The newRotary Year has begun, and I'm looking forward to a great year as your District Governor. Please join me in thanking Vice District Governor Ron Appuhn for his outstanding leadership during this most difficult past year.

I want to thank all of the district leadership team who will be rolling off this year. You have made a huge impact in our district and I appreciate all that you have done. I would like to introduce some of the new team. Our District Governor-Elect is Alan Clark, a member of the Franklin County AM Club, where he is currently Past President and Executive Secretary. He is also a Past President of the Winchester Rotary Club. Alan has served District 6780 in numerous positions.

Our 2021-22 District Governor Nominee is Susie Cantrell, a charter member of the Cookeville Sunset Club. She was Club President in 2016-17 and served an Assistant Governor in 2020-21. She was selected as the District’s Rotarian of the Year in 2020.

Patty Daughtrey, a member of the Bearden Club, continues as District Secretary, and Jennifer Campbell, of the Oak Ridge Club, will continue as District Treasurer.

I have begun my club visits. So far, I have attended eight terrific Rotary meetings. I am enjoying the time I have been given to meet our wonderful Rotarians and see all of the great things their clubs are doing. I look forward to all of my club visits coming up.

Don't forget our Pack the Park for Polio ball game August 17. I have been practicing to throw out the first pitch. It will be a fun way for Rotarians to get together and raise money for Polio. You can contact John Downs or Greg Maciolek to obtain vouchers.

District 6780 Rotarians have a great opportunity coming up September 30 - October 3, 2021. We will be hosting the Zones 30-31 summit "Pathways to the Future" in Chattanooga. The summit is open to any Rotarian who would like to register. Read more about the summit in the story below. Rotary International President-Elect Jennifer Jones will speak at lunch on Friday, October 1. You can join her for lunch for a special price of just $25. She is a wonderful speaker and you will not want to miss this. There will also be pre-conference sessions on Positive Peace and Diversity on Thursday, September 30. In addition, general sessions on Saturday will include Peace Projects and membership. You can participate in just the lunch or the entire conference. Don't miss out.

District 6780 Rotarians welcomed 2021-22 Governor Cindy Gammons at the District Awards Celebration on June 19 at Webb School in Knoxville.

Cindy has been a member of the Lafayette Rotary Club since 2000. She served as President in 2011-12 and has served on many committees over the years.

Cindy is a graduate of the District Leadership Academy and has worked at the district level for the past eight years, serving as an Assistant Governor for three years, and Assistant Governor Coordinator for two years. Additionally, she has served on the District Conference Planning Committee, currently serves on the Governor’s Committee, and is a trainer for the Rotary Leadership Institute. Cindy also serves on the Zone 30-31 Rotary Conference Team, which is gearing up for “Pathways to the Future” in Chattanooga September 28-October 1, 2021.

A graduate of Middle Tennessee University, Cindy received her B.A. in the area of Instrumental Music, K-12. She was the band director and choral director at Macon County High School for nine years, during which she received her M.A. and E.Ds. from Tennessee Tech University in the area of school administration.

She was an elementary school principal for one year and then served as principal of Macon County High School for seven years. For the past 17 years, Cindy has served as the Federal Programs Director of Macon County where she oversees the entire Title program as well as other federal grants.

Cindy’s pride and joy is her family. She has three wonderful children and six grandsons. Her daughter Meghan serves as a probation officer. Middle daughter Lauren works for the sheriff’s department and has six-year-old twin boys, a four-year-old son and a 20-month-old son. Cindy's son, Jon, just finished his freshman year at Tennessee Tech University, where he is studying to be a teacher and hopes to coach football. Cindy also has three-year-old and one-year-old step-sons.

In her spare time Cindy is a huge sports enthusiast. She loves football and is an avid fan of both the UT Vols and the Tennessee Titans. For the past 20+ years she has been an avid runner and has run in over 14 half marathons in Nashville, Murfreesboro, Hendersonville, and Cincinnati, OH.

Cindy is a Paul Harris Fellow plus three and a member of the Bequest Society.

