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1 ROTARY DISTRICT 7690 APRIL 2014 DISTRICT GOVERNOR'S NEWSLETTER Cookie Billings "Engage Rotary, Change Lives" Cookie Billings, 309 Winrow Dr., Jamestown, NC PUBLIC IMAGE AND INFORMATION FOR ROTARY Do you ever read the Rotary Magazine that is delivered to you each month? This periodical is produced for your benefit and provides a wealth of information and ideas from around the Rotary world. After you read The Rotarian, think of some ways that you can share the materials and ideas, even the magazines! I know some clubs that include gently used magazines in prospective member packets, display the magazines at their club meetings, or even share copies of The Rotarian around the community in offices and waiting rooms. Let's think of these and other ways to promote our Rotary message and good works! Speaking of sharing the good word, have you noticed the great number of public image successes we have had this year? Our clubs have managed to make headlines in the community newspapers, and our District Public Image Committee has succeeded in securing a grant to place Rotary advertisements around the district on billboards! We are are doing a great job of getting out the Rotary message through traditional media. Also, have you noticed the Social Media successes we have experienced? My Rotary friends do a fantastic job of promoting their clubs' activities and accomplishments on Facebook and Twitter. We have discovered that it is so easy to snap a picture, share an idea or promote an event using Social Media. Of course, we want to be sensitive and thoughtful when we post, and our District Leadership has recently adopted a Social Media Policy that our District Governor Elect Patrick Eakes has shared with all club President-elects. Ask your club leadership to share this document with you and look for it on our District website. Social Media used carefully and responsibly is a valuable public image tool! (continued on pg.2) Register Now for District Conference! Visit and click on "About District Conference 2014" to register for this year's annual District Conference to be held at the beautiful Grove Park Inn on May 2-4, The registration entitles you to the Saturday evening formal banquet meal, two receptions, and refreshments at breaks. Additionally, those registered for conference (and their guests) will be eligible to participate in other special discounts! The conference committee has contracted with Accents on Asheville to coordinate several wonderful activities on Saturday afternoon, including a zipline tour, a brewery tour, an epicurean tour, and a guided waterfall hike. These activities include lunch on Saturday and round-trip transportation to and from the Grove Park Inn. Early registration is highly recommended as these tours have maximum capacities. Details on the tours and instructions on registration can be found at then click on "About District Conference 2014". During your stay, we hope that you take advantage of one of the Grove Park Inn's very special amenities - The Spa - nestled into the hillside below the Main Inn. The Conference Committee has negotiated a very special 20% discount off of spa treatments (excluding nails and day passes) during Friday, Saturday and Sunday (May 2-4) for Conference registrants and their guests. A truly world-class facility, this $50 million, 43,000 square foot spa offers a variety of services, including our exclusive Heaven Series treatments, massages, facials, body wraps, manicures, and pedicures. The Spa offers a tranquil mineral pool and lap pool, each (continued on pg.2)

2 (continued from page 1...Public Image and Information) Our Rotary International leaders have been busy creating methods and materials to educate and train us for new Rotary programs and exciting initiatives. All one needs to do is to go online at and review the newest online learning tools. Explore "Learning and Reference," "Member News," "Webinars" or "Rotary Showcase." The Rotary Magazine is a valuable tool, however we have so many new and innovative ways to learn and promote Rotary to our clubs, our communities, and the world. Engage Rotary, Change Lives. (continued from page 1...Register for District Conference) with relaxing underwater music. Other Spa features include two waterfall massage pools, an outdoor whirlpool overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains, men's and women's relaxation lounges with fireplaces, contrast pools, inhalation rooms, saunas, and herbal-infused steam rooms. If you choose not to book treatments, you may wish to experience our spa with a Day Pass ($90 per day Friday through Sunday and $65 per day Monday through Thursday). With Day Pass access you can enjoy our beautiful pools and 18,000 square feet of amenities until 9:00pm. Book your spa services early by calling The conference committee has a number of slots on "hold" for Saturday, May 3, between 12pm-6pm to accommodate guests during the scheduled free time. These will be released on March 31st, so we encourage you to book when you register for conference. We look forward to seeing you at the Grove Park Inn in May as we celebrate Rotary success, rekindle old friendships, and "Take Service to New Heights"! INTERACT UPDATE Congratulations to the Interact Club of Reagan High School and Southeast Guilford High School Men of Destiny recently chartered by Rotary International. Reagan Interact Club is sponsored by Stratford Rotary Club. Southeast Interact Club is sponsored by East Greensboro Rotary Club. If you are interested in getting your Interact Club chartered by Rotary International, please contact Terry Ball or Anne Murr. Rotary District 7690 Office 114 Willoughby Park Dr., High Point, NC Margaret Padgett, Editor Rotary7690@northstate.net Art: Martha Shelley ROTARY CLUBS IN THE NEWS! Getting the word out about the many activities, programs, community contributions, and even "fun" that Rotarians have is a good thing for our clubs and Rotary overall. Publicity thanks our volunteers and donors, recognizes the good works done by organizations we fund, and makes the case for Rotary as a relevant and worthwhile opportunity for fellowship and service through membership. Some examples of Rotary publicity this year are: The High Point Enterprise featured Furnitureland Rotary's 41st Annual Charity Dinner and Auction in an article. The story included an impressive list of the community projects that would be funded by the event's proceeds. Stratford Rotary in Winston-Salem announced their funding of scholarships for study in Copenhagen, Denmark for two students at Forsyth Technical Community College in the Winston-Salem Journal. Guilford Rotary used the News & Record to publicize their "AfterHours Recruitment Event." Also in the News & Record were articles about Gate City Rotary's fundraiser. The article included information about Rotary International and, very importantly, meeting and contact information for the club. Highlighted in the Greensboro paper was the district's largest Interact Club, the High Point Christian Academy Interact Club sponsored by High Point Rotary Club. The News & Record also published a story and picture on the Meals of Hope project sponsored by Summit Rotary. So, what's our message to you? Send those press releases to local papers!

