In your mind, can a Rotarian be an excellent Rotarian if “all they do” is attend meetings? Can a club be an excellent club if “all they do” is gather for fellowship and networking?
Please take a moment to answer these questions honestly for yourself before reading on.
I answer both questions with a resolute “Yes!” - if these Rotarians are engaged in their vocation (in modern, North American Rotary this might include retirement, homemaking, and parenting) as an avenue for Rotary service. This is Rotary character in action. Soaking in the fellowship of Rotarians for encouragement in, and examples of, a life that exemplifies “Service Above Self” is also full of excellence.
January is Vocational Service month. The idea of vocational service offers a simple, powerful, and emancipating view of Rotary life – a view that I hope our district, and many clubs, will embrace.
As much as I appreciate and champion our mission and vision statements and strategic priorities, they sometimes eclipse the historical “Object of Rotary”, from which our notion of vocational service springs.
Each club is free to decide what’s required of its members. When we choose, let’s do so without denigrating the “knife and fork club” and the “check-writing club”. If these clubs are full of Rotarians who dignify and valueevery vocation as an opportunity for service, and pursue vocational service instead of vocational selfishness, they are powerful Rotarians and Rotary Clubs, and their contributions help to fulfill our mission. I am proud to be associated with them.
Aspire to be, as a Rotarian and club, what you want to be without comparison or criticism, and be open to just how simple, powerful, and free Rotary life can be. You can Invite others into this kind of Rotary experience.
If you want to TAKE ACTION and improve your club’s culture in honoring vocational service, check out Rotary’s Introduction to Vocational Service. It might open bright and hopeful vistas for you and your club.
The Annual Fund/SHARE appeal for The Rotary Foundation is the cornerstone for Rotary’s success to fund projects to fulfill our Rotary mission. At the end of December, we are at 38% of our goal for District 6250. The $331,950 goal is simply the total of goals submitted by our clubs. Achieving this goal has a direct impact on the amount of District and Global grants available to clubs in our District (known as District Designated Funds). Every dollar we donate to Annual Fund/SHARE is available for grants three years later.
Thank you to every Rotarians who is supporting the Annual Fund/SHARE program in 2021-22. If you have not done so, please consider supporting today. The Rotary Foundation is recognized with Four Stars by Charity Navigator. That means we are one of the most efficient and effective non-profit foundations in the world. If your club has received District Grants or participated in a Global Grant, you know the impact of contributions to Annual Fund/SHARE.
Become a member of the Paul Harris Society by committing to give $1,000 per year.
Ask your club to join you in support of The Rotary Foundation.
Share stories from the District Dispatch about how District Designated Funds are used to fund projects sponsored by clubs in District 6250.
Global Grant Approved
Congratulations to the Lake Mills Club for approval of a global grant to install solar to power a water system in Goregaon, India. The project will create a sustainable source of power in partnership with the Goregaon Rotary Club. $20,000 of District Designated Funds is being granted toward the $96,128 project.
District Grants
Congratulations to the Madison Breakfast Club for receiving a District Grant to fund books and tees for the Black Girl Magic Conference in Madison. Black Girl Magic provides enrichment and academic opportunities to empower 4th through 8th grade Black, African-American, and Multiracial girls. A $2,000 District Grant is approved for this project.
In November, our District Grant Committee announced an open application process for District Grants to help fund projects to be completed by May 15, 2022. If your club is considering a short-term project this winter with a budget less than $30,000, District matching grants are available. Projects can be local or international. Detailed information about District Grants is available on the District 6250 website. Contact Liz Evans at D6250Grants@gmail.com if you have further questions.
Dwight Heaney
Rotary Club of Fort Atkinson
District 6250 Foundation Committee Chair
Katrina Kalcic Blog Post: January 2022
Michaelmas Term has at last concluded, and as I reflect on this first milestone in my program, I could not be more grateful to be a member of the MPhil in Public Policy class of 2022. With more than 40 nationalities represented, it is an incredibly diverse cohort full of some of the most passionate and amazing professionals I’ve ever been privileged to know. It’s refreshing to learn so many unique approaches to tackling policy challenges around the world, and conversations with my inspiring colleagues fill me with hope for the future. Discussing artificial intelligence policies in emerging economies; strategies to address the colonial legacies of British museums; and hosting potlucks with delicious national dishes shared by new friends are some of the memories I treasure most. I am looking forward to Hillary Term in 2022, and as always, I am profoundly grateful to Rotary for the opportunity to join the Oxford community.
Happy New Year! We usually see a drop in membership as clubs clean out their rosters; however we are only down a net of 2 members from the start of the Rotary Year. It’s time now to reach out and add those new members you’ve been waiting to reach out to! Remember that having more Rotarians helps create a better Rotary experience for us all!
Our Membership Growth Grants have been awarded! Congrats to the following clubs on receiving the awards!
$1000 to Marshfield - Expanding Impact of the Rotary Winter Wonderland
$1000 to LaCrosse After Hours - Member recruitment video
$300 to Sparta - Logger's game
$300 to Wisconsin Dells - New Member Christmas party
$300 to Janesville Morning
$300 to LaCrosse East - New Member Project
$300 to Oregon Rotary - New Member Project
$300 to Madison Breakfast - New Member Project
We would like to highlight a membership initiative your club has undertaken. Please email me at johnlockerotary@gmail.com a brief description of what you are doing around membership so that I can share it with the other clubs!
Loneliness is an epidemic and Rotary is the antidote.
Two in five Americans report that they sometimes or always feel their social relationships are not meaningful, and one in five say they feel lonely or socially isolated. More than one quarter of the U.S. population lives alone.
As Rotarians we understand that Rotary is all about social connectedness and building better friendships…the perfect prescription to cure loneliness.
