We got stuck. Understanding stopped and we were all uncomfortable. I was quite sure that our Japanese Group Study Exchange friends had heard of Harry Potter, but their faces were blank. Clearer and louder (such a funny, common, human, first-attempt) wasn’t working.
It occurred to me to say the popular English name the way it was likely pronounced in Japan, though I was a little embarrassed to try. “Ahhhh!” they exclaimed, and we were all happy to be unstuck - off again crossing cultures, learning together, sharing stories and experiences.
When it comes to diversity, Rotary has a long tradition. For decades we have engaged, and invested, in all sorts of cross-cultural exchanges. Within our clubs we have always sought diverse points of view through classifications. Rotary is generous along these lines. It is important, emancipating, humanitarian work of which we are a bright light in the world as a champion of diversity.
And we have a lot of room for growth. These days, as we consider rounding out diversity with the partner concepts of inclusion and equity, we struggle a bit. Struggle is welcome – if we struggle through.
September is Basic Education and Literacy month. We understand that without these things a person is weakened in society. We want to serve so that everyone might take their place in the world and express their full humanity. We’re innovative Rotarians are rightly proud.
But what about me? What about me in relation to my neighbor? Am I willing to learn his basics and his language? Sometimes openness comes easier across continents than across the street or the table. Some neighbors I don’t even see. Do I believe that without understanding my neighbor that I am weakened in society? Do I believe that unless I understand my neighbor that I will not take my place in the world and express my full humanity?
It’s comfortable to be with, and work with, people who understand where I’m coming from, see as I see, think as I think, share what’s important to me. Just this week I told a fellow District leader that working with him is an oasis. It is important to have a tribe. A tribe is a gift.
And our Rotary spirit will dim, sicken, and suffer and if we are tribal.
The “other” – the person who doesn’t understand where I’m coming from, see as I see, think as I think, share what’s important to me – provides me an opportunity to grow. Will I meet this neighbor with openness, a desire to learn and understand, a willingness to feel small and disoriented, a willingness to quiet my hopes and values for a moment and listen to his, a willingness to swap comfort for courage?
Practicing this kind of service to my neighbor will grow Rotary into its ideals and further our mission. The benefits far outweigh the risks.
Please read on in this Dispatch. In addition to all the valuable voices you expect to hear, Kaylynn Winegar (formerly Stahlbusch), District DEI Coordinator, and Teresa Holmes, President – Rotary Club of Madison Downtown, share their thoughts on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
We’re also looking for our next District Governor to follow DGN Michelle. We want our selection process to be as open and unbiased as possible. Please read PDG Edwin’s article and consider nominating a candidate.
If you’d like to explore more on the topic of diversity, equity and inclusion on your own, Rotary’s Learning Center has very good online resources. Some district clubs are working intentionally toward growing DEI – please listen and participate.
Around the world, Rotary “Peace Clubs” are focused on exploring new vistas of peace and understanding, some clubs in the U.S. are building bridges, in community service, between “red and blue”.
Thank you for giving yourself to Rotary. We appreciate your point of view in our work to live truer to our mission, vision and values.
Our District is at a net positive of 33 Members to start out this Rotary Year. There are 19 clubs with positive membership growth already this year and 25 who have stayed the same. People are wanting to re-engage into the community and Rotary offers a wonderful way to connect with the outside world for all those people now working from home. A growing Rotary Club is more fun and creates for an enthusiastic environment that can make a larger impact in the community.