3 HIGH POINT CLUB SHOWS ITS COLORS By Mark Pierce The Rotary Club of High Point held its annual ACC Day on FRIDAY, March 14th at the J.H. Adams Inn. Club members and their guests showed up to cheer on their team in a casual gathering during both afternoon games. The food was great! The fellowship was great! And the basketball... Well, a UVA romp in game one didn't exactly have viewers on the edge of their seats, but this event is about more than basketball. The Tar Heel contingent tried to rally their team in game two against Pitt as the Duke fans cheered on the Panthers. Win or lose, everyone had a great afternoon of socializing. Some dropped by during their lunch hour and others were fortunate to slip away for the whole afternoon. The crowd dined on food prepared by the staff at J.H. Adams Inn. And those lucky enough to not have to return to work enjoyed the cash bar. Inn owner and fellow club member Mena Parrish, along with her chef and staff, were on top of their game accommodating our raucous group. Club members Clifton Mays, Steve Ilderton, Carroll Brown, and Tim Mabe left with prizes in the squares game while everyone else left having savored a special time with friends and fellow Rotarians. The Club also used this event to collect canned food to assist High Point University's IMPACT organization in their effort to fill backpacks for Guilford County School Children. It's About Membership! Our laser focus on membership attraction and retention is yielding great results as our District numbers show us growing from a negative position to +37 as of March 1. Not one to rest on our laurels, let us share a best practice from the High Point Club's PDG, Dave McCoy, who has an exceptionally well organized system for recruiting potential new member guests that really works and will undoubtedly help to ensure an increase for your club. You are encouraged to the take the time to implement your own version of this highly effective program. 1. When a member brings in a prospective member guest, a simple form is completed with name, address, phone number and along with the member's name. That info goes immediately into an group of prospective members. They then start to receive the Club newsletter. 2. A welcoming is sent to the prospect that invites them back for the next meeting and offers a membership contact. An explanation is given of attachments of a formal welcome with a listing of all the board members as well as a power point slide show about Rotary and the Club. 3. The third attachments is a combination of pertinent items relative to the Club such as dues structure, payment policy, blue badge requirements, attendance rules, bio. 4. The President, Membership Chair and member/sponsor are required to send a follow-up welcome An orientation is held when a minimum of 3 members are ready to join. (remember High Point Club is a large Club) Ten past presidents conduct a 1 -hour session. The new member is then introduced to the membership by the sponsor and is assigned a mentor. (High Point has found that a mentor and a sponsor, together, is more effective) I'm impressed with this thorough process! Please know that this info will be available in more detail on our District website, under Membership. Remember, we have great resources to share all you have to do is look or ask. As spring is a time of r enewal, give your membership and orientation programs a thorough review and implement these creative ideas to foster new growth for the coming Rotary year! 3 Cindi Hewitt and Cory Newton District Membership Co-Chairs

