Please join me in celebrating your leadership through this year of opportunities, at our virtual Annual Meeting and District Conference of Clubs April 22-24, 2021. For the first time we will not only meet virtually, we will be a hybrid conference by joining with three other districts in Ohio on Friday and Saturday as we all share our year, celebrate and have fun together.
Watch for the registration link this week-end and sign up early to receive a T-Shirt to wear particularly on Friday night April 23 .
Please note important information for annual meeting, brief schedule, letter from R.I. President Holger Knaack regarding Youth Exchange programs, the unfortunate need to cancel RYLA in June of 2021 and the many activities and opportunities in the newsletter.
Annual Meeting
On March 8, each club received a packet of information sent via DocuSign. This packet contained directions for each club to name elector(s) to the annual meeting. The meeting will be On Thursday, April 22, 2021. Please enter the meeting at 5:45 PM. in order to be checked in. The meeting will start at 6PM.
Included in the information you received were seven important documents for our District 6630 Annual Meeting. Please note that the packet was sent from DocuSign not from Mike.)
Voting Certification Instructions.
The required Elector Credential Certificate form. This form MUST be returned to Mike Davanzo (mdavanzo@zoominternet.net) by April 12, 2021. This is required to be able to vote at the Annual Meeting.
A spreadsheet showing the number of eligible electors for each club.
The documents for the proposed District 6630 Bylaw amendments:
2018-19 Financials which had been approved via a vote in December 2020, and now need to be ratified per our Bylaws at the Annual Meeting.
2019-20 Financials which need to be approved per Rotary International at this meeting.
Annual Meeting Agenda.
If you have any question about the Annual Meeting, please contact Mike Davanzo at mdavanzo@zoominternet.net or 330-441-1507
Our District 6630 Conference of Clubs
District 6630 Rotarians, please join me in a virtual Multi-District Conference of Clubs.
We will be joining together with D6600 (NW Ohio),) D6670 (SW Ohio) and D6690 (Central and Southern Ohio).
Thursday evening is dedicated just to our own D6630 and Friday evening and Saturday morning we are planning a fun event and interesting speakers. You won't want to miss it!
Thursday 4/22/2021 D6630 Only:
6 pm Annual Meeting
7 pm - 8:30 pmConference Kick-off: Recognition of those achieving 50 years in Rotary in 2019-2021 and Celebration of Life with families of those who have passed away 2019-2021
Friday 4/23/2021:
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm Enjoy a fun radio show with music, keynote speaker, trivia. BYOB.
Saturday 4/24/2021: 9:00 am - 11:00 am We will have interesting speakers from around the country and world plus comments from the four District Governors. 11:00 am - 1:00 pm District 6630 will have an exclusive breakout with our 4-Way Test Speech Contest winners / Interact-Rotaract Recognition and more!
Registration will open soon - watch your email!!
I look forward to seeing you with us at this special event.
If your Club subscribes to ClubRunner create an event within ClubRunner and mark the event to be shown on the District website. Your events will then appear within the Club Calendar on both, the District Bulletin and District home page.
Rotary Youth Exchange is where my heart is. As you probably know my wife Susanne and I hosted more than 40 youth exchange students over the past years.
Many Rotarians over many generations have shared in this experience, and I want to thank Youth Exchange officers, host families, and other volunteers for their contributions. Together, we’ve helped young people build an understanding and appreciation of different cultures, learn new languages and forge lasting friendships across the globe.
To ensure that our legacy continues, these valuable, life-changing experiences must build from a foundation of safety and well-being for all our students, families and communities. To that end, Rotary’s Board of Directors has been regularly monitoring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on communities around the world to determine whether it is safe to reinstate the Youth Exchange program for the 2021-22 school year.
With the continued uncertainty of the pandemic and COVID-19 virus variants, inconsistent disease mitigation efforts, and the global imbalance of vaccine access – the board has decided to suspend the Youth Exchange program through 30 June 2022.