Plan on attending the Membership Portion of the Vibrant Club Workshop on Sept 22nd to learn from example what some of the clubs in our District have done to create a Vibrant Club and successfully grow their membership! In the meantime, please check out how the Rotary Club of Collierville, Tennessee has successfully grown their membership in their Blog Post 7 Tips for Growing Membership found here:
RI President Shekhar Mehtra is making a big challenge this year with the goal of increasing Membership to 1.3 million Members. It seems daunting but he says we can do this by simply having each Rotarian bring one Member to Rotary. Each One Bring One! Please get inspired by Shekhar by watching the video when he releases his Presidential Theme: https://www.rotary.org/en/shekhar-mehta-says-serving-others-changes-lives-including-our-own
RI has just released a new “Wall of Fame” showcasing those Rotarians who have been exceptional in introducing Rotary to other’s lives. If you are responsible for bringing Rotary to 25 people, you may find yourself on this “Wall of Fame” for Membership. Who is going to be the first person in District 6250 to achieve this great accomplishment? https://my.rotary.org/en/membership-society/recognition
Please reach out to our District Membership Team during this year and allow us to provide some support and inspiration for your efforts in growing membership. Myself or one of the DMACs can be a speaker at one of your club meetings, we can do some consulting with your leadership or membership team, we can help hold you accountable for achieving your membership goals, and we can even help your club do visioning! Some of the clubs who we’ve already helped out include Janesville Noon, Stoughton, Eau Claire Morning, Viroqua, among others!
Engaging ways for you and your club to learn Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
I am Kaylynn the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Coordinator for District 6250. This role was developed late in 2020 and works with the District Membership Team with the responsibilities of:
Assisting clubs with education and action around Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Being a catalyst for Rotary International’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives.
Sharing Rotary International’s vision for inclusion and provide resources to clubs around Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Engage clubs and members in DEI conversation and encourage clubs to have a member focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Provide regular communication with the district membership chair.
I, and several others across our district are working hard to compile the efforts already going on as well as sharing out Rotary Internationals resources. In this article you will find Video, Articles, Blogs, Email, and Training/Conferences resources for you or your club to learn from. There are many ways in which we can concern ourselves with equity and inclusion in Rotary. For me there are two places to start, educating myself and connecting with people who have stories to share.
Familiarize yourself with Rotary’s new diversity, equity and inclusion statement. To ensure that our organization values and lives the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), the RI Board of Directors, with guidance from the DEI Task Force, strengthened the organization’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement. Read the updated commitment and learn more about our efforts to ingrain diversity, equity, and inclusion into our culture to improve the membership experience for current and future Rotarians, Rotaractors, and the family of Rotary.
Rotary’s DEI Webinar Series: spend an hour with DEI experts and Rotarians covering topics such as Planning for an Inclusive Future, Building a Welcoming Community, Exploring the Black Experience in Rotary and more!
Learn from Rotary, the Learning Center has courses 5-20 minutes long on:
Committing to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Building Strong Intergenerational Relationships
Design an Inclusive Plan for Your Organization
Rotary Voices is a blog that Rotarians around the world contribute to, sharing stories of personal journeys, lessoned learned and advice seeking.
Learn from other clubs like the Rotary Club of Lacrosse has a designated area on their website about their DEI efforts read more here. Invite speakers from community groups like LGBTQ+, Hmong, African American and American Indian Associations.
Participate in outside efforts like these:
The United Way 21 Week Equity Challenge: We are partnering with the United Way of the Chippewa Valley to share this opportunity with Chamber Investors. You can take this weekly challenge alone or as staff development. Sign up to receive content once a week that will explore topics pertaining to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Take up the challenge.
Toward One Wisconsin Conference: October 12-13, 2021 in person and virtual options, hosted in Eau Claire Wisconsin. This statewide, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion conference is an effort to share and learn about efforts in areas of Workforce, Health Equity, Arts & Culture and Education. Breaking Barriers and Building Bridges is the theme this year with amazing, inspirational and educational speakers and panels throughout the 2-day conference. Join us here.
Kaylynn Winegar (She, Her, Hers) Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer (DEIC) Connect with me on My Rotary kaylynnrahtarian@gmail.com
“We believe in diversity, because Rotary at its best united the world, and therefore must reflect every part of humanity. You cannot properly serve the world unless you can see and hear that word accurately. Diversity ensures that Rotary represents all voices and speaks in every language.”
– Barry Rasson, 2018-2019 Rotary International President
We are all Rotary Influencers
Public Image is all about perception. How might we change the perception of Rotary? Behavior is changed when someone inspires or guides the actions of another person or persons. This is the definition of INFLUENCE.
For more than ten years social media has been the home and haven for Influencers. Of course, many of those influencers use their power to direct consumer behavior, specifically driving purchases and popularity of items the influencer promotes.