4 District Training Assembly May 9, :15am - 12:30pm Sears Building, GTCC Jamestown Campus District Training Assembly (formerly known as District Assembly) is held annually and designed to prepare Rotary Club officers and committee chairs for the upcoming Rotary year. We will introduce the Rotary International theme, international and district priorities, resources available to assist clubs and their leaders, and important programs and opportunities in our district. Please plan to arrive at 8:15am for an informal continental breakfast that provides a great opportunity to meet new friends from other clubs. At 9:00am, we will open with a plenary session that covers topics of interest to all attendees, and we will follow that plenary with break outs in areas of specific interest, such as how to grow your Membership and engaging your club's Family of Rotary. After those break outs, we will assemble again for a short plenary session before concluding at 12:30pm. We are planning a District Training Assembly that will be informative for all club leaders, so we hope your club will send as much of its leadership team as possible. At a minimum, please ensure your President and Membership Chair attend, as this is a gold club requirement. You can register for District Training Assembly at and the cost is $30 per person. Your registration includes breakfast, a snack during our break, and all printed materials. We look forward to seeing you in Jamestown on May 9! 2014 Areas V & XI Shadows Day Experience In January 2014, a committee was formed with representatives from the eight Greensboro City Rotary Clubs. We met via teleconference and face to face on a periodic basis to organize the event, solicit Rotarian "shadows" and began the process of having qualified high school juniors selected to represent their schools in an area or profession in which they are interested. On March 20, 2014, 51 high school students from 8 Guilford County high schools spent a half day shadowing Rotarians. This event provided great opportunities for students to shadow a multitude of professions including, educators, attorneys, veterinarians, law enforcement personnel, non-profit area and small business owners. The event culminated with a luncheon where students heard inspirational messages from the Superintendent of Guilford County Schools, "Mo" Green and Greensboro Mayor, Nancy Vaughan. It was a great event! We are already looking forward to and preparing for the 2015 event. Yours in service, Doug Wilson 2014 Shadows Day Event Chair 4

5 The Rotary district service project, D-Day Honor Trip is up and running. We have launched our website at and have partnered with WFMY News 2 to generate community interest and solicit Veteran and Guardian applications. We have received a number of applications to date and eager to receive more. If you know a WWII veteran that would be willing and able to make the trip to the national D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Virginia on Friday, June 6th we would like to hear from you. The application period will remain open through April 15th at which point we will notify all participants and prepare for the Pre-Trip Meeting on May 24th. The National D-Day Memorial staff in Bedford, Virginia is anticipating a crowd of over 10,000 people to recognize the 70th anniversary of the D-Day invasion and it will be a moving and memorable experience with a commencement program, honor guard, and USO show. This will be a one day, all expenses paid bus trip for Triad area WWII Veterans and a family member can serve as their designated Guardian. If you have any questions or request additional information please contact Jeff Sims at or jeffsims1@gmail.com. Rotarians Pack Meals for Hungry Students Greensboro: Summit Rotary and Rotary District 7690 hosted a 64,000 meal packing event on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2014 at the Out of the Garden Project warehouse at the C3 Church on Rte. 68. Over 185 Rotary members, their families and students from the District's Rotary youth clubs participated in two shifts throughout the day. Eighteen Rotaract and Interact Clubs participated. This yearly event is an assembly line packing of fortified mac & cheese, soy protein and 21 vitamins and minerals combined to make a dried, bagged meal for the over 57% of Guilford County's food insecure students. Rotary partnered with the Out of the Garden Project's distribution network that helps feed hungry students on the weekend. More than half of the meals will be distributed through the 124 Guilford County Schools. Seven Rotary Clubs in Greensboro participated: Summit, Airport, Crescent, Greensboro, Southern Guilford, Gate City and Guilford. Rotary is the largest service organization in the world with over 1.2 million members in 200 countries. Rotarians live by the motto of, "Service Above Self." For more information about Rotary contact: Cindi Hewitt, cpr454@aol.com. Sarah Eakes, daughter of Rotary District 7690, District Governor Elect, Patrick Eakes 5

