Good afternoon, my Rotary friends.

This is my final newsletter for the Rotary year. As I was told by many, the year would fly by, and it certainly did! I look at my calendar over the last year, and it is amazing all the places, events, clubs, and people I have visited. I was told that June is not a very busy month, as clubs are installing their new officers and the District begins its changeover. But it is not over yet! I am honored to attend the Rotary International Convention in Taipei, Tiawan from June 9–20. The RYLA picnic and banquet are the following week, and after that, we have the Banner Exchange and Awards Ceremony on June 29. After all that, the year officially ends, so stay tuned for the last chapter.

June is Rotary Fellowship Month
What a coincidence that June is Rotary Fellowship Month. Our annual International Convention is this month, where we will have the opportunity to meet Rotarians from all over the world. I cannot stress enough how much you would all enjoy attending an International Convention. I know this one is halfway around the world, but in 2028, it will be held in Minneapolis, Minnesota. If there is any way you can attend that one—or any other convention—please do. The fellowship is fantastic. We also celebrate fellowship with our RYLA candidates at Camp RYLA and end the month by coming together to celebrate the people who made this year happen and to welcome Terri Speck as our new District Governor. She has an impactful year planned, and I am excited to see how we grow and expand our reach.

Camp Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA)
One of our District’s premier events, Camp RYLA, begins June 21 at Hiram College. District 6630 Camp RYLA is a five-day leadership training camp held each June that focuses on the personal and professional development of high school students. Rotary clubs throughout the world are committed to helping shape the leadership skills of today’s youth. Camp RYLA is one way Rotarians achieve this goal. Through Camp RYLA, participants—the “leaders of tomorrow”—have the unique opportunity to be exposed to many facets of leadership by individuals who have already learned to be leaders in their professions or fields. Camp RYLA is an enjoyable and valuable experience for those who can meet the challenge.

We encourage all Rotarians to support our RYLA participants by attending a cookout on Tuesday, June 23, at 6:00 p.m. at Hinsdale Hall at Hiram College. Information and registration can be found here: Register Here. It is a great event that gives Rotarians the chance to get to know our future leaders and provide encouragement for the program. The second way to support our future leaders is to attend the banquet celebrating their graduation from the program. The students are the stars of this program, and without giving away details, it is a great night full of fun and laughter. This event will be held on June 25 at 6:00 p.m. at the Coleman Center at Hiram College. Event details and tickets can be found here: Details & Tickets. Please join us for an experience you will not soon forget.

District Awards & Governor Induction/Banner Exchange
Please join us on Monday, June 29, at 6:00 p.m. at Sleepy Hollow Golf Club, where we will hold our 2025–2026 District Awards and 2026–2027 Governor’s Induction & Banner Exchange. This is the night we celebrate the movers and shakers for this Rotary year and mark the transition from one District Governor to the next. The work our members have done over the past year has been amazing, and this is a great opportunity to celebrate our District’s achievements.

We will also witness the induction of District Governor Terri Speck as our new District Governor. Terri has worked tirelessly over the past three years preparing for her year as Governor. She brings an energy and enthusiasm to the position that I am sure will help us continue to grow and increase our impact on our District and the world. I am excited to work with Terri in any way that will help our clubs and District. Registration is filling up fast. Please Register Here and join us for a great celebration.

250 Acts of Kindness Initiative
Since launching this program at our District Conference in April, it has continued to grow. This program celebrates our country’s 250th anniversary by encouraging our clubs, families, and communities to perform 250 acts of kindness, fostering compassion, connection, and unity nationwide. Each day, we are bombarded with negativity, divisiveness, and struggles around the world. This initiative gives all of us a chance to say or do something good for others. Such a small effort can produce such a large result. We hope to be part of the nationwide goal of achieving 250 million acts of kindness this year. More importantly, we hope it creates a culture change so our families and friends continue to see the value of positivity and compassion in our daily lives going forward. There are many ways you can join the movement as a club, individual, or business. See below for information on how to register and share your acts on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. For convenience, I have included a link where you can submit your information, and the District will share it with US of Kindness on a regular basis.

Register Your Club: Visit usofkindness.org/get-involved. Under the “Businesses and Organizations” section, click Sign Up. Designate one member to register the club; this person will receive updates and help track your club's collective impact.

Optional Individual Sign-Up: Members are also encouraged to sign up individually on the same site to receive personal kindness prompts and resources.

