WHAT A YEAR!!
Congratulations to us all and in particular to our club Presidents!
Our District 6990 had 19 Clubs qualify for the Presidential Citation from Rotary President Ron Burton.
Of those, 12 qualified with Presidential Citation with Distinction*.
They are:
Coconut Creek*
Davie/Cooper City
Deerfield Beach
Ft. Lauderdale North Beach*
Ft. Lauderdale South*
Grand Bahama Sunrise*
Hialeah-Miami Springs
Key Biscayne*
Key West
Lucaya
Miami Brickell*
Miami Shores*
Miami-Granada*
Miramar-Pines
North Dade
Perrine/Cutler Ridge/ Palmetto Bay*
Pompano Beach-Lighthouse*
Upper Keys*
Weston*
The Presidential Citation is given by the President of Rotary International every year to a Rotary Club that qualifies. The Citation is a measure of an effective Rotary Club. You can review the Citation at www.rotary.org/en/document/587.
Our membership goal of "don't lose anyone" is comfortably on it's way to being met, thanks in great part to the efforts of our District Membership Chair, Jonathan Parker.
We brought in 240 new members into our District this year and had a net gain of 37 members. 29 Clubs report a net gain in membership, lead by the Rotary Club of Miami Brickell with a net gain of 9 new members and the Rotary Clubs of Key Largo, Hollywood, and Miramar Pines each with 7 new members.
Now we just have to hold our numbers through the end of the year!
We gave very generously to the Rotary Foundation for the important work we do in our communities and around the world. I say locally as well as around the world, because, as you know, half of the money we give to the Rotary Foundation comes back to us at the end of three years and half of those funds can be used for community work.
I want to particularly recognize 3 Rotarians on behalf of the Rotary Foundation.
Chris Morrison, RC Coral Gables, for his outstanding work in promoting the Annual Fund (the one where half the money comes back) through the "Golf ball Drop".
Kenneth Meeks, RC Upper Keys, for an outstanding contribution of $100,000.00 to the Polio Plus fund.
Karen Clarke, RC Lucaya, for an outstanding contribution to the Annual Fund.
At this date, our District averaged about $250.00 per person to the Rotary Foundation this year. If you were unable to support the Rotary Foundation at this level this year, know that one of your fellow Rotarians donated on your behalf, and strive to do your part next year and in the future.
We are currently running neck and neck with the Rotary District that encompasses the Jacksonville area to be the leader of all Rotary Clubs in the state of Florida in giving to Polio Plus. We will have the final donation amounts mid to late July. If you would like to make a donation…..Please DO!
Any donation made, online or postmarked, by June 30, 2014 will be part of this year if you still want to support OUR Rotary Foundation.
Two clubs in the District achieved very notable status for the Rotary Foundation this year.
The Rotary Club of Ft. Lauderdale South became the first club in our District to become 100% Rotary Benefactor Club. Benefactors are those Rotarians who make a donation of $1000 to the Permanent Fund or make a pledge to donate $1000 to the Permanent Fund as part of their legacy when they die.
The Rotary Club of Key West Sunrise IN the Conch Republic had such an outstanding fundraising year that after funding all of their projects, scholarships and corpus of their own club foundation, they elected to make EVERY MEMBER of the club a Paul Harris Fellow or additional Paul Harris Fellow!
There were 10 Major Donors or Major Donors next level to the Rotary Foundation this year. They are Doug and Deborah Maymon, William C. Webb, Jr., Harold Zabsky, Charles Stewart, Rejean and Claudette Lappiere, Shane Moore, Baron Dean Degner, Kenneth Meeks, Gerald Richard Mosher and Karen Clarke.
There were also 2 Rotarians that added to or became Bequest Society members, Robin and Susan Shelley and Elihu and Lee Phares.
We also now count among our members 32 Paul Harris Society members and 16 new Benefactors to the Rotary Foundation.
We funded a Global Scholar this year under the new Rotary Foundation grants model. There are 530 Districts in the world, each with opportunity to put forth an applicant to the Trustees of the Rotary Foundation. Our candidate, Michael Matthiesen, was one of only 77 in the world that was accepted this year.