What does this have to do with Rotary? We can each become influencers for good. Not only through social media, but through showing and sharing what our Rotary clubs do, what Rotarians accomplish, and how we all strive to live by the Four-way Test.
Together we can profoundly change the Public Image of Rotary.
We all know that Rotary hasn’t been a white male bastion for more than three decades. So, let’s all use our Influence to show who we are and what we do. If you haven’t talked about Rotary with a friend lately, bring it up. Share that Rotary has adapted to the world of remote work and gatherings, and many clubs have thrived. Share that the Fight to End Polio has continued throughout the world, even during the global pandemic.
The power of an Influencer comes from knowing their field, product, or service. Rotarians know service. With the motto of Service Above Self each Rotarian can speak authentically and authoritatively about service.
What are we waiting for? Embrace your power. Become an Influencer today.
Thanks to Karen Kendrick-Hands, our super-collaborator on all things environmental, co-founder and director of the Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group (ESRAG), and proud 6250 Rotarian, we TriCon 2022 District Governors made the acquaintance of Rotarian Joe Richardson. Joe lives in Maryland and founded Lunch out of Landfills, one of ESRAG’s projects.
Lunch out of Landfills aims to:
Compost food scraps: Reduce greenhouse gases from landfills and help build healthy soils
Clean up and decontaminate recycling collection
Recover good food and feed hungry people
Reduce use of single use plastics and promote low-trash lunches from home
Step One: Assess what’s in the garbage
Success! One into landfills, now to neighbors who are food insecure
Engaging Interactors, Environmental Clubs, and budding scientists and educators, Lunch out of Landfills has had stunning success in early stages. And the work brings lasting change – from elementary school students to their homes and to the future – this program works and matters.
Please take time to watch Joe’s presentation to Districts 6220, 6250 and 6270, the student leadership stories told following the presentation, and the students’ promotional piece. Will you be the one to engage young leaders in your community to take action for lasting change?
At its August meeting, your District 6250 Board of Directors voted to join Operation Pollination. District 6250 has resolved to strengthen and support our Interact, Rotaract, and Rotary Clubs in their efforts to:
Increase and improve Pollinator Habitat: Identify existing pockets of pollinator habitat, and then develop a network of habitat on public and private lands to create a nectar corridor for migratory and non-migratory pollinator species
Public-Private Partnerships: Develop strategic planning and partnerships to improve or create habitat for pollinators as well as provide educational opportunities within the scope of the resolution. Collaborate with partners already invested in pollinator habitat protection and restoration.
Education: Encourage voluntary, collaborative and locally led conservation that has proven to be effective in maintaining and enhancing working landscapes. This may include, but is not limited to, planting pollinator gardens, creating meadows and diversified lawns, building bee blocks, and avoiding or limiting pesticide use and mowing.
Research: Develop and/or promote citizen science opportunities for improving pollinator habitat on residential properties and at public centers.
Friends in Mexico joined just after 6250
Watch these webinar videos to be inspired (Part I) and equipped (Part 2)!
When a victim of sexual assault is seen in the Emergency Room after an assault, their clothing is often taken into evidence. What most people don’t know is that survivors of sexual assault are often sent home in paper scrubs and disposable underwear. This troubling fact is something I learned while reading an article one afternoon before COVID-19 hit. The fact that this was happening made me angry; it was an injustice to these vulnerable patients. I had to know if this was happening in my community and was shocked to find out that it was. I felt a moral obligation to step up and do something. So that is what I did.
My name is Jessica Randall. I am going to be a senior at Onalaska High School in Onalaska, WI and I am the incoming Director of Service Projects at our high school’s Interact Club.
In February of 2021, I created the Survivor Clothing Drive to address the indignities I had uncovered. My plan was to collect clothes and undergarments to donate to local hospitals. Little did I know that my clothing drive would transform into a year-round non-profit that changed the way Emergency Rooms sent survivors home.
