roti bb july 2013 a

BREADBASKETJULY 2013

Applying information technology to enhance Rotary service, fellowship and knowledge

The Breadbasket is a monthly newsletter of the Rotarians On The Internet, since 1999.Editor: Glo Nethercutt, RC Mabalacat D3790 Philippines. Email: [email protected]

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www.roti.org

his is the first time I am addressing you as Chairman. It is a great honour and I thank you sincerely for the confidence Treposed me.

We had a simple but nice Changeover at the ROTI Reception at Lisbon. President Steve Sokol lead ROTI with distinction in the last two years. I wish to thank him and the outgoing Board for all that they have done forn ROTI. I joined ROTI in 1997. I believe that ROTI has the potential to be a powerful fellowship. Harnessing the power of Internet we can multiply Rotary fellowship and service. Time has come for ROTI to reengineer itself. I will be challenging the new Board to do this. Your suggestions and counsel are most welcome. Perhaps the best thing in ROTI now, is our Bread Basket. It is good news that Gloria Nethercutt has agreed to continue as Editor. Thank you Glo. She will be assisted by an Editorial team from all over. Our Website will undergo a drastic change. We have a new Webmaster - Chris Sweney from the Rotary Club of Conwy, North Wales. He was template designer for RIBI. We look forward to a new Website going online soon. Outgoing webmaster Mark Howinson did a good job and will assist Chris in the transition. PDG Todd Lindley and Hari Ratan are working hard to complete the first ROTI service project. The ROTI Hearing Aid Project will soon become a reality. We have already started planning for the ROTI Reception at Sydney - you will get to hear about it soon. We need to make ROTI Lists interesting, useful and constructive Sometimes inadvertently we send private messages to the list. I encourage you to send as many messages to the list – so long as it is of general interest. Sergeant at Arms Jesse has been encouraged by the Board to play a proactive role. ROTI needs to grow. I envision that we reach ten thousand members soon. This is a target that is really achievable if we set our mind to it. It is a new year – so let us think outside the box and energize ROTI with new ideas. Best regards, Sunil K Zachariah Chairman

FROMCHAIRth

e

Sunil K Zachariah

We need to make ROTI

Lists interesting, useful and

constructive Sometimes

inadvertently we send

private messages to

the list. I encourage

you to send as many

messages to the list – so

long as it is of general interest.

“

2 BREADBASKET JULY 2013

ROTIBOARD2

013Chair

PDG Sunil K ZachariahRC KalamasseryFuturistic Consultancies Ltd., India

Vice ChairPP John Glassford

RC CoolamonAustralia

Huff 'n' Puff Constructions (straw bale buildings)

SecretaryPP LawrenceTristram, RC Petersfield, UK

TreasurerPDG Gene Beil, RC Hudson, USALaw

Sgt at armsPP JesseTanchangcoRC Loyola HeightsPhilippines

Editor, PP Glo NethercuttRC Mabalacat, PhilippinesCivil Engineering

PDG Elaine Lytle, Rotary Club of Como Jannali, CEO,Sydney Conv.Australia

PDG Jay Dzurilla, RC Strongsville USA, Financial Industry

PP Dan Chandler, RC Wethersfield, USA

PP Alan KOkinaka, RC Hilo, Hawaii, Systems Engineering

GirishMittal, RC Mumbai BorivaliIndia

Webmaster

PP Chris Sweeney, RC Conway, Wales

MIKE BARRRC MetaireSunriseUSA

PP Marilyn Axler, RC Garden StateUSA

PP NornWinterbottomRC MilfordNew ZealndShipping & Customs

PP TKBalakrishnanRC Cochin NorthIndiaElectronics

DIRECTORS

3BREADBASKET JULY 2013

PP Chip RossRC Strathcona Sunrise, CanadaQuantitative Geography

he seed for ROTI was planted in the mid 90's when a Rotarian from the Rotary Club of National City, California, USA established a Rotary interest T

group list on the original Prodigy system.

The idea of an actual fellowship grew when Rotarian Darryl McKeller from New Zealand started talking on the list about trying to form a new Rotary International fellowship on the Internet specifically created for Rotarians using the internet. At that time, there were approximately 30 Rotarians from 6 or 7 countries on the list that communicated with each other. The group began to discuss the idea of a group of Rotarians using the internet for better communication for Rotarians all over the world; the goal was to eventually become a Rotary recreational Fellowship with a few hundred members.

After a year of work, developing the total package needed for a fellowship according to the rules set by Rotary International and an organizational effort, fellowship status was granted by RI and by winter of 1996-97, the group welcomed its one hundredth members to the fellowship.

In 1998, the ROTI Fellowship had a booth at the Indianapolis convention, where ROTI was introduced to thousands of Rotarians and hundreds of new members signed up.

ROTI had its first real chance to make a major change in the Rotary World when future RI president Frank Devlyn spent time at the ROTI booth learning about the unlimited potential of the Internet and the value it could be to Rotary International in improved communications and time and cost savings. When he became Rotary International President in 2000-01, Frank called on ROTI members to assist him in creating a major internet presence in every club and District in the Rotary world. That changed the way that all communications between Rotary International and Rotary clubs and Districts, so that everything that used to be handled by snail mail is now conducted through the Internet. We are proud to have been a big part of that revolution.

HISTORY of ROTI

PRIP Frank Devlyn and past chair Philip Merritt

ROTI was a social network long before Facebook and Twitter.


The recent changeover of officers of ROTI took place at the Hotel Tivoli Oriente, Lisbon, Portugal, on Sunday June 23, 2013.

PP Steve SokolRotary Club of Walhalla, USA2011-2013

PDG Sunik K ZachariahRotary Club of Kalamassery, India 2013-2015

Darell McKellar

PP Philip Merritt PDG Doug Vincent PP Ron Nethercutt

PP LeticiaParra

New Zealand,1997-1999

Rotary Club of Mabalacat Philippines, 1999-2001

RC Woodstock-OxfordCanada, 2001-2003

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RC Clark CentennialPhilippines, 2007-2009

Rotary ClubBellavista-Atizapan,Mexico2009-2011

PP ChrisWilksNew Zealand2003-2005

SAN ANTONIO, 2001 CHICAGO, 2005

LISBON, 2013

ROTICHAIRS


Rotary was founded on fellowship, a concept that has expanded through Rotary Fellowships, groups that bring together members from different countries and cultures to enjoy a shared interest.

Why join the ROTI Fellowship?

You want to extend your Rotary body of friends beyond your club

You want to learn from other Rotarians throughout the world

You want to experience the international aspects of Rotary

You want to tell others of your successes and problems

You want to seek from, or give help to, other Rotarians

You want to use the computer to meet these goalsYou want to join a Rotary fellowship with over 10

years of success

- Ron Nethercutt

why join ROTI

Just quick snips on what ROTI has meant to me:

Fellowship and friendship with Rotarians around the world I would never have otherwise metI learned more about Rotary in the first few months of joining ROTI than Ihad in the first 7 years of being in a Rotary Information travels fast! Met my fellow DG, Finn Munk, through ROTI.... my GSE team wgoes to hisdistrict next week.Remember "Gift of Life" child ROTI helped.Have forwarded many ideas on projects and fund-raisers to my club.Had friend who was hospitalized in Alaska; I ask for help and hadRotarians in that area check on her.Has helped me learn to be more tolerant of others' views.Have learned specifics about various cultures and customs from around theworld through the eyes of fellow Rotarians, not hype from news media.

Beverly HuntDG 2008-09

Ÿ

Ÿ

Ÿ

Ÿ

Ÿ

Ÿ

Ÿ

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Steve Sokol wrote in 2009:I worry that we may be overlooking what, by far, is the greatest contribution

made by ROTI to the Rotary World: We have not just preached technology, we have brought it to the forefront.

Before his year as RIP, Frank Devlyn decided to bring technology to Rotary. Harriett set the templates up, but five of us from ROTI did the "grunt work" to make that site what it became.

