Yours in Rotary Service,

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1 District 6740

2 Greetings to you all. It seems like yesterday that we started our new year and here we are getting ready to start into the eighth month of our Rotary year. That means that we have a scant 5 months to complete goals toward Foundation and Polio Plus giving, membership, and the Presidential Citation. I hope every club in District 6740 wins the Citation. Every club in our district is Making a Difference by strengthening clubs, providing great humanitarian service in their community and around the world, and getting the word out about Rotary s service to others! February is Peace and Conflict Prevention / Resolution month, which is at the heart of Rotary work. We promote peace through our humanitarian service projects and emphasize the understanding of important ways to prevent and resolve conflict. I am encouraging you and your club to take part in a project to foster peace this month. February 23 marks our 113 th birthday World Rotary Day. I am asking that every club in District 6740, join with Kentucky District 6710, in a District and State-wide service project to support literacy in our schools by members reading to children at local elementary schools on that day. Can t you just imagine Rotarians all across the state providing the great gift of education to Kentucky children on that day! What a wonderful gift of service and time by Rotarians. Contact your schools today to schedule a time to read to children. Be sure to buy a raffle ticket for a great Greenbrier Getaway! The trip is worth $3,000 and tickets are only $50. See your club President to get a ticket and details. Mark your calendar for the District Conference on June 8 & 9, at Shaker Village. Lots of fun and inspiration in an historical location. Registration will open soon. I hope this finds you happy, healthy, and warm and that you stay that way during February! Thank you for Making A Difference! Yours in Rotary Service, District Governor

3 New Members Paula Stafford Rotary Club of Mount Sterling Naif Almazrva Tonya Thoroughman David Gregory Stefan Hayes Rotary Club of Morehead Jordan Newman Rotary Club of Pikeville Pam Bunch Stephanie Martin Charlie Smith Rotary Club of London Claudia Green William Byrd Gwyn Everly Amy Hatter Barbara Colletta Rotary Club of Lexington Carolyn DuPont Rotary Club of Nicholasville Elizabeth Johnson Rotary Club of Carlisle Kim Hester Rotary Club of Flemingsburg Christie Addington Scott Rigsby Rotary Club of Ashland Diane Wagoner Rotary Club of Paris Rod Baker Rotary Club of Maysville Thomas Cochran Rotary Club of Paintsville Alisa Slone Rotary Club of Stanford

4 Here s YOUR Chance to Win a Greenbrier Getaway District 6740 Raffle As you may remember, I spoke during my club visit about a District raffle that will raise money for the Foundation. I am excited to announce that I have completed the plans for the raffle and am preparing to get the raffle tickets to you! Each club will receive tickets to sell - I have based the number of tickets your club receives on the size of your club. Any Rotarian buying a raffle ticket will receive credit for a Foundation donation and your club will receive credit as well. Of course, non-rotarians are eligible to purchase a raffle ticket, too. The winner will receive a Greenbrier Getaway, valued at $3000! You will enjoy 3 days and 2 nights at the luxurious Greenbrier Hotel in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. All meals, golf at the Old White Course and a spa package is also included in your prize. Tickets are $50 each there are ONLY 500 tickets available! The drawing for the trip will be held at the District Conference at Shaker Village on Saturday, June 9, DG Cheryl

5 September 12, was a visit to the Lexington-Sunrise Club. Home club of PDG Keith Key and District Treasurer Ed Maley. With President Rebecca Simms and Immediate Past President Amanda Adams. The Rotary Club of Georgetown invited me back to give a presentation on Rotary and for a new member induction by President Nathan Alexander. The Rotary Club of Hazard sure Makes a Difference in their community and the world with great service projects and a terrific fundraiser! President Jarron Clemons leads the club.

6 On September 13, I met with the Rotary Club of Richmond. This lively bunch sings great songs at their meetings! President is Joan Beck. With the great members of the Rotary Club of Stanford with President Eric Ralston. With the great members of the Whitesburg Club. With all those tiaras we were honoring 30 years of women in Rotary. President Lennie Holbrook leads a great club that is Making a Difference in their community and the world.

