Happy fall everyone! Time is running short to register for the Club Experience Summit that we are holding at 10 AM (doors open at 9:30) October 19. If you want to learn how to grow and retain membership in your club from those who have done so - Paradigm at Mentor High School at 10 AM on October 19 is the place to be! Clubs in our district will share great ideas to make our meetings more engaging and how they grew dramatically in a single year while retaining members! Brand new members will tell us what they want from Rotary. Be there or be square! Register Now
October is Community Economic Development month in Rotary. Economic development provides the foundation for peace by providing jobs and the ability to support one's family. While that is a very important topic, I want to take the remainder of my monthly letter to address a question I received recently. The question was "why doesn't Rotary pick something new to work on? Polio is like, so 1910." My answer follows:
Forty five years ago we made a promise to the world's children that we would eradicate the scourge of polio from the planet. Getting out now would not only break that promise, but models show that, if we were to stop, 200,000 children would be paralyzed due to polio within ten years. The goal is in sight - there has been an uptick this year, but the wild polio virus remains endemic to a border area in Afghanistan and Pakistan. We can and will keep the promise. We have the support of the governments of both countries. The health workers on the ground performing the vaccinations are building the relationships of tribal leaders and educating them to increase support at that level to get all children vaccinated.
COVID taught us how a virus can rapidly spread from a small group to the entire world in a very short time. If we were to stop our work, the virus would break out and spread across the world, paralyzing thousands of children. Rotarians cannot allow that! In 1985, polio paralyzed 360,000 children per year. There are 120 million people living and walking today who would have otherwise been paralyzed without our vaccination work. We have had 40 cases of wild polio virus this year. That is an uptick from the twelve total cases last year, but the end remains near!
Dale Smith District Governor 2024/2025 Rotary International District 6630 Past-President Rotary Club of Mentor The Magic of Rotary
Posted by 2024-25 Rotary International President Stephanie Urchick
#RotaryResponds in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, which have devastated areas of the southeastern United States. The hurricanes have caused widespread destruction across Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Severe flooding has also impacted communities in the Cayman Islands, Cuba, Honduras, and Mexico.
Rotary members are on the frontlines, from distributing essential supplies to rolling up their sleeves and helping those in need. “This is why you are a Rotarian,” says Mark Middleton of the Rotary Club of Dunedin North, Florida, USA, where five members’ homes were destroyed. “What a blessing it is that we can help and be there for them.”
On September 28, Rotary Camp hosted it’s bi-annual Rotary Camp Regatta while also celebrated its 100th Anniversary.
We not only celebrated our history, but also looked to the future by establishing the Akron Rotary Camp Endowment Fund at the Akron Community Foundation.
The evening was a remarkable success, and thanks to the community’s generosity, we raised $855,000 for the fund. This endowment will support the Camp, ensuring that the developments and improvements made in recent years are preserved for the next century. It will be a fund cherished by our community of donors, generating essential resources and income to maintain the camp's facilities and grounds.
For the past one hundred years, Akron Rotary Camp has provided many life-changing experiences to children and adults with disabilities. This year alone, we will serve over 1,100 campers through our summer day and overnight camps, year-round respite weekends, and school days out programs.
Once again, thank you for your support in helping us Create a world where there are only abilities for our campers and their families!
Please click this link to watch the video in celebration of our past!
Public speaking can be a challenge. Learn how to create dynamic speeches from a former World Champion of Public Speaking! Craig Valentine shares his tips in this Rotary Voices blog post: https://blog.rotary.org/.../9-tips-for-breathing-life.../
We will have a live band "RISK FACTOR” playing. Lamalfa Centre Hotel is part of the Wingate by Wyndham Hotel chain, The owner is a past president of the Mentor Rotary Club. There will be approximately 7 themed raffle prizes from Outdoor: Backpack Leaf Blower, rakes, outdoor gear, Auto Truck Accessories, Holiday, Gift cards valued at more than $500, and a few others. We will have a 50/50 raffle and many side boards.
Come out and support Rotary and our police while having a great time with friends.
All Invited: Thursday, October 17, 2024, 5:30pm-7pm at
GCFB’s Community Resource Center, 15500 S. Waterloo Road, Cleveland
The Rotary Club of Cleveland is delighted to present this year’s Community Service Award to the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, a vital organization dedicated to bridging the meal gap in our community, connecting individuals with the nutritious meals they need to succeed.