The board’s decision was informed by scientific data, global health guidance and a number of factors required to guarantee a safe, equitable and quality experience. Careful consideration was also given to ease and availability of international travel, access to medical care and insurance coverage, school delays and closure, potential financial impact on participants’ families and Rotary volunteers.
Given the global imbalance of access to the COVID-19 vaccine and the financial impact of the pandemic, many areas of the world would be unable to participate in 2021. Moving forward with only the limited number of participating countries with access to the vaccine would contradict Rotary’s core value of fairness and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Our ability to meet in person is limited now, but we know that Rotary Opens Opportunities, always. Now is the time to get ready, so that when the pandemic is behind us, Rotary’s Youth Exchange program will come back stronger than before, serving a world that is yearning to reconnect.
Sincerely,
Holger Knaack President, Rotary International 2020-21
No need to reply but it would be great to know who decided to participate.
Happy Storytelling!
Megan A. Mannion Library Media/SEL Learning Specialist Ott Staff Development Center Sylvester Small Administration Building 10 North Main Street | Akron, OH 44308 330.761.3045 | mmannion@apslearns.org
Julie Brandle, DGND, Assistant Governor - S Summit and Medina Cluster Past President, Rotary Club of Akron, Ohio Cell 330.858.6672 | jbrandle@metisconstruction.com
Motivated by other clubs that have replaced in-person fundraisers with creative virtual solutions, The Rotary Club of Lakewood-Rocky River Sunrise has launched a virtual "Jewelry Raffle". The Raffle replaces our annual fundraiser dinner and auction that has been in place for 12 years. Transactions are virtual through credit cards or the good old US Mail.
The attached flyer has all the details as well as a picture of the diamond bracelet valued at $3750. Information and links for payment are also available on our club’s website: https://www.lrrsunriserotary.org/page/raffle.
Please help us by sharing this information and/or purchasing a raffle ticket, one ticket is only $10 or you can purchase a bundle of tickets at a discount!
Thanks for your help and support,
Eric Jolly, President, TRC Lakewood-Rocky River Sunrise
E-ClubNEO welcomed District Governor Pat Myers to their regular meeting on February 27th for the Governor’s Annual Visit. Prior to DG Pat’s address to the Club, she presented (virtually) to Kathryn Craig, the Governor’s Citation for Exemplary Service to Rotary E-ClubNEO and its members as the 2020-2021 "Rotary Unsung Hero". Club President Steve Warren stated that the choice was a tough decision and how difficult it was to pick one member to be singled out.
President Warren went on to say that the fledgling E-Club was halfway through it’s inaugural year and would not be here without the driving force and determination of one of its members. Kathryn Craig caught the smoldering ember of the E-Club idea from (at the time) DG Beverly Ghent-Skrzynski and kept it alive and burning for 2 years; doing the legwork and the research to bring the E-Club to life.
While not trained in Website Design, Kathryn worked diligently to learn the Club Runner tools to get the website up and running … a key component for an E-Club.
Working with the RC of Northampton-Cuyahoga Valley, she pushed and pulled the E-Club across the starting line last June. Since that time, Kathryn has been instrumental in guiding the Club, delivering instructional programs for our new Rotarians and providing leadership of the two Service Projects the E-Club has undertaken so far this year.
Vilhelm Bjarnason, a 2005/2006 exchange student from Iceland to our District (hosted by North Royalton - Broadview Heights) will be speaking at our Westlake-Bay Village Rotary meeting Wednesday, March 31 at 7:30am.
He is currently a PE teacher at an elementary school and will talk about what he has been doing since his exhange experience and what life in Iceland is like during the pandemic.
His father, Bjarni Grimmson, will also be joining him.
Bjarni is a long time Rotarian and the incoming District Governor for Iceland.
Here is the Zoom link if you would like to join us.
Eileen Dorsey and the Westlake - Bay Village Rotary Art Festival
Award winning artist Eileen Dorsey returns to her roots as the featured artist at the Westlake - Bay Village Rotary Art Festival. All look forward to her visit from The Studio inside 78th Street Studios in Gordon Square.
