A Note From the Governor
Greetings! 
November is the month we celebrate Thanksgiving. It's a time
when we can reflect on how fortunate we are to be living in a country such as
ours and be bestowed with freedom, plentiful food, safe drinking water, and so
many other necessities and comforts of life.
It's with this in mind that as I travel throughout our
Rotary District, I attempt to share with everyone what I consider to be the
"true miracle of Rotary" - you!
Its one thing to be blessed with so much in life and it's another
thing to be so willing to want to share it and put "serving others above self."
I've witnessed time and time again where Rotarians have
committed their financial resources, energy, and emotions into projects and
other efforts in order to help those less fortunate.
It makes me humble and proud to join with you and call
ourselves "ROTARIANS."
May God bless and keep you and your family - Happy
Thanksgiving!
Chuck
Charles E.
Cicchella
6710 District Governor
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November is Rotary Foundation Month
My fellow Rotarians:
The playwright George Bernard Shaw
once wrote, "Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what
you desire; you will what you imagine; and at last you create what you
will."
There is no shortage in this world of people able to
imagine a better future. But in Rotary, we do not just imagine that
future -- we will it, and we work to create it. This we do through our
two great strengths: our Rotary clubs and our Rotary Foundation.
Over
the years, I have been privileged to witness firsthand the fruits of
the outstanding work carried out by Rotarians all over the world,
supported by the programs of our Foundation. One thing that impresses
me is how these programs focus not on short-term satisfaction or reward
for the giver. The best Rotary programs and projects focus on building
for the future - and making lives better for generations.
Two
decades ago, we Rotarians made a promise: to make life better for the
entire world, forever, by eliminating polio. It has always been an
ambitious goal, but it has always been a realistic one. And now, thanks
to our Rotary Foundation, we are closer than ever to reaching it.
It is my hope that with the help of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Rotary's US$200 Million Challenge,
there will soon come a time when we will be able to say that we have
made polio a thing of the past. For if we fail now, we will fail all
those who have gone before us, and every child to whom we made a
promise. If we fail, we risk our own good name, and the good name of
all the Rotarians who came before us.
We will not fail. We can and we must succeed.
I know that each one of you recognizes that The Future of Rotary Is in Your Hands - and that the future of our Foundation is as well.
John Kenny
President, Rotary International
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Ways to Celebrate Rotary Foundation Month
 November is a time to celebrate our incredible successes and
challenge our club membership
to rededicate themselves to the Mission of Rotary worldwide. Here are some ideas for your club: -
Schedule a club program to highlight Rotary Foundation funded
projects like your club's District Simplified Grants project or a matching grant (water, ambulance, dam, literacy) project in
which your club has participated.
- Schedule a Rotary minute (1-3) minutes each week and allow your
club Rotarians to share success stories and
to ask that they continue to make a difference by supporting our
Rotary Foundation.
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Remind your club of our 23 year quest to eradicate Polio from
the face of the earth.
We are getting close to completing our work, now is the time to
make sure we can finish this dreaded disease.
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If you have a local person who has been inflicted by Polio,
invite them to talk about the challenges they have faced
And the importance of finishing what we have started.
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Ambassadorial Scholarships, World Peace Fellows, Matching
Grants, District Simplified Grants for local clubs and
of course the eradication of Polio would not be possible without
our support of the Rotary Foundation.
-
Every Rotarian Every Year is our financial goal every
year. $100 every year from every Rotarian.
That is 27 cents a day, (2 Angus Deluxe burgers from McDonalds a
month, or 2 Venti Mochas from Starbucks).
It seems like such a small sacrifice to change the world and
make it a much better place to be.
If you have any questions, need ideas for programs or just want
to better understand the Rotary Foundation,
Contact: Dave Weller, District Rotary Foundation Chair, rotarydave6710@bellsouth.net, 502-330-2626.
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This is World Interact Week: November 2-8
During World Interact Week is a great time to examine how your club can serve the youth of your community. If your club does not sponsor an Interact Club, this could be a great area of service. Interact is Rotary International's service club for
young people ages 14 to 18. Interact clubs are sponsored by individual
Rotary clubs, which provide support and guidance, but they are
self-governing and self-supporting. Club membership varies
greatly. Clubs can be single gender or mixed, large or small. They can
draw from the student body of a single school or from two or more
schools in the same community. Each year, Interact clubs
complete at least two community service projects, one of which furthers
international understanding and goodwill. Through these efforts,
Interactors develop a network of friendships with local and overseas
clubs and learn the importance of - Developing leadership skills and personal integrity
- Demonstrating helpfulness and respect for others
- Understanding the value of individual responsibility and hard work
- Advancing international understanding and goodwill
As
one of the most significant and fastest-growing programs of Rotary
service, with more than 10,700 clubs in 109 countries and geographical
areas, Interact has become a worldwide phenomenon. Almost 200,000 young
people are involved in Interact. See winners of RI's first Interact Video ContestLearn more about Interact Learn about Interact Clubs in District 6710 |
PHF Drawing: First Winners Announced
Clubs around the district have been busy selling tickets for DG Chuck's Paul Harris Fellow drawing. The first drawing was recently held in October.
The
Paducah club sold over $1,000 in tickets and therefore was entitled to
Paul Harris recipient of their own. The winner from the Paducah club
is Michael Cochran.