The need for food and nutrition is a chronic problem in the greater Cleveland area. In 2023, more than 400,000 people experiencing food insecurity and poverty were served by the Greater Cleveland Food Bank and its 1,000 partner agencies across the six-county service area. Now, the organization expands its reach and impact with its Community Resource Center, providing additional services for those who need it the most.
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The award will be presented on Thursday, October 17, 2024, 5:30pm – 7:00pm at the Greater Cleveland Food Bank’s Community Resource Center, 15500 S. Waterloo Road in Cleveland.
Tiffany Scruggs, VP of Community Access & Executive Director of the Community Resource Center will accept the award. The evening will also feature heartfelt testimonials from the Foodbank's supporters, highlighting the critical need for their services.
“We cannot say enough about the important work our friends at the Greater Cleveland Food Bank and Community Resource Center do for our community,” says Jessica Hanes, Community Service Chair for Rotary Club of Cleveland. “For 45 years, they have been true People of Action, a beacon of hope for many who do not know where their next meal will come from.”
All are invited to join the event. Tickets are $25 per person and include food and beverages. RSVP and register with Rotary Club of Cleveland via email at rotarycle@gmail.comor via phone at 216.556.8637.
The Rotary Club of Clevelandwas founded in 1910, the 18th Rotary Club to be chartered. It is part of a global network of 1.4 million community leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges. Locally, Rotary Club of Cleveland serves the Cleveland community with projects directly benefitting local organizations such as:
• W. 25th Street Rapid Site – Red Line Green Way greenspace beautification and walking path • Thesmacher High School Recognition Day – recognizing CMSD high achievers • St. Augustine Community Cupboard • College Now! Scholarships • Greater Cleveland Chapter of American Red Cross • Greater Cleveland Food Bank, and many more
Nearly all of the clubs in our district have seen decreased attendance rates at meetings. In most cases we are also not growing significantly. The purpose of this summit is to share great ideas that have been shown to increase member engagement, attract new members and retain members. We have five clubs in District 6630 that have had net growth of 25-50%! We need to hear how they did that!
On Saturday October 19, 2024, we will hold a club experience summit at Paradigm at Mentor High School. We will hear from District 6630 Rotarians to learn how they make meetings more engaging, listen to growing clubs on how they became more attractive and engaging to new members, and hear from brand new members on why they were attracted, why they joined and what will keep them in Rotary. The graphic below gives a few more details about the event. Please join us after the event at Collision Bend Brewing in Euclid (Yes Euclid!) for a Pints to End Polio to continue conversations that started at Paradigm, celebrate how far we have come in eradicating polio and pause to remember that the fight is not yet complete!
Paradigm is a meeting space on the far northeast corner of Mentor High. Signs will direct you to Paradigm.
Attendance is free but we encourage registration in advance so that we can prepare for you. CLICK TO RSVP
We hope you will join him and 10 other local “celebrities” as they dance onstage with their choreography partners to support the famililies in the Akron Children’s Showers Family Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders. You can purchase tickets online at https://give.akronchildrens.org/.../2024-dancing.../e571435.
Our annual Interaction event is quickly approaching! Here is the information on where and when it will take place:
Saturday, November 9th
Woodridge High School
4440 Quick Rd, Peninsula, OH 44264
Start Time: 10:00 AM
End Time: 4:00 PM
We are currently planning a day filled with speakers, breakout sessions, and fun that will culminate in the selection of a district-wide service project for all clubs to do together chosen by our Interact students. We are asking everyone planning on attending this event to register by clicking on the link below (leave the line for student attendees blank unless you are registering a school):
We would love to see representatives from all Interact clubs at this event. If your club does not sponsor an Interact club currently, we still encourage you to attend yourself or send a representative from your Rotary club to learn a little more about the process.
We will provide a light breakfast and lunch to any attendees, and a free t-shirt to anyone who registers by October 21st. Please consider attending this amazing event yourselves, but also encourage your Interact advisors and students to attend as well.
Please direct any questions about the Interaction to me at chelsea.talty@westg.org.We hope to see you and your Interact students on November 9th!
Have you updated your Club web and social media sites with the new theme?
Need help building a logo for your Club to include the theme? For assistance, Email or call Cheryl Warren 330-495-9814.
2024-25: The Magic of Rotary
RI President-elect Stephanie Urchick celebrates the magic of Rotary. She says members create that magic with every project completed, every dollar donated, and every new member of Rotary.
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