Ten years ago, when club sites were first coming on the scene, ROTI had ROTI-Wiz to help. Did one club benefit, or did one hundred clubs have web sites with our help. I do not know, but ROTI was there in leadership.

Before the emphasis was put on Fellowships, ROTI had a fellowship site on our own page and subsequently put it on its own page. Later, responsibility was shifted to outside of ROTI, because of the size of the project. Still, when RI seized the site for their own, they had to come to a ROTIan to get the domain name.

How many web sites for Rotary groups have been developed at no cost through contacts made through ROTI. I am sure it is many. [I just finished developing a site for World Health Fairs - a Rotary Action Group - the contact was completely RI generated.]

I think ROTI is a perfect example of what a fellowship should be. We are a large group of Rotarians, united by a common interest, who are using that interest to provide service to the Rotary world and beyond.

If that is not enough, we could discuss the unrealized potential of the ROTI Child project.

Jesse Tanchanco wrote:ROTI has been very instrumental to our club in terms of the following:1. Establishing sisterhood /twin ties with other clubs;2. Obtaining MG Partners /Match Clubs;3. Receiving direct donations for particular projects;4. Establishing friendship exchange opportunities ;5. Obtaining helpful information - personal, computer (technical) and Rotary related matters ;6. Made RI conventionsmore exciting and worth looking forward to.

why join ROTIlooking

forassociate

editorsAfricaAntarticaAsiaAustraliaEuropeNorth AmericaSouth America *Confirmed, Leticia Parra, Mexico

LETICIA PARRA

to writeat least ONE STORYa month!

ROTI

We want to have a newsletter that every Rotarian in the world would read and keep.

We want to learn what other clubs are doing, what other fellow Rotarians are accomplishing for the good of the world.

We would like to see other worlds in the eyes of others.

We are inviting volunteers to be associate editors of the ROTI breadbasket, to write at least one story a month.

Only one story of interest. An occasion, a conversation, a dialogue, an event, an interview, a show, a business or social deal, an accomplishment, a bit of here and there. Related to Rotary. To be submitted on or before the 15th day of each month.

The compensation is priceless. In your quest for news, you will come to know your neighbor clubs, meet long time colleagues, even relatives. As you write about them, you will acquire a perception for fairness, interesting, relevant and balanced “reporting.” You might even receive travel and visit hospitality :-) and speaking engagement.

Be reminded that good pictures will support good articles. Please avoid “posed” photos.

Waiting for you at [email protected].

EDITORIAL

for the continent of


by G A Nethercutt

arl ier this month, I traveled to the US to visit Emy 97 year-old mother in

Missouri, and the families of my son and daughter in Louisiana. We I also made a side trip to Florida to visit a Rotary friend and his wife in San Augustine, Florida.

St. Augustine is in the north-east portion of Florida and is the oldest continuously occupied settlement and port in the conti-nental UnitedStates. The area was first sighted by the Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon in 1513, who claimed the land for Spain and named it La Florida, mean-ing “Land of Flowers.” There were several attempts by both France and Spain to establish a settlement but all failed. On Sep-tember 8, 1565 Pedro Menen-dez de Avies of Spain founded San Augustine the settlement and given the task of protecting it from pirates and settlers from France. A year later in 1566, Martin de Arguelles was recog-nized as the first European child to be born in the continental United States.

These events paralleled that of the Philippines, when Miguel Lopez de Legazpi developed Spain’s first settlement near Cebu also in 1565. Although Fer-dinand Magellan had landed in 1521, he failed to establish a settlement and was killed by Lapu-lapu in the fierce Battle of Mactan.

Today St. Augustine, Florida has developed into a tourist Mecca by preserving homes, schools, the original gate to the city built in 1861, and Fort Castillo de San Marcos which was occupied from the 17th century by Spain, then France, then England, and finally by the United States of America.

Page 10 24-30 July 2013Philippine BUSINESS WEEK

Ron Nethercutt’s account of visit to fellow Rotarian Chris Stubbs was published in Philippine Business Week newspaper. The story is an example of friendship and international understanding developed outside the message hall of ROTI. - Editor

When a ROTIanvisits a fellow

ROTIan


During my visit to St. Augustine, my wife and I were invited to stay on a wonderful 45- foot (15 meters) ship owned by Chris Stubbs, a Rotarian and frequent

Today the magnificent Ponce de Leon Hotel houses Flagler College, a liberal arts institution which annually ranks in the top 300 in the US, with approximately 40 percent of those registered being listed as international students.

While the city’s hotels were crowded with tourists during the time we were there, my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed staying on board Chris’ ship, “The Missing Link.” While I owned a bass boat in the US, this was my first time living and sleeping on a privately own vessel; wonderful to have satellite TV, Wi-Fi, and of course all the amenities of a complete kitchen, dining area, two bedrooms and bath, and of course being able to stroll from the dock to visit St. Augustine and visit with the other skippers that had docked there for the Independence Day period. It would be wonderful for the Philippines to develop similar areas to encourage tourism here.

Tourism may be the most desirable industry a country might have since it doesn’t pollute the air with industrial smoke, remove trees from the land, mine the earth, or otherwise destroy the beauty of a country. And of most importance, it brings in new money from outside the Philippines, not just circulate what is already here.

visitor to the Philippines. Chris and his wife were wonderful guides around the community and led us through many of the delightful areas that now serve as artist exhibits, museums, restaurants, churches, the fabled “Fountain of Youth” of Ponce de Leon, and many other sites of historical interest.

The population of St. Augustine is less than 12,000 and is designed as a walking city, although a series of trolleys and horse carriages make it convenient to travel around the community. If one were to ask, “What is the city’s source of income?” the answer is quickly said, “tourism.” Even the City Hall is based in a beautiful building of antiquity and sits near Flagler College erected in 1885. Henry Flagler was a hotel and railroad magnate who developed much of Florida’s eastern coastal area. When he opened the Ponce de Leon Hotel in 1888, it became the foremost winter resort in America. Since Flagler had been a partner with John D. Rockefeller and founder of Standard Oil, it was natural that the wealthiest of society in the US would soon find St. Augustine.

Ron, Chris and mutual friend - beer

Glo, infamiliar zone

The couple Nanc and Chris Stubbs

Email [email protected] to tell yourROTI story and encounter with fellow ROTIan.

insidetheboat


PDG Douglas W VincentRC Woodstock-Oxford

Box 1583, Woodstock, ON Canada N4S 0A7Rotary United Nations Representative, Z24COL Representative 08-14, District 7080

www.dougvincent.com

From where I sit...

LEADERSHIPEXPLAINED

ith the start of a new Rotary year, our Rotary leadership is now posed on the verge of the next W12 months to put into practise all of the training

and planning from the past several months. From the RI President and Directors right up to the grass roots of Rotary Club President and Executive it is a refreshing continuation and development of many new or great initiatives.

PRIP Cliff Dochterman often has interesting views on Rotary topics and I wanted to share some of his thoughts recently presented on Leadership. Even though the concept is focused on District Governors, it also applies equally to Club Presidents and Committee Chairs.

“What kind of leadership will you give to the club presidents and district committees in your district next year?” he asks.

“Google lists over 4 million entries on leadership. But I don't believe there is one on the leadership of a Rotary District Governor. There are so many different styles of leadership. However, your leadership job is unique because you are leading a group of Rotarian volunteers, “ Cliff said.

What is the leadership style of a successful District Governor? Cliff says “A Governor won't survive very long using the leadership style of a top sergeant — I don't think those club presidents will line up for marching orders.” Nor will a District Governor be effective using the leadership skills of an animal trainer, whose tools are a whip and a chair.

“Using the techniques of a football coach, yelling instructions to players in a championship game, won’t have much success for Governors either,” he says. The skills of a successful District Governor who is working with volunteer Rotarians requires some special consideration. “There is no chance to fire them and hire a new group,” Cliff says.

