AUGUST 2025 DISTRICT GOVERNOR'S MESSAGE

Happy August, My Friends!

 

I cannot believe how fast this first month went. I had a total of nine club presidents and Rotary Board installations, along with my first four "official" club visits.  I added a Rib Fest in Berea, an art show in Westlake, a great get-together of Past District Governors, topped off with a visit to the Akron Rotary Camp to round out the month. What I saw at each visit were engaged, passionate Rotarians having fun while changing the world. Your passion and "Service Above Self" truly inspire me. Thank you all for everything you do.

 

 

What a great segue into August! This month is Membership and New Club Development Month, two vital topics each deserves a separate celebration.

 

First, let's celebrate Membership. The world's largest service organization is only the greatest because of you, our members. Members are the ones who plan events to help the community, raise money for projects, and create and finish domestic and world projects in our seven areas of focus. We need to celebrate our incredible members every day. Without you, we are just an idea. Without you, so many needs throughout our communities and world would not be met. I hope each of you knows how important you are to our daily successes, from building a playground in our community to installing a water well where one has never existed. And let's not forget your contributions to ending Polio. Without you, none of this happens.

 

The second part of the celebration is New Club Development. As with any organization, we are only as strong as our members. Developing and retaining new members is crucial to our mission. We must continue to use the Rotary Action Plan to expand our reach and adapt to the changing world. Rotary consistently adapts to our evolving times. Our workforce, family unit, industry, and environment continue to shift, and we must adapt with them.

 

Expanding our reach isn't new, but the approach is different. Increasing clubs with different models, like internet-based passport clubs, and expanding our existing clubs with companion clubs are new directions. During Dale Smith’s year, we formed the first-ever Rotaract passport club. Several clubs are currently forming companion clubs. Impact clubs allow potential members to bring people together for a common cause. There are so many ways we can grow and continue to thrive.

 

 

Please remember, this year we have a $9,000 project to help clubs grow. The District will match up to $2,500 for a club that has a committee, forms a plan to grow membership, and has metrics to measure the program's success. This is your money, reinvested in the clubs to help with growth. We also have the Club Membership Toolbox on the District website to help any club to grow and expand. Please reach out to Dale Smith (d6630dgdale@gmail.com) for additional information and guidance.

 

 

You still have time to register for the Rotary Zone 30 & 31 Instituter training event in Columbus, Ohio September 2-6, 2025.  This unique networking and learning experience allows you to see beyond your district and build connections with Rotarians from all over the Heart of America. We hope you will bring back new ideas, ready to share and implement with your clubs.  Past Rotary International Presidents Ravi Ravindran and Ian Riseley, along with many other dynamic and engaged leaders will be on hand to inform and inspire.  Registration is open for the Zone Institute from August 4-6 or special registration for Saturday only August 6^th.  Please register at https://www.rizones30-31.org/institute/2025-columbus/  Deadline to register is August 24^th.

 

 

We are so fortunate to have so many active clubs doing service, community, and funding projects. Let us help you! Please send Tina Ingraham (tina@marketing101adv.com) and Cheryl Warren (cawarren@neo.rr.com) any information and/or pictures for club events, projects, or fundraisers so we can promote them on our district social media pages and website. Rotarians love supporting Rotarians, and reciprocity is always great. Support your fellow clubs by attending each other's events.

 

 

Beginning this month, we will launch our series called Beyond the Banner to highlight clubs in our district. I think it's important to understand and celebrate what other clubs are doing. We're going to start with our first internet-based club, E-ClubNEO. Starting in September, we will highlight each of the eight clubs celebrating their 100th anniversary this Rotary year. It is my hope we continue these so each of you has a better understanding and appreciation of our sister clubs. Don't forget to support all our clubs whenever you are able. Let's make these events feel like a big family reunion!

 

 

Starting next month, I will also do a three-part series on our Assistant Governors (AGs). We are fortunate to have such great people who have volunteered for this important role. I view the AGs as your spokesperson for the club. I also see this role as our conduit to help our area clubs, or "clusters," act in unison to support each other. I plan to make this position much more visible and active in helping all our clubs.

 

 

My final thought for the month is on Youth Exchange. We have such a wonderful program that offers opportunities for our students to do a one-year or one-month "study abroad" program that truly would be a life-changing event. This is a $35,000 scholarship that reduces the cost to about one-quarter of that amount. If you have teenage children in high school who have an interest in studying and living abroad for one month or one year, please reach out to me or the Youth Exchange General Chair Kevin Wermer (awermer57@gmail.com), and let's talk more about it. I regret not being in Rotary when my kids were that age, as it is a tremendous program.

 

 

That is all for now. The second part of August and most of September are filled with club visits, which are my favorite part of this job. If your club has not signed up for a date, please call, text, or email me so I can get you on the schedule. Please reach out if you or your club needs any help. We have a great district with great people who are always willing to help.

 

Let's Unite for Good and continue to make this world a better place.