September is kind of a bittersweet month. Summer comes to a close and the days get shorter, but there's also a little bit of excitement in the air. I don't know about you, but all these years later, I still miss the fresh beginnings of a new school year. The crisp air and the sound of a marching band under Friday night lights (I grew up next to my high school's football field and feel like anyone who didn't, really missed out). You probably won't be shocked to know that I was also always excited to find out what books I'd get to read that year.

In the Rotary world, September is Basic Education and Literacy month. In our schools, at all levels, reading scores are down. Those struggling students become struggling adults. According to data from the National Center for Education Statistics, 21% of adults in the US are illiterate. What's more, per the National Literacy Institute, 44% of adults don't read a single book in a year.

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This year, 24 clubs qualified for the District 7450 Rotary Literacy Award with Distinction. Each Club has completed five projects, many that were in their communities and internationally. Many have applied for Gundaker Foundation Grants matching funds and found innovative ways to bring books and educational learning materials to children in need.

Clubs purchased building materials so Rotarians and community members could build desks. Some desks were delivered to children's homes and even more went to a children's center. Rotarians continue to partner with local residents and businesses to meet the needs of the community. Clubs have initiated and continue to support international bilingual libraries, dictionary and bilingual dictionary programs in public schools and community centers, and a dental practice with children's books that are given at the end of each visit. Interact Clubs have been able to help community libraries thanks to resources available from the sponsoring Rotary Club and resources available to the Literacy Chair.
Click on the Read More link to see if your club qualified this year.

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We're halfway to our goal of raising $20,000!

Thanks to all of you who have accepted our District's challenge to donate to the Maui Fires Relief Fund. If we're going to reach our intended dollar amount, you'll need to get your donation in soon.

With a few clicks, you can help those recovering from the devastating fires in Hawaii.

1. You or your club make a donation by clicking on the Donate button below.
2. Log in and record your donation HERE. That way we can track how we are doing for our District Challenge which will end September 15th. You'll also see a place where you can write a personal message of hope and encouragement which will be shared with our fellow Rotarians in Maui.

Please work together as individual Rotarians and clubs to help provide some relief in these very difficult times. Share this message with your families, friends, and colleagues.

Our District really knows how to combine fundraising with a great time! Building on the success of the past couple of years, there will be another Pints for Polio event at Locust Lane Brewery in Malvern.

Polio Committee Chair, PDG Kevin Katarynick describes the event in this video.

Stop by anytime. If you're hungry, you can buy dinner or a snack at the food truck stationed outside of Locust Lane. Plenty of parking will be available. Bring a friend or two! And remember to bring cash, as that's how the tips/donations will be collected.

There are still some Rotary Phillies shirts available.

Only $20. Just email Kevin Katarynick at distgov2021@gmail.com with your name, email, club, and size (xs, s, m, l xl, 2xl, 3xl). $9 from each purchase will go to EndPolioNow.

You have until Wednesday, September 6 to enter into the Eagles Giveaway Donation program run by the Gundaker Foundation. Up for grabs are 2 season tickets to see the Philadelphia Eagles play 8 home games.

To be entered into the drawing, you just need to make a donation to Gundaker, as Treasurer Dave Haradon explains in this short video.

To make your donation, click HERE.

Recipe for Rotary Youth Leadership Awards Weekend:

Start with red hair nets, energizing music and 10,000 meals of rice and beans. Vigorously stir together passionate pursuits, dreaming big and pivoting bigger. In a separate bowl, fold together everyone’s personality, inventories from the Myers Briggs Test. Place all these ingredients into a team project that produces flavors of entrepreneurship, the essence of creativity, a pinch of design, and a large scoop of laughter. Serve promptly as an incredible experience in leadership!

Side dishes to this main course in leadership include RYLA’s Got Talent Show, Groovin’ to the Jukebox, great swag and friendships, memories and skills that will last a lifetime.

Just Add 80-90 Student Leaders.

The District needs your help in identifying students to attend this enriching and fun experience. The RYLA Committee asks that you please check your local Interact Clubs and talk with High School Guidance Counselors. Teenage children of Rotarians can also participate!

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

Are you reaching prospective Rotary members with your social media posts? Is your content showing Rotary in a positive light, as People of Action?

If you'd like to improve your social media skills, you'll want to take a new e-learning course that Rotary International has just made available. It will take just 30 minutes of your time! All members are encouraged to take the training, especially Public Image Chairs and/or whoever posts on your club's Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn pages.

Go to: MyRotary.org/Knowledge & Resources/Learning Center/Public Image/Promoting Rotary on Social Media.

You can go directly to the course HERE. You must be logged into MyRotary first.

District Foundation Chair and Past District Governor, Peter Mardinly reported that there were 15 applications that were received and funded this past year for 12 local and three international projects, totaling more than $161,000.

The Rotary Foundation's District Designated Funding (money that comes back to our District for club-based projects) was $26,561 with participating clubs raising the remaining balance for projects focused on basic education and literacy, maternal and child health, and economic and community development. Many clubs collaborate with each other to raise money through fundraising events or use other grant sources to help fund the projects.

"I am very proud of the progress we made this past year in District grants," said Mardinly. "I'm looking forward to seeing the impact this year that clubs make on our local and international communities."

The largest number of projects focused on education. They ranged from providing a science teaching module in an elementary school to a tutoring room at a local library. The three international projects included books for children in the Eastern Carribean Islands, garden supplies for orphaned children in South Africa, and a water pump for a sustainable farm in Togo, West Africa.

Pictured above: Construction of a water pump at a local sustainable farm. The pump will allow for the cultivation of vegetables and fruit to be used in school lunch programs at primary schools throughout northern Togo. The project is a collaboration between the Rotary Clubs of Philadelphia and Dapaong, Togo, West Africa.

Pictured left: Food and other supplies for infants to be delivered to the Colonial Neighborhood Council. The project is headed by the CPW Rotary Club.


To download the complete list of projects, click HERE.

There's still about $6,000 of funding available for clubs that have not already received a District Grant for 2023-24. These are grants that require a match where, for each dollar your club spends, you receive one dollar matching for your project up to $1,000.

Clubs interested in participating must complete the District Grant Application in DACdb labeled "Club Grants" by October 31, 2023. There will be no extensions.

The basics of submitting a grant through the DACdb grants module are here: https://rotarydistrict7450.org/ddf-district-grants/

For additional help, contact Warren Sell, Chester Rotary Club, District 7450 District Grants Subcommittee Chairperson, warrensell.rotary@outlook.com 484-557-5442.

We have a wonderful opportunity for all clubs to participate in a District-wide service project this month. Volunteers are needed to help at Cradles to Crayons on Saturday, September 30, from 1 to 3 p.m. The charity is located at 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 organization supplies these items free of charge by engaging with and connecting communities.

District Community Service Chair Kerry Leraris says, "We 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 at kleraris@comcast.net.

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

With great sadness, we learned recently that one of the great Rotarians, Dr. Thomas N. McCarthy passed away. He served as District Governor in 1987-88 and was the recipient of Rotary International's Service Above Self Award. His service to Rotary and the community spans more than seven decades. He joined the Glenside Rotary Club (now Glenside-Abington) in 1968.

In his professional life, Dr. McCarthy was a clinical psychologist and educator. In the 1950s and 1960s, he pioneered the psychological assessment of candidates for the priesthood in Catholic dioceses and religious orders around the United States. Later in his career, he served in various high-level positions at LaSalle University.

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