“Over the years, I have observed that some of the most effective Rotary leaders are those who exhibit the leadership skills and temperament of a symphony orchestra conductor,” he said. “Just as your District Leaders and Club Presidents are composed of a wide variety of men and women with unusual abilities, special interests, and many experiences . . . a symphony orchestra is made up of many separate instruments and individual artists.”

“First is the string section, with violins and cellos. I would compare them to those Rotarians who are so important to your District but are often rather high-strung and frequently need to be tuned in to the issues at hand.”

“Then there is the woodwind section of clarinets, oboes and bassoons, which have to cover a wide range in the musical score,” he said.


Doug V

“In Rotary, the woodwinds might be the quiet members of your leadership team who are perfectly willing to repeat the theme of the year. Once in a while, you might hear a squeak or two from that section.”

There is also the orchestra's brass section — the trumpets, trom-bones, and tubas. “These are simi-lar to the Rotarians you can always hear, loud and clear, Cliff said. “When they toot their horns you know they have an opinion — clearly expressed. Then occasionally, if it's the tuba guy, the only sound may be oomph."

“In the back of our orchestra is the percussion section with drums, cymbals, and all the bells and whistles. There may be big timpani or kettle drums which you only hear once or twice,” he said. “I suspect every Rotary club has a percussion section whose members beat the drum for their pet projects or use a drum roll to announce their arrival. You can't miss the percussion section in any club.”

Cliff also explains that in every orchestra there are those who are behind the scenes — the stagehands. They build the risers, set the chairs, and handle the lighting and sound effects. In your Rotary district they are the faithful members you can always count on being there and doing the routine tasks. These individuals are always ready and seldom complain. “These Rotarians seem to know how to do everything. They are often appointed sergeants-at-arms or aides to the RI president,” he said.

Frequently, there are music critics who attend the symphony. They have opinions and observations on every performance. “In Rotary, these critics are frequently identified as Past District Governors.”

“Just as the symphony orchestra is made up of many different instruments and players, you find the same differences among the Club Leaders in your District,” he said. “Your leadership job is the same as that of the symphony maestro, who uses leadership skills to bring together the strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion units into a creation of beautiful music.”

How will you do it? What kind of leadership will you need, to blend and harmonize the Rotarians in your district to create the outstanding concert you will direct during the coming Rotary year?

From comments by: Clifford L. Dochterman Past RI President

Toothpick ... to remind you to pick the good qualities in everyone, including yourself.

Rubber band ... to remind you to be flexible. Things might not always go the way you want, but it can be worked out.

Band-Aid ... to remind you to heal hurt feelings, either yours or someone else's.

Eraser ... to remind you everyone makes mistakes. That's okay, we learn from our errors.

Candy Kiss ... to remind you everyone needs a hug or a compliment every day.

Mint ... to remind you that you are wortha mint to your family & me.

Bubble Gum ... to remind you to stick with it and you can accomplish anything.

Pencil ... to remind you to list your blessings every day.

Tea Bag ... to remind you to take time to relax daily and go over that list of blessings.

DAILY SURVIVAL KIT

to help you each day . . .

This is what makes life worth living every minute, every day


Dear fellow Rotarians,

My name is Ahmad Elzoghby, a board member of the Rotary Club of Alexandria Cosmo-politan, District 2451 Egypt.

On this new Rotary year, 2013-2014, please allow me to share with your respectful club our Rotary organized initiative: "Cross Egypt Challenge" that aims to promote tourism to Egypt as well as world understanding.

Cross Egypt Challenge is a series of cross-country endurance scooter rallies conducted throughout one of the most mysterious countries in the world, Egypt. The series started in 2011 and the first season was a 9 days ride from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea in the North of Egypt to the temple of Abu Simbel, on the southern borders of Egypt with a total distance of over 1700 km.

The 2012 season witnessed a 2400 km route starting from Egypt’s famous capital and passing through the most exotic oases of the Egyptian western desert before ending the season in the world’s largest open air museum, the city of Luxor.

The 2013 season of Cross Egypt Challenge will start on November 8, 2013 and will last for 9 days. The successful series will include a fascinating and challenging route of 2400 km which will start from the Mediterranean city of Alexandria; pass by Egypt's capital, Cairo, make stops at the Western Desert Oases of Bahareya, Farafra, Dakhla, and Kharga, then heads east towards Luxor, Hurghada, and Sokhna before ending the journey in Cairo under the Great Pyramids of Giza.

Cross Egypt Challenge provides a very rewarding and challenging experience for participants from around the globe as it combines the best of adventure travel and extreme sports.

I invite your respectful Rotary club to take part and support our initiative by: ?Share the news with your respectful members and invite interested Rotarians to ride in this season’s rally. Sponsor a Rotaractor with a solid motorcycle riding experience to ride in this season’s rally (participation fee per person is USD 1,500 and covers all accommodation, meals, transportation, persmissions, gas, oil change, etc…). Spread the news out to your local community and local press to promote this Rotary initiatives, and the image of Rotary worldwide - Please ask us for a press release and we will be glad to send it to you. For more information or to register, please visit our website: www.CrossEgyptChallenge.com and LIKE our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/CrossEgyptChallenge

Ahmad Elzoghby, PHFRotary Club of Alexandria Cosmopolitan

Rotary International – District 2450, Alexandria, Egypt

INVITEEGYPTfr

om

Cross Egypt Challenge


My dear ROTI Amigos, I have seen from time to time at our Fellowship some emails asking for some grant partner, well, here is a great option to make contact with other partner at Rotary Leader' site: http://www.rotaryleader-en.org/rotaryleader-en/en201307#pg7 - Leticia Parra ToledoCoordinadora de Imagen Pública de Rotary Zona 21-A 2013-2016Rotary Public Image Coordinator Zone 21-A 2013-2016Rotaria del Distrito 4170 MéxicoInstituto Rotario Zona 21-A http://www.rotarymerida2013.org.mx/Rotary Paz www.rotarypaz.org

Be social.

Talk to your district governor-elect.

Attend an RI Convention.

Visit a project fair.

Search the Web

Visit Rotary’s new website

Join Ri’s LinkedIn group, which helps Rotarians share ideas and publicize project needs. You can also publicize your quest for a grant partner on your personal or club Facebook pages.

The International Assembly is a great opportunity to share project proposals.

Ask convention goers from your district to bring a list of projects to share with potential partners. The RI Convention is the ideal place to start collaborating.

These annual regional events are hosted by Rotary districts worldwide to encourage international friendship and collaboration on service projects. For information about upcoming project fairs, contact

.Most districts have their own websites that help bring clubs and districts together on joint projects.

.Rotary’s new site will have tools to help you find and connect with partner clubs and obtain resources for your projects.

[email protected]

IF YOUR CLUB OR DISTRICT IS STRUGGLING TO FIND A PARTNER FOR AN INTERNATIONAL SERVICE PROJECT, CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING TIPS:

otarians in Maputo, Mozambique, needed an Rinternational partner to help

finance US$55,100 project to upgrade a sanitation system and install a water tank at a school. They turned to their district contacts and soon learned of a Danish club seeking a host partner.

“Our club was looking for a Foundation project, as we had funds to use,” says Stein Schierenbeck, a member of the Rotary Club of Skanderborg, Denmark. “Being a club in the pilot district for the new global grants, we looked for areas of need within another pilot district.”

Once the clubs connected, they obtained a Rotary Foundation global grant to complete the project. School officials and the contractor agreed to maintain the new facilities, meeting the grant’s sustainability requirement.

HOW TO


mailto:[email protected]

HERETHERE

A COLLECTION OF ROTARY POSTINGS, THOUGHTS, AND COMMENTS AROUND THE WORLD

&

peter - Tiscali wrote:

You may like to visit http://www.ribimoodle.org/ where there are specifictraining modules on:- Membership- Project management- Marketing & PR- Foundation- Club admin- Leadership skills.

You will need to sing in and to create an account for yourself. There may besome ideas that you can adapt (and translate) for your own club.