It all started with an email. I emailed the Emergency Room staff asking if there was interest in receiving donations. They were delighted and shocked that they didn’t think of it first. And so it began.. The response was tremendous: clothing and donations started pouring in, and I ended up having to extend the timeline of the drive because people kept giving. The support was overwhelming: it led to news stories with the local news outlets, presentations at our local Rotary clubs, churches, etc. It took me hours to sort donations, manage money, and contact hospitals. And in only a few months, I raised $3,000 and collected 1,200 items, filling an entire room in my house with boxes of clothes and undergarments.
In late April and early May, the donations were delivered to local hospitals including Gundersen Health System and Mayo Health Clinic. Fourteen boxes were loaded onto stretchers and presented to the nurses, doctors, and support staff that came to receive the clothing and express their thanks. It was emotional to hold the itchy paper scrubs that these donations were replacing. After seeing the initial impact, I realized this need wasn’t going away, so I decided to commit to ongoing support, chose the name “Survivor Clothing Project” and planned to continue my project year-round in accordance with hospitals' needs. Though I have made the initial donations, my work is far from over. This isn’t just about the physical clothing: the Survivor Clothing Project is about spreading awareness, destigmatizing sexual assault, and helping my fellow human beings.
It is a rewarding experience to make a difference in people’s lives, both the people receiving the clothes and those inspired to take action. One of the biggest lessons I took from this experience is how easy it is to create change. Many people have ideas and never put them into action because they do not have experience or connections. I didn’t have the experience or any connections either. I started with only an idea that grew to make the Survivor Clothing Project a huge success. I am now supplying multiple large hospitals, creating a year-round fund, and making a long-term, self-renewing investment. I hope the success of the Survivor Clothing Project can be an inspiration to others and increase their confidence so that they will start bringing their ideas to life because there are endless unmet needs in our world. The Survivor Clothing Project has helped to inspire my community, spread awareness of sexual assault, and is providing a much-needed service to the hospitals and survivors, and will hopefully inspire more positive change for years to come.
To find out more about the Survivor Clothing Project and how to get involved, email survivorclothingproject@gmail.com or check out its Instagram and Facebook accounts @survivorclothingproject.
When I shared a common goal with someone, some group or organization and we worked together on achieving that goal; our relationships strengthened and grew. You too have experienced this.
In my life, quite a few relationships have outlived the events that established them. Who knew that engaging in energizing and/or challenging activities would generate such wonderful unintended consequences?
Working together with other Rotarians on International Projects is like that and more because the consequences include not just friendships but also sustainable community services. There is a secret though, it is easier than you think. Let me explain with a story.
In 2019 a few members of District 6250 went on a District-to-District friendship exchange trip to Santiago, Chile. While there, they stayed in the homes of local Rotarians whom they had never met before and learned about the local culture from a local perspective. Friendships were being made. They also visited a small rural rotary club in Curacavi. This club had previously completed a mobile dentistry related Global Grant project and they shared the details with the exchange group. The Curacavi club is quite active and has significant relationships with the business and Governmental agencies within their community.
The area is quite rural and has a total of about 32,000 people in the immediate region. The town of Curacavi is located about 50 kilometers from Santiago. Travel to Santiago is time consuming and difficult. A community assessment identified the need for a physical rehabilitation center in Curacavi. This would allow resident to receive therapy without traveling to Santiago, and many would choose not to make that journey. So, the Curacavi Rotary Club got to work to meet the community needs.
Through relationships and discussions with the mayor and other officials, the Municipality agreed to provide a building and medical staff if the Rotary Club would provide the required equipment. A Global Grant was born! The Curacavi Club President, a past District Governor worked with the club members to write a global grant, start the fund raising and find an international partner. To their benefit, this was not their first Global Grant project.
The Club president reached out to our District 6250, through some of the “Friendship Exchange” folks to see if any of the clubs were interested in financially supporting the project and/or being the International Sponsor. Our Districts’ International Services Committee spread the word to our district clubs. Ultimately, (4) clubs agreed to provide financial support with the Madison Club agreeing to be the International Sponsor. There are a total of 11 Rotary clubs within the USA and Chile providing financial support. The Curacavi club wrote the Global Grant, our District clubs and District along with other USA clubs contributed enough funds to qualify the grant for a matching amount from Rotary International.