Where does Public Image come in?
When we share Rotary, we build and enhance our public image. And it is through sharing and spreading and influencing our perception in the public that just as we are ending polio, we can end loneliness.
I want to take the opportunity to kick off the year with some tips for how to learn more about Youth Programs within District 6250 and Rotary as a whole. We have a very strong Youth focus within our district and are active with each of the main areas. If you're not familiar, the different areas of Youth Programs for Rotary are:
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards
Youth Exchange (Short term and Long Term)
Interact
New Generations Service Exchange
This is an area that Rotary.org calls out as a youth program. It's for University students going up to age 30, so it sits more in line with Rotaract, which is not part of the Youth programming within District 6250.
If you visit https://www.rotary.org/en/our-programs/youth-programs you can learn about each of these different areas in more detail. Rotary also has newsletters that highlight information on Youth Exchange and Young Leaders in Action, you can opt-in to receive those once signed into your MyRotary account and going into your Account Settings. If you need any help, just let me know!
The district is currently looking to update our district website as well, so I'd like to know if there's anything Youth related that you'd like to see added or available through our district site. Would committee chair contact information be helpful? A youth specific calendar? A listing of all of our Interact clubs? We want the site to be helpful to you as a member of our district, so reach out to me if you have any suggestions!
As we look to rebound from a few years off of "normal" Youth Programs, it's important for us to keep our involvement strong and feel supported in our local clubs. If you feel like your club might be slipping away from Youth activities and you want to rejuvenate them, I'm here to help. Here's to a strong 2022 for Youth Programs, continued involvement and growth and getting back to connecting with the smiling faces that belong to the future of Rotary.
Mount Horeb! Great name, isn’t it? Their greatness doesn’t end at their name. They earn that reputation with heart and service. Here they are in action decorating their school for Valentine's Day and partnering for successful service with a local non-profit, Neighbors Helping Neighbors.
District 6250 Interact Clubs were busy with holiday cheer while providing boundless gifts to mankind.
Lodi Rotary club and LHS Interact club combined efforts to hold a fundraiser for local food pantry, and American Legion Columbia cabin that supports veterans in need.
Mount Horeb Interact club in conjunction with Shoebox Gifts for Kids did an amazing job at their high school collecting children’s gifts for the holiday season.
Baraboo Interact Club had the pleasure of helping out with the Holidays With The Heroes event making crafts an wrapping gifts with community officers, emt’s, and other first responders. All the children who participated have had trauma in their lives and are experiencing poverty.
Serving in a District 6250 Leadership position is a fulfilling opportunity full of service, new connections, and fun! Maybe you’re already interested in Membership or Training, or have professional skills in Finance or Public Relations. Or, maybe you’re interested in learning something new and just know you want to serve. Wherever you may be, we’d love to hear from you! Check out our Leadership Opportunities page on the District 6250 website to see a list of current opportunities: https://rotary6250.org/page/leadership-opportunities
District 6250 Hybrid Meeting Task Force
Before we wrap up our task force work at the end of this Rotary year, it is our intention to continue providing you with hybrid meeting information that is most relevant to you and your Club. As your Club navigates the hybrid meeting process, we are hopeful that you will find value from our forthcoming information associated with one or more of the following three goals:
Goal #1 - Grow clubs' abilities to boost engagement of individual members.
Goal #2 - Assist clubs with improving member experiences through technology-based tools.
Goal #3 - Facilitate the creation of virtual tactics for use in growing club memberships.
Next month, starting with goal number one, look for additional information in this Dispatch article that will provide tips, suggestions and/or documents that will specifically help accomplish the identified goal. In the meantime, should you have any suggested content or success stories associated with any one of these goals, or you simply have a suggestion or question that is outside of these goals, please drop me a note at mdag6250@gmail.com.
Mike Dillis
District 6250 Hybrid Meeting Task Force Chair
Discover New Horizons in Houston June 2022
There is nothing quite like our annual Rotary International Convention. It’s the only opportunity we members get to connect personally with people from around the world, celebrate our works of service together, and collaborate on every level to find solutions to our most pressing challenges. We do all of this at one event — while making memories that will last a lifetime.
On top of all the Rotary you’ll get, in Houston, you’ll discover:
· Great food. More than 10,000 restaurants represent more than 70 cuisines.
· Diversity. More than 145 languages are spoken in the city.
· Space exploration. At Space Center Houston, you can touch a moon rock, see former spacecraft, and simulate a spaceflight or spacewalk.
· Sports. The city is home to six professional sports teams.
· Shopping. The Galleria is the largest shopping center in Texas, with 400 shops and restaurants.
· Parks. The city ranks first among the 10 largest U.S. cities in total park area.
· Arts and culture. Houston has 19 world-class museums and seven cultural districts.
· Accessible transportation. METRORail trains and an underground pedestrian tunnel system make navigating the city easy.
Don’t miss your chance to Discover New Horizons and join us in Houston, Texas - June 4-8, 2022.
If you can’t attend in person, a virtual convention option offers the opportunity to participate in events and share in the convention experience with your friends, family, club members, and community.
January is Vocational Service month. The idea of vocational service offers a simple, powerful, and emancipating view of Rotary life – a view that I hope our district, and many clubs, will embrace.
The Annual Fund/SHARE appeal for The Rotary Foundation is the cornerstone for Rotary’s success to fund projects to fulfill our Rotary mission. At the end of December, we are at 38% of our goal for District 6250. The $331,950 goal is simply the total of goals submitted by our clubs. Achieving this goal has a direct impact on the amount of District and Global grants available to clubs in our District (known as District Designated Funds). Every dollar we donate to Annual Fund/SHARE is available for grants three years later.
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