Looking for presentations for club

training programs

Ask techROTI

I am suddenly being bombarded with pop up ads and my "pop up blocker" says it is working put obviously it is not.Any suggestions?- Kevin M. Purcell, PP, MPHF*The Rotary Club of Torrington

Kevin,Go to My computer and hit your C: drive. In the upper right hand corner isa search box. Put into the box the word "bandoo." If any thing comes up,uninstall that application or program. That may be your problem.- Stan CahnPP - RC of Hilton Head - SunsetTreasurer RLI Zone 33

Connecticut USA District 7890

How to rid of pop up ads


am pleased to announce the formation of a new proposed RI Fellowship, the "Rotarian E-club IFellowship" or REF, which will be open to all

Rotarians, Rotaractors, and spouses of Rotarians who share an interest in E-clubs. Theprimary objectives of the Fellowship will be to:

Ÿ Discuss ideas and share resources for E-clubsŸ Facilitate and encourage the formation of new E-

clubsŸ Work towards building a better understanding of

E-clubs and dispelling misconceptionsŸ Develop new strategies for E-Clubs and long

term planningŸ Discuss membership strategies and related

issuesŸ Encourage partnerships and joint projects

between E-clubs and traditional Rotary clubsŸ Provide discussion areas for informal fellowship

and serious discussion among the membersŸ Work together to encourage better goodwill and

friendship among E-clubs

Of course we would have every intention of working in complete cooperation and support of ROTI and all RI Fellowships!

If you are interested in becoming a charter member of this proposed Fellowship please go to our website and register here: http://rotarianeclubfellowship.wordpress.com/register-here/

We would also greatly appreciate you taking a moment to view or "Like" our Facebook Page. Go to:https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rotarian-E-club-Fellowship/195805077249281

If you are interested in joining a REF committee or helping with the formation of the proposed Fellowship, please let us know or send a private message. We certainly welcome your feedback, suggestions and opinions. :-)

- PP Philip MerrittRC Mabalacat Clark D3790, Pampanga, Phils

arilyn will have a report shortly on the reception. I was disappointed that the Mattendance was low. However, the

fellowship was excellent and the venue very nice. One good point was that I kept quiet and just introduced Sunil and let him talk about his board and an overview of his plans.

The House of Friendship was very slow, except for the Rotary merchandise booths. The much smaller crowd apparently eliminated many of the casual Rotarians - those who went to some breakouts and meetings, but spent lots of time in the House of Friendship. I think we drew our fair share of visitors compared to booths around us. We did get a few that seemed very serious prospects. We were a big for showing people how to get on Wi-Fi. Not difficult if you realize to ignore the login button and just set it.

The booth attendance was better than shown (as expected). There were seven or eight ROTIans who dropped by to help and I will list them one I get my written list down to make sure I do not miss anyone. Simply stated, if we can not get ROTIans in the booth, we can not generated the exciting atmosphere that allows us to pull in people. This is not a ROTI problem. We did better than most in bringing people in, but needed activity.

Vendor booths did well, as said, but Russell-Hampton did not come - said it was just too expensive to maintain a booth. I am sure that will be discussed, particularly with the volume they push through their booth, it id surprising thy could not make a large profit.

RI has been pushing Global Networking Groups and the way to make them very successful if to generate interest in the House of Friendship. I do not know the answer - heck, I can not even find a missing bag - but feel certain we will see more draw for Fellowship and RAG booths. The fellowship Committee will be looking at ways to make Fellowships more attractive over the coming months, and way for Fellowships to work together to find in numbers.

ROTI @ LISBON

Steve Sokol wrote:

ECLUBROTARIANFELLOWSHIP


he first opportu-nity is for those who assis t in T

coordinating global Uni-ted Nations MUNAs (Mock United Nations

Assemblies) with young adults. Two Model UN Workshops are being organized by the United Nations Department of Public Information. The first will be from 8–11 July 2013 in Vienna and the second will be held from 26-29 August 2013 at UN Headquarters in New York. These workshops aim to provide student leaders who are actively involved in organizing Model UN programmes, at the university level, with a deeper understanding of how the General Assembly and the Security Council operate.

Eligibility - The workshop in Vienna, Austria is open to any student who will be organizing a Model UN programme at the university level anywhere in Europe between August 2013 and July 2014. The session at UN Headquarters in NY is open to any student who will be organizing a Model UN programme at the university level anywhere in the world between September 2013 and August 2014.

Registration - There is no registration fee for students or faculty advisors who are eligible to attend the 2013 MUN Workshops. However, once accepted, participants will be responsible for all travel and living costs during the four-day workshops. The call for applications to both workshops is now open. Please note: you can only submit one application for either Vienna or New York but not both.

Workshop Content - The workshops will focus on giving MUN organizers a basic understanding of the Rules and Procedures of the General Assembly, the discussion and action phases of General Assembly Committee meetings, what you need to know when drafting resolutions, the duties and responsibilities of the UN Secretariat and General Assembly officials, the Security Council Rules and Procedures, and more.

Another MUNA activity which takes place in Canada allows the best and brightest young minds from across the country to convene in Canada’s capital for an annual International Model United Nations (CANIMUN). It is organized by the United Nations Association in Canada’s (UNAC) brings together 250-plus delegates in March 2014 to engage in simulated debate, dialogue and diplomacy on some of the most pressing issues currently on the international agenda. The event includes plenary and committee sessions, an international press forum; and daily news publications. Featured speakers include a keynote ‘briefing’ by Canada’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN whom one young future diplomat will be ‘playing’; and Under Secretary-General of the UN. More information at: http://canimun.org/

by PDG Doug Vincent


ike all clubs we are constantly trying to recruit new members. All our attempts Lso far seem to fall on deaf ears or we get

the response that "I'm just too busy just now, Can't make the regular commitment etc. The local Lions have just folded, and a local Rotary club we "sponsored" has just surrendered its charter - we may get 2/3 members from them.

We recently had a presentation about Associate Membership and think that this could be a direction we might to take to recruit volunteers to enable us to continue our programme, or new projects and maybe just maybe future members.

I would like to know from clubs who have tried this avenue, how they went about it, any problems (challenges) they encountered, how successful it was, and any suggestions they might have.

I have just very reluctantly taken over the Presidency of the club (for the 2nd time) and membership is my priority over everything else. - Peter BattleRC Barry, Dist 1150, S Wales, UK

Hi Peter, our club, RC Holy Spirit D-3780 (covering Quezon City, Philip-pines), is one of 200 clubs participating in the 3-year Associate Membership pilot project of RI from 2011-12 to 2013-14.

After the first year, two of 8 associate members the club have "converted" to active Rotarian status.

Associate members, who are sponsored by club members, find the arrangement attractive: no dues are charged (except for meal cost), no pressure to contribute to any foundation, and attendance in meetings is optional. They love to join community service projects and club fellowship events. We note that in the process, associate members slowly get "Rotarized" while the club gains extra hearts & hands for outreach service projects.

- Ric Salvador, RC Holy Spirit D-3780

HOW DO YOU MAKEROTARY ATTRACTIVE?

e are trying a Friends of Rotary idea so far we have one. They do not pay fees and remain a friend for 12 Wmonths and then review their situation. We started

with three FOR and two have since joined as full members, both women, and both well before the 12 months was up. We are now 20 in number.

Our town is a small one around 2,500 residents and our Shire has around 9,000 in all.

Like your club we concentrate on local community projects which include:Ÿ A Shop Locally Campaign which has given us a high

profile. We have a Lions club and about 15 other community committees so the competition is strong for members.

Ÿ We run a market day twice a year.Ÿ We produce a local telephone book every 3 years.Ÿ We run a monster raffle for our local hospital every second

year.Ÿ We contribute around US $1000 i.e. a PHF to TRF

annually which usually goes to some one in the community.

Ÿ I look after our African projects as well as serve on the board.