The project is underway! There was nothing difficult about the engagement or activities. The local community and residents will reap the benefits of a close rehab center that is linked electronically to the Hospital in Santiago with “Smart Equipment”. The bonds between the people served, the Municipality and Professional Communities and the Rotarians are being strengthened.
Along the way, I have made two significant friends in Curacavi. I have never met them but we know we can trust each other and look forward to being able to physically meet in person. This experience has shown me how easy it is to get involved with international projects. It has also invigorated my passion to get even more involved. This was truly an unexpected consequence.
Our Districts’ International Service Committee available to help clubs participate in International Projects at any level. If you or your club are looking for a project or contemplating a project, reach out to one of the committee members. The process is easier than you think.
Sincerely,
Gary Tree
ISC Member
Razia Jan
Progress comes in many shapes. It isn’t always so obvious. It isn’t always clean. The progress girls and women have made in Afghanistan over the last 20 years may seem meager to those in the U.S., but progress is best measured when we look back at where we began.
I will never forget the disbelief I felt the first time I visited Afghanistan after 9/11. I had not set foot in the country in forty years. It was not the same.
The same could be said by someone who’d left our Afghan village in 2007, and returned just last year. They would have left a village that had never before educated girls, and returned to one where female graduates are the primary source of household incomes, and certified midwives are the community’s primary providers of life-saving medical services.
That is our village after it was given a chance. Its country is capable of the same.
After the Taliban fell in 200, I built a school for girls in Afghanistan, the country where I was born. The country where my parents were born. The country where I would spend many happy childhood years before joining my brothers in the United States, spending some time at university, and eventually settling down in Duxbury, Massachusetts, where I had my son.
When we opened our school doors in 2008, Afghanistan was still beginning its recovery process. Society had been devastated by years of instability, and a generation of Afghans had grown up knowing little else. Before our arrival in the rural community where our school was built, it had never before educated girls. While our school was being constructed, I was frequently approached by groups of men who would insist that I use the building to educate their sons instead.
In these moments, I recognized that it was not hate that I was seeing in front of me: it was a simple lack of experience. Under the Taliban rule, there was no concept of an educated woman. So how does one change someone’s thinking? One listens, empathizes and educates. By allowing these girls an education over the past thirteen years, our community has seen firsthand what they are capable of. And what they are capable of is extraordinary.
Our graduates have gone on to pursue degrees from universities, and become teachers and midwives, successfully fracturing cycles of poverty and illiteracy that have plagued their families for decades. They write poetry. They create art. The laugh with abandon.
Our post-secondary school has educated 24 midwives who are providing medical care to women in the community, something that was unavailable during the previous Taliban rule. We have educated thousands of girls who are now teaching their siblings and children to read and write. My students advocate for themselves and for each other, for their continued education, and have greater say in the context of their own marriages and their desire to have a career. Their lives, and the lives of their families and community as a result, are immeasurably better because of their education.
This time around, the Taliban has stated they will allow girls and women to attend school. They want to be recognized as legitimate by the international community. They want a seat at the table. We always have room at our table, we will pull up more chairs. During today’s press conference in Kabul, the Taliban emphasized their “matured vision.” They stated women will be leading “normal” lives. Assurances they surely wouldn’t have bothered with twenty years ago. They also want to be free of Western influence, which means no more doctors, lawyers, and engineers from the West. Who can they be looking to fill this gap? The Afghan women.
Regardless of their sincerity, we will work with whatever laws we are given. I appreciate that the difficulties in Afghanistan can feel so enduring that it is hard to see a way out, but the tenacity of Afghan girls is the reason I remain optimistic. Now is not the time to surrender to despair. I will continue to educate girls, even if we are presented with new obstacles; we will make concessions in exchange for safety in education. We are resolute in the belief that education is the key to peaceful change, even when progress feels slow. Uncertainty will persist, but so too must hope.
What is easy and what is worthy are often not the same. I believe in the power of girls, just as I believe in the future of Afghanistan.