Our ownDistrict Governor Cindy Gammons will throw out the opening ball for the District 6780 11^th Annual "Pack the Park to End Polio Now!" at 7:00 PM EDT on August 17 at the Smokies Stadium in Kodak. The game will feature the Tennessee Smokies against the Birmingham Barons.

Your $12 donation will get a ticket voucher that includes $6.00 in stadium credit for the purchase of food or souvenirs and lots of fun! And, $5.50 from each ticket sold goes directly to help fight polio! See your Club President or Assistant Governor for tickets.

If you can't attend the game on August 17, your ticket voucher is good for any regular season home game for the remainder of the 2021 season.

Here are details on how it works:

For Rotarians who wish to pay for vouchers with checks, please make checks payable to your club. Then the club will issue a single check (no later than game day) for $6.50 per ticket made payable to the Tennessee Smokies. This check can be turned in at the polio table near "will call" at the stadium on game day.

Ticket vouchers redeemed at the ballpark on game day will receive an admission ticket plus $6.00 in stadium credit that can be used for concessions or at any vendor in the stadium. Vouchers redeemed at the Smokies Ticket Office after August 17 receive an admission ticket but not the stadium credit.

The $5.50 donation to "Polio Plus" can be sent to Rotary International by your club. (Use Multiple Donor Form 094-EN, for individual club members to receive donor credit.)

Contact John Downs, District PolioPlus Chair, at 260-564-0059 or latigo57@yahoo.com with any questions.

The Heart of America Zones 30-31 Virtual Leadership Seminars are a great opportunity for Rotary leaders to gain new ideas about Rotary leadership and to get inspired for the year ahead!

Seminar Schedule

• Session 1: "Silver Linings; New Opportunities for Doing Rotary," Wednesday, July 28, 7:00 PM. Projects, fundraisers, and new meeting formats that Rotarians developed during the pandemic that can be used in the future to expand our reach and increase our impact.

• Session 2: "Sharing Miracles," Saturday, July 31, 10:00 AM. How sharing the stories of the impact of our projects in a media campaign can foster both giving to the Foundation and attracting new members to expand our reach.
• Session 3: "Enhancing Members' Experience," Wednesday, August 4, 7:00 PM. Creating experiences and fostering environments in which members and prospective members feel welcomed and engaged to enhance participant engagement.
• Session 4: "Innovative New Club Fair," Saturday, August 7, 10:00 AM. A networking opportunity to share district and club successes of innovative new club models to expand our reach and enhance participant engagement.

Each seminar is 90 minutes long, and registration for each is required to receive the Zoom link. Recordings of the seminars will be posted on the Zones 30-31 website.

Register at this website: https://www.rizones30-31.org/events/virtual-summer-leadership-seminars/.

Get ready for a Rotary homecoming with current and future district and club leaders from 13 states and 31 districts! Reconnect with old friends and meet new people - the friends of your future. Generate new ideas in new ways in an environment that encourages open-minded-thinking!

All this at the 2021 Zone Conference: "Pathways to the Future" set for September 30-October 3 at the Chattanooga Convention Center.

An outstanding lineup of speakers promises to provide lots of information and food for thought. They include Rotary International President-Elect Jennifer Jones, The Rotary Foundation Trustee Chair John Germ, Zone 30-31 Director Elizabeth Usovicz, "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind" William Kamkwamba, Nobel Peace Prize Recipient Human Rights Advocate Jody Williams, and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Stephanie Sinclair.

For the complete program schedule along with information about speakers, the venue, and accommodations, go to the Zone 30-31 website at www.rizones30-31.org/institute/rotary-summit-2021/. You may also register at the website.

Last month Rotary International issued the following updated statement, which strengthens our commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:

Eachyear incoming Rotary International President announces the theme for the next Rotary year at the International Assembly, an annual training event for incoming leaders. President-Elect Shekhar Mehta unveiled the annual Presidential theme for the Rotary year 2021-22 during the first ever virtual International Assembly. "Serve to Change Lives" highlights the central motivation of Rotarians to make a difference through their service.