6 OUR ROTARY FOUNDATION Our Rotary Foundation has three types of grants: District Grants Global Grants Packaged Grants WHAT ARE DISTRICT GRANTS? District grants fund smaller, short-term activities that address needs in both your local community and communities worldwide. Each district gets to choose which activities it will fund with these grants. You can use district grants to fund a variety of activities, including: Humanitarian projects, including service travel and disaster recovery efforts Scholarships for any level, length of time, location, or area of study Vocational training of any team size or timespan Districts must be qualified before they can administer district grants. HOW DO I APPLY FOR A DISTRICT GRANT? To apply for a district grant submit your funding request directly to your district, not The Rotary Foundation, which administers and distributes the grant funds. HOW ARE DISTRICT GRANTS FUNDED? Districts may use up to 50 percent of their District Designated Fund (DDF) to receive one District Grant annually. Districts receive this funding as a lump sum, which they can then distribute to their clubs. WHAT ARE GLOBAL GRANTS? Global grants support large international activities with sustainable, measurable outcomes in one or more of the six areas of focus. Global grants must: Be an international partnership between a Rotary club or district in the country where the activity takes place and a Rotary club or district outside of that country. Be sustainable and include plans for long-term success after the global grant funds have been spent. Include measurable goals that are demonstrated through progress reports Align with one of our six areas of focus Respond to real community needs Include active participation from both Rotarians and community members Have a minimum budget of $30,000 Meet the eligibility requirements in the grants terms and conditions You can use global grants to fund: Humanitarian projects that support the goals of one or more of the areas of focus Scholarships for graduate-level academic studies that relate to one or more of the areas of focus Vocational training teams, which are groups of professionals traveling abroad either to learn more about their profession or teach local professionals about a particular field HOW DO I APPLY FOR A GLOBAL GRANT? The Rotary Foundation accepts global grant applications on a rolling basis throughout the year. Before a district or club can apply for a grant, it has to complete the qualification process. Once your club or district is qualified, you can apply for a global grant through the online tool. HOW ARE GLOBAL GRANTS FUNDED? Global grants are funded with a combination of District Designated Funds or cash contributions and matching funds from The Rotary Foundation's World Fund. The World Fund will match 100 percent of District Designated Funds and/or 50 percent of cash contributions. The minimum award amount from the World Fund is US$15,000, which means that the minimum project budget is $30,000. 6

7 OUR ROTARY FOUNDATION WHAT ARE PACKAGED GRANTS? Packaged grants have been predesigned by Rotary and our strategic partners. The activities they fund are similar to those funded by global grants in many ways-they support our areas of focusand can include scholarships, humanitarian projects, and vocational training-but the work of designing the activity's general framework has already been done. This allows Rotarians to focus their talents and energies on bringing the project to life. With a packaged grant, your role could include: Assessing community needs and identifying those who could benefit from a project Selecting and mentoring scholars Assembling teams of professionals for peer-based training Providing technical expertise or direct service Promoting and publicizing activities Monitoring and evaluating the project HOW DO I APPLY FOR A PACKAGED GRANT? The Rotary Foundation accepts packaged grant applications on a rolling basis throughout the year. Before a district or club can apply, it must complete the qualification process. WHAT PACKAGED GRANTS ARE AVAILABLE? Five types of packaged grants, described below, are currently available. As we transition into our new grant system, we'll be steadily increasing these opportunities to include a wide range of projects and activities, locations, and levels of Rotarian involvement. Health educators training & nursing scholarships Aga Khan University and The Rotary Foundation offer two packaged grants in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda: the first provides training to health educators and the second offers scholarships to nursing and midwifery students at the university's East Africa campuses. Vocational training and medical service This packaged grant with Mercy Ships helps assemble vocational training teams of medical profes sionals to work aboard the state-of-the-art hospital ship Africa Mercy, to deliver free, world-class health care, capacity building, and sustainable development to those without access in the developing world. Water and sanitation scholarships This packaged grant provides scholarships for graduate students at UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education in Delft, The Netherlands. The institution is the largest postgraduate water education institution in the world and aims to tackle the world's water and sanitation crisis. HOW ARE PACKAGED GRANTS FUNDED? Packaged grants are funded by the World Fund and the strategic partner for the grant. If you have questions about the Rotary Grants types or application process please contact one of the following District Leaders: District Grants Co-Chairs - Jon Spillman at Jon.Spillman@edwardjones.com Dona Neal at dwneal1017@gmail.com Global Grants Chair - Rusty Hunt at rhunt@davidsonccc.edu Packaged Grants Chair - PDG Rick Snider at rsnider18@gmail.com District Rotary Foundation Chair - Mike Conrad at mconrad@jdrf.org...or the Foundation Advocate for your area 7

