ROTARY DISTRICT 5300 NEWS
HIGHLIGHTING THE WORLD OF ROTARY, DISTRICT ACTIVITIES, CLUB EVENTS, AND THE PEOPLE THAT MAKE IT ALL HAPPEN
LEE MOTHERSHEAD, DISTRICT GOVERNOR
FOLLOW YOUR ROTARY DREAM - ELECTRONICALLY!
Each club in 5300 has been asked to designate its secretary or another member to be "OFFICIAL RETRIEVER" of the newsletter, downloading and printing a copy from the District's web page, then getting copies printed for each member. Why work for it? - to keep in touch with your district and its diverse club activities - and to save the district and your club money that can be used for our charitable purposes!
The district newsletter will be posted the first of each month for printing and distribution, with updates on line all month as clubs and our district make news.
If you're "Official Retriever," welcome - and thanks! (We can't see if you're a long-haired or short retriever, but your help makes it all work.) If you're just surfing the net for Rotary, you're welcome too - and everyone's needed to send your news and views to:
DISTRICT OFFICE AT YOUR SERVICE
District 5300's office for Lee Mothershead's year as governor continues at:
1963 South Myrtle, Monrovia, California 91016
Vivian Duncan and Karen Council offer the office services. Their number in the new district directory is wrong - check the first of the yellow pages of the "District Section" and correct your copy, or make note that the two numbers in the middle are really toll-free "888" numbers. The directory phone numbers should read:
B: [local voice] 626-930-8768
B: [toll free voice] 888-378-5300*
Bfax: [toll free fax] 888-378-5301*
Bfax: [local fax] 626-303-1587
*note carefully: the bright young fellow who has done so much to organize, prepare, and print stuff for our district governor is San Marino Rotarian CHRIS DATWYLER. Chris and our computer-nerd governor LEE MOTHERSHEAD came up with cute telephone numbers so the first three digits form "DST" - making the toll-free "888" voice phone "DST 5300" and the fax phone "DST 5301." This is nice and fancy, even if there's no such a thing as a "District 5301." Could it be they're thinking of "daylight savings time"? Thank Chris and the Guv for their cute creativity. But if you're not up to finding letters on your telephone pad, save the effort and just think of that "DST" as plain old "378"
"PRESERVE PLANET EARTH" WITH ROTARY BUCKS - and SWEAT
About 20,000 Rotarians from around the world turned the Indiana Convention Center into a United Nations as Rotary practice our own form of international diplomacy at Indianapolis' International Convention last month. When Rotary left town, our conventioneers left behind a special reminder of Rotary service - hundreds of freshly planted gingko, crab apple, and maple trees and shrubs along several miles of downtown and northside Indy streets, plus tools for more planting this summer.
What a great project! We were sent a clipping from the Indianapolis Star, showing Rotarians Morris Dolman of Saskatchewan and Judy Riggle of Ohio sweating over trees they were planting along Indianapolis roadway. More than 3,000 Rotarians descended on a shabby downtown area one Sunday afternoon during the convention, ready with a half-million dollars worth of trees, plants, and tools.
As Indianapolis police blocked the streets, Rotary volunteers grabbed shovels and began digging. By Monday morning, commuters streaming down West Street on the edge of downtown found a total new look. Adorning the median is a stone marker bearing the logo of Rotary, a memento of Rotary's visit to Indiana.
"It's the high point of the trip," said a Rotarian truck salesman from Massachusetts. "It was a big mess at first, and when we were finished it looked great."
The idea came from the Indianapolis Rotarians, host club, but thousands of others helped from the 125 countries represented at the convention. The Star found a pair arm in arm, like old friends recently reunited, planting trees - Syed Hashem from Karachi, Pakistan, and Manjit Sawhney from New Delhi, India, planting trees instead of making nuclear threats. "Here we embrace," Hashem said. "This is how we can shun tensions and build a better future." His new Indian friend added, "We wish our two governments would take a clue from this exchange of fellowship and goodwill. We wish the politicians would see that the people from our two countries can live together happily and peacefully!"