Maybe you should look at your resources within your club and delegate a champion for each and every project you are involved in. Not telling you how to suck eggs but if one member has a project in mind, then they should be allowed to run with it. That is how it works for us and so far we cover most of the avenues of service within Rotary. >>>>

eter, you've hit on a topic that is very dear to me. When I joined Rotary 23 Pyears ago it was a fun organization.

We had a waiting list to host a GSE team member. It was a matter of great prestige to become a member.

Rotar ians d id business wi th Rotarians and that brought us youngsters into the club, we who were focused on building our business and taking care of our families. Rotary was a tool for raising those families and gave us another tool to instill values in our children. Out of those business connections and family values that brought us to Rotary we grew into the local and international aspects of service.

During those 23 years I've watched as Rotary has turned itself into an "Old Man's Organization." We blame younger professionals for not joining but we give them nothing worth joining. We take a stance that any 30 year old who is not focused on drilling water wells in some place they've never heard of is not worthy of being "A Rotarian" while being "A Rotarians" is reaching a point that it really doesn't mean much.

Our district leadership and RI tell us that we need a Facebook page to reach the next generation while what we really need to do is the same thing that Rotarians gave us when we joined. We need to give them relationships that address their priorities and we need to give them something that addresses their priorities - their families and their professions. That RI and the district leadership attend and organize membership seminars and proceed to tell us, the workers of Rotary, that we need a good Facebook page or Twitter account to attract those pros-pective Rotarians is insulting to the Club Level Rotarian as well as the prospective future Rotarian.

Rotary has placed the egos of the leadership ahead of the needs of the membership. That in itself is a recipe for the continued demise of Rotary.

- Steve ColemanSaveGSE.orgR.C. Danbury, TexasD5890


john glassford wrote:

At last we're getting down to fundamentals. Thank you both for these comments. I've just finished three years as an AG in my District (I've been pres in two different clubs) and these sentiments are what is coming over loud and clear from all 11 clubs that I supported. We need fun. fellowship and service, and I'm plugging community work and local involvement all I can. I've been a Rotarian since 1988, in six different clubs in most parts of the UK as I've moved with work, and I've seen the changes from a dynamic working people's organisation that people aspired to join to an old person's club. If our leadership want to go for the Nobel Peace Prize for the best NGO then let them. That's not my Rotary, and I'm not interested. I'm very interested in my community and the people in it!

- John Holme, Rotary Club of Cambridge UK, District 1080

s many of you know, Rotary is currently in a state of transition from a large NGO of service clubs to Aa bigger organization on the world stage. This is

mainly due to our work on Polio eradication with the assistance of other United Nations affiliates, health NGOs and the Gates Foundation. Part of this evolution includes our current Rotary Foundation future vision programs that will move us toward more focus on District and multi-District programs/projects on a larger scale. Even though Rotarians may not have the appetite to do another big “Polio type” project for some time in the future, it was suggested that we need to strive toward “Thinking Bigger” on major global project initiatives. What can Rotary offer to the United Nations? At the start of our Polio discussions with RI, the Director of WHO (World Health Organization) knew a little bit about Rotary since her father had been a Rotarian. She knew something of what Rotary could do but until then she and WHO had only dealt with health professionals on world health issues and not service clubs. Rotary was vague to WHO officials and they wondered “Who are they?” and “What can they possibly do to help?” A big part of the world out there does not know about Rotary, unless they have a particular interest or need that we help them with. So panelists suggested that in our branding efforts, we might target our resources to specific governments and areas in the world, spreading awareness and promoting just in targeted regions. Sustainability of projects is important and a byword of the United Nations. Likewise for our recently revised Rotary Foundation programs/projects. Rotary’s overall sustainability is important as well, which comes from Rotary Clubs and Members, not Rotary International. There are many Rotary Foundation Alumni working at WHO, the World Bank and United Nations which gives us a good Rotary presence. They are doing a great job and want to be associated with a group like Rotary that can make a difference in our troubled world. The RF Ambassadorial and Peace Fellow Scholar graduates are working at quietly at high levels with many acting as senior political advisors and speechwriters for world leaders. So our TRF Alumni are very important. Because of the significant partnership Rotary has with the United Nations, efforts are being made to make Rotarians more aware and interactive with our UN involvement. accounts are being planned to make the

accounts are being planned to make the UN activities more available to members as well as providing speaker contacts to clubs nearby New York. We are also working with contacts in Canada through my membership in UNAC. So what can we all do as Rotary members around the world? A World Bank panelist suggested that Rotary needs to “up its game” to a higher level of interaction and international development. RI level representatives need to be involved at government levels and within senior levels of NGOs and the UN. For Zones and Districts, they can focus on national or regional offices in the field. Rotarians in Zone/District leadership should be encouraged to go introduce themselves to these regional NGO offices and invite collaboration on joint projects of value. We should not try to just focus at a high level, but rather work at lower local levels with those offices that have needs and funding to work together with. Recently I participated in another United Nations session on the “Millennium Goals, post 2015”. Watch for some interested reading to come soon from that event. Yours in Rotary service,Doug V

Report on United Nations session at RI Convention in

Lisbon



[email protected] wrote:

I fear that Bill may well be right. My Clubs have always been typical hands-on local clubs, serving their communities and meeting - and usually exceeding - their obligations to TRF and District. In many instances, the higher echelons of RI management have become detached from the spear-carriers at ground level.

>>>The former grant protocols DID needed revision, agreed. They were cumbersome and slow to manage. But the FV regime excludes scores of smaller clubs frombecoming involved. Agreed - by limiting RI support to a restricted range of issues, they can focus more efficiently on those projects. But that takes little account of the scores (hundreds?) of smaller programs where individual clubs have recognised a need, be it at home or abroad.

With total charitable income of less than $10,000 per year both of my former clubs would have to commit several years income - to the exclusion of all else - in order to fund a grant-aided project. That's not how we work. No one in the clubs to which I have subscribed writes a cheque for $1000 to pay someone else to do a job. We identify local, regional and occasionally international projects, roll up our sleeves and get on with the challenge. We are a service organisation not fund-raisers for the international projects of others.

The very first Rotary project, as I recall, was to erect a men's public toilet in Chicago. Small local clubs can still put service before self by serving the communities around them. This current rush to prove that 'bigger is better' serves only to increase the distance between the compact, hands-on clubs of 20-25 members and the higher tiers of RI management.

I wonder if anyone 'on the 18th floor' subscribes to this or other Rotary lists and is aware of the current groundswell of uneasiness/unrest?

To those who readily criticize the UN and it's humaniitarian projects in developing countries, I say, "Those (Rotarians) who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones."

Previous to the global Grant system, clubs and districts were not required to measure or evaluate the success of their projects. Based on our experience with projects in Indonesia the last 15 years ( and not only with our club), of which many have been great successes, I can say that many projects undertaken with good intent have ended up not quite successful, some due to corruption, some due to lack of planning, some due to cultural misunderstandings and then sometimes.... The gods just put blocks in your way. UNICEF faces the same challenges. It is easy for someone in a developed country to criticize, but when you actually live there, as I have for 20 years, you can understand the realities of the place.

Rotary is certainly not perfect, as I daresay, neither are any of us, but for me,Rotary has been a way to help make a contribution in a bigger way than I could ever do i dividual,y, and for that, I am grateful.

- Sue Winski, President, Rc Bali Ubud SunsetUbud, Bali, Indonesia

Couldn’t help thinking about our internal efforts of increasing our membership by believing that “bigger is better.” I hold back my full commitment to believing that bigger projects are better and bigger clubs are better. I prefer to have a club of 25 Rotarians who are fully engaged and active, than one with 50 members where only half are active. - Alan OkinakaRC of Hilo Bay, Hilo, HI

>>>The Rotary Foundation (TRF) needs to do a much better job in investing wisely what the 1.2m Rotarians entrust to TRF of RI, so to make sure that the huge 2008 losses don't happen again.

It is not admissible nor acceptable that RI drifts apart from the real Rotarians and their Clubs. RI must keep strictly to its function which is to serve always better our world's Rotary Clubs.