Dorsey is known for her oil landscape paintings. Capturing both local landscapes and fantasy scenes in vibrant hues, Eileen Dorsey paints meditative forests of light and color. Dorsey expresses the energy of the places she visits through impressionistic or expressionistic marks. Emphasizing our connection to nature as a healing and rejuvenating experience, Dorsey’s paintings transcend reality to achieve an emotional impact.
“Best Artist” of 2020, 2019 and 2018 - Cleveland Magazine and Scene Magazine, Westlake welcomes her with pride and admiration. One can’t miss her works including murals seen on city buildings, canvases in numerous galleries and pages in periodicals from CAN Journal to Canvas and the Plain Dealer.
Westlake - Bay Village Rotary Club meets Wednesdays in the Community Room in Bay Village. Since COVID, like many others, they’ve been ZOOMing and membership continues to increase under the leadership of Dr, Scott Goggin. This non-profit festival will support education including the arts; special needs including Connecting for Kids, Milestones Autism Resources, Autism Society of Greater Cleveland, Lakeshore Day Camp, Meals on Wheels, The KnickerBocker Apartments, Hospice of the Western Reserve; Annual support to "sister club" in Chinandega, Nicaragua (clothing and school supplies for nearly 1,000 children); and the ongoing effort with Rotary International as it continues to lead in eradicating the World of polio.
The past 12 months have been difficult for organizations that depend on fundraising to finance their community service. When the Crestwood Middle School Sunshine Fund approached the Rotary Club of Mantua to help make up for their inability to do their in-person events we sympathized, but said we too had to cancel our own fundraisers. Instead of leaving it at that, we decided to try a virtual reverse raffle. Having been approached by Bob Oborn to support theirs, we reached out to him for guidance about how best to run a successful virtual event. He was extremely helpful, and we decided to proceed.
Knowing that Rotary and the Sunshine Fund could not do it alone we reached out to the Downtown Mantua Revitalization Corporation (DMRC)and businesses in the Village for their support. We were hopeful, but not confident that we could sell 150 at $100 each. We did have on things going for us. A good cause that the community would likely support – the Crestwood Middle School Sunshine Fund that provides financial help to students and families experiencing financial difficulty. As we look back it is clear that being able to clearly identify who would receive most of the net proceeds helped generate support.
For publicity we utilized our personal and the school’s social media, articles in The Weekly Villager and The Portager, broadcasting through organizational email lists, and enlisting five Mantua businesses to place posters in their windows or on their counters and to sell tickets. Two of the businesses, JAKEs Eats and Restoration 44 Coffee shop, have many local patrons and they placed table tents on their tables.
It did not hurt to have attractive prizes. The top prize was $2,000 with $1,000, $500, $250, and $100 being the second through fifth prize. In addition, the first ticket pulled and then every tenth one beginning with the tenth received a $50 gift certificate to one of 12 Mantua businesses. The net revenue was more than $10,000 and two of the cash winners gave all or some of their winnings to The Rotary Foundation or the Sunshine Fund. Half of the net revenue went to the Sunshine Fund and the other half was split between DMRC and Mantua Rotary.
During the event on March 13th, a Middle School student’s video presentation of the Pledge of Allegiance, a video of the Middle School choir singing The Bohemian Rhapsody, and presentations by the 6th and 8th grade bands provided entertainment. And to raise the public image and to promote an understanding of the three cooperating organizations, the Rotary Club of Mantua, Crestwood Middle School Sunshine Fund and the Downtown Mantua Revitalization Corporation had an opportunity to talk about their history, their mission and their recent service projects.
This was a wonderful event to raise the public image of The Rotary Club of Mantua, to generate a list of potential members and to raise funds for future service projects as we netted over $2,500.
The following testimonial from John Bosco is outstanding. The Nordonia Hills Club is a fantastic example of how to grow membership by 60% in a 12 month Rotary Year. How did they do it? John Bosco said "How did we get so many new members? We asked people to join Rotary and they did".
THE ROTARY CLUB OF NORDONIA HILLS
During Rotary year 2019-2020 the Club added approximately 15 new members. The Club went from 25 to 40 and even with the Pandemic we have retained all but 3. 2 moved out of the area and 1 was not a good fit.
