Carol and I continue to be amazed at the activity in our District. We wanted to participate in some major fundraising activities in our Clubs, such as Montague-Whitehall and Houghton Lake, but we found ourselves just too busy and needing an occasional break. We had a total of 14 Rotary Club visits and two Rotaract Club visits, one Rotaract conference, one Interact conference (which we were unable to attend), and Zone training and Institute this month, as well as one grandchild’s birthday and celebrations of two others. Wow!!! We also celebrated Thanksgiving in Canada.
<'Read More' for an information-packed article covering all the topics listed below!>
Economic and Community Development Month
A day of mourning and celebration
Chartering a new Rotaract Club
One Rotary Summit and Assistant Governor Training
Major Donors Recognized
Matching Grant Proposals Submitted
Call for Nominations
World Polio Day
Rotaract, Interact, and Youth Exchange Conferences
PI Grant info coming
Continued planning for DisCon and Rotary International Convention
The Rotary Foundation has set up a special fund to help in the wake of deadly wildfires in California.
More than 220,000 acres have been scorched and more than 40 people have been confirmed dead.
“The magnitude of the devastation that is occurring in the North Bay and wine county is vast and far reaching. The recovery and rebuild is going to be a long process but we are confident that we can lead the way in bringing these communities back. Rotarians know how to get things done and won’t stop until we reach the finish line,” said Bob Rogers, Rotary 5130 District Governor.
<Photo credit, Jeff Head>
What did D6290 Clubs do to leverage funds made available through Rotary Foundation?
Benzie Sunrise
Education
Upgraded 20-year old track at Benzie High School
Cedar Springs
Community Development
Funded a technology upgrade and Community Needs Assessment for the North Kent County Community Services
East Jordan
Community Development
Expanded existing city / school owned trail system by 3 - 4 miles
Grand Haven
Community Development
Built a playground facility with a climbing web on the disadvantaged east side of town
Grand Rapids
Community Development
Built two handicapped ramps for local disabled people who cannot afford them
Petoskey
Education
Purchased supplies to build robots for competition in the school robotics competition.
Roscommon
Education & Literacy
Purchased books for the local Dollywood inspirational library to cover annual support for over 100 children.
Cadillac
Health & Disease Prevention
Purchased ambulance, solar generators, refrigerator and batteries for an existing health clinic in Haiti.
Grand Haven
Water & Sanitation
Purchased 137 bio-sand filters and processed sand in Honduras to be installed by Rotarian volunteers.
Traverse Bay Sunrise
Education
Built two classrooms, latrines, desks and a library.
Grand Rapids
Health & Disease Preveion
Purchased 111 water filters and arsenic filters to be installed by Rotarian volunteers.
A total of $52,950 in District Designated Funds were awarded in 2016 in support of these programs. Our District Grants Committee will meet November 13th to review the 2017 applications. We look forward to sharing their awards next month!
Did we miss something your club does?
Have your club Facebook administrator post that to www.facebook.com/ridistrict6290 and we will share with everyone following our page!
Joe Messenger of Gaylord Rotary Club received the Paul Harris Fellow Award in honor of his substantial donation to Rotary International. Thank you Joe for being such a great example of service above self!
Ada-Cascade Club President LouAnn Shawver was recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow.
DG Edward C. Swart and Rotary Foundation Major Gifts Officer Kevin Kelly recognizedOrville Crainand Susan Crain of Muskegon Rotary on their achievement of Major Donor status. Orville serves as our D6290 Membership Chair, and Susan serves as Assistant Governor. These are truly Rotarian's Making A Difference!
Mickey Woiderski of The Flower Station was sponsored by Yvonne Lafrinere to be a Paul Harris Fellow. This recognition was given to her for using her business to promote the Cheboygan Rotary Rose Sale
Did you realize you can use Foundation recognition points to honor a non-Rotarian who is doing good in the community?
Muskegon Rotary awarded DJ Hilson a Paul Harris Fellowship for service to the community.
Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy star in the love story “Breathe,” now playing in select U.S. theaters and scheduled for wider release during November. The movie tells the story of British polio survivor Robin Cavendish, who contracted the disease in Kenya in 1958. At the age of 28, he was paralyzed from the neck down, confined to a hospital bed with a respirator, and given just months to live. However, with the encouragement and help of his wife, Diana, Robin was able to leave the hospital and spend the rest of his life advocating for people with disabilities and popularizing a new wheelchair with a built-in respirator.
