FAMILY MONTH

Rita Esterly, District Governor
SEASONS GREETINGS FROM ROTARY DISTRICT 6080

Family of Rotary
Shawn Pingleton, Assistant District Governor

“So…. Honey” is how I often present an idea I want to run by my lovely bride and this day was no different. “So…. Honey, how do you feel about hosting an exchange student next year?” Knowing that she and our daughters would be just as involved as I would in this Rotary adventure, I needed to get their okay before agreeing to host a student. As a family, we weighed the pros and cons and easily determined that the pros outweighed the cons and agreed to take on a new family member for a portion of the next year. What a great decision for our family! We now have another wonderful family member, and it has been a great Rotary experience.

As Rotarians, we get the opportunity to serve in several ways both locally and abroad. Rotary provides several avenues to serve our fellow man as individuals, as clubs and as families. Every time we serve, whether it is for a day at a local level or a few weeks at an international level, our family is affected by that service. Our families are touched by these opportunities, either directly or through our Rotary experiences. Whatever may affect change in us, ultimately affects change in our family.

Why not invite your family to become involved in some form or fashion with your Rotary club? Invite them to a fundraiser, either to participate or to help out. Schedule a club event that is family friendly and fun. Ask them to help with a local service project. Educate them on the different avenues of service. You may strike up an interest in a child, grandchild or spouse…and hey, you may learn something too! There are several programs within Rotary like Youth Exchange and Group Study Exchange that involve the Rotarian and their family. By sharing the gift of Rotary with those closest to you, you will enrich their lives and will add strength, diversity and new ideas to your club.

So what are you waiting for? I suggest starting something like this “So…..Honey”

Announcements

Gabe Miller, a Rotarian from the Branson Daybreakers club, has accepted an appointment to the Missouri RYLA board for a three year term. Gabe presently volunteers as the sponsor of the College of the Ozarks Rotaract club. His occupation is Information Technology and he works at the College of the Ozarks. Please let Gabe know how fortunate we are to have him helping in our fifth avenue of service, New Generations.

I am pleased to announce that Columbia-Metro Rotarian Susan Hart has agreed to accept the important position of Matching Grants Chair in District 6080 for a three-year term beginning in Rotary year 2012-13.

Hart has been chair of the District’s Simplified Grants program since 2008 – a time in which many new clubs have gotten involved with the Simplified Grants program. I expect Susan will involve new clubs with Matching Grants projects as well; and this is at an especially important time, as the administration of matching projects changes under RI’s New Visions guidelines.

I am fortunate to make another appointment to the District 6080 Leadership Team for the coming Rotary year.

Warrensburg Early-Bird Rotarian Janet Mudd has agreed to accept the position of Simplified Grants Chair in District 6080 for a three-year term beginning in 2012-13. Mudd has coordinated her club’s Simplified Grants applications for the past five years, so she knows how the administration of the program affects people at the club level.

I am proud to announce that Shawn Pingleton of the Branson-Hollister Rotary Club has agreed to accept Assistant Governor responsibilities for five clubs in the Branson region beginning with the new Rotary year July 1, 2012. In addition to the Hollister and Nixa clubs that he currently oversees, Shawn will work with Branson Daybreakers, Branson-Hollister, and Table Rock Lake-Branson West clubs. He will also act as liaison for the College of the Ozarks Rotaract

Fellow Rotarians –
As District Governor-Elect, my wife, Ann, and I will be representing District 6080 at the International Assembly in San Diego January 15-21, 2012. Over 500 other Governor-Elects from all over the world will be in attendance.

One of the traditions of the Assembly is for spouses and friends to set-up a Cultural Exchange Contest table, in which participants can win small items representing Rotary communities from around the world.

My wife has been asked to collect 40 items from throughout District 6080 that can be used as prizes. I ask for your help.

If you have club members who produce or provide small items that would provide a glimpse of 6080’s cultural environment, I would appreciate it if you could package a few samples up and send it to us here in Warrensburg. We will then package the items for shipment to San Diego where they will be distributed to Rotarians from throughout the world.

Items such as promotional ball caps, t-shirts, packaged spices, promotional key chains, localized Christmas ornaments (non-breakable, please), promotional water bottles, note pads, non-perishable packaged foods…you get the idea. Make sure they promote District 6080 entities in some way and that they are not too difficult to pack and ship.

Send you items to:
Mark Pearce
Att: Rotary Cultural Exchange
174 SE 500 Road
Warrensburg, MO. 64093

Thank you for helping to spread cheer from District 6080 to the entire Rotary world!

Mark Pearce
Governor 2012-13
Rotary District 6080

Rotary Calendar

December: Family

• Youth Exchange Outbound First Orientation: December 3, 2011
• Submit 2012-2013 Club officers’ data to Rotary International: December 31, 2011
• Ambassadorial Scholar applications for 2013-2014 available on RI website

January: Rotary Awareness

• Submit Semi