My friends, we’ve come to the time to say Thank You and goodbye. 😊
Roald Dahl (yes… the author of Charlie and Chocolate Factory) has a quote that I have always loved…
“Language may fail, and photographs fade; minds are fallible, and details are lost. But some experiences never dim; they stand out in our memories, even after decades, as a wall of flame. They rear up forever over the landscape of our past, dividing our lives into what came before and what came after.”
I for one will divide my life as the time before Rotary entered my life, and the times that have come since. We as District 6250, and within our individual clubs, have had a trial by fire this past year. COVID-19 is not something that will soon be forgotten. But you have survived. You may have prospered. You stand ready to re-engage in the world, to come together in fellowship and service. Like you, I yearn for this… and eagerly look forward to what comes next.
What I am struck with as I depart the Governor stage is the desire to do good and to do more that I saw in club after club. Through Rotary, we can do so much more; We can make things better, not only for our own communities, but for communities throughout the world. We have the opportunity to care for and lift up those who need us the most. It is what motivates me in Rotary: the simple desire to be of assistance, to give a helping hand to those that need it. To me, that is the essence of Rotary: that desire to be of assistance, that willingness to work for the good of others. In Rotary, when someone needs help and you can give that help, you don’t walk away. You don’t turn your back. You say – I’m here for you. I’ll do whatever I can. And I know that whatever I do, I’m not doing it alone.
The district is in good hands. Karen, Ben and Michelle have been and will continue to work tirelessly to make your Rotary the best it can be. They are served by a board that helps keep the DG line on track. It is has been my great honor to serve you. I am prouder than ever to be part of this great organization: one that makes the world not poorer, but richer, replaces despair with hope, raises up those whom fate has brought low, and to open the opportunities for us to become better versions of ourselves as a result.
The handoff. That critical moment when runners meet – one finished, the other ready. The different levels of energy and focus is what makes the handoff risky.
The runners anticipate the handoff carefully for the sake of the whole race. Four individuals – one race. It’s the race that invites the teamwork. It’s the race that invites a smooth and sure handoff.
Together we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.
What a beautiful race.
Here’s to you, Rotarians - finishing. Here’s to you, Rotarians - ready to go. Let’s keep our minds and hearts in the whole race and enjoy these important moments of Rotary life.
Thanks to all who contributed so much to our 2020-21 Dispatches. Your new District leadership team looks forward to the year ahead!
As communities in District 6250 reopen following the COVID pandemic, Rotary is hard at work as part of the solution to vaccination challenges and related health care emergencies that continue around the globe. Our Clubs have responded generously to local needs. But sorting out how to help around the world is a more complex challenge.
If you are looking for ways to contribute to the ongoing human toll resulting from Covid-19, Rotary can be trusted to make sure your donations are put to good use. Here are some ways you can respond to the plight of people in need.
A gift to Rotary’s Annual Fund can help the most people in the most ways. A portion of each contribution will be used for Global Grants and District Grants that are helping countries respond to the pandemic and address needs that help them recover. Each of Rotary’s seven focus areas are important to recover the health and well-being of people, communities, and nations across the globe.
A gift to Polio Plus can help Rotary use the elevated awareness about disease prevention through vaccination to attain Rotarian’s goal of a polio free world. Rotary’s expertise to achieve immunity through vaccination and collaboration is an important resource that being used for COVID-19 and Polio. Funds donated to Polio Plus are used explicitly for Polio eradication.
You can also find a variety of appeals from Rotarians in countries that are struggling to meet the challenge on the Rotary website. A good starting point is https://www.rotary.org/en/rotary-responds-covid-19.
No matter how you give, your support for The Rotary Foundation and its focus areas are an important resource for our precious earth to emerge from this pandemic. Thank you for all you do to help Rotary and The Rotary Foundation respond to human need and suffering during this difficult chapter in human history.
Dwight Heaney
Rotary Club of Fort Atkinson
District 6250 Foundation Committee, Incoming Chair
An update from our Global Scholar - Cerise Siamof
Bad weather, good company
As the end of the school year comes closer, and we face the impending doom of dissertation deadlines, my friends and I were anxious for a short break from Cambridge, and took a short weekend trip to the Norfolk coast, which is only about a two-hour journey, because of the wonders of trains in the UK. On Friday afternoon we headed out and spent some time in a town called King’s Lynn on the way to the coast. We stopped in a lovely little antique shop and pored over old maps of the UK and tons of crystal and china that regretfully wouldn’t fit in our backpacks for the weekend, then enjoyed some sun with a pint by the river, and finally grabbed the bus and headed to Heacham, where we stayed in an Airbnb with a wonderful cocker spaniel, Sam. Of course, no plan is without a hitch these days, and Saturday, the day we had planned to spend on the beach, brought some of the worst weather I’ve seen in the UK to date, with pouring rain and cool temperatures. Being the students that we are, we had all brought our laptops and books, so after getting soaked on our first walk, we put our coats and socks on the radiator and then sat in front of a proper wood fire to work and wait out the rain. Eventually, we were able to get a short beach walk in the evening without being soaked again, and we enjoyed a cheesy movie and some dessert in front of the fire again. Sunday brought sunshine and warm weather, unseasonably so, and we finally got a couple hours laying on the beach in the end.
