Greetings, fellow Rotarians! It's hard to believe the first month of the Rotary year has already flown by. Let's do a quick recap of what we achieved together in July:

- About 50 Rotarians, family, and friends came out to walk in the rain and sweltering heat to represent District 7450 in Philadelphia's Salute to America Independence Day Parade on July 4.

- We sold out all 500 tickets to Rotary Night at the Phillies, raising $5000 from our District toward Rotary's polio eradication efforts. When that is matched by the Gates Foundation at 2:1, it becomes $15,000. Nice!

- Held our first AG/Presidents meeting to give club presidents an opportunity to share ideas with each other and spend time in small groups with their AGs, thereby improving avenues of communication and support.

- Our district currently has 45 clubs and 1170 active Rotarians. (Next stop: 1200! I believe in us!)

Looking ahead to August, we'll soon be opening registration for our first social event of the year, TopGolf on Sunday, September 17. Save the date! Plus, we now have our first district-wide service project scheduled (see story below.) Keep an eye on my weekly Monday morning emails for more information about both events.

Our district committees are already meeting regularly and have their goals and plans in place for the year ahead. I'm planning to start my visits in September. Because of my work schedule, I'll be doing area/multi-club visits. Stay tuned for more on that.

Have a fantastic month ahead!

- DG Renee


Renee DeCoskey
Governor, 2023-2024

We have a wonderful opportunity for all clubs to participate in a District-wide service project at Cradles to Crayons on Saturday, September 30, from 1 to 3 p.m. , 4700 Wissahickon Avenue, Suite 142, Philadelphia, PA.

Cradles to Crayons provides children from birth through age 12, living in homeless or low-income situations, with the essential items they need to thrive – at home, at school and at play. The charity supply these items free of charge by engaging with and connecting communities.

We also would like to encourage each club to do a drive to collect children’s books, children’s bedding, and school supplies that can be brought that day to the event. You can see what they need most HERE.

Before participating, members must complete a waiver and register in advance. If you have questions, contact Kerry Leraris, District Community Service Chair at kleraris@comcast.net.

Register HERE for the Cradles to Crayons service event. The access code is: a0R3b00000bOf9J

SAVE THE DATE: 3rd Annual Pints for Polio Guest Bartender fundraiser. Wednesday, October 11, 2023, 5 to 8 p.m.

Come out and raise a pint to End Polio Now. Support your favorite Rotarian Bartenders. All cash tips raised at this event are donated to our End Polio Now fundraising efforts.

Guest Bartenders Wanted! Two bartenders are needed for the following shifts: 5-6 pm, 6-7 pm, 7-8 pm. Email PDG Kevin Katarynick distgov2021@gmail.com if interested.

The Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) 2024 is seven months away, but the time is now for us as Rotarians to act and prepare.

RYLA’s critical mass student count is about 80 students. That’s the sweet spot that makes it fun, diverse and engaging for the students. Although the program can accommodate 100 or more student leaders at Valley Forge’s Freedom Foundation, success requires a minimum that our District easily achieved pre-COVID.

For information, documents and details, go to www.RotaryDistrict7450.org/ryla

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"Rotary needs to grow to ensure members have a fulfilling experience."

With that motivation, Matt Breidenstein has energetically begun his term as the District's Membership Chair. Breidenstein is hopeful that during this Rotary year, two new clubs can be formed. He and the committee are eyeing the Roxborough/Manayunk/East Falls area first, then hope to create a second traditional club. In addition, Past District Governor David Houtz is working on the formation of a Veterans' Club.

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Ah, Facebook. Whether you're a fan of the social media platform or not, the fact is, it can be a great tool for Rotary members. In District 7450 there are three active Facebook pages. You're encouraged to connect with all of them. Here's what you need to know:

The official District 7450 Rotary page provides information about upcoming events in D-7450. Posts are made by the Governor and District Public Image committee. Content that is posted on the official District 7450 Facebook page is automatically copied to our District website, http://www.RotaryDistrict7450.org.

Rotarians of District 7450 is a Facebook group that you can join. Once you answer the questions and Admins approve your request to join, you can post, read, respond, and engage with other Rotary members from our area. Consider this a place to go to let nearby clubs know about your upcoming fundraiser. If your club has an excellent guest speaker, post some info and tag the presenter so other clubs might want to invite him or her. When your club pulls off a successful service project, post some photos and suggestions that might help others. This is a site that can be used to support and promote each others' clubs.

Another site you can follow is run by Governor Renee. She initially started District Governor Renee 2023-24 for club presidents but now invites everyone to check out her updates and photos from around the District.

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If you've been wanting financial support for your club's project, remember that the Gundaker Foundation offers Community Service Matching Grants. The next grant deadline has actually been extended!

If you want your application to be reviewed by Gundaker's Grant Review Committee, you'll need to submit it by Monday, August 7th. Click HERE for grant information and applications.

Win Two Eagles Seasons Tickets
Don't forget to participate in the Eagles Tickets GiveAway donation FUN-raiser. Your donation will put you in a randomly selected GiveAway to win 2 Eagles Season Tickets! Donation deadlines are coming soon. Visit the Gundaker Eagles FUN-raiser page for details!

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