When this film opens in a theater near you, seize the opportunity to increase community awareness about Rotary's role in eradicating this disease. Can you get an End Polio banner in the lobby? Will they let you hold a purple pinkie project? Might they consider running a 30 second "This Close" PSA? Or maybe they'd consider the End Polio PSA that features the lead actors and director?
Our District Foundation Committee has held a 50/50 raffle in each of the past three years. The payouts last year were pretty rich!
In 2018 the program is a straight 50/50 raffle: Tickets are $20 each. 50% goes to the Rotary Foundation. Clubs selling tickets will get per capita credit of $10 for each ticket sold in that club. The other 50% will be split among 6 individual winners at a ticket drawing of all tickets sold, to be held in March at PETS in Kalamazoo.
This raffle gets richer and richer for the winners as the number of tickets sold goes up. The more tickets we sell, the more EVERYONE wins.
Tickets will be sent to your Club President. Please contact them and/or Foundation Chair for details.
Good luck and thanks for your support of this important project: good for the Foundation and good for the winners!
We're delighted to announce the formation of Great Lakes International Rotaract Club, sponsored by Coopersville Rotary. You'll see that Coopersville isn't in their club name - and that's intentional. This club has no geographic boundaries. They meet twice monthly via Zoom web conferencing and if they're in person everyone is invited via Google hangouts. The local members aren't from a specific community or college. They are off and running, and we know great things lie ahead!
At time of launch they already had a website and Facebook presence - makes a lot of sense if you're going to be virtual! Congratulations to everyone involved! Check out this fun video from their charter signing ceremony.
Pictured are (left to right) Rotary Club of Houghton Lake members Gordie LaFontaine, Stephanie Harris, Bob Pacella, Rhonda Lamberg, Tom Moreau, Koreen Pray, Susan Tyer, RCCF Executive Director Suzanne Luck, 2016-2017 Rotary President Jim VanSice, 2017-2018 Rotary President Denise Stefanko, Rotarians Rick Hacker, Paula Fuller, Dick Follrath, Barb Souder, Becky Yuncker, and Gary Gandolfi.
The Rotary Club of Houghton Lake recently made a significant donation to their scholarship endowment fund with the Roscommon County Community Foundation (RCCF). The Houghton Lake Rotary Club Memorial Scholarship Fund provides annual scholarships to graduating Houghton Lake Community Schools students who plan to attend an accredited college, technical or skilled trade school. The $10,000 donation brings the fund balance to nearly $44,000.
The fourth annual Rotary Interact Conference was held Saturday, October 28th at the North Muskegon High School. This year's conference was hosted by the North Muskegon Rotary Interact Club. The MC for the day was Grace Goszkowicz who is the president of the high school club. Mr. John Slocum of the Muskegon Rewine Rotary Club and the school Rotary Interact Advisor worked with Grace throughout the day to make sure that the event went off without any hitches.
Over 130 Interactors came together from as far away as Suttons Bay and Lowell, to present their agendas from their clubs. All clubs discussed the different types of fund raising events that they have held and or are planning on holding. Discussions were held regarding service projects that the clubs are working on all around the globe.
We did not have any "inspirational speakers," because there was no time and because all of the clubs are working on truly inspirational projects. I would suggest that ALL sponsoring Rotary Clubs, invited no less than 2 Rotary Interactors to a meeting at least once a month or every other week (whatever works) to hear what the students are doing and how the two groups could work together.
<Editor: Keep reading for a sampling of the service projects and fundraisers these clubs have worked on - they are truly amazing. If you have an Interact club in your area, even if they aren't 'yours,' you should invite them to join you.>
Allendale High School Interact Club hosted a ghoulish evening of howling good fun. Costume contest w/ prizes, activities, snacks, and "Hotel Transylvania" movie! Proceeds will help the club build a home in El Salvador during spring break.
Cedar Springs H.S. Interactors were caught in the action at a local church helping to serve meals.
Frankfort Rotary rebound Youth Exchange student Dylan Brief shared his experiences of his 2016/2017 student year in Australia, and then presented President Josh Mills with his host club banner.
Members of the Spring Lake High School Interact club participated in a highway clean up along M-104/Savidge - great work Lakers!
