating & Governance and Finance Committees. He has been very active in the Longmont community serving on many boards and committees including: Longmont United Hospital board member and board chair; Longmont Area Chamber of Commerce board member and board chair; Longmont YMCA board member; Longmont Economic Development Partnership board member and board secretary and many other organizations. In 2011 Gust was inducted into the Boulder County Business Hall of Fame.
As well as being President of Longmont Rotary Dan served many years as a Board Member and President of the Longmont Rotary Charity Fund, one of the club's vehicles to finance worthy causes in the local area. He is currently a member of the club's Foundation Committee which is re-energizing the longstanding dedication of Longmont Rotary to The Rotary Foundation. He has been involved in many activities of the club including park cleanup, the Winter Warmth Coat Drive, and many other projects, and was instrumental in getting Longmont Rotary up and running on ClubRunner. Dan has been involved for the last several years with the 4-Way Test in School program which guides high school freshmen through a series of scenarios using the Rotary 4-Way Test as a guide to making some of life's hardest decisions. He is currently the Assistant Governor for Area 14.
Longmont Rotary President, Ryan Mason, said: “Dan has all of the qualifications to make a great District Governor. Longmont Rotary enthusiastically supports Dan as the 4th District Governor to come from the club and we are excited to have the District Governor from our club in our centennial year of 2019-20!”
Posted by Rhonda Hathaway (Commerce City) no2feet1@gmail.com
Commerce City Rotary rolled out the Mental Health Initiative at Adams City High School in 2015. The Interact Club of Adams City High School took it upon themselves to produce a video to show what mental health may look like; what they may look like. In this video, we talk about “ALGEE,” the acronym to help people through a mental health crisis, but most importantly, to advise them to see their local mental health center. The video can be viewed on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/uBGupggPDg8.
Mental health may start at the early age of 10 and only be seen as puberty out of control. If you notice your teenager distant for more than two weeks, a parent, a friend, a teacher may want to sit down with them and find out what might be going on. It may not be typical hormonal change.
In order to erase mental health problems, we must start with our youth. They are the generation. Please share this video with other Interact and Rotary clubs and start talking about mental health and how you can help. The video was not produced by health professionals, but by students who wanted to start the conversation.
The interact Club of Adams City High School continues to maintain active involvement in matters of mental health within their school community. If your club would like to share this video with others, kindly consider a small donation to the Adams City High School Interact Club, P.O. Box 1882, Commerce City, CO 80037.
The following is a report from Rami Sayed, District 5450 Rotary Scholar finishing his Ph.D. in Cape Town, South Africa.
This picture was of the participants in a workshop I did with kids in the township of Phillipi. I was volunteering and spent the weekend with a local Non-profit where I trained members of the organization how to implement life skills programs and community health activism. Many of the kids are orphaned and depend on the support of the organization. I used my training experiences from Peace Corps to work on this project. I am in the middle of the back row wearing a cap with the letter B on it.
Since I arrived in Cape Town at the beginning of 2016 to begin my PhD, the experience has been filled with challenges, rewards, and has provided me a pathway for my future. As a Global Grants Rotary Scholar, I have had the opportunity to enrich myself academically, professionally and personally. Over the last 12 months, I have worked with research units at the University of Cape Town on various projects related to peace and conflict resolution and prevention. With the Afro-barometer, a pan-African research network that conducts nationally representative surveys, I have been able to collect valuable data and information about individuals living throughout the continent in order to write my PhD dissertation. The theme of my dissertation is on the consequences of political violence and how political violence influences the democratization process. My research has taken me to various conferences in the Southern Africa region where I've been able to interact with leading figures in African politics and academics. I've also spent time interviewing Mozambican refugees in Malawi and other persons personally affected by political violence throughout Mozambique.
The push to feature the new Rotary Masterbrand in Club and District print and social media took a major step forward with modifications to the ClubRunner themes on Rotary websites. The new Rotary Masterbrand incorporates the traditional Rotary wheel with bold lettering featuring the word ROTARY.
The procedure to update websites on ClubRunner was communicated to Club and District webmasters recently. Clubs are encouraged to use ClubRunner’s new Next-Gen website themes which are in line with Rotary’s Visual Identity Guidelines. To learn how to change to these new themes please click here.
As part of these guidelines, Rotary recommends that Clubs and Districts add their name with the Masterbrand as shown in the images below:
(New Theme with Recommended Logo)
(Old Website Theme without Master Brand Logo)
You can create your Masterbrand logo in Rotary’s brand center by visiting: https://brandcenter.rotary.org/en-GB. Once you are in the brand center click on “Logo”, then “Template”, and then “Create”. When you are creating the logo, please choose the “Simplified (For Digital)” from the “Logo” drop down box, on the right. Rotary International encourages clubs and districts to display their logo on the top right of their websites.
This is why the Masterbrand is important: “As an organization, we recognize how important it is that the world understand what Rotary is and what we do,” RI President-Elect Ian Riseley said. “We answer the question ‘What is Rotary?’ by our actions, by making a difference through our service,” he said.
The use of the new Masterbrand on lapel pins, meeting and event signs and even shirts members wear when they are out in public doing community projects demonstrates Rotary’s presence and commitment to service.
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.
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!
DG Bill Downes, Nan Jarvis (Maternal & Child Health Chair), and Dave Talbot (Founder, Crutches4Africa) met with state legislators on March 9 at a “Lunch and Learn” event hosted by the Colorado Children’s Immunization Coalition. The event was requested by legislators who wanted to gain information to use when speaking to constituents about the importance and safety of vaccines. A Q&A forum featured local vaccination experts Jessica Cataldi, MD (Infectious Disease Specialist, Children’s Hospital Colorado), Dave Talbot (Crutches4Africa), and Kelly Grenham (School Nurse Consultant, CO Association of School Nurses Legislative Chair). The speakers provided an overview of the newly-released 