It was a short, 48-hour trip, but it was a reminder that when you have good company, hitches like bad weather don’t ruin an experience. I frequently miss Madison, but what I miss isn’t necessarily the city itself, but the fact that I lived within a mile of all of my best friends, and within two hours of most of my family. I feel lucky to have created a new home away from home here, and to be surrounded by people who make something as simple as sitting in front of a fire warming our feet and waiting out the rain enjoyable.
District Member Count: 2531
Member Growth Success: Lake Mills +8, Mayville +8, LaCrosse After Hours +6, Sun Prairie +5, Madison Breakfast +5
It is the final month of the Rotary Year and we have so much to be grateful for! Personally, the Covid Pandemic and global shutdown has caused me to think much more introspectively about what is important in my life and has made me appreciate the friendships I’ve made through Rotary much more! I am very happy to be involved in such a wonderful organization!
In what seems to be the final act of this virtual convention world, we have a wonderful line up during the Rotary International Convention. Please try and arrange viewing parties with your vaccinated members as it will make your virtual convention experience much more enjoyable! Please make an effort to include the Membership related events during International Convention into your scheduled convention viewings. I have highlighted these below.
June 12th at 12:00pm - Central Rotary Alumni: A Hidden Gem for Membership and Service – Explore ways to engage alumni in Rotary activities and discuss ideas to help Rotarians attract alumni to new or existing clubs.
June 12th at 6:00pm - Central Innovative Ideas to Start a New Rotary Club - This session will discuss breaking up the steps of starting a new Rotary Club into manageable parts. Hear from members of the Rotary Club of Metropolitano de Santiago as they share how they created a new club focused on bringing together young professionals. Participants will learn how to navigate the process of starting a new club and the Rotary resources available to all members.
June 14th at 8:00am - Central Grow Rotary Through Engagement – Learn why members join and leave Rotary and Rotaract, ways to ensure Rotarians and Rotaractors find long-term value in their membership, and tangible activities to improve the Rotary experience.
June 16th at 08:00am - Central Mission Inclusion: Accelerating DEI in Rotary - Join a small group ideation breakout with Rotary DEI leaders to learn what Rotarians say are important DEI issues, and accelerate DEI in your club, district, and zone. Celebrate progress, get connected with like-minded Rotarians and continue our journey to create a more diverse, equitable and inclusive organization that opens opportunity for all.
Now that we seem to have survived a pandemic as people start to organize and businesses continue to open up, we are now ready to rebuild our membership! I look forward to hearing the many stories of members recruiting and retaining their friends into the wonderful organization of Rotary International.
The Rotary New Year is looming. It’s time to celebrate. Yes, celebrate. We made it through an extraordinary year, together.
And in the next breath we can face forward and embrace what’s to come. The theme for 2021-2022 is:
All of our clubs can build on this inspiring theme to shape the next 12 months.
Making a list of fundraisers, activities and district events will help you enjoy what’s next rather than scrambling to post an update to your social media, specifically Facebook.
Sprout Social says that the best times to post to Facebook are on:
Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, between 9am and 1pm.
Monday between 9am and 12pm also looks pretty good.
This updated info gives you a range of good engagement times to experiment with.
Sprout says that the weekends are the worst time to post - which makes some sense, in terms of users looking to spend their time doing other things.
Your Public Image Team will continue to post resources for your convenience.
As we round out the current Rotary year and schools across our district go into summer break we enter into a new phase of Youth interactions. We just wrapped up DIstrict 6250's first ever virtual RYLA event and it turned out amazing! Our fearless leaders interacted with around 90 students and provided them with excellent information. It was the first RYLA I've been to where I wasn't constantly reminded about how out of shape I was!
Now that our Interact students aren't in school, we have to be even more creative about how we keep them engaged and continue to encourage their clubs to stay involved in Rotary throughout their summer break. How does your club stay engaged through the summer? Do you continue to keep in touch with the advisors and students? Are there activities that you could invite the Interact students to at least once or twice to keep them thinking Rotary? There are a lot of different opportunities to keep connected, we just have to make sure that we're staying on top of it.
Jan and the Youth Exchange team have already started their preparation for the 2022-2023 Exchange year, and your club should've received a request to host a student. Prior to the pandemic cancelling the Exchange program, we had a record number of clubs commit to hosting students. We'd like to try and keep up with that number, so make sure to get those commitment forms in soon!
I am amazed by the dedication to Youth Programs in our district and I am excited to continue to watch these programs grow over the coming years. I truly believe that our District really sees that the future of Rotary lies in the hands and hearts of the Youth in our District. Thank you for all that you do to encourage your club to be an active participant in Youth Programs.
Dwight Heaney
