Thank you all for joining us for lunch this past Tuesday where we had an introduction by Dr. Bolgen Vargas of his new Senior Team at the RCSD.

We met:

-         Keith Babuszczak, Chief of School Innovation for Career Pathways and Integrated Learning

-         Adele Bovard  , Deputy Superintendent for Administration

-         Christiana Otuwa , Deputy Superintendent of Teaching and Learning

-         Christopher Suriano, Executive Director of Specialized Services

This was a good first introduction to the thoughts and backgrounds that each of these new leaders bring to the table in their areas of expertise. There was a clear message that they all want to be in an urban education setting and feel strongly that they can move the needle in a positive direction as it relates to our schools.

Dr. Vargas did interject throughout the presentation his praise to each panel members skills and background and his confidence in them making a difference in Rochester. He also spoke of his gratitude toward Rochester Rotary and all we do to make a difference in our student's lives at the Roberto Clemente School and beyond.

I look forward to having them back perhaps at the end of the school year to see how they feel about their ability to effect change.

Our audience asked good and pointed questions with worthy responses from the panel members.

NEXT week is going to be a truly outstanding presentation and one you will not want to miss! We will be joined by Ty Kelly and Logan Newman who run the East High Vision Care Program. They are going to talk with us about this program and the opportunities and skills it is giving to some of our City School students. This program is a wonderful blend of corporation, education and skill building.

Lastly I would like to thank each of you during this busy time of year for taking a moment to read my Journal - I hope you find it to be an informational overview of the past week in our Rotary lives!

9/23/14 Ty Kelly and Logan Newman, East High Vision Care Program: A Better Vision for RCSD Students

Rochester Riverside Convention Center

10/7/14  Ron Paprocki and Randy Ruttenberg, "College Town"

Rochester Riverside Convention Center

Join us Wednesday, October 8th from 4:00-6:00 p.m. for a behind the scenes tour of Genesee Brewing building.

Genesee Brewing is the oldest brewery in New York State, operating continuously from 1878 to present with the exception of the prohibition years.  They currently employ about 450 in Rochester and almost 1,100 in total in the US.   Our Rochester facility produces approximately 60,000,000 cases of beer and flavored malt beverages annually.   Although Genny remains their #1 seller, the line of Seagram's malt coolers is quickly catching up!

Tuesday, September 23rd we will be hosting a school supply drive for School #8.   Our luncheon will be held at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center and we will be collecting any donations you would be willing to give for supplies at our adopted School, Roberto Clemente School #8. If you are unable to attend the luncheon you can drop off at the Rotary Office anytime next week.  Needed items are as follows:  

This year's Eastern Cities Fellowship Dinner will be Monday, October 27th at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center.

We are thrilled to welcome John Kenny, Chair of the Rotary International Foundation.

Click to Register

Fellow Rotarians,

You should have received a survey via email or if you prefer via mail enclosed please find survey.

We are asking the membership at large to participate in this 5-minute survey.  As a valued member of Rochester Rotary we like to get your input on how you see the Club running and the direction you see us going.

The results of this survey will be reviewed by the Club Board and will help to influence where our Club is going and how to continue with certain initiatives.

Thank you in advance for your time.

Your in Rotary,

Tracy Armstrong, President

Tracey Dreisbach, Executive Director

School 8 is looking for volunteer tutors. [This is in addition to the Reading Commandos and Math Magician program]. School 8 is looking for Rotarians and other interested tutors.

Grade Levels: K-8

Subjects: Math, ELA (English Language Arts), Reading, and Leadership Skills

When: Tuesday and Thursday from 2:30 to 4:00

(click below for schedule)

2014-2015 School Year Tutoring Options

Please provide grade level interest, focus area interest, approximate time availability and frequency of ability to participate.

Membership matters....

Rotary Boot Camp is a quick "training" on all the "ins" and "outs" of Rochester Rotary.  We ask that all new members attend one session -- as well as longtime Rotarians who need a refresher on their Club.

These sessions are both social and informative.  Strap up your boots and save the date, we will save you a seat!

Monday, September 29th - 4:30pm

 Rochester Rotary Board Room (180 Linden Oaks)

Please RSVP your attendance to Myrna Padilla in the Rotary Office

We need a few volunteers to host a Governor Elect and spouse that will be visiting our area Jan. 9-17, 2015. The Governors Elect are from all over the world and will be visiting Rochester as part of the Milt Matthews Governor Elect Hospitality Visit that has occurred here for the past 45 years. Our role will be to host our guests in the latter half of their visit form Jan. 13-17, along with district-wide gathering on Jan. 11th. More information and a host application is provided at http://clubs.rotary7120.org/international/MMGE-Hospitality.htm. Our Club already has two volunteers to host these international Rotarians, 2-3 additional hosts are needed. For those unable to host for the entire period of Jan. 13-17, you can still help during some of those day excursions. If interested, please contact Jeff Bartkoski, VP International at jbartkoski@mercyflightcentral.org or office phone: 396-0584.

Sunshine Escape is an adult weekend for campers 21 and up.  It will be held at the Sunshine Campus October 10th-12th 2014.  We will be doing great fall activities.  We are looking for staff also.  Please visit www.sunshinecampus.org to apply.

The Membership Committee's mission is to grow and sustain the Rochester Rotary Membership. We accomplish this by identifying and recruiting a diverse group of qualified new members and support their initial involvement in the Club.

Each year our Club has a goal to bring in 35 new and dynamic members. At present we have 339 members of our club. Under the leadership of Mary Lewis Consler the committee engaged in a strategic planning process that will help the committee be even more proactive. The strategic plan has a number of sub committees that are listed below:

Under Represented - we have a number of member categories that could use increases.   A good example is military.

Marketing Collaboration - working with our marketing committee this sub group will assist with additional materials that will help with recruitment.

Corporate Membership - this has been a goal for a long time and we will be working directly with each of the larger corporations in this region on corporate memberships. Each new person must pass our membership criteria.

Small Business - this is a specific effort to attract new members that are business owners.

Internal Communications - this effort will see the Membership Committee reaching directly out to other members of our club for  referrals.

You will hear more about these initiatives over the course of the new-year. The Membership Committee is excited about the formation of the Engagement Committee lead by Steve Hoitt.

To recommend a new member please contact Mary Lewis Consler at 310-7113 or Scott Rasmussen at 273-5932.

Rotary Friendship Exchange (RFE) opportunity to New Zealand

Our district has been invited to participate in a RFE with New Zealand District 9940 in the lower half of the north island. District 9940 consists of 59 Rotary Clubs and is the best mix of rural and city life including Wellington, the New Zealand capital city. 

The exchange will begin with a visit to D9940 for a period of two weeks from February 14 - 27, 2015.  February usually is their most settled weather for the year including long evenings with daylight savings time - our winter is their summer.

2013 RPO Sponsors