8 Succession Planning: PETS Success Grooming Leaders - March 6-8, 2014 One of the most important jobs you have as a leader in any business or organization is ensuring that you are preparing others to assume leadership positions. I recently read an article by a Rotary club president from Australian Rotary District Rotary Club President Geoff Baldwin allowed me to share a portion of a recent article and his sage advice! "Having just spent a weekend at PETS (President Elect Training Seminar) and thinking about succession planning in many areas of my life and looking at the achievements Individuals, Companies, Corporations, Not for Profits, Community Groups, and others make happen - one thing comes to mind that brings these results together. That one thing is what we need to effect in this club to make great things happen not once, not twice, but every year following. We have many great projects managed and implemented by individuals, who need to have successors to continue this work." I completely agree with Geoff, our leaders need to ensure that all members are engaged in meaningful roles in the club and that we are continuing to develop leaders to carry projects forward and to provide continuity in our leadership. Our district leadership team is demonstrating the value of working together and supporting new leadership to transition year-to-year smoothly and successfully. Our clubs, who are choosing leaders in a timely fashion, encouraging committee chairs to work closely to train the next chair, sharing information, and working a strategic plan, are also ensuring success for the future. 8

9 DISTRICT 7690 ROTARY AGAINST DRUGS Three students from Rotary District 7690 attended the Multi-District Rotary Against Drugs speech contest held in Raleigh on Sunday, March 9, The students competed against students from five Rotary districts in North Carolina and Virginia. Students from District 7690 were: Mayela Peralta of Lexington High School, sponsored by the Lexington Club, who placed fourth in the Multi-District contest. Brittany Dorsett of River Mill Academy, sponsored by the Graham Club. Austin Morris, home schooled, sponsored by the Troy Club Fourth place winner Mayela Peralta with PDG Rick Snider of the Lexington Club. Rotary Youth Exchange Clubs have an opportunity to sponsor an inbound exchange student for Our district will receive a student from France and a student from Thailand. Please contact Youth Exchange if interested. Contact: twfeagins@gmail.com. Refer to website: District 7690 has provided opportunities for Youth Exchange students to meet each other across North Carolina. In February Meret the exchange student from Germany traveled to Biltmore Estate with students from District 7710, Rosanna of Germany and Marina of Brazil to meet with Charlotte of France from District They enjoyed touring the manor and estate. Pictured left to right: Charlotte France, Meret Germany, Tanya 7690 Youth Exchange Officer, Rosanna Germany, Marina Brazil, David Rotarian Spouse

10 End Polio Now Update To see the latest PolioPlus news, go to the End Polio Now icon on our District 7690 website. Through this link you can view the following updates: Registration is now open for the 5th Annual Sandler "End Polio Now" Fundraiser scheduled for Monday October 20th. We have a new format and a new name this year as we work to reach into the non-rotarian business community to promote our signature project and introduce potential Rotarians to our organization. Our new name is "Growing Your Business-Enriching Your Life", and we will offer a new training module on "Using Rotary Networking to Grow Your Business". A Rotaract Club in California has collaborated with Rotary clubs in the Sonoma Valley to produce a fantastic video about our Rotary journey to eliminate the scourge of Polio from the face of the earth. The primary focus of the video is to educate and encourage residents of Sonoma County to have their children immunized against communicable diseases with special emphasis on our "End Polio Now" program. You can view the video by going to the End Polio Now icon on our District 7690 website. Our continuing fight to eliminate polio gets an additional $36 million boost from Rotary in support of polio immunization activities and research to be carried out by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, which aims to end the disabling viral disease worldwide by These latest Rotary grants include $6.8 million for Afghanistan; $7.7 million for Nigeria; and $926,000 for Pakistan. "Look who I ran into at the Rotary Club of Carthage Pancake Supper!" 10

11 Attendance for FEBRUARY 2014 CLUBS MEMBERS CURRENT MONTHLY MONTHLY % CLUB ID AS OF 6/30/13 MEMBERS MEETINGS ATTEND NO. *Alamance *Alamance Bkft *Archdale/Trinity *Asheboro *Burlington *Carthage *Clemmons **Crescent *East Greensboro *Eden *Furnitureland **Gate City *Graham **Greensboro **Gboro Arpt *Guilford *High Point **Hillsdale Sunrise *Jamestown **Jonesboro **Kernersville *King *Lexington *Liberty *Madison/Mayodan Midstate(Asheboro) **Mocksville *Mount Airy *Pinehurst *Randolph *Reidsville *Reynolda San-Lee Sunrise **Sandhills **Sanford *Siler City Southern Guilford *Southern Pines *Stoneville *Stratford *Summit *Surry Sunrise **Thomasville *Triad *Troy *Walnut Cove *Western Forsyth **Willow Creek *Winston-Salem *Yadkin Valley *Yadkinville *100% Paul Harris Fellow Club **Triple Crown Club 11 DISTRICT DISTRICT 7690 INTERNET RESOURCES: Visit For the District Calendar visit % For District and Club Database visit Questions? Visit PhilMorris@Rotary7690.org