7 President of the Rotary Club of Louisa, Christopher Jobe, invited me to their Farm to Table breakfast. This fundraiser was not only held at a great outdoor venue at Savage Farms, but was hugely successful and all profits went to local good works in their community. Great job Louisa! At the Rotary Club of Florence for their annual Christmas Concert fundraiser. What a marvelous event hosted by PDG Gary Stewart and President Jacob Brooks. I attended the annual Christmas Dinner at the Rotary Club of Covington where President David Meyer presented club awards and PDG John Salyers was the keynote speaker. I also was the lucky recipient of a painting by club member and artist Tom Gaither. The new Rotaract Club of Northern Kentucky, sponsored by Covington, was also in attendance.

8 Master Musicians Festival On July 7th and 8th, Rotarians volunteered to support the Master Musicians Festival, an annual music festival held in Somerset each year. Next year, on July 20th and 21st, the festival will celebrate 25 years of providing music of many genres to the community and surrounding areas. Past performershave included Doc Watson Nickel Creek, Richie Haven, JD Crowe, Punch Brothers, The Avett Brothers and the Old Crow Medicine Show. MMF was named the Southeast Tourism Society's Festival of the Year in Rotarians volunteer in many ways, but our main responsibility is to run the beverage tent. We have all completed STAR training and work the tent in exchange for the tips we can raise. Tips earned are earmarked for local community service projects in the following Rotary year. Pictured are Rotarian Mark Ross, President Elect Tina Hamm and Interact Chair Lindsay Shrum. Backpack Program In August, RC Somerset Pulaski was proud to partner with the local CrossFit program and donated 52 backpacks to its backpack drive to provide much needed school supplies to students in a neighboring county. With this donation, RC Somerset Pulaski provided approximately half of the backpacks that CrossFit donated through its challenge. The backpacks and supplies were purchased and packed by Rotarians as a club s ponsored but individually financed project. Backpacks were brought to our regularly scheduled meeting as well as to our quarterly social, a very fun family friendly pool party to celebrate the kickoff of a new Rotary year.

9 Habitat for Humanity On September 9th, sixteen members and partners of the Somerset Pulaski Rotary Club volunteered to assist Habitat for Humanity with its Lake Cumberland Half Marathon. Our volunteers served as course monitors, water station hosts, medical tent volunteers and the race sweeper. RC Somerset Pulaski is also proud to be a financial sponsor of the race. We hope to assist Habitat for Humanity with other projects during the year. Last month, the local Habitat chapter handed over the keys to a new home to a very happy family. Ramp Project The Rotary Club of Somerset-Pulaski County volunteers its time and resources to build ramps to assist people who have difficulty entering and exiting their homes. Referals for the ramps are given to the club by a variety of churches and agencies, as well as homeowners themselves. Over the course of a Rotary year, the club typically builds 3 or 4 ramps. A typical build takes a Friday afternoon and Saturday.

10 Veralyn s Gift As our quarterly mini project we collected stuffed animals to support Veralyn's Gift. This community project collects stuffed animals in memory of Veralyn, a child in our community. The stuffed animals are donated to Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital and given to children who are admitted to the hospital. The hope is that the stuffed animal will provide the child a bit of comfort during a scary time. Access to Careers The Rotary Club of Somerset-Pulaski County and the Rotary Club of Somerset partner with Somerset Community College and our four local high schools to provide Access to Careers Day to juniors and seniors selected by the schools' guidance counselors. The students are treated to a day of tours and information about planning for college. Rotary provides the lunch, serving it to the students and making its members available to answer questions. At this year's event the Rotary Club of Somerset-Pulaski encouraged the attendees to join its newly chartered Interact Club. This years event served about 150 students. Many times we hear stories that the event encouraged someone who had previously thought college was unattainable, and that the student became the first in his or her family to attend college.