Bill rightly points to the fact that the size of the "true extent of how top tier Rotary is drifting away from the rank and file Rotary that I know and love". But it's not too late to remedy !

>>>Rotary is too precious for humankind, it's necessary to attract the unavoidable World Peace in a world without polio ! But we must do much more that just giving cash to extirpate polio!

- Marco KappenbergerPresident, Rotary E-Club of LatinoaméricaDistrict 4200

DG Doug Vincent has written an excellent piece on the relationship between Rotary and the United Nations, and I thank him for that report. It has explained much of why The Rotary Foundation has implemented its Future Vision Program and the change of emphasis it promotes. It has also solidified in P

my own mind an issue that has been festering there for a number of years, the fact that there are *Two Rotary’s*.

Now I don’t mean any disrespect to Doug or to any of our Rotary leaders; but yes, there are two Rotary’s. There is the top tier Rotary that Doug describes. This is the Rotary that is striving to be a more visible player on the world stage; a Rotary that is re-positioning itself so that it may be favorably compared to large phi lanthropic and governmental ly funded organizations including the Gates Foundation, UN and WHO. Then there is the rank and file Rotary that consists of local clubs and individual Rotarians who do service above self though more hands on efforts. This is the Rotary that RIP Ron Burton promotes with his “Engage Rotary, Change Lives” theme, and it is the Rotary that he promotes in the video of him flipping pancakes at a local project. This is the Rotary that every Rotarian first experiences, and it is the Rotary to which the overwhelming majority of Rotarians currently belong (disclaimer, I have no personal experience with Rotary outside of the USA, so if this does not apply in your community, I will gladly stand corrected; but please consider that by our very presence in this discussion, all of us have extended our Rotary participation beyond the club level).

While every Rotarian experiences (and hopefully participates in) rank and file Rotary, very few rise into the top tier. The door is certainly open to any Rotarian who is willing to devote the time and effort to rise through the ranks. Nevertheless, only a small percentage serve beyond the club level, and a miniscule percentage of Rotarians serve beyond the district level. I submit that very few have the desire to do so. I have the utmost respect for those who do.

It is unclear whether the two Rotarys can exist without each other. The top tier Rotary depends on the work of the pancake flippers, raffle ticket sellers, silent auction bidders, and local club leaders to raise the funds and awareness to enable its effort; but this may become less important if efforts to attract third party support are successful. The rank and file Rotary depends on Rotary leadership to provide inspiration, guidance, and services that enable local clubs to exist; but this may become less important as Rotary goals shift into areas that are beyond the reach of autonomously operating clubs. It seems to me that the two Rotary’s are slowly drifting apart.

Linking the two Rotary’s has been an ongoing effort for years, and it is most visible at the district level. District conferences and PETS meetings that I have attended have featured, without exception, significant presentations on the international aspect of Rotary and mission of The Rotary Foundation. GSE Teams are given prominent spots on the program, and Ambassadorial Scholars are often invited to speak (please set aside the inconvenient fact that both of these programs have been phased out under Future Vision). Each district conference features the RI President’s representative who speaks to the state of Rotary International, and the District Governor’s official club visit also works towards this end. These activities are important because without them there is no way that club level Rotarians can know about the good works of Rotary beyond the club level; and without that knowledge they have little incentive to do projects beyond their own community or contribute to The Rotary Foundation.

Unfortunately, such efforts tend to involve a one way channel of communication. While district leaders may hear about the problems and concerns of their local clubs, they often find it difficult to communicate these in a candid manner to the higher ups. To do so risks branding themselves as individuals who are not team players; the kiss of death for anyone who desires to move higher in the organization.

There are 2 Rotarys

...and they are slowlydrifting apart


As Doug has reported, Rotary is currently in a state of transition from a large NGO of service clubs to a bigger organization on the world stage. This is certainly true for top tier Rotary, but has rank and file Rotary bought in to this notion? I submit that the vast majority of rank and file Rotarians are completely unaware that such a transition is in progress, and for those who do there is another set of issues. While some local Rotarians are in a position to advocate or otherwise participate in efforts to become a bigger organization on the world stage, most are not. Should the work they can do be marginalized? Can they be expected to embrace changes that adversely affect their own projects in order to do work that is far removed from their own personal experience and ability? Should they be criticized if they fail to embrace such changes? Should they be demonized for expressing their opposition?

Fellow Rotians, I have known for several years that there was something bothering me about the direction of Rotary. I have always recognized that Rotary has a management structure that has developed over the years, a structure that has served it well. I respect our Rotary leadership. Only now have I realized the true extent of how top tier Rotary is drifting away from the rank and file Rotary that I know and love. This saddens me.

I am relatively new to ROTI, so very few here know me. If you are interested in specific problems I and some of my friends have with the implementation of Future Vision and the transition it supports, I invite you to visit the Rotarians Matter Most website at http://www.rotarians-matter.org.

- Bill PhillipsPP, RC of Lawrenceburg (TN, USA) District 6760


here seems to be so much unhappiness in some of our members. Such negative feelings can only do more harm than good in any organization. I understand and appreciate the sentiments of many against Tthe new Grants structure and even those in the higher-ups of the RI structure. I agree that the some of

the concerns leveled against them are most valid and certain adjustments are truly called for. But now I'm surprised that we are now even attacking the UN. Again, it's not a perfect organization but it's the only one that we have that can function as such and recognized by practically all the nations in the civilized world. If it is really as bad as some may believe, is abolishing it the right answer ? What alternative do we have?

Those that truly appreciate the efforts and programs of the UN are those who come from less developed countries. They have certainly been very much involved in humanitarian concerns in my country and I have not heard a single complaint or scandal hurled against them through the years. Many of our fine soldiers have joined the UN as volunteer peace keepers in war torn countries and some of them have even lost their lives in the process.

>>>Inspite of all the "shortcomings" and so called "inefficiencies" of RI and the Rotary Foundation, we are still able to function effectively as a club. We continue to gain membership every year because of our exposure in the communities where we serve and the fellowship that we are able to develop not only with our members but with our families as well. We have been the biggest club in our district for many years and we still continue to grow. .

We have continued to support the Rotary Foundation by being one of the top 3 contributors every year (at least in our district) and we are able to apply for and receive the most number of grants (DSG, MG and now a GG in the process). On the other hand even without the grants, we are able to sustain our projects through the generosity of our numerous partners in service and funds that we are able to generate through our major fund raisers. I can see it in the passion, dedication and commitment of our members to serve, to be creative and resilient whenever the much needed resources are lacking.

We do not dwell on the negatives as they are counterproductive but use them as a challenge for us to do much more, to look for more opportunities and even to do things differently.

- Jesse TanchancoRC Loyola Heights, RID 3780, Quezon City, Philippines

NEEDS and VALUES

ome of the conversations on ROTI of late have conce rned me : spec i f i ca l l y Ro ta ry ' s Sattractiveness and polemics regarding the UN.

Personally, they are frustrating to read and I am loath to participate in them. I'd rather go dig the weeds out of my garden and eat worms. They lead nowhere, solve no problems and are ventilation exercises: wastes of time.

In particular discussions focusing on how to make Rotary more "attractive" and whether or not the UN have values sterling enough to attract Rotary are helpful only if they contribute to our mission, which they don't. In the former, Rotary is not a beauty contestant that we air-brush in preparation for a bikini or evening gown competition in hopes that someone in the voting audience will like us. In the latter, Rotary affiliates with the UN due to its stated values, not the political distortions and corruptions that attach to such bodies (name one body of international influence, including the US Senate and House of Representatives ... pick any national government you like ... that does not have such distortions and corruptions of its stated values and mission.) We're missing the point.

