Editor’s Note
We are pleased to introduce this new email format to our readers. It replaces our colorful PDF messages favoring content, convenience, and efficiency. Many Rotarians prefer to read on their cell phones, and this will satisfy that need.
Paul Quintavalla – Editor

In this Issue
Letter from the Governor – Passport Club Having Fun – A Longwood Christmas Show – The 1^st six Months – Flexible Projects – West Chester’s 100^th Birthday – Membership Growing – The Purple Pinkie of Polio – Profiles – Rotarians at Work Day Bonus – Chester’s Triple Play – Next Foundation Chair

Great things are happening in our district. Please read on to find out about the many success stories that we can share with our friends. If we share some of these stories with our friends, neighbors and acquaintances, it will show them why you choose to be a Rotarian. There is so much more to us than we tell. We keep our zest for Rotary life a secret. We keep our pride in what Rotary does a secret. We keep how much fun we have as Rotarians, sharing in common goals a secret. The stories found herein should inspire and remind us that the work we do in the world is of value to everyone.

Lisa Leonard, District 7450 Public Image Chair, has organized three free interesting and informative training sessions for everyone.


1. Rotary Brand Overview and People of Action Campaign (Available now on the District YouTube channel!)
Learn about free resources that can make your promotional material look professional and engaging. Presenter: Rotary Zone 32 Public Image Coordinator, Laura Spear. Missed the live session? Check it out on your own time. Watch HERE



Upcoming LIVE training:

2. Websites and Social Media: Tips and Best Practices
Discover the power of digital marketing and what makes websites effective. Learn how you can help grow your club while scrolling through Facebook.
Presenter: Tom Brown, CEO of MediaBarker, which helps small businesses, non-profits, and other organizations grow businesses, special events, and fundraising efforts. Saturday, Feb. 5th, 10:30-11:30am. Register HERE

3. Using Newsletters to Communicate
Learn how the attractive Club ezBulletin can help increase membership, enhance public image, and inform your members of events and other news.
Presenter: Rachelle Langley, DACdb Support.
Bonus: Get a preview of an exciting new District communications/promotional initiative. You’ll want to be a part of it! Wednesday, Feb. 9th, 7-8pm. Register HERE

When the West Chester Passport Club started in 2018, it was the first on the East Coast and had high hopes. This was a new approach for Rotary and held great promise. Four years later, that promise was kept. The club’s format is different than traditional clubs. They meet every other month at a social get-together, and every other month for a service project. Read More

One Rotary Club has arguably the best meeting location around, Longwood Rotary Club. Over the past 25 years, it has met for breakfast in Longwood Gardens, where members get to enjoy walking through the gardens in the early morning.

There is one special season that overshadows them all, the Longwood Gardens A Longwood Christmas show. There are many amazing displays of everything from the 1,000 traditional poinsettias to 70 foot tall beech trees wrapped in lights. For five weeks, Longwood hosts up to 15,000 guests each day, totaling almost a third of Longwood’s annual attendance of 1.5 million. Read More

Governor Roger Taylor introduced the concept of three Lt. Governors to address three major segments of District Administration. This article is an update after the first six months.

Club Services Group – Lt. Governor Chris Potter
Club Services Group includes the nine Assistant Governors who support clubs. Each AG is responsible for six clubs.
Chris Potter brings 10 years of experience as an Assistant Governor in our district and District 7430. He is uniquely qualified to direct the AGs toward successful practices and avoid time-consuming mistakes. Read More

Most service projects require a good deal of planning and coordination. However, the Philadelphia Rotary Club offers a chance for members to participate with flexibility in their schedules. It’s a project that any club can copy.

Each week, one or two volunteers address students at the Liguori Academy about their career choices. It is a rare opportunity for young men and women to meet one on one with experienced business and professional people to talk about career potential. Read More

"It was with deep regret that we were forced to cancel RYLA 2022,” said RYLA chair Chantal Eadeh. “We had high hopes earlier this year, but Omicron just did us in.”

Each year, the RYLA committee has seen reservations begin slowly and increase rapidly as the January deadline approaches. Unhappily, this year there was no last-minute rush of applicants. Postings and personal phone calls simply could not compete with parental concerns about COVID safety. By mid-January, fewer than 30 students had applied. Chantal has negotiated with vendors and the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge to waive fees and plan for next year.

West Chester Rotarians, their families and community leaders, gathered recently to celebrate the Rotary Club’s 100^th anniversary. Participating in the presentation were Vice President of Rotary International, Valarie Wafer; Past Rotary International Director, Jeff Cadorette; and District Governor Roger Taylor.
Read More

It isn’t a secret that membership in traditional non-profit organizations in North America has been shrinking, and Rotary is among them. Although our own District 7450 has continued to lose members each year, we have seen an end in recent months. In fact, we are up fifty new members since the first of July. Membership Chair Gary Pawliczek has been conducting Minglefests around the district and talking with many Rotarians about the difference. Read More

The 2022 multi-district conference at the Hershey Lodge combines all the fun of an indoor water park for families and exceptional conference facilities for successful meetings and seminars. It’s a full program of inspiring speakers, hands-on projects and the House of Friendship, which is now being called the House of Inspiration. See the agenda for details. www.rotaryathershey2022.org

The Rotary Foundation is hosting a grand Virtual Fundraiser for ENDPOLIONOW in February. It’s a great opportunity for clubs to host their own club event.
Read More

In each issue we talk about a Rotarian whose Rotary life and professional career are unique and inspiring. Please share your stories of fellow members.
Contact: Rotarian.Paul@outlook.com

Sue Mardinly of the Concordville-Chadds Ford Rotary Club was raised in Lower Merion, PA and attended Denison and the University of Pennsylvania, from which she graduated with a Master of Science in Engineering for Computer and Information Science. In 1981, she married PDG Peter Mardinly after being introduced by their respective mothers. They raised two children and are now happy grandparents. Their mothers were right. Read More

This year, Rotarians at Work Day comes with a bonus. Supporting the Environment club projects will receive up to $500 in matching grants for expenses. Expenses may include trees and plants, gardening tools, Rotarians at Work Shirts, lunch and sundry expenditures.

A few good projects: Constructing and planting a pollinator garden. Planting trees. Volunteering at anarboretum. Removing invasive plants. Cleaning a stream. Clearing hiking paths. Making bird houses.

For information and an application:
https://rotarydistrict7450.org/environmental-sustainability-committee
or write to Rotarian.Paul@Outlook.com

Since its charter 105 years ago, the Chester Rotary Club has never failed to contribute to its community. During the past holiday season, members joined with three other organizations to provide helping hands on service projects. Read More

PDG Peter Mardinly has been appointed by DGE David Houtz and DGN Renee DeCoskey to chair the District Rotary Foundation Committee starting July 2022. PDG Peter Mardinly thanks PDG Dawn deFuria for her leadership, and asks that Rotarians interested in serving on the District Committee and learning more about The Rotary Foundation contact him at DG74501920@outlook.com

“Rotary grants and projects should be user-friendly while maintaining the high standards of TRF,” says Peter. “In particular, the District Grant experience should be clear and simple so that we can better serve all Rotarians in D7450.”