We are currently taking applications for our next Global Scholar. Please contact me or our outstanding Global Scholar Chairperson, Anita Sandler asandler1011@gmail.com with your prospective Scholar recipient. They must be studying at an advanced degree (Master's or Doctorate), they must be accepted at a non-US Institute of higher learning, they course of study must fall into one of the Six Areas of Focus and they cannot be directly related to a Rotarian.
There are also many outstanding Rotarians that helped in so many ways and I would be very remiss if I did not name a few.
The Officers of the District who agreed to serve with me this year and did such an outstanding job.
Yoli Woodbridge, Chief of Staff - Rotary Club of Coral Gables. She made me look good!
Carol Alexander, Treasurer - Rotary Club of Coral Gables.
She kept up with all the money. We are coming in BELOW BUDGET!!
Deb Maymon, Secretary – Rotary Club of Weston.
She made sure you got all of the information and helped me with all things Rotary!
Todd Dayton, Sgt. At Arms – Rotary Club of Coconut Creek.
He tried to keep us and me in line.
Jonathan Parker, Membership Chair, who really set the bar high for the Rotarian to Rotarian networking events that add value to our Rotary membership.
Robin Shelley, Rotary Foundation Chair, who guided us expertly into the new Rotary Foundation model and did an outstanding job with his committee in helping clubs understand the value of participating in OUR Rotary Foundation.
Chris Morrison, Chair of Annual Giving and the CEO of the "Golf Ball Drop” for breaking all records!!
My wonderful and outstanding Assistant Governors who served with me and served your clubs steadfastly for the past three years. They are:
Pat Short-Hornsby – RC Weston
Ligia Corredor – RC Miramar/Pines
Howard Lustgarten – RC Ft. Lauderdale South
Dan Young – RC Weston
Antonio Pinheiro – RC Miami Brickell
Carol Alexander – RC Coral Gables
Caesar Phillips – RC Allapattah
Patricia Romano – RC Key Biscayne
Sara Hamilton – RC Key Largo
Stan Rzad – RC Key West Sunrise in the Conch Republic
Mike Stafford – RC Freeport
BIG thank you to Tom Pratt, RC Coconut Creek, for President-elect Training throughout the District at at All Florida PETS in Orlando.
BIG thank you to Sally Baumgartner,RC Coral Gables for District Assembly! Great Job!
There were also four notable Rotarians that stepped up to the plate when called to fill vacancies that came up during the year.
Noelle Galperin and Mario Avalos for doing such a fantastic job for our district with Communications and especially for the new District website www.rotarynow.org.
Joe Schumacher for our Youth Services, especially for the outstanding Interact Conference.
Alan Cohn for The Rotary Foundation Grant Committee Chairperson.
And another BIG thank you for three truly outstanding "Rotary couples”.
Robin and Susan Shelley for always opening your lovely home and hosting numerous meetings this past three years.
Stephen and Alice Takach for opening their lovely home and hosting the first ever Rotary Foundation Major Donor Initiative event in Miami-Dade County.
Chuck and Sue Yea for opening their lovely home and hosting the first ever Rotary Foundation Major Donor Initiative event in Broward County.
Our District Conference was a resounding success!!
The Rotary clubs of Grand Bahama Island really made us proud. We took two other Florida Rotary Districts to the conference with us and we all had a grand time.
Special thanks go out Mike Stafford – RC Freeport.
His tireless efforts and those of his committee on Grand Bahama made it all possible.
Over on this side of the Gulf Stream, the always great Andrew Burnstine and most especially, his absolutely amazing wife, Judith, made it happen.
We had a lot of fun!
A GREAT BIG THANK YOU to all of the Rotary Clubs in our District that included me in events and projects.
You made me feel welcomed and really showed me what outstanding Rotarians we are!
I am even more proud to be a Rotarian because of all of you.
Please invite me back!
As I end this year I would like to share that it has been exciting, daunting, inspiring and lots of fun!
I believe that we truly embraced the theme this year to
"Engage Rotary - Change Lives”.
I sincerely thank you for allowing me to serve!
My Very Best to you All in Rotary Service,
District Governor Ellen
No comments:
Post a Comment