Members and potential members are attracted to Rotary (as Toddle-Pip Peter rightly said, "Deeds not words") because of what we do. People see our works and they want to be a part of it. Those who have a need to participate in the activities, projects and mission of Rotary will find us because Rotary fulfills their needs, NOT because they can fulfill Rotary's needs. People join Rotary (or any service organization) for what their needs are, not for what Rotary or other service organization needs from them. For example, if someone walks into an automotive dealership the salesman doesn't say "We need your money. Bring your check book and I'll see if I have a washing machine for you." It seems to me Rotary wants more members and greater contributions to the Foundation and this example is the marketing approach: "Rotary needs numbers and money. Bring your check book and we might have something you're interested in ... It might not be what you're looking for but, hey, we need you!" We ought to let our work (see the Toodle pip reference above) speak for us and those with interests in our work will come: It's our work that brings people in, not OUR need for THEIR money, or time, or labor.

I'm reminded of a timeless mantra? "Grab their hearts and their wallets follow. Grope their wallets and you'll never see them again."

Regarding the UN: Rotarians were at the heart of the early organization of the UN. Both Rotary and the UN have drifted ... their stated missions and avowed purposes remain much the same: the foundational values of world peace and international understanding for both are at the core of their respective raison d'être. In that way perhaps we are beauty contestants blathering about "world peace" while we show a little skin to attract votes, contributions and butts in the seats at lunch. Our complaints about the UN should not be our focus. Our beauty content values really are for world peace and we mean it: we demonstrate it everyday in our work, our treasure and our time. Let the UN do what the UN does: It's a political body and Rotary (well, ideally and avowedly) is not. Our values are about diversity, equality, health, environmental integrity, and the ethics of the 4-way test. Throwing spit balls and consuming time with critiques of the UN is not going toadvance our values. I suggest we ignore those who would take the low road and debate the corruption of international political institution. It's like wrestling in the mud with a pig: you can't win and the pig likes it.

Our discussions ought to be focused on how to meet the needs of members. If what we do meets their needs, they will come ... and in time, they will meet Rotary's needs. If not, then that's data, too. We ought to advance our values and be a living example of how world peace if achieved thought our works, not our rhetoric. If we do that, then we show that values are not simply words from the high minded set in an ivory tower but the crystalized sweat of our brows, our treasure and time.

Let's get out of the mud. Throwing spitballs at Evanston and the UN are a waste of time and divert us from our true mission. Don't we have better things to do and talk about? We have a higher calling. Let's concentrate on how Rotary has met and will continue to meet the needs of members and potential members: on how our values make the world a more compassionate, humanistic, tolerant and fair place for all humanity. If we do that, our numbers, membership and contributions will no longer be mis-identified problems. As it is, our flat numbers, exhausted membership and lagging contributions are more symptoms of our having failed to emphasize the needs of our members, our good works and our sterling values than they are problems themselves.

Onward and upward,Jon Deisher, PP


PP JON DEISHER, Anchorage, Alaska


An interesting thread...

rom the earliest days of Rotary we have not had a uniform "Rotary" mindset. At the start the members of the Rotary Club of Chicago were opposed to Paul Harris's crazy idea of spreading Rotary to other cities. They tried Fto block his efforts by saddling him with Ches Perry who was supposed to keep Paul in line but instead

promoted the development of new clubs. Paul said that if he was to be considered the architect of Rotary then Ches Perry was the builder.

If you have a picture in your head of what a Rotary club is supposed to look like then it is probably very much like your own club and its patterns. Visit other clubs in your neighborhood and you will quickly find that they don't look quite like the image you had in your head. Travel more broadly and visit Rotary clubs throughout the world and it will become clear that the differences are even broader. We don't all look alike, act alike or believe in the same things. Our focus, however, is not on where we differ, but where we are alike. This is what gives us strength as an international organization, and what allows us to magnify our service locally and internationally.

Rotary has been changing since the outset. It was many years after the organization formed before the first service projects were undertaken. Over the years we have broadened the scope of our projects not only to help the beneficiaries but also to raise the profile of the organization and our individual distinction in our community as members. Today there are some clubs that do very little service, although most are at least generous donors to other organizations that actually do good work. Many of the ROTI participants in this thread are obviously from clubs where hands-on service to their local community is the order of the day. A club twenty miles down the road from my own is such a club, doing absolutely marvelous things within their city limits but having a virtual prohibition on activities beyond that border. Other clubs that I know in my area have a balance of local and international service, still dominant in their own communities. A few mostly meet for fellowship and networking and have nearly no service component. No indeed, we are not all alike.

In promoting our service, whether in our local or international communities, we always benefit from partnerships with others. It is not necessary that our entire mission exactly match their entire mission. Very often we form partnerships with faith based groups to perform a humanitarian service without having to adopt their religion. We partner with local groups to do a project even though our purpose might be humanitarian while theirs might be promotional or even profit motivated. We congratulate each other on the success of our common project and then go our separate ways.

As to Rotary and politics, here is the organization point of view from the Manual of Procedure:

Rotary and Politics. RI and its member clubs must refrain from issuing partisan political statements. Rotarians are prohibited from adopting statements with a view to exerting any corporate pressure on governments or political authorities. However, it is the duty of Rotarians 1) In their clubs, to keep under review political developments in their own communities and throughout the world insofar as they affect service to their vocations and communities as well as the pursuit of the Rotary objective of world understanding and peace. They are expected to seek reliable information through balanced programs and discussions so that members can reach their own conclusions after a fair, collective examination of the issues. 2) Outside their clubs, to be active as individuals in as many legally constituted groups and organizations as possible to promote, not only in words but through exemplary dedication, the awareness of the dignity of all people and the respect of the consequent human rights of the individual. (89-134, RCP 2.100.)

Rotarians have been active in the United Nations since its inception and continue to maintain an active relationship today. That does not mean that all Rotarians agree with all of the activities of the U.N. It does, however, mean that we have an opportunity to network with parties within the U.N. with whom we would otherwise have no contact, and with whom we can find areas of common interest in which to pursue partnerships. Our common interests do not have to be complete and uniform. They just need to work for the circumstances of where we combine our efforts. We can work together on one thing and sit on opposite sides on nearly everything else as appropriate.

- Don MurphyRotary Club of Salida, CA, USA


ell, let's first consider what won't work. You will not be able to de-throne badly-chosen leaders through any kind of recall election or no-confidence vote. Nor will you thwart them by open combat, or by forming your own coalition within the club to do projects of your own liking. You will almost never W

succeed by fomenting a revolution, and revolutionary efforts mostly either fail outright, or create so much damage and loss that any victory is at best pyrhhic. And it is both illegal and very poor sportsmanship to assassinate the now unwanted leaders.

A great many Rotary clubs (and others) have had the problem of members who take leadership positions for whatever status that confers, or for whatever power that gives them. Or to use the club treasury for dinners, travel, or projects suiting their interests, but having little real benefit to the community, the needy, youth advancement, or other typical Rotary purposes. Ordinarily, you are stuck with them for the remainder of their term of office, no matter how much damage they are doing to the club.

Always, this is a good lesson in why well-intentioned Rotarians should work constantly to achieve leadership roles, rather than passing up the chance to serve because they "have too much else to do" or feel they "have done their service already".

Leadership positions and powers always are grabbed by the undeserving and unqualified and improperly motivated, when people of good will don't work to keep the leadership in proper hands. (That is the principal weakeness of democracy, by the way.) Very often, such self-seeking leaders end up destroying the club (or, in the political arena, even a nation). It's a great tragedy and an enormous loss, but the time to battle to protect the club (or the institution or the nation) is long past, when the wrong type of leaders have been elected and put into power.

Sometimes, a group of dissidents will jointly resign from a club in this situation, and will then apply for a charter and form their own new club. That almost certainly signals the demise of what is left of the former club, and the loss to Rotary of those well-qualified members who chose not to join the breakaway club. That is simply part of the price of letting the wrong kind of people be elected to leadership.

Alternatively, the better-motivated Rotarians can get themselves into positions as committee heads, Avenue of Service directors, lower-level club officer positions, and the like. From there, they can try to restrain some of the mismanagement within the club, and they can over time work themselves up the officer ladder, to restore leadership to a group with a more acceptable Rotary philosophy. That can take a long time and a lot of work, either in a Rotary club or in a political arena. But it is the only route to saving the institution.