Do & Share: Perform acts of kindness—large or small. Share them on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn to spread "good news."

o Hashtag: #USK250

o Tag: @usofkindness

Follow: @usofkindness on Instagram and UsOfKindness on Facebook.

Report the Impact: After performing an act, log it via our District’s official Google Form (link below).

Google Form: Enter acts of kindness here

By documenting our acts, we show the true scale of Rotary’s service. We will use these numbers to celebrate our achievements at the District level and inspire other organizations to join the movement. I hope to have the number of Acts of Kindness completed by our District to share this month. I will continue to work with District Governor Terri on this program once her year begins.

250 Trees to be Planted in Our District
We have had a very positive response to our other initiative of planting 250 trees in our District as a gift for our nation’s 250th anniversary. Several clubs have already submitted information forms for our arborists to work with them on sourcing and purchasing trees. We also have several clubs that have submitted grant applications to use grant funding for tree purchases.

We are meeting with the arborists this week to formalize our plan and establish a timeline for clubs to follow. Ideally, an arborist will work with each interested club to identify the proper tree for its planting location. They will also assist the club with sourcing, purchasing, delivering, and planting the trees. We are targeting a September or October planting date. I hope to have a complete information sheet and timeline sent to all clubs sometime in early July. I would like to thank the four arborists who have volunteered their time and talents to help with this very important project. Thank you for all your help—we could not do this correctly without you:

Tina Graver – Rotary Club of Akron

Mike Emrich – Rotary Club of Mentor

Tom Mugridge – Rotary Club of Hillcrest Sunrise

Ben Askren – Rotary Club of Aurora

End Polio Now Baseball Game at Progressive Field

Please join your Rotary family and friends at the 2026 End Polio Now Guardians game against the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday, August 19. Gates open at 5:30 p.m., and first pitch is at 6:40 p.m. This is District 6630 joining neighboring Districts 6600 and 6650 for an evening of fun in the Pennant District of the ballpark. We hope to have 150 fans there by 6:00 p.m. so we can walk the field together in celebration of ending polio in our lifetime. Tickets are available for purchase now. Purchase Tickets Here. All tickets will be sent through the MLB Ballpark App and will not be mailed.

Disaster Response Committee

After several months of behind-the-scenes organization and clarification, the Disaster Response Committee is now preparing to roll out the program to clubs. Unfortunately, we scheduled a meeting for this last Saturday, and no one showed up. Committee Chair Mike Dunton and I think that there has been too much time since our first committee meeting and now. We think the bast course of action is to ask members to commit or re-commit to being on the committee. Anyone that is a member of a club that is interested in forming a disaster recovery team and who would also like to be on the committee, please email Mike Dunton at madunton@gmail.com. We apologize for the wait, but think the background work will enable us to form, start, and sustain these programs in our clubs. Please email Mike now with your interest.

Thank You
In closing, thank you for allowing me to serve as your District Governor this past year. It has been one of the greatest privileges of my life to lead you during this time. I hope I have made some positive changes that will make our District more inviting, more dynamic, and more fun. I have made so many new friends this year, and I am truly grateful. There are still one or two projects that I need to finish, and I will get them done. Rotary International District 6630 is the best, and we certainly have the best members and fellowship. Take care, and I hope to see you all throughout the coming year at the many great events ahead.

Yours in Rotary,

Bob Oborn
District Governor Rotary International District 6630
Stow-Munroe Falls Rotary Club
Tel: 330-801-0159
Email: rorotary20252026@gmail.com

The Akron Rotary Club recently celebrated Vice Governor and Past District Governor Stew Buchanan's 90th birthday during a club meeting!

A special thank-you to Cheri Buchanan for helping keep the celebration a surprise and making sure Stew was there to enjoy it.

Congratulations, Stew, on this remarkable milestone. Thank you for your years of service, leadership, and dedication to Rotary and our community. 

We are grateful for all you do and wish you a very happy 90th birthday! 🎉🎂🎈

On the evening of June 4th, the Hillcrest Rotary Sunrise Club held its 16th Changeover/Charter Dinner! The club was honored to have District Governor Elect, Terri Speck, preside over the program.

Outgoing President, Maureen Garnett, was celebrated and thanked for her wonderful leadership during the past Rotary year.  Incoming President, Joe Cicero, was sworn in and recognized the members of his Board who will work with him and the club in the coming year to “Create a Lasting Impact.”

To cap off the evening, Trish Eustace was deservedly named the Rotarian of the Year!

