2019 District Conference

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2019 District Conference
June 7-8, 2019
La Crosse Center
La Crosse, Wisconsin

 

 

Speaker Bios          

Featured Speaker
Ed Futa

Ed Futa is a past General Secretary and Chief Operating Officer of Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation, as such he managed operations for one of the world’s largest global humanitarian service organization with 33,000 clubs in 200 countries and geographic regions. Futa comes from Honolulu, Hawaii, where he was president of an international marketing consulting firm. He is a keynote speaker at many Rotary International events including club and district conferences and international assemblies and conventions.

View Ed's presentation at District Conference 2019
 

Opioid Epidemic
Al Bliss


Al Bliss has been a health educator with La Crosse County since 1995. He currently coordinates several programs including the Drug Free Communities grant, the Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking grant, and the Heroin and Other Illicit Drug Task Force. The goal of this effort is to create a self-sustaining coalition of community stakeholders to identify and implement community-based strategies that reduce the public health burden of heroin and other illicit substance use in La Crosse County

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Featured Speaker
Tracy Wilichowski, RI Global Grant Scholar
 
Tracy works for World Bank and is an Analyst in the Global Knowledge and Innovation Unit of the Education Global Practice. She is a core member of the Teach team, and her interests include researching how teacher professional development interventions can be designed to improve student learning in low- and middle-income countries. In 2014, she was awarded a Rotary International Global Grant Scholarship to study Development Management at the London School of Economics and Political Science, where she earned her M.Sc. She holds a B.Sc. in philosophy and history from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. 
 
View Tracy's presentation at District Conference 2019
 


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Trafficking
Emmy Myers
 

Lacey’s Hope Project was started by a sex trafficking survivor, Emmy Myers. Today, Emmy is a leader, community advocate, speaker, and source of knowledge and inspiration for others. She founded Lacey’s Hope Project to help end the social justice issues of sex trafficking and drug abuse. Named in tribute to a friend who lost her life to a trafficker and also Emmy’s given name by her trafficker, Lacey’s Hope Project represents the promise of change, restoration and healing.

 

View Emmy's presentation at District Conference 2019




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Featured Speaker
Razia Jan

Born in Afghanistan, Razia moved to the United States in 1970. She was the proprietor of a small tailoring business in Duxbury Massachusetts for 20 years.  She served as president of the town’s Rotary Club. In the aftermath of September 11, Razia rallied her adopted New England community to send over 400 homemade blankets to rescue workers at Ground Zero after September 11. Her efforts expanded to include sending care packages to US troops in Afghanistan.

Through her involvement in the military’s Operation Shoe Fly, she coordinated the delivery of over 30,000 pairs of shoes to needy Afghan children. Her handmade quilts commemorating September 11 have been exhibited at Madison Square Garden, the chapel at the Pentagon, and at fire stations in New York and Massachusetts.
 
Razia has received many awards for her humanitarian work including a 2012 CNN Top 10 Hero award and multiple Rotary Club International Peace Awards.
 
Today, in order to continue her humanitarian work, school administration, fundraising efforts, and spending time with family, Razia travels between Afghanistan and the United States.

View Razia's presentation at District Conference 2019
 

 
RI President's Rep Message
Tim Schuler





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Breakouts Sessions
 
Friday, June 7th
Breakout Session #1            1:15 pm - 2:00 pm   (pick from 1 of 3 below)
Breakout Session #2           2:15 pm - 3:00 pm    (pick from 1 of 3 below)
 
“Say Cheese,” Club Public Image
 
Promoting Rotary to the general public can be as simple as wearing your Rotary pin or as elaborate as organizing an integrated marketing campaign. By increasing the public's understanding of Rotary, you strengthen your club’s ability to make an impact in communities around the world. Including a public relations component in your project plan will help ensure your club’s projects and events get the attention and support they deserve. Whether you’re new to PR or a professional, this breakout will help you do just that.
 
“Gimme’ ShelterBox,” ShelterBox & Rotary - Partners in Times of Disaster
 
When people are plunged into crisis, normality is suspended. But good, quality shelter can cut through the chaos. ShelterBox provides the tools that enable people to rebuild homes and transform their lives. Does that sound like a good fit with Rotary? You bet it is! In April 2000, the Rotary Club of Helston-Lizard in Cornwall, England adopted ShelterBox as its millennium project. Little did they know that it would become the largest Rotary Club project in the world. Discover how Rotarians and Rotary groups across the globe support ShelterBox in a variety of ways, from raising funds to providing support on the ground in response to a disaster.
 
Making it Rain,” Club Fundraisers
 
If the Rotary mission matters, then fundraising isn’t evil… it’s necessary!  Without the money to carry out your programs and vision, your club will not be able to succeed. Does your club have a fundraiser that you're particularly proud of? Join in the conversation. Looking for the next great fundraising idea? You just might find it here at the Friday afternoon “Making it Rain” Breakout Sessions.   
 
Saturday, June 8th
Breakout Session #3           11:00 – 11:45 am      (pick from 1 of 2 below)
Breakout Session #4           3:10 – 4:00 pm         (pick from 1 of 2 below)
 
“Keep in Touch,” ClubRunner
 
ClubRunner serves thousands of Rotary clubs across the globe with one goal in mind - to make technology work for anyone, while enabling Rotarians to streamline club processes and improve productivity. ClubRunner can manage your club with features such as attendance reporting, event and volunteer management, directory builder, social media integration and more. Best of all, ClubRunner is designed for and used by clubs of all sizes. Take your club to the next level and discover the benefits that ClubRunner can bring to your club.
 
“The Swap Meet,” Club Service Projects
 
When it comes to service projects, Rotarians are a dedicated bunch. Each year, they devote millions of hours to service. Often, these service projects are popular because they are unique, they are easy, they raise awareness and they’re fun. Do you have a creative and fun service project you'd like to share? Others are looking to learn from your club’s experience? What’s hot, what’s not? Share your club’s service project experience in this rapid fire exchange of ideas.
 
MEMBERSHIP WORKSHOP
 
Pull up a Chair,” Attracting & Retaining Club Membership
Saturday, June 8th   3:10 – 5:00 pm
 
Many clubs find it challenging to recruit new members. Well, you never know where you might meet a qualified prospective member, so it’s a good idea to always be prepared on how you want to promote Rotary to others. Retaining members is in fact just as difficult as attracting new members. Just as businesses try to motivate their employees to work harder and progress, clubs need to motivate their members in order to be able to maintain retention rates. “Pull up a Chair,” let’s talk about attracting and retaining club membership.
 
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