Actually, in most cases none of these alternatives are tried. Rotarians who feel the club is not being run properly just drop out. They attend meetings with steadily declining frequency, they don't participate in club projects and events, and finally they quit paying dues. Usually, they don't actively protest the mismanagement of the club; they just quit supporting it. Few new members will join such a club. Eventually, the club withers away and dies.

Many communities have a goodly number of former Rotarians, who lost interest in Rotary due to poor choice of leaders in their clubs. And often in such communities, those clubs have also ceased to exist. But the "lost" Rotarians never come back, to become part of a successor club.

When poorly motivated or incompetent leaders are chosen, everyone loses. That includes those who drop out of Rotary, Rotary itself, the communities, and places or people throughout the world whom that club might have helped. Tragedy piles upon tragedy in such situations, and in the end no one gains.

I forget who wrote this, but it's a relevant and useful quotation: "The saddest words of tongue or pen, are only these: It Might Have Been".

- Kent, PDG

How to deal with

Rotarians

SELFSTYLE

re any of you in charge of keeping up your Club's FaceBook page? I've just taken over my club's page, because the person who was officially in A

charge of the page wasn't doing anything with it. She made me an administrator when she started the page, which made it easy to start doing things with the

page. I have started posting p i c t u r e s a n d i m p o r t a n t announcements madeduring the meeting, as well as a synopsis of the program.

How does your club use their page?

- Cheri "C.K." CutrightIllegitimis Non CarborundumOttawa, Illinois Noon Rotary Club - newsletter editor

HOW DOESYOUR CLUB

USEFACEBOOK

flike us @

Hi Cheri, we actually maintain four pages, one for club news and activities and an additional page for each of our three major projects. By far, the most activity occurs on our Middle Tennessee District Fair page. This is where we post promotional information and announcements concerning our fair; but more importantly, this is where we receive questions and feedback from the general public. The page has been set up as a group, and is currently approaching 2800 members.

We also have a traditional website wher we post more permanent information. We use these together and have provided links in both directions.

Www.rotarylawrenceburgtn.org- Bill Phillips, PP, RC of Lawrenceburg (TN, USA)

y club does have a Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/ MRotaryPinellasPark

I have given several talks to the club on how social media can be used to promote Rotary fellowship and service. But I must say my club is slow to adapt as there are still only a few really active users, and our club still hands out printer bulletins each week all committee work is mostly face to face or on phone instead of taking advantage of social media groups on Facebook or Yahoogroups.

In the last few months I've developed a couple of websites providing Facebook Page and discussion group links as well as website and email contacts for all of the fellowships and action groups:

Rotarian Fellowship Hub:http://www.rotarianfellowshiphub.org/Rotarian Action Group Hub: http://rotarianactiongrouphub.org/

- Don [email protected]


https://www.facebook.com/EnFinirAvecLaPolio- AshokCotonou Centre Benin D9102

>>>>Unlike a general website that is aimed at and accessible to everyone in the world, the typical club Facebook page initially seeks to reach your members as friends.

When they like your page it makes your later posts populate their newsfeed so they see the stories that you tell. If they don't like or comment on the story then it goes no further, but if they respond with a like or a comment then it becomes available to their friends. >>>> In Facebook your club can have multiple people who administer the club page. That keeps from putting the entire burden on to one person. It is important that each administrator post on the page in the third person since the individual authors are anonymous and only the club is identified. - Don Murphy

Asgeir Asgeirsson, Rotary Club of Reykjavík, Iceland President, Iceland; Carlos P. Romulo, Rotary Club of Manila Philippine Brigadier General in WWII, Ambassador of the Philippines to the US, President of the 4th session of the United Nations 1949; Chang Soon Yoo, Rotary Club of Hanyang, South Korea; Prime Minister Charles R. Walgreen, Jr. , Rotary Club of Chicago, Illinois, USA Chairman of the board of the Walgreen Drug Company; Chia-kan “C. K.” Yen, Rotary Club of Taipei, Taiwan, President, Republic of China-Taiwan; Diane Feinstein, Rotary Club of San Francisco, California, USA; U.S. Senator Dr. Char-les H. Mayo, Rotary Club of Rochester, Minnesota, USA, Co-founder of Mayo Clinic; Duke Kahanamoku, Rotary Club of Honolulu, Hawaii, USA Olympic gold medalist, "Father of Surfing;” Emmanuel "Manny"Dapidran Pacquiao,Rotary Club of Manila 101, Philippine World champion professional boxer & politician; Emilio Pucci, Rotary Club of Florence, Italy, Politician; Eduard Benes, Rotary Club of Prague, Czechoslovakia, President, Czechoslovakia; Franklin D. Roosevelt, Rotary Club of Albany 68, New York, USA President; Gerald R. Ford, Rotary Club of Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA President; Guglielmo Marconi, Rotary Club of Rotary Club of Bologna, Italy, inventor of the commercially-viable wireless radio; Holly Compton,Rotary Club of St. Louis, Missouri, USA, 1927 Nobel Prize recipient for physics; J.C. Penney; Rotary Club of New York, New York, USA Founder of J.C. Penney stores; Jean Sibelius, Rotary Club of Helsinki- Helsingfors, Finland, Composer; John F. Kennedy, Rotary Club of Hyannis, Massachusetts, USA President, USA; Joyce C. Hall, Rotary Club of Kansas City, Missouri, USA Founder of Hallmark Cards; Ko Hirasawa, Rotary Club of Kyoto East, Japan, Japanese anatomist and president of Kyoto University; Max Cointreau, Rotary Club of Paris, France Owner, Cointreau liquor enterprise; Neil Armstrong, Rotary Club of Wapakoneta, Ohio, USA Astronaut & first man to walk on the moon; Orville Wright, Rotary Club of Dayton, Ohio Co-inventor of the first suc-cessful airplane; Prince Axel of Denmark, Rotary Club of Copenhagen, Denmark, Prince of Denmark; Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands; Rotary Club of Amsterdam, Netherlands, Prince of the Netherlands; Richard E. Byrd, Rotary Club of Winchester, Virginia, USA, Arctic explorer; Sam Walton; Rotary Club of Bentonville, Arkansas, USA Founder of Wal-Mart; Sir Winston Churchill, Rotary Club of London, Prime Minister, England & leader of UK during WWII; The 'Colonel' Harland Sanders, Rotary Club of Jeffer-sonville, Indiana, USA, Founder, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC); Thomas A. Edison, Rotary Club of Orange, New Jersey, USA, Inventor; Thomas Mann, Rotary Club of Munich, Novelist; Walt Disney, Rotary Club of Palm Springs, California, USA, Animation filmmaker; Warren G. Har-ding; Rotary Club of Washington, D.C., USA President; Whitcomb Riley, Rotary Club of Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, Poet; Woodrow Wilson, Rotary Club of Birmingham, Alabama, President, USA & Nobel Prize laureate in peace.

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some famous rotarians

From: Sunil K Zachariah <[email protected]>To: ROTIBOD1314@yahoogroups. com Sent: Wednesday, July 17, 2013 12:23 PMSubject: [ROTIBOD1314] ROTI Sydney Reception

Dear Board, Let us start now to plan for the ROTI Reception in Sydney in June 2014. Our Board Member PDG Elaine Lytle PDG, Rotary Club of Como Jannali, Sydney Australia is on the HOC of Sydney Convention. I am hereby requesting her to take charge of the Sydney Reception. Let us look forward to Elaine's kind acceptance. To the rest of the Board, I ask your kind opinion as to when is it ideal to have our Reception:Previous evening before Inaugural of ConventionEvening of the first day after inaugural of the ConventionLunch on first dayBreakfast on second dayAny otherLet us get this discussion rolling! Best regards,Sunil K Zachariah

Board plans Sydney meet!

roti bb july 2013 a

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