Six outstanding Rotarians from District 7450 will be honored with the Distinguished Service Award at this year's District Conference, Imagination In Action, during the Friday evening session, April 14 in King of Prussia.

Stacey Ballard, Martha Bowman, Brian Casey, Joy Charlton, Donna Henry, and PDG Kevin Katarynick will be recognized for their outstanding service to our Rotary District over the past several years. The Distinguished Service Awards will be given by DG David Houtz to recognize Rotarians who have demonstrated exemplary service to the District. These six Awardees have contributed in their own unique way, above and beyond, to improving the lives of people in our District and making our communities better. Read More

It's not too late to get in on all the learning, networking, and fun that will happen at this year's District Conference, April 14, 15, and 16. You'll see the Presidential Theme, Imagine Rotary, highlighted throughout the weekend. Register now for a great opportunity to meet fellow Rotarians in District 7450, learn what other clubs are doing, and celebrate our accomplishments in a fun social setting.

Register NOW for 2023 District Conference - Imagination In Action

April 14, 2023: Imagination Put Into Action Awards Dinner - $75 at the Alloy in King of Prussia
The 2022-2023 Rotary Presidential Theme is Imagine Rotary. Friday night is a special night to celebrate those who have taken that message and put it into action. Rotarians will be recognized who have committed to helping Rotary in Southeastern Pennsylvania. The attire will be Business Casual but in the colors of Rotary (Blue, Gold, White) or Imagine Rotary (Green, Purple, White).

April 15, 2023: Imagine a Sustainable Planet Day at the Elmwood Park Zoo - $65 for Adults and $35 for Children
Come to the Elmwood Park Zoo for a day of fun and education. You have the freedom to roam the park or take part in breakouts, focusing on the environment. Please come and support both the Elmwood Park Zoo and Rotary's newest area of focus!

April 16, 2023: Imagine the Power of Youth and Service - $60 at the Waynesborough Country Club in Paoli
Sunday will be the Roger Taylor Rotary Speech Contest Finals. We are looking forward to another year of great speeches by local high school students. If you have not reached out to Sue Mardinly and the Four Way Speech Contest Committee, please do as soon as possible!

Register NOW for 2023 District Conference - Imagination In Action

Happy Days are here again, so join us for a night of 50s fun at the Media Theatre. On Thursday, April 27, dress like you're going to a sock hop or Arnold's Drive-In and enjoy a reception with refreshments, contests and a cash bar. Then take your seat and tap your feet to the music of "Million Dollar Quartet."

It's the story of four music superstars coming together for an impromptu jam session. The show, which has had runs on Broadway and the West End, features music by Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, and Carl Perkins. A newspaper wrote, “This quartet could sell a million.” Shortly after, they were known as “The Million Dollar Quartet.”

Tickets cost $55 each and 100% of the proceeds support Rotaplast International, bringing smiles to children and families around the world. Your ticket will give you access to the 6pm party. Then the show will begin at 7pm and dessert will be provided during intermission!

For tickets and more information, contact Paul Quintavalla at Rotarian.Paul@Outlook.com or 484-343-8560.

Attend the District Training Assembly:
For Club President-Elects, Secretaries, Treasurers, committee leaders, and any Rotarians interested in training to help strengthen your club this upcoming Rotary year.

All are welcome to this in-person training on Saturday, May 6, 2023, from 8:30 am. to 2 pm.

Held at Penn State Great Valley in Malvern, the event will feature specialized training for club Treasurers and Secretaries, as well as breakout sessions on Public Image, Membership, Service, Foundation, and more. We hope you can join us!

Penn State Great Valley
30 E. Swedesford Road
Malvern, PA 19355
$30 per person, includes breakfast and lunch

Register NOW for District Training Assembly

District 7450 has been accepted to participate in Philadelphia's Independence Day Parade on Tuesday, July 4, and we'd love to see as many clubs represented as possible! Please bring this up with your clubs at your next meeting and start making a plan for who will participate.

More info will follow shortly, so keep an eye on the District Dispatch and your email for more details as they become available!

Celebrate the return of our National League Champion Philadelphia Phillies at Rotary District 7450 Night with the Phillies, Tuesday, July 18, 2023, 6:40 PM vs Milwaukee Brewers.