The Garrettsville-Hiram Club celebrated its 100th anniversary with an intimate gathering held on the exact day it reached this remarkable milestone, June 11, 2026. 

The event took place at Garretts Mill & Brewing and was attended by club members, their families, and several Past District Governors. Among those in attendance was Garrettsville-Hiram club member Dr. Robert L. Jackson, DVM, who served as District Governor during the 1990–91 Rotary year. His presence, along with that of other distinguished guests, helped make the occasion both memorable and meaningful.

Club President Trish Danku-Carlson announced plans for a public Storybook Walk later this summer along the Tom Collins Memorial Rotary Trail at Village Park. The trail honors the memory of Tom Collins, a dedicated Rotarian whose commitment to serving others left a lasting impact on the community. 

Trish ensured that everyone was well fed with a delicious array of appetizers and an outstanding meal. Club member Pam Montgomery devoted many hours to researching the club's rich history, while Jeff Drebus transformed the information into an engaging slideshow presentation. A PDF version of the slideshow can be viewed by clicking HERE.

District Governor Bob Oborn sent his regrets, as he was traveling to the Rotary International Convention and was unable to attend the celebration. In his place, District Governor Nominee Designate Carrie Heppner presented President Trish Danku-Carlson with a 100th Anniversary Certificate in recognition of the club's century of service and commitment to the community.

Photo with 100th Anniversary Certificate
L-R: DGND Carrie Heppner, PDG Dr. Robert Jackson, PDG Dale Smith, Club President Trish Danku-Carlson, DGN Richard Cole, PDG Cheryl Warren 

The drawing will take place after the 600th ticket is sold. 

They are great scopes and we will be glad to show the winner how to use them.  

Any questions, please give me a call at 330-836-8477.  

You can Zelle purchase by sending to 330-620-8465.

John Shulan, Fairlawn Rotary

Click here to register and for more information

On Saturday, May 16, the RC of Burton-Middlefield came up with another fun and successful project.  We partnered with Goodwill of Northeast Ohio and collected gently used items from community members.  

The Goodwill supplied a large covered trailer plastered with splashy media all over and dropped it off at the parking lot of Century Village in Burton, OH, just off the square.  Through advertising and word of mouth donators by the dozen came by and dropped off gently used clothing, toys, stuffed animals, small lamps and appliances and many other knick-knacks that they no longer needed and we filled the trailer almost three quarters full, which turned out to be an amazing amount of stuff.  

The arrangement is that Goodwill then takes it to their warehouse and re-packs it in large bins.  The club receives $70 per bin.  As this process takes some time we do not have an accounting yet but whatever BMR ends up with will be both a “plus” and an easy project.  A Goodwill driver arrived back at the collection sight at 12 PM, hooked up the trailer and drove off.  Doesn’t get much easier than that and those who donated were glad to do some “decluttering”.

PDG Bob Johnson
Secretary - BMR

LET'S COLLABORATE!

One of the many challenges facing Rotary Clubs today is engagement. What better way to foster and promote engagement than to provide high quality speakers at our weekly meetings. To that end, District 6630 has created a page on the district website under the Club and Member Resources tab titled Find and Share a Speaker. As the incoming program chair for our club, The Rotary Club of Hillcrest Sunrise, I took a look in hopes of making my job for the upcoming year a bit easier. 

There are some great speakers listed, but nowhere near enough to fill the thirty plus spots that I need to fill. So, I thought I’d reach out via the district newsletter to appeal to other clubs in the district. 

Please help me and the other fifty some program chairs in the district by sharing contact info from any of your previous speakers whose message would resonate with other clubs throughout the district. We will add them right this District website page   https://rotarydistrict6630.org/page/find-a-speaker or you could email me directly at mike.johns@jcmemorials.com.   I will be sure to get them compiled and to the webmaster to be added to the site.

I know I’m not alone in thinking that this is a critically important job and finding interesting speakers is often challenging, especially in this day and age. So, please help out. Any leads would be greatly appreciated.

Regards

Mike Johns Jr

Rotary Club of Hillcrest Sunrise

RSVP TODAY!

RSVP NOW!

Please note that the location of the 

banquet has been moved to The Coleman Center

CLICK TO REGISTER

Westlake-Bay Village Rotary Club Art Fest Celebrates 5th Anniversary—Join the Fun!