Lowell High School Interact Club and the Lowell Rotary Club supported their 2017 community cleanup day. Interactors helped unload cars, trucks and trailers and Rotarians directed traffic. Many people and organizations helped make this day a success.
Superior Heights Rotary Interact Club members (from left) Vicky Maglio, Breanna Hamilton, and Shelby Campbell collect donations at Superior Heights for World Polio Day. Derek Turner/SooToday
Elliot Caruso, re-bound Sault Ste Marie ON Rotary Youth Exchange student, shared his experiences with his host family, school in Croatia, the food, and the country's patriotism. While on exchange, Elliot visited 12 countries.
We spotted a pack of Montague-Whitehall Rotary Youth Exchange students carving their first pumpkins.
The District Conference was the best one yet! Thanks to everyone who went!
Forest Hills Northern Interact
Coopersville Interact Club held World Polio Day purple pinkie project.
Interact Club of Cadillac High School attended the Annual Rotary Interact Conference in Muskegon, October 28th. The conference is a great place to learn what other clubs are doing in the district.
Rotary Youth power! Lowell Rotary'sEarly Act group had the opportunity to join the middle and high school Interact clubs to march in the Homecoming Parade.
Though it may seem to be a daunting task to leave home as a teenager to spend a year in a strange country, a former Rotary Youth Exchange student is crediting her year in Blind River as an important part of her development into a confident adult and recent university graduate.
Natalia Kianickova was a shy 17-year-old girl from Slovakia when she landed in Blind River in August of 2011. Thrust into the spotlight immediately, she was welcomed by the members of the Rotary Club of Blind River and introduced herself to the community at the Rotary Club’s popular “Concerts by the River” series that summer.
In a letter to the Rotary Club of Blind River, Natalia credits her year abroad as a teenager for helping her to grow as a person.
She writes, “Without Rotary I wouldn’t be where I am now. My stay in Canada was, thanks to Rotary, an unforgettable experience that developed me as a person in such a great way.”
PDG Gernot Runske recognized Kathy Hegedus for her tireless work behind the scenes in support of D6290. He presented her with this "Quiet Rotarian Award."
Spread the word and mark your calendars for the 1st Annual Rotary Reunion (Name subject to change by our committee) to be held on Thursday 3/1/18 at the Crooked Tree Arts Center in Petoskey with catering by the famous Stafford’s Hospitality and a great exhibit open for perusal. ALL Top of Michigan Rotarians from all 5 of our clubs plus spouses, District Leaders, and guests are welcome. This is a great opportunity to really use the power of Rotary to network beyond your own club and also a great venue to bring potential new members to experience Fun, Fellowship, and Friendship. Special thanks to Liz and Megan for setting this in motion. More details will follow.
Has a passion for Rotary, and a willingness to lead.
If you know such a person, encourage them to consider serving as our future District Governor. Nominations are to be submitted no later than November 15 to District Administrative Assistant Kathy Hegedus at kathyh@ridistrict6290.org. The nominations shall be submitted in the form of a resolution adopted at a regular meeting of the club naming the suggested candidate. The resolution shall be certified by the club secretary. A club may suggest only one of its own members as a candidate for governor-nominee. Questions about any candidate’s qualifications or procedures for nomination can be directed to PDG Gernot Runschke at gernotrunschke@gmail.com or to me. For additional details download these resources:
Having received no challenges, RI President Ian H.S. Riseley declared Mark Daniel Maloney as Rotary's president-nominee on 1 October. He will be elected at the 2018 RI Convention in Toronto, Canada, and will become president on 1 July 2019.
“The clubs are where Rotary happens,” says Maloney, an attorney. He aims to support and strengthen clubs at the community level, preserve Rotary’s culture as a service-oriented membership organization, and test new regional approaches for growth.
“With the eradication of polio, recognition for Rotary will be great and the opportunities will be many,” he says. “We have the potential to become the global powerhouse for doing good.”
FOCUS AND INCREASE HUMANITARIAN SERVICE - Presidential Citation
Goal: Sponsor, or have club members participate in, a polio-related fundraising or awareness event. Find resources at endpolio.org. Report your achievement by posting the event on Rotary Showcase, using the polio category.