Invite your friends and family to enjoy an exciting night of Phillies baseball with other Rotarians and friends of our District. Each ticket purchased includes a $10 donation to help eradicate Polio.

Here are your seating and pricing options:

Section 241-242, scoreboard porch area, $30 per ticket and includes a $10 donation for Polio

Section 138, left field foul line, $47 per ticket and includes a $10 donation for Polio. LIMITED SEATS AVAILABLE IN THIS SECTION.

RESERVE your Phillies tickets HERE (click the link, order your tickets – no payment needed online at time of ordering)

A Pregame Tailgate event is currently in the planning stages. STAY TUNED FOR MORE INFO!

This month's Rotary International Theme is the Environment, so here's an introduction to our District's new club: the Eco Rotary Club of SEPA (Southeastern PA.). The club is an extension of Rotary focused on environmental service and stewardship. Bringing together passionate participants from different regions of the state, their goal is to expand environmentally conscious volunteer efforts and sustainability initiatives.

In the past year, members have been quite active! They've helped clean parks and streams with the Litter Lifters of West Vincent and CRC Watersheds, hosted a tree planting in Chester with CRC Watersheds, attended and sponsored the Green Earth Festival of Phoenixville, coordinated and volunteered for an electronic waste recycling event in Philadelphia, hosted a virtual speaker night with Climate Warrior author, Brad Rouse, and attended night walks with the McKaig Nature Center in Wayne.

Read More

The Rotary District 7450 Gundaker Foundation, Inc. is the funding arm of our District and is named after Guy Gundaker, who led the Philadelphia Rotary Club and then became President of Rotary International in 1923-1924. The Foundation is funded by clubs in our District who are also members of the Foundation. Their dues, donations, and fundraising help provide support for District initiatives. Here is an update from President Janice Biros:

Our Rotary Gundaker Foundation has been hard at work helping our District clubs create a positive impact on their local communities.

In March, we expanded our many digital activities by holding an online Silent Auction. Our clubs donated 32 gifts, ranging from a week in Key West in a beautiful condo to some amazing original artworks. Gifts also included many great gift baskets from the breweries in Phoenixville to famous vineyards far and wide. Our Fun-Raising Auction was a lot of fun, relatively simple to execute and netted us over $5,800!

Read More

Clubs are invited to contribute to an international service project in Liberia, West Africa. The Rotary Clubs of Chester and Swarthmore, PA, USA, and Sinkor, Liberia have partnered with the Shepherd’s Heartbeat Foundation to implement an Agriculture Project in Margibi County, Liberia.

The project's purpose is to ameliorate living conditions in remote communities still suffering from the impact of civil wars (1989-2003) and the Ebola epidemic of 2016, including improved access to nutrition, clean water, electrical power, and job opportunities.

Read More

If you need to do some Spring Cleaning of your promotional materials, Rotary's Brand Center can help. You'll find some short "how-to" videos on creating your club logo, People of Action ads, and your club brochure.

You’ll also find tips on raising awareness of Rotary, ready-made print and digital ads, photos, videos, audio clips, templates to download, and more. Using these resources is a great way to show your community that Rotary members are people of action who are making a positive difference.

If you'd like some help getting your Public Image house in order, consider scheduling a FREE one-hour Zoom consultation with the District 7450 Public Image Committee.

The I Belong video series continues with this introduction to Diana Larisgoitia. You'll hear what brought her from Argentina to Philadelphia and how she founded the North Philadelphia Madrugadores club in 2004. Her club continues to be active, with a special interest in helping the Latino community. Please watch and share the video so people can learn about the impressive leaders and impactful projects we have here in District 7450.

CLICK HERE to watch the video.

By Paul Quintavalla

A Life of Diversity

During her installation as District Governor in 2011, Bonnie Korengel noted the progress achieved by affirmation of women in our country. After her twenty-five year career in Rotary and retiring from her business, Bonnie today recalls, “I came from a tiny, tiny farm community in Illinois, and never dreamed that I would travel so much and know so many people. It’s wonderful.”

Read More

We'd like to extend a warm welcome to all our new members who joined us in our District this past month.