Reprinted Boston Globe Op-ed_08.17.21. Link to full article: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/08/18/opinion/my-schools-have-educated-thousands-afghan-girls-heres-why-i-remain-hopeful/
Nepal COVID-19 Appeal
Our District’s COVID-19 Appeal for Nepal raised nearly $15,000. Funds were received from as far away as Silicon Valley. The first round of monies ($8,000) was used to fund oxygen canisters and other emergency equipment during the peak of the Nepal Covid crisis in May and June. The second round of monies is being used to fund a Rotary “3 Million Mask Challenge” to get kids safely back in school while at the same time empowering local girls and women by providing them employment manufacturing the masks. All of this being spearheaded by Rotary District 3292 of Nepal & Bhutan.
Isha Paudel Sponsorship / Scholarship Efforts
Crucial to this effort was a video done by our 2019-20 Rotary Exchange Student from Nepal, Ms. Isha Paudel, who as I write this, is sitting on a bus from O’Hare to UW-Platteville where she will be starting school this fall. More on her story in a related article in the Dispatch.
Once I arrived in Nepal after my flight of almost 20 hours long from Chicago, I took rest for almost a week because my jet lag was really bothering me. I was hoping that there would be student visa interview appointments available but the U.S. embassy in Kathmandu was closed so I had the only option to take online classes. After that, I wasn’t even sure whether I would take online class or not, with my college and host dad’s guidance I decided to take online classes from first week of September. I took total 4 classes ; Calc II , college writing, international relations and physics I.
Everything was fine, I was doing really good in my classes until mid-October; as you know they say life is not all about sunshine’s there need to be darkness as well. I guess from mid-October the time of darkness started for me. I had some sexual abuse history from my past and childhood, maybe because of being inside my house for the most part because of the lockdown, that horrible past of mine started to haunt me down to the point that I wanted to kill myself. I was always known to be bossy and sassy by people but at that time I got to know the part of me which I thought never existed, a cry baby.
As my depression continued I tried my best to keep up with my classes but it was very hard for me to do so. So, I decided to take incomplete grades but little did I know that my depression would get worse and my meds would be higher later on. Even though I had high hopes of completing my incomplete classes I couldn’t complete them cause of my mental state. So now, I only have 8 credits completed. With the help of my meds, my therapist and my family, I started doing a bit better day by day and was even able to complete the Covid-19 Appeal video in May .
At that point, finally after the wait of almost a year, the U.S. embassies were opening up a little bit for student visas. I couldn’t let go of my dream of attending UW- Platteville so just as my health was getting better I started to look for visa interview appointments in Nepal. With lots of hard work and sleepless night I was able to get a visa interview appointment but in India. With my dad, I started my journey to New Dehli and came back home with a US visa stamped in my passport. Thankfully the nervousness I had during my visa interview didn’t win over my goal of getting the visa. Getting the visa was one of the biggest hurdles I overcame. I left India for Nepal, did my shopping and on August 24th I flew to the United States. Well, getting a visa after a wait of a year because of the closing of the embassy did feel like crossing a mountain.
Thank you everyone in District 6250 for your help over the years and especially those helping sponsor my education. I hope to make you proud of me.
Isha Paudel first met members of District 6250 in a remote part of Nepal in November of 2016 and was a 2019-20 Rotary Youth Exchange Student spending her year in Fort Atkinson. For those who don’t know her story and/or missed her presentation at the 2020 District Conference, it can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VB7116es7s
Isha was intending to start school at UW-Platteville in the fall of 2020 but COVID got in the way. After a year of waiting Isha will be starting classes on September 2nd. We currently have nine individuals who have made multi-year commitments to help sponsor Isha Paudel’s studies. However, we are looking for additional sponsors. PDG Edwin Bos is coordinating this effort. You can contact him at edwin@bosdesignbuilders.com or 1-920-563-9461 for additional information including details on revenues and expenses. Sponsorships are fully tax deductible and can be made as follows:
Donate by Check:
Make check payable to: Rotary District 6250 Foundation, Inc.
Memo: Isha Paudel Scholarship Fund
Mail to:
Rotary District 6250 Foundation, Inc.
c/o Val Schroeder
1723 Chadbourne Ave Madison, WI 53726
Nepal Masks
PDG Kiran says 50,000 of these are being distributed to school kids in Isha’s home “province” prior to school starting.
