April 24 is Rotarians at Work Day

                                                Rotarians At Work Day  2009

Through the vision of Past District Governor Bob Watson, every Rotarian in the world has the opportunity to renew our commitment to this timeless message of Service Above Self through compassion and generosity of spirit by participating in Rotarians At Work Day.  On our first Rotarians At Work Day on April 29, 2006, each of the 60 clubs within the District came forward and identified one or more projects that they performed. Indeed, several clubs chose two or more projects because of the diversity of their members. Many clubs partnered with other clubs including those in Mexico, and nearly all of the clubs integrated other groups to assist such as Rotaract Clubs, Interact Clubs and the Family of Rotary.

 This year the Rotarians At Work website (http://www.rotariansatwork.org/list.cgi) shows 260 projects involving over 10,000 volunteers from around the Rotary World.  This year many Clubs are inviting Boy Scout troops to join them for the Boy Scouts Centennial Celebration of a Day of Service.  For more information on connecting with a Scout unit, contact Dale Long, Encinitas Rotary Club (dlong1@san.rr.com)

 

District Conference is filling up fast—don’t be left out!!

This year’s theme is “Cultivating Cooperation” and we will have fun doing just that when the 2010 District Conference is held in the Imperial Valley May 14-16.  The conference will kick off with a “best ball scramble” golf tournament on Friday morning and feature workshops on water projects—local and international; photographing desert landscapes, birdwatching, excursions, and quilting!!  Something for everyone!  Don’t miss a minute of the fun—go to the District website (http://www.rotary5340.org/conference10/) for more information and to register:

 

Group Study Exchange Teams Mark a History of Rotary Success

 

Rotary Year 2009-10 has been very eventful for the Group Study Exchange (GSE) program’ we have had two and a half exchanges—two complete exchanges with D4400 (Ecuador) and D9200 (East Africa) and a one-way exchange with D3270 (Afghanistan).   This exchange program of young professionals, who are not Rotarians, led by a Rotarian Team Leader to another Rotary District to learn more about their professions and about Rotary.  In 1995-96 we began sending and receiving uni-vocational teams—mainly of educators, and also health care professionals.  This year we received a Team from Ecuador in March and we will receive a Team from East Africa in April/May.  GSE Chair Dale Barnes has done an outstanding job in coordinating their visits including host families, professional visits, Rotary Club presentations, and social events.  The GSE program will be replaced by Vocational Training Teams (VTTs) as part of the new Future Vision Pilot. 

 

 

PolioPlus Donations Are Due for Match

 

All donations to the PolioPlus Challenge campaign that qualifyfor the match from our generous anonymous donor, should be sent to The Rotary Foundation before April 15.  The donor will match up to $1000./club this Rotary Year to help clubs meet the $2000. goal that Rotary International has set for each Club.  Our District has raised over $117,000. this Rotary year fpr PolioPlus and our District has raised almost $248,000. since the Gates Challenge began December 2007.

 

Worldwide Rotary is more than half-way to our goal of matching the Gates Challenge of $200. million—we have raised over $114. million on our way to meeting the challenge.  The best news of all is that only 51 cases of polio have been reported this year—we almost have this dreaded disease licked—lets keep up the great efforts and END POLIO NOW!!

 

Spring Regional Councils in April

 

All Rotarians are welcome to attend any Regional Council meeting.

·         North County Spring Regional Council will be held on Tuesday, April 20, at 6:00 PM at the Cocina del Charro in Escondido.  Online Registration $29./person and the deadline to register online is April 13, 2010 (http://www.rotary5340.org/registration/dc100420.html) "Sharing Successes and Challenges". Submit questions on a particular issue or successes your club wants to share, email John Woodsbury at johnnymike@cox.net for discussion that evening.  Buffets dinner with carnitas, chicken, salad, rice and beans dessert, tea, coffee.

·         The Metro Regional Council Dinner will be held on Wednesday, April 28,at the Hall of Champions in Balboa Park from 5:30—8:30 PM.  Online registration is $30./person with a gourmet dinner catered by Wild Thyme.  The speaker for the evening is the new owner of the Padres, Jeff Moorad.  The deadline for registration is April 21, 2010.   Online registration: http://www.rotary5340.org/registration/dc100428.html

April is Magazine Month—read the most recent Rotarian to learn more about Greg Mortenson and his best selling book Three Cups of Tea about building schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan.  Mortenson will be a keynote speaker at the Rotary Convention in Montreal in June. 

Our District’s own version of Greg Mortenson, PDG Steve Brown, who is probably not drinking tea if he can avoid it, writes in his latest version of his Afghan Journal:

“…But who is to complain when we have daily rich interactions and appreciation by the local Afghans? To the rest of the world Afghanistan may be a war zone, wasteland with wild people whom we should not care about, but to us it is a beautiful place with many close friends where, with rather small efforts, a big difference can be made…”   March 31, 2010