Why Does This Matter?: Eradicating polio remains Rotary's #1 humanitarian service project. Because the disease has been eradicated for more than a generation in North America many people assume it doesn't exist. There are easy ways to increase awareness - partner with a local business and hold a 'pints for polio' or 'pizza for polio' event; set up a display at a community event and paint pinkies purple; host an indoor ride for polio (see related article).
HUMANITARIAN SERVICE - District Governor Citation
Goal: Get 50 percent of club members involved in hands-on community project participation.
Why Does This Matter?: Rotarian's are people of action, and if we don't give them an opportunity to engage they may lose interest in our clubs. Remember that 'involved' doesn't necessarily mean they all have to show up on a given day. Involvement means helping to put up fliers, serving on the committee, help with fundraising or awareness, and yes, showing up counts as well!
Reminder: District Governor Citation submission deadline is April 1st.
Don't forget that all activities related to the Presidential Citation Award must be submitted via Rotary Club Central by June 30th.
The South Kent Rotary Club would like to share a picture of, what we think is the youngest Rotarian in District 6290, joining us at just 7 days old. In this picture is a member who: Got married about one year ago; Got married one month ago; Just found out that a set of twins are soon to be born to them, and one member who just joined and is our youngest member. We can only hope and pray that this new young blood will continue to grow here in Byron Center.
John Bishop received an award of excellence from the Cadillac Rotarians for his outstanding service throughout the years! He has been a member since 1971!
East Jordan Rotarians were hard at work on the TOMMBA mountain bike trails which they also supported with a $5,000 donation.
Elk Rapids Rotary hosted their 're-vamped' fundraiser, now called "Saturday Night Live." The smart & creative promotion led to a 33% increase in proceeds. Way to go!
Montague-Whitehall held their annual dinner/dance/auction held at The Double J on Saturday, October 14. Looks like it was a great turnout!
The Kalkaska Rotary Club is selling tickets for a chance to win 2 tickets, 2 nights lodging, and $200 cash for a trip to Ohio to see the Michigan State Spartans play the Ohio State Buckeyes on November 11, 2017. Tickets are $20 and are available from any Kalkaska Rotarian
Holland Rotary is raffling off this amazing Alpha Romeo. $25 per ticket. 1 FREE ticket with every 4 purchased! Final Prize Drawing June 1, 2018
Muskegon Rotary held their 14th Annual Grape Escape fundraiser. This year's Charitable Partner was LOVE INC of Muskegon County and they will receive $10,000 from the proceeds.
Petoskey Rotary held their annual Pedal for Polio event which, this year, also included a Walk for Polio which began at the Clock Tower and ended at The Perry for drinks and a celebration of the funds raised for polio eradication.
Roscommon Club President Ron Alden makes our club so happy we’ve collected $500 ‘happy dollars’ in 3 months. $500 was given to the area churches who are filling a Food Truck for the holidays for people in need. Go Rotary!!!
What do other clubs do with their happy bucks?
Sault Ste Marie, MI Rotarians were hard at work replacing the brick pavers on the walkway at Rotary Island Park.
Rotary Sault Ste. Marie, ON thanked their community for supporting its fundraising efforts and allowing the club to donate $10,000 to the Sault Ste. Marie YMCA for pool wheelchairs and summer camp programming.
Traverse Bay Sunrise Rotarians were spotted along their stretch of the highway as part of a quarterly Adopt-A-Highway cleanup. You've got to admit this is a pretty nice stretch of highway - along East Grand Traverse Bay!
Traverse City Rotarians and members of Jim VanEenenaam's family work alongside employees of the Grand Traverse Conservation District building brush piles for wildlife habitat at East Creek Preserve.
Fremont Rotarians participated in their 'Service Above Self' project...serving dinner to a special group of people at the Methodist Church. Volunteers included members' grandchildren and friends.
Holland AM crew had a great time participating in United Way Day of Caring.
Lowell Rotary members, Lowell Moose Lodge members, friends and family joined together for their annual service project with Flat River Outreach Ministry - this year helping with demolition work on the Flat River Outreach Ministry house.
Local radio celebrity Ron Jolly supported Traverse Bay Twilight with their first annual fundraiser for signature project Born to Read generating $15k net proceeds!
Sault Ste Marie, ON Rotary is getting ready for their annual "Rotary Santa Claus Parade" which will be held November 18th. This year they have designated a "Sensory Friendly" segment of the parade route where there will be no use of sirens, air horns, and car horns.