All names were then put into a general drawing and the winner from the combined pool is Ted Baker from Danville.
To date, seven clubs have submitted their ticket sales. Be sure to promote this effort to support Our Rotary Foundation. Our
next drawing will be at the end of December.
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Get Involved with Rotary KCTCS Day
Many
clubs have a branch of the Kentucky Community and Technical College
System (KCTCS) nearby. And nearly every community has young people who
could benefit from higher education. Has your club considered doing a KCTCS day?
What  is KCTCS Day? Essentially, the Rotary Club coordinates
with a local high school and the community college to bring students to the KCTCS College for a several hours of
orientation on what the College offers and what the student will need to enter
the work force. It's very beneficial to the student and the KCTCS College uses the event as a
recruiting tool. Schools usually provide the buses to transport the students.
The only cost is for the lunch. They get a tour of campus, information about
financial aid, etc.
The
official statewide "Access to Careers" week is November 16-20, and
makes a great time to sponsor a KCTCS Day. However, your club can hold
a KCTCS Day at any time.
Rotarians serve as
"escorts" with the students as they make their way around campus.
They receive a short program on Rotary as well, presented by the Rotary Club.
Contact John Banks for more information. Work phone:
(502) 875-4611; home phone: (859) 269-7033, or banksj@firstky.com readers. |
Rotaract-Interact District Conference Postponed
Due to a sports tournament that is taking place
near Henderson on the same weekend as our originally scheduled
conference (November 14), there were some issues that arose with our original lodging
arrangements. Therefore, to make sure that we provide you with the
best possible Rotaract-Interact Conference experience, the planning
team has decided to postpone the event. In order to avoid the busy
time of holidays and finals exams (for those who are in school), we
will postpone the conference until sometime in January. We will let
you know as soon as a new date has been scheduled!
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Literacy Activities in District 6710
One of the D6710 goals for 2009-10 is literacy-- at least 75
percent of clubs should participate in a local, regional, or
international literacy project.
Already this year a variety of club programs are active: gifts of
dictionaries in schools, recognition of outstanding students,
character/ethics literacy involving the Four-Way Test are some of our
projects.
One enterprise involving the Rotary Club of East Louisville
Sunrise is called the Guatemala Literacy Project (GLP). It is a
partnership between North American and Guatemalan Rotary clubs and the
non-profit organization Cooperation for Education.
Torn by civil war for decades, Guatemala still suffers from one of
the highest illiteracy rates in the world. But this is changing,
thanks to GLP. Since GLP started in 1996 it has cut the dropout rate
in half at participating schools. New libraries, computer labs,
teacher training programs, textbooks, and a love for reading and
learning--all these are products of Rotarian and GLP efforts to break
the cycle of poverty in Guatemala. 
Tom and Carolyn Diener visited this project in Summer, 2009. It
was a very exciting week in homes, schools, and Rotary clubs--helping
bolster these significant literacy efforts in Guatemala.
If you would like to learn more about or participate in a Snapshot
Tour to experience these literacy programs first-hand call Tom and
Carolyn at (502) 893-8436 or contact Emily at emily@coeduc.org. Snapshot Tours are scheduled for February 9-14, 2010, July 27-August 1, 2010, and August 3-8, 2010.
A special all-Rotarian Tour is set for late January, 2010. Join
us and be personally involved in a most significant and validated
Rotary international literacy project.
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Rotary Leadership Institute Coming to Metropolis, IL on November 14
Has your clu b encouraged anyone to
participate in the upcoming Rotary Leadership
Institute? Anyone can attend, but RLI is
especially helpful for those Rotarians who
appear to have the potential for Club
Leadership. Clubs are encouraged to sponsor
attendees who are in line for leadership,
potential future leaders, new members, or even
not-so-new members. Everyone can learn
something.
The next RLI session in our
area will be November 14 in
Metropolis, IL.
Click here for registration information. |
Get Ready: December is Family Month
December is a time when many of us gather with our family members, and so it is fitting that December is designated as "Family Month" in Rotary. Start thinking about how your club can include and celebrate family in December. Also, remember that the "Family of Rotary" extends beyond just our relatives such as spouses, (grand)children, and parents. It also includes Interact, Rotaract, GSE team members, Ambassadorial Scholars, RYLArians, and others. Check out some of these links for inspiration:Empowered families strengthen Rotary imageFamily of Rotary PowerPointFamily of Rotary PresentationFamily Project IdeasGo to www.rotary.org and search for "Family of Rotary" for more ideas! |
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Don't Forget...
 Mark your calendar for these important deadlines and events: - November 10 -Monthly club attendance report due to the District Secretary, SK Zimmerman (see your President's Planner for more info)- November 14 -Rotary Leadership Institute in Metropolis, IL Start planning for...- December - Family Month - January - Rotary Awareness Month - District Conference - Its never to early to start talking about the 2010 District Conference at Holiday World may 21-23! This year's conference will be very family oriented, and we want to start NOW by recruiting family members to help out. We would like spouses and (grand)children of Rotarians. Please let DG Chuck or Mary Kathryn know if you have anyone who is interested in helping out.
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Who is your club's next president?
Has your club chosen its next president? Send the name and contact information of your club's president-elect to Mary Kathryn at mk@rotarydistrict6710.org.
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