October 29, 2006
Issue 13

Dear Rotary Leaders,

Greetings from Africa
I am currently in South Africa, where I visited the site of a potential matching grant project. This was at the Missionvale Care Center in Port Elizabeth, headed by Sister Eithel. She was one of the keynote speakers at the Copenhagen International Convention. I am flying to Ghana later today to join the group of 9 Rotarians from District 5340 participating to the West Africa Project Fair and National Immunization Day in Ghana. Come to the Foundation Gala Dinner on November 11 to hear more about our African Adventure.

100% Club Websites
I am delighted to announce that we created recently some ClubWeb websites for the last 2 clubs in the district without a website. So we now have 100% of the clubs in the district with a website! I doubt there are many districts in the world with 100% club websites! See the list of all club websites on the district website.

Rotary Helpline
A new Rotary Foundation Contact Center number went into effect on October 2. The toll free number is 866-9ROTARY. This number should be used for Foundation general inquiries and program related questions. The email address is: contactcenter@rotary.org. Information is available 8-5, Central Time.

Leadership Development Academy
The timeline and registration form for the 2007 Leadership Development Academy have been published on the district website. If you have not done it yet, this is highly recommended for the President-Elects. This will give you a huge amount of Rotary knowledge that can be invaluable during your year as President.

District Ranking
For those interested in ranking statistics with The Rotary Foundation, be aware that District 5340 ranked #33 in the world (out of 530 districts) for per capita annual giving to The Rotary Foundation ($145.84 per member) in 2005-06. Since we have a big district for the number of Rotarians, our "total giving" ranking (#8 last year) is higher than our "per capital" ranking. This means we still have room for improvement to catch up with other districts, and to have a record breaking year in 2006-07!

Jesse Devlyn
I am pleased to announce that PDG Jesse Devlyn, the brother of RI Past President Frank Devlyn, has been assigned by RI President Bill Boyd to be his representative at our District Conference in Ensenada, Mexico. I have met Jesse and his wife Olga (who is also a PDG) many times recently, and I had made a special request to have him assigned to us. I believe Jesse is a perfect match for us, and will add to the fun we will all have in Ensenada.

Bill Boyd in Tijuana
Rotary International President Bill Boyd was in Tijuana on October 21 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the main Club Rotario de Tijuana. This was a great opportunity to strengthen our relashionship with the District South of the border. We had many representatives from District 5340 at this dinner, including 15 people from the Chula Vista Rotary club, sponsor club of the Tijuana club, back in 1931...

Philippe Lamoise
District Governor 2006-07
Rotary District 5340

	November 11 Foundation Gala Dinner Sheraton Harbor Island Check-in 6 pm, dinner 7 pm. Be prepared to enjoy a wonderful dinner, lots of music, wines, a champagne toast and dancing to the incredible sounds of the Xceptions! More information...

You can find more information on District events on the District Website.