Rotaract of Baker College members were spotted at Kids' Food Basket!! Hard working Megan, Caroline, Jadyn and AJ. Way to go team!!
To the right is Elk Rapids Rotarian Gary Chenoweth who, along with Bill Donberg, traveled to Haiti to continue their ongoing work on the implementation, improvement, and education of clean water systems.
Benzie Sunrise Rotarians were spotted helping to distribute winter coats to deserving kids in their community as part of the Wayne and Joan Webber Foundation Benzie Winter Outerwear Giveaway.
Are you looking for ways to connect with new members? Do you want to learn more about membership leads? Is your club diverse? Find strategies for tackling membership challenges in the Learning Center.
New courses include interactive modules that allow you to choose your own adventure. After reading a scenario, you’ll get to decide what to do. You can even see what happens when you choose different actions. Whether you use these courses at learning events or on your own, they offer a fun experience for everyone.
"Current" websites are reflecting the correct branding and are not displaying overtly dated information
If you are one of our four clubs with no online presence - please consider what you can do to get, at minimum, an active Facebook page. Feel free to contact your District Public Image Coordinator for help.
Here's a creative video created by a group of five clubs in the Fargo, ND area - great way to convey the message of "What Is Rotary."
Think outside the box - approach your local high school or college because they probably have the talent you need to produce something like this for your club.
Join fellow D6290 Rotarians at the 2018 Convention in Toronto. We have over 50 people that have already signed up. There will be no D6290 hotel block - and you need to book accommodations early because there's another city-wide event taking place. In addition to options available via Rotary consider exploring AirBnB alternatives.
$335 Rotarian registration fee will increase to $410 on December 16th.
On 24 October, millions of people around the globe engaged in actions for World Polio Day. Highlights included the 5th annual World Polio Day event, bringing together experts and celebrities to share progress on the road to polio eradication, hosted by Rotary and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle, Washington, USA; and a show of support from individuals, national governments, and media outlets around the world.
In a remarkable endorsement, German Chancellor Angela Merkel used her weekly podcast to draw attention to the World Polio Day (celebrated in Germany on 28 October) and the considerable progress in polio eradication.
Summary of newly-reported viruses this week: Afghanistan: Two new wild poliovirus 1 (WPV1) positive environmental samples reported, one from Nangarhar and one from Kandahar provinces. Pakistan: One new wild poliovirus 1 (WPV1) positive environmental sample reported, in Sindh province.
Additionally, an advance notification was received this week of a new WPV1 case in Afghanistan from Shahwalikot district in Kandahar province. The case will be officially reflected in next week’s global data reporting.
See country-specific sections for further details.
NA: onset of paralysis in most recent case is prior to 2016. Figures exclude non-AFP sources. Lao PDR cVDPV1, all others cVDPV2. cVDPV definition: see document “Reporting and classification of vaccine-derived polioviruses” at [pdf]
Keep Reading for an Endemic Country Summary (as of October 25, 2017 )
The Rotary Foundation has set up a special fund to help in the wake of deadly wildfires in California.
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Our District Foundation Committee has held a 50/50 raffle in each of the past three years. The payouts last year were pretty rich! 
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Though it may seem to be a daunting task to leave home as a teenager to spend a year in a strange country, a former Rotary Youth Exchange student is crediting her year in Blind River as an important part of her development into a confident adult and recent university graduate.
Spread the word and mark your calendars for the 1st Annual Rotary Reunion (Name subject to change by our committee) to be held on Thursday 3/1/18 at the Crooked Tree Arts Center in Petoskey with catering by the famous Stafford’s Hospitality and a great exhibit open for perusal. ALL Top of Michigan Rotarians from all 5 of our clubs plus spouses, District Leaders, and guests are welcome. This is a great opportunity to really use the power of Rotary to network beyond your own club and also a great venue to bring potential new members to experience Fun, Fellowship, and Friendship.
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Having received no challenges, RI President Ian H.S. Riseley declared Mark Daniel Maloney as Rotary's president-nominee on 1 October. He will be elected at the 2018 RI Convention in Toronto, Canada, and will become president on 1 July 2019. 
FOCUS AND INCREASE HUMANITARIAN SERVICE - Presidential Citation
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Are you looking for ways to connect with new members? Do you want to learn more about membership leads? Is your club diverse? Find strategies for tackling membership challenges in the 
Know your club’s strengths