Mark your calendar for Saturday, July 25, 2026, as the Westlake-Bay Village Rotary Club hosts its 6th Annual Art Fest! Come visit our vibrant celebration where creativity and community service come together. Set on the ground of the Westlake Porter Public Library in Westlake, Ohio, this event is more than a showcase of local talent. It is also our premier fundraiser that fuels meaningful change right here in our community.

Event Highlights

Date: Saturday, July 25, 2025  (Rain or Shine)

Time: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm 

Location: Westlake Porter Public Library lawn, Westlake, Ohio 

Admission: Free, with plenty of free parking 

Features:

  - Over 60 artists displaying and selling their work 

  - Food trucks 

  - Beer and wine garden 

  - Live music performances

Making a Difference

Proceeds from Art Fest support Rotary initiatives, including youth scholarships, educational programs, and local nonprofit organizations, helping us make a real difference in the lives of our neighbors. For event details and photos from last year’s celebration, visit:  http://www.westlakebayvillagerotaryartfest.com

Meet Our Featured Artist

This year’s featured artist is Beck Center of the Arts, a non-profit, performing arts and arts education organization dedicated to inspiring and enriching the quality of life for Northeastern Ohioans. The center is known for combining professional theatrical productions with comprehensive curriculum-based arts education in Creative Arts Therapies, dance, music, theater, and visual arts, serving over 150,000 annually in Cuyahoga, Lorain, Lake, Medina, and Summit Counties.

Attendees will have the chance to learn more about this local treasure and learn more about their extensive programming.

Get Involved

Artists: Interested in exhibiting your art? Applications are still open—registration materials are available on our website.

Sponsors: Want to support the cause? We’re accepting individual and corporate sponsorships. Details and forms are available online.

Join the Celebration!

Whether you’re coming for the art, live music, food trucks, or the opportunity to give back, we look forward to welcoming you to this special milestone celebration!

The Maple Splash Raffle is off and running again.  

Raffle tickets are again $20. each with several packages of tickets available online.  You can purchase a 5-5-5 package that gives you 5- MSR tickets, 5- Outdoor Adventure (OA) tickets and 5- 50/50 raffle tickets for $150; a $225 dollar value and the best deal going.  Individual OA tickets($20) and individual 50/50 tickets can be purchased on line.  Also 6 OA tickets can be purchased for $100.  As in past years, we have continued to upgrade and add to our prize list.  A new $60,000 Chevy Silverado pick up leads the list provided by The Chevy Network and Preston Chevrolet. Enter to win a brand‑new 2025 Chevy Silverado and other prizes!

A $6300 necklace from Stephen DiFranco Jewelers, a portable generator, a $200 package of high quality meats from Bonner Farms, a portable generator, a vacation package of your own design, a Samsung Apple watch, a $2500 live edge table from Unique Live Edge Tables, four prizes of cold hard cash ranging from $500 to $2500 and 9 other valuable prizes.  Something for everyone.  

The Grand Drawing and Maple Splash Festival will take place on Saturday, July 11.  

Rules and a complete list of prizes is available on maplesplashraffle.com.

BUY A TICKET

Help support the Rotary Club of Burton Middlefield. Every ticket sold helps us continue to help our community through programs such as scholarships, school lunch programs, food pantries, Veteran’s programs and more. (see the “about BMR” tab).

OUTDOOR ADVENTURE TICKET

Prizes for the Outdoor Adventure package have been upgraded too.  These include a Polaris 450 ATV from Concord motorsports, a $300 meat package from Bonner meats, night vision binoculars, Outdoor chairs and a smokeless fire pit, a Deer Hunter equipment package, a Hiboy big wheel electric scooter, a patio fire pit and a $2500 vacation package from Beaches and Dreams travel. Along with this drawing Burton-Middlefield and the MSR also hold a monthly drawing on 1/28, 2/25, 3/25, 4/29 and 5/27.  Four tickets will be drawn on each of these dates with the first two being $500 winners and the second two will be winners of 5 free MSR tickets.  All of these winners are placed back in the main drawing drum and are eligible to be drawn again.

2025 50/50 WAS OVER $16,000.00 LETS SEE IF WE CAN DO IT AGAIN THIS YEAR!
After purchasing your ticket you will be emailed with a ticket number and the pdf file of your ticket. The proceeds from this raffle will help to expand the work and mission of the Rotary Club of Burton-Middlefield. The Rotary Club of Burton-Middlefield is committed to taking action locally and globally through service projects, grants and partnership with organizations that are living out service in the greatest areas of need.

REGISTRATION IS OPEN - CLICK HERE