Announcing the Presidential Theme of "Serve to Change Lives", President- Elect Mehta, a member of the Rotary Club of Calcutta-Mahanagar, West Bengal, India, demonstrated the strong history and sense of service that he personally brings to the role, which reflects the extent to which service is a key motivator for the 1.2 million Rotarians around the world. He cited moving stories of how people’s lives have been changed by Rotary.

Presenting the theme, President-Elect Shekhar said that “Service is the rent we pay for the space we occupy on this earth”. His initiatives to "Grow More to Do More" and the membership drive of “Each One Bring One” all align with Rotary’s action plan and goals.

If you would like to see how you can serve to change lives, contact service@rotary.org.mt. As President-Elect Shekhar says, “the more we are, the more we can do”.

Get out your Hawaiian shirts and grass skirts and join members of the Harriman Club for a fun night on Saturday, July 24, when they present their Family Luau Night Fundraiser at David Webb Riverfront Park in Harriman. Dress is casual, grass skirts are optional!

The event is family friendly and open to the public. Adult tickets are $12 each and tickets for children ages 6 to 17 are $8 each. Admission is free for children five and under. Admission includes a Polynesian inspired dinner and show. Dinner begins at 6:00 PM and entertainment at 7:00 PM.

The David Webb Riverfront Park is at 301 Emory Drive. It lies along the banks of the Emory River in downtown Harriman.

Tickets may be purchased online via Eventbrite from the Club's Facebook page or in person at the following locations: Harriman Utility Board, Michael Dunn Center, United Way of Roane County, Edward Jones Financial (Deric Runge), or Coldwell Banker (Kingston).

Proceeds from the fundraiser will help support the Michael Dunn Center's Early Intervention program.

The Fairfield GladeRotary Foundation is hosting a reverse raffle drawing to be held on July 28. Tickets are $50 each, and only 500 tickets will be sold.

Three prizes will be given. The first prize is a two-year lease of a 2021 Buick Encore from Dave Kirk Automotive in Crossville, or the winner may opt for a $6000 cash award in lieu of the car lease.

Second Prize is replacement installation of a home heating and cooling system (heat pump or gas) or a cash option of $3000.

And, the Third Prize is a tasing and dinner evening for up to eight people at Community Table. It includes tapas/small plates created to pair with select wines. The winner will arrange a time and date for the event within 45 days of the drawing, with the Community Table and Total Wine in Knoxville. Or, the winner may choose a cash option of $1000.

The drawing will be held at Wildwood Stables, 1450 Westchester Drive, Fairfield Glade, on Wednesday, July 28. The event will begin at 3:00 PM with a barbecue, music, and refreshments, and ticket drawing for the reverse raffle will begin at 5:00 PM. The entry form accompanying tickets must be received by 3:00 PM the day of the drawing to be eligible. Winners do not have to be present to win.

Tickets will be available at from Dan Elliott at dhelliott3@comcast.net or 847-721-6835. Contact Dennis Hall at dennishall@icloud.com or 563-343-6344 for more information.

The net proceeds from the fundraiser are designated for scholarships for Cumberland County students.

District Outbound Rotary Youth Exchange Chair Bill Nichols has asked several former Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) alumni to describe how the experience affected their careers and their lives.

Doug Slaterwrote about how valuable his knowledge of the German language has been in his personal and professional life. After returning from his year in Germany in 2008, he spent six years at the University of Tennessee Knoxville and earned a Bachelor's in Computer Science in 2013 and Master's in Computer Science in 2014.

His knowledge of German allowed him to have an eight-month internship with BMW Group, the car company, at their IT center in Munich, and in 2014, while working for Provision in Knoxville, he spent six weeks in Salzburg, Austria on a software project.

Doug wrote, "Currently I work for a Swedish company, RaySearch Americas, developing software for radiation therapy - software that treats cancer with high-energy particles such as photons, protons, and carbon ions. In May 2021 I spent a week in Vienna, Austria testing our software at a customer's clinic site. I just returned for a second 10-day trip at the same customer. Like my previous experiences, English would have worked, but I would not have been able to connect on a personal level with our customer without German."
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