RI funded the $500,000 for plants and tools, and each of the 3,000 volunteers gave an afternoon in exchange for a T-shirt and good memories. "We decided we wanted to come back to Indianapolis in five years and say, 'We planted these trees,'" said Lyn Robards of Florida. Dan Holzapfel, a farmer from Brisbane, Australia, added, "We're losing the environment without trees. The more trees we plant, the better a world we can leave for our children."
When the hot Indiana sun set that night, the miles of trees were planted and hundreds of shovels, picks, and hoes remained - donated by Rotary to be used this summer by youth service corps organized by the city, continuing beautification from Rotary's inspiration.
Doesn't this make you proud to be a Rotarian? And isn't this what Rotary is all about?
HOW TO FOLLOW THAT ROTARY DREAM
Pasadena Rotary's incoming president Sonia Lagomarsino has taken Rotary International's theme one step further. RI asks us to "FOLLOW OUR ROTARY DREAM;" president Sonia says how, in a way we can all remember:
"OUR ROTARY DREAMS BEGIN WITH YOU"
GOVERNOR LEE'S GREETINGS
We're off and running! The entire year stretches out in front of us like a beach freshly washed by the tide, waiting for our footprints. Ideas abound, new and old, as enthusiastic committees and presidents kindle enthusiasm. The Rotary wheel has come a full turn and is starting another revolution.
One thing about that Rotary wheel - it never spins backward, retracing ground already covered. Why? Ideas travel; they move from club to club, district to district, country to country. A club in Copenhagen hears of a project in Seoul, modifies it for local needs, tries it out. A club in the High Desert decides to do a matching grant with a club in India. New ground!
Done before? Yes, maybe; but done in a different place, in a different way, thus new. I ask committee heads and avenue of service chairs to look at those QUALITY ROTARY PROGRAMS books stashed around your club in someone's garage or study. Try one of the programs that worked for someone else. Remember, the program must be replicable; it's written that way so someone else can use it. Why shouldn't that someone be you?
An old program approached with new enthusiasm becomes the program of the user, changed, energized. It becomes a new program. You don't need to be original to be effective. Remember, mini-grants was a new program only once. After that, it appeared to be a new program for each club that adopted it.
On a different note: I ask you to be tolerant and sympathetic toward club members who are hesitant to speak to a group. Many people have never spoken publicly before, and the prospect of standing before a group and giving a formal talk may be terrifying to some, even among a group of friends. Is your president a confident speaker? A kind word to the prez after a meeting, to craft talkers, invocators, announcers, may go a long way to make for a more comfortable and successful Rotary year.
I'm really looking forward to visiting you all soon!
--Lee Mothershead
HELP FOR JEFFREY IN DIAMOND BAR
Diamond Bar Rotary, working with the American Red Cross, is sponsoring a life-saving BLOOD DRIVE for a three year old with continuous need for transfusions.
Jeffrey Studdard Jr. has a rare disease, ectoderman dysplasia, involving an immune system deficiency and dysfunction. He lacks the protein that regulates blood clotting. Jeffrey receives blood thinners and requires blood transfusions on an ongoing basis. Jeff also requires daily breathing treatments and special medications to help him in absorbing his foods. His two sisters also require periodic blood. Each summer, blood supplies are low; Diamond Bar's club is organizing the drive to replenish these depleted supplies.
Want to help? The BLOOD DRIVE will occur SUNDAY, JULY 26, 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., at DIAMOND BAR HIGH SCHOOL, 21400 East Pathfinder in Diamond Bar. This is near the 57 freeway at Pathfinder exit. Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments may be scheduled by calling Dr. Jeffrey Lowe at 909-861-7350.
Everyone donating blood will receive a free T-shirt from Diamond Bar Rotary - and will have the knowledge their contribution helps save lives.
DISTRICT 5300 MEMBERSHIP AND ATTENDANCE REPORTS
Club memberships and attendance percentages will be published on-line this year. Watch for them on this web page as the secretaries report club progress. The on-line HIGHLIGHTER reaches the district instantly - and at a substantial savings of cash for better projects!
SEND IN YOUR NEWS, YOUR VIEWS ...
your questions, your inspirations - everything to share with others in our District, united in another year of service as we
FOLLOW YOUR ROTARY DREAM!