JULY 2025 DISTRICT GOVERNOR'S MESSAGE

Happy July to my Rotary friends!

 

I want to express my deepest gratitude for the trust you've placed in me as your District Governor for 2025-2026. I am honored to follow in the footsteps of many great leaders. A special thank you to IPDG Dale Smith for a truly fantastic year. His work on the Club Experience Summit and the Membership Toolbox has laid a strong foundation for us to grow membership and develop new club types. We also have an excellent start with our newly formed Disaster Relief Committee, led by the experienced Mike Dunton, a retired Fire Marshall. We have much to continue working on this Rotary year!

 

What an impressive event the Rotary International Convention in Calgary was! Rotarians from all over the world united for good. We heard two significant announcements:

 

The Gates Foundation has agreed to double their matching contributions to The Rotary Foundation up to $450 million for the next three years.

 

The Foundation's endowment fund has reached its five-year goal of $2 billion in funding!

 

We also had the pleasure of meeting our new International President, Francesco Arezzo from the Rotary Club of Ragusa, Italy. We are excited about what President Francesco will bring this year. We also keep former President-Elect Mario Cesar de Martins Camargo in our prayers following his resignation due to health and business issues.

 

July is Rotary Maternal Child and Health Month. Our district has always strongly supported families, and I know many of our clubs will continue their vital work in this area.  July also marks the leadership transition, with new Presidents and their boards being sworn in. I wish you all the best of luck for the coming year! Finally, July kicks off my club visits. This is truly my favorite duty as it allows me to meet the dedicated individuals who make our district so great. If your club hasn't scheduled a visit yet, please contact me so we can   get one on the calendar. I am truly looking forward to seeing you all!

 

We will continue the excellent work started last year on Membership. Dale Smith will chair the Membership Committee and has great plans moving forward. Our Disaster Response Committee has just had its charging document reviewed, ensuring we are heading in the best direction. More details will be shared in the coming months.

 

I also have two additional areas of focus for the year. 

 

Youth Exchange: This is a truly great program that we need to promote more widely to clubs, schools, and Interact clubs. We must dispel misconceptions about cost and time commitments. Kevin Wermer leads our wonderful committee, with a goal to return Youth Exchange to its previous volume of participants.

 

Drug Addiction and Recovery: I will be forming a committee soon to develop a list of agencies and private 501(c)(3) organizations. This will provide us with resources to help individuals and families in need. We are losing a generation, and Rotary will be there to help.

 

We are excited to send six district Rotarians (already selected) to the Emerging Leaders program at the RI Zone Institute in Columbus, Ohio, this September. We must continue to support our future leaders with training opportunities to strengthen our district. If you're interested in attending, please visit the RI Zone 30 & 31 Institute information page- click here.

 

Don't forget our largest fundraiser  for Polio Plus is coming up in August: our End Polio Now Guardians game versus the Braves! Doors open at 5 PM, with the first pitch at 7:10 PM. Register now (click here) before you forget.

 

I believe this covers the essential details for my first newsletter. Please let me know if there are other specifics you'd like me to include in future communications. Remember, my sole purpose is to help make you and your club more successful. Let's have fun doing that together. Let's Unite for Good and make the world a better place!