Apparently they are a prized possession for many of these kids.
Edwin Bos
Vibrant Club Workshop
Get Ready to "Flip the Switch" to Control Your Next!
Merriam-Webster defines Vibrancy as: pulsating with life, vigor, or activity. As leaders, partners, community members, and Rotarians, there has never been a more important time than now to embrace the necessary steps of adding VIBRANCY to our clubs, communities, and lives. Mark your calendars for our upcoming Vibrant Club Workshop - September 22nd from 6:30-8:30 PM
* Discover & Walk In Your Purpose
* Walk It Out With Principle
* Match Passion to Your Purpose
* Use Your Purpose & Passion to Impact People.
VCW will give your club an opportunity to learn, connect, and most of all, get inspired. The event will be hosted LIVE in Madison from Pearson Studios - thanks to Pearson Engineering and the Downtown Madison Club. It will be streamed throughout the district to various watch parties or view it from the comfort of your own home.
VCW will be kicked off by a high energy, inspiring speaker- Tei Street.
The “Amazing” Tei Street has more than 25 years of experience in higher education, curriculum development; training in sexual assault prevention, violence prevention; diversity & inclusion, as well as advocacy, education and youth leadership development.
The “Amazing” Tei Street is a national motivational speaker, trainer, and education consultant. Her love and passion for positively affecting the lives of all young people and the adults who influence their lives, comes through each time she steps on a stage…or gymnasium floor. Tei’s masterful use of humor, coupled with her gift for storytelling makes her a crowd favorite. Tei challenges her audiences to take the knowledge they gain to move from motion to action; walking in what make them “amazing!” To read more, please go to: https://amazingteistreet.com/.
We will also be joined by various District 6250 Rotarians that will share their Insight on service, foundation, membership, and public image. There will be an abundance of resources as well for clubs as they explore ways of adding vibrancy to their clubs. If you are looking for ways to create vibrancy both at your club and in your personal life, you won’t want to miss this! Registration today: https://rotary6250.org/page/2021-vibrant-club-workshop.
Nominate our 2024-2025 District Governor! Deadline September 30, 2021.
It is time for our District to select the next person to join the District Governor Team, following DG Nominee Michelle McGrath. Your club can suggest one of its members for this position, so if you know someone who would be a good choice, or if you are willing to accept a nomination, let your Club President know, or contact me, Nominating Committee Chair, at (920) 563-9461 or edwin@bosdesignbuilders.com.
District 6250 has always strived to select strong leaders and to have a solid leadership team. We need everyone’s help to keep that tradition strong. Please spend a minute or two considering this and the honor it would be to have one of your friends represent Rotary as District Governor in 2024-25.
Our District is at a net positive of 33 Members to start out this Rotary Year. There are 19 clubs with positive membership growth already this year and 25 who have stayed the same. People are wanting to re-engage into the community and Rotary offers a wonderful way to connect with the outside world for all those people now working from home. A growing Rotary Club is more fun and creates for an enthusiastic environment that can make a larger impact in the community.
I am Kaylynn the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Coordinator for District 6250. This role was developed late in 2020 and works with the District Membership Team with the responsibilities of:
Public Image is all about perception. How might we change the perception of Rotary? Behavior is changed when someone inspires or guides the actions of another person or persons. This is the definition of INFLUENCE.
Increase and improve Pollinator Habitat: Identify existing pockets of pollinator habitat, and then develop a network of habitat on public and private lands to create a nectar corridor for migratory and non-migratory pollinator species
Part I) and equipped (Part 2)!
Our District’s COVID-19 Appeal for Nepal raised nearly $15,000. Funds were received from as far away as Silicon Valley. The first round of monies ($8,000) was used to fund oxygen canisters and other emergency equipment during the peak of the Nepal Covid crisis in May and June. The second round of monies is being used to fund a Rotary “3 Million Mask Challenge” to get kids safely back in school while at the same time empowering local girls and women by providing them employment manufacturing the masks. All of this being spearheaded by Rotary District 3292 of Nepal & Bhutan.
VCW will be kicked off by a high energy, inspiring speaker- Tei Street. 