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12 The Russell Rotary Club is having it's annual Comedy Dinner Fundraiser on Saturday February 10, 2017

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14 Two Holmes High Students Selected for Covington, KY Rotary Club Cultural Exchange For the past four years, the Rotary Club of Covington, Kentucky has sponsored one Covington high school student to participate in Rotary International s Youth Exchange. The club is pleased to announce that this year, not one, but two, Holmes students, Molly Morgan and Jacob Dye, have been selected. They will depart in the fall of 2018; their host countries will not be known until early The expense for an exchange is approximately $6,000, and the Covington Rotary club pays all expenses. Previous recipients have gone to Spain, Germany, Turkey to promote peace and good will in the world. The student spends 9-10 months in a non-english speaking country, living with host families, learning the language, exchanging cultural experiences and attending a local school. Currently, one student is living in the Czech Republic. Molly Morgan and Jacob Dye Rotary Youth Exchange Students sponsored by the Rotary Club of Covington, Kentucky MURDER at the District Conference at Shaker Village It must be premeditated, because we already know the dates. June 8 & 9! The Rotaract Club of Northern Kentucky will be presenting an original Murder Mystery you ll want to witness!

15 Chartering of the Interact Club of Lake Cumberland Nadia Flynn was inducted as President and Lindsay Cranfill Shrum is the Interact Chair. The Rotary Club of Somerset-Pulaski Club, home to PDG John Adams, is the sponsor club, and Brian Dopp is President. Interact District Conference at Winchester on October 7, District Interact Chair Barbara Rahn.

16 North Carolina Ski Trip On January 5 7 all three of District 6740 s Inbound Youth Exchange Students attended the 11th annual North Carolina Ski Trip sponsored by the Rotary Club of Blowing Rock, NC. Twenty-Two Rotary Youth Exchange Students representing 12 different countries and 3 US Rotary Districts participated. The students were housed at the Blowing Rock Conference Center which was also the location of a Friday night pizza party courtesy of the Mellow Mushroom of Blowing Rock. Highlight of the weekend was skiing at the Appalachia Ski Resort where students, some who had not seen snow before, took skiing lessons, skied and snowboarded well into the afternoon. A Rotarian from the Blowing Rock club sponsored a barbecue dinner on Saturday night in their home. The Rotary Youth Exchange program is designed to build peace and understanding one young person at a time. Students learn a new language, discover another culture, and truly become a global citizen. Exchange for Students 15 to 18 years old are sponsored by Rotary Clubs in more than 100. Countries represented on this weekend were from Italy, Thailand, France, Japan, Czechoslovakia, Czech Republic, Brazil, Germany, Taiwan, Belgium, Chile and Peru. If you are interested in participating in the Rotary Youth Exchange Program as a volunteer or as a Host Family, please contact BJ McClure ( ), James Glass ( ) or Jean Clark ( ). If you know of a US student who is interested in doing a long-term or a short-term exchange, please contact any of the 3 listed as above.

17 Jabez In early December, 4 Rotary districts participated in an annual gathering of exchange students, both inbound and future outbound students. For decades, District 6740 has been inviting nearby districts to join them at picturesque Lake Cumberland for a weekend of training, fellowship, and relaxation. We even go on a graveyard hunt! This year, almost 50 students came together to experience what we call Jabez." Below is a picture of scary Maggie - and a few words from one of her recent monthly reports My Spanish is still improving and now I have full comprehension of everything. I watch movies in Spanish now and understand them completely. I also finished my first novel in Spanish and it was an amazing book and I was happy to be able to discuss it with my host sister and host Dad. I am so thankful for this opportunity and it's very easy for me to be thankful because I honestly can't think of anything bad that has happened this month. Every struggle (language, missing family, etc) that I have dealt with has truly made me grow and realize how much I have to be thankful for. One important thing that I have learned is the how much of an impact simple things can make on others. I have seen how much small things like handwritten letters, friends checking in on me, someone going out of their way to be kind, etc can make my day and I strive to do the same for other people. This month has been one of the best and I hope that the following months are even better. I cannot say how thankful for this opportunity I am and how much it has changed my life.

18 Share your club news! Everything your club does is instrumental in furthering the mission of Rotary in our district and around the world. Share your stories! your submissions to: Deadline for March Newsletter submissions: Please send each story as a Microsoft Word document - you can include pictures in the document as well! February 20th Questions? Send us an ! district6740newsletter@yahoo.com

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