How did we get so many new members? We asked people to join Rotary and they did. Getting new members, to join a club that has become stale or set in its ways, requires trying something new. We not only asked community leaders to join us, but we tried to find out the real reason they have not joined in the past.
Many told us they had never been asked or they did not know what Rotary did. That was easy to remedy. Some, especially the younger generation, were concerned about the financial obligations and the time commitments. We tried to make Rotary affordable by changing how we charged for meals. Our regular members were prepaying for meals, so we allowed the younger members to only pay for the meals they ate. We were able to do this because we did not have to commit to a certain weekly minimum. We also waved a portion of the dues for 1 year if it would help someone on a fixed income or if they could contribute to the club in other ways such as putting our club in the local newspaper and online every week.
In other words, we were creative. We were not afraid to go to the Board of Directors and say, let us try something new to increase our membership”. Most of the time they said yes, and it has paid off.
We added a new member last month because she was following our club on Facebook. She asked to attend a few meetings and then she wanted an application. She is not only highly active, but she is inviting one of her friends to join our meeting next week.
People have many misconceptions about Rotary. It is not like it was when I joined in the 1970’s. For example, a member is not asked to leave if they miss a meeting or two anymore. There are many ways to be a good Rotarian even if you can not attend every meeting. Rotary is no longer just a “Men’s Club “ either. Rotary membership is open to community leaders and others who want to help make the world a better place. We must be enthusiastic participants and tell our friends and acquaintances about Rotary.
I was told a long time ago to let people know that Rotary can help someone fulfill their passion. That is very true and also much easier to attain with the help of a worldwide organization.
The District 6630 4-Way Test Speech Contest will be held VIRTUALLY April 10, 2021
9AM - 2 PM Time may be shorter. We are working on the virtual timeline
We are in the home stretch leading up to the District Speech Contest, but we need your help!
We're asking every club that is sponsoring a student contestant to please volunteer one Rotarian to be a judge or timer on contest day (April 10). If we don't have enough judges, the contest can't happen. Please send the name and contact information (phone and email) for your club's volunteer judge to Head Judge Rachel Kerns: rkerns@habitatofportage.org.
And a reminder please to send me the name, phone number, and email address for your club contest winner(s) using the Contest Entry Form (CLICK HERE) as soon as your club's contest is complete. Please include an email address for the student’s parent or guardian so that we can copy them on correspondence.
Thank you for your service.
Will Underwood
Rotary District 6630 4-Way Test Speech Contest Chair, 2020–21
On March 16, 2021, our Club honored students in the Manufacturing, Engineering, Skilled Trades & Health and Human Services categories.
Each student receives a $1,000 scholarship from the Akron Rotary Foundation.
Terry Dalton serves as a member of the Akron Rotary Club Board of Directors and as the Club Secretary and has chaired the Rotary Scholarship Committee for about 10 years.
About the Scholarship Recipients:
The Students of the Year recognized March 16th were Anna Gray, Jennifer Skerlong, Mary Winer, Anjana Tamang, Tam Chau, and Emma Grass.
We were pleased that four of the students were available to join our meeting [click to view recording].
These students are extremely accomplished students and active community volunteers.
Geraldine (Gerry) Kiefer, PhD, was sponsored by her mother, Virginia (Ginny) Wojno.
Geraldine recently moved back to Akron from Winchester, Virginia after retiring from Shenandoah University where she was a Professor of Art. Gerry has extensive art background as she is a graduate of Kent State University and earned a Masters Degree from Oberlin College and her Ph.D., Art History, from Case Western Reserve University.
Gerry was a longtime member of the Frederick County Rotary Club and the Winchester Rotary Club. Thanks to Ginny, she has considerable knowledge of The Rotary Club of Akron having attended several times as a guest. Gerry said she considers herself "an Akron Rotarian since birth".
Gerry is very familiar with the Camp and looks forward to participating in events and service opportunities. You may spot Gerry driving around town in her new car (her old one just conked out) and she is thrilled that she is able to transfer her Rotary license plates!
Gerry is a Rotary Paul Harris+5 (Paul Harris Fellow (PHF) recognition is given in appreciation to anyone who contributes, outright or cumulatively – or in whose name is contributed – a gift of US$1,000 or more to the Annual Programs Fund, PolioPlus, PolioPlus Partners or the Humanitarian Grants program. The recognition consists of a certificate, pin, and medallion. Recipient's recognition amount level. US $2,000 to 2,999.99 - one sapphire; 3,000 to 3,999.99 - two sapphires; 4,000 to 4,999.99 - three sapphires; 5,000 to 5,999.99 - four sapphires; 6,000 to 6,999.99 - five sapphires 7,000 to 7,999.99 - one ruby; 8,000 to 8,999.99 - two rubies; 9,000 to 9,999.99 - three rubies).
She is very energetic and plans on being extremely engaged with our club through participation on various committees and service projects.
Ryan McCauley was sponsored by Dan O'Connell.
Born and raised in Stow, Ohio, and lived in Phoenix for seven years where he worked as a project manager at Bank of America.
Ryan and his wife Jessica and their one year old, moved back to the area about six months ago when he joined the family business, McCauley Financial LLC.
He is involved with the Fairlawn Chamber of Commerce and through his father and brother`s work at The Hudson Rotary Club, knows a lot about Rotary and is excited to give back through our service projects.
He is a graduate of Western Reserve Academy and received his B.A. from Kent State University.
When not working , Ryan enjoys golf and working around his new house, which is just around the corner from our Rotary Camp.
For many years, The Rotary Club of Hudson has featured monthly themes for weekly meeting presentations. Speakers in February included medical professionals discussing cancer research, mental health, underprivileged student mentoring and the pandemic's psychological and health impacts on children. These past programs can be viewed on YouTube Rotary of Hudson or HCTV.
March programs offered a trip through the local Arts and Culture scene with 7:30 a.m. Zoom broadcasts as follows:
March 10 we hosted Seema Rao, Chief Experience Officer, Akron Art Museum
March 17 we hosted Chris Meyers and Ali Miller, Cleveland Playhouse Square
March 24 we feature Dahia Fisher, Director of External Relations, Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage
Anyone interested in joining the Zoom calls for these meetings should contact Marilyn Orr, president, at marilynjorr@gmail.com. Check the Rotary website www.rotaryhudson.org for information about the club's activities.
Scholarship applications due March 25
The Rotary Club of Hudson will award six scholarships worth $3,000 each.
The applications are available in the Hudson High School guidance office. The completed applications are due to the guidance office by Thursday, March 25. If you have any questions, contact Kathryn Sines or Dan Williams of the scholarship committee at sineskathryn2@gmail.com or jdw@uakron.edu.
This is an initial invitation to join in fellowship and service with Medina service clubs, US Military Service, and Public Service to come together as a community at:
THE 2021 ANNUAL MEDINA SERVICE CLUBS GOOD FRIDAY PRAYER BREAKFAST
Williams on the Lake
Friday, April 2, 2021
7:00 am to 8:30 am
$12.50 per person
Thank you for your participation and support of this time honored community holiday event. Please be sure to confirm your attendance well in advance of the event. The reservation and deposit have been sent in and our hosts, Mark & Aly Williams, will expect a head count.
It is a voluntary hybrid meeting, in person and Zoom, in compliance with the Medina Health Department and Governor of Ohio's State guidelines.
We are especially grateful to: Mayor Dennis Hanwell, US Military Chaplain Reid Miller, TSgt Cody Hoffman, Father Mike Ausperk, Soloist Kimberly States, Music Director Tom Bonezzi, Medina Sunrise Rotary President Kevin Wermer, Kiwanians Roy Lehman and Alan Penn, our Medina County service clubs, and Mark & Aly Williams from Williams on the Lake.
Very respectfully,
David
"Committed to making a difference in the lives of children in our community and beyond through our time, talents and treasures."
Last year’s wildly successful raffle featuring the award of a brand new Chevy Equinox vehicle to the lucky winner, will once again give away a brand new 2020 Ford F-150 vehicle to a lucky winner.
The vehicle is provided by the Pat Preston family of dealerships and Preston Ford in Burton, Ohio.
Many other great prizes including individual cash prizes of $2500, $1500, and $1000, a Chain Saw Package, a Diamond Pendant, a Big Screen TV, a Snow Blower and Instant $100 cash tickets.
This year we are featuring Early Bird cash drawings in varying amounts to be awarded monthly until the main drawing in July.
Last year over $50,000 was given away to many community organizations including food cupboards, The Red Tulip Project, Next Step, children’s meals, scouting projects, the Geauga County Historical Society and many other worthwhile organizations throughout the county.
This year we hope to equal or surpass last years funds and continue our club’s long tradition of being an active and strong supporter of our community.
I am forwarding information on a virtual water conference offered by the organization that the Kent Club, along with others in or District, have worked with to construct water projects in Central America.
Thank you,
Carol Crimi, Rotary Club of Kent
I am excited to announce CoCoDA’s 2021 Virtual Sun and Water Conference on April 17-18, 2021. This event is intended to gather Central Americans and North Americans on Zoom for two days of learning, story, inspiration, and conversation about the impact of solar powered water systems in rural Central American communities.
We recognize not everyone gets as excited about that as we do, but we also know you are someone who can appreciate how these water systems change communities forever! We’re hoping you will join us for the conference. More importantly, we’re hoping you’ll share the attached promotion with your network, especially with those who might have that rare combination – a passion for water and for Central America. The promotion includes the tentative schedule for the event.
Please take a few minutes to review the promotional materials, to register for the event and to pass this information onto others. Once we receive your registration, we’ll send you more information in preparation for the event.
As always, thank you for your support of CoCoDA and of Central Americans
--
Jim Mulholland
Executive Director
Companion Community Development Alternatives (CoCoDA)
PDG Jack Young presented at Medina Echelon Independent Living faculty on the Children of the Dump. Call Jack at 440-759-4000 if your Club would like a presentation.
RI sends out various newsletters throughout the month.
You can sign up/manage your subscriptions for publications atrotary.org- simply sign in, then go to news & media then select newsletters. If you need assistance, please EMAIL ME.
Since many of you already receive these email newsletters, in lieu of reproducing them in the body of the District newsletter, moving forward you can now use the links below to download them all or individually.
I have included the story headings to help you see what is in each issue.
Ideas for strengthening membership | March 2021 (a bimonthly publication)
Membership Minute is a bimonthly newsletter that provides the latest membership trends, strategies, best practices, and resources to help strengthen membership in your clubs. The newsletter is sent to Rotary coordinators, district governors, district membership chairs, club membership chairs, club presidents and subscribers.
First Programs of Scale grant awarded to malaria project
Engaging the next generation of Rotary Leaders | March 2021
Young Leaders in Action is a monthly source of news, resources, and event information for young leaders in Rotaract, Interact, the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) program, and New Generations Service Exchange and Rotarians who support them.
2. Remember to include your name, the club name, and send pictures and flyers as attachments. Include the names of those in the photos too!
3. Be certain that you have permission to use the photos, and for anyone who is under the age of 18, please confirm that you have a parent/guardian release on file.
Due to the electronic nature of the e-news, we cannot guarantee content will remain formatted as sent, but will do our best.
Subscribe to the District 6630 Connections eBulletin
Subscribe to our eBulletin and stay up to date on the latest news and events.
Many told us they had never been asked or they did not know what Rotary did. That was easy to remedy. Some, especially the younger generation, were concerned about the financial obligations and the time commitments. We tried to make Rotary affordable by changing how we charged for meals. Our regular members were prepaying for meals, so we allowed the younger members to only pay for the meals they ate. We were able to do this because we did not have to commit to a certain weekly minimum. We also waved a portion of the dues for 1 year if it would help someone on a fixed income or if they could contribute to the club in other ways such as putting our club in the local newspaper and online every week.
Ryan McCauley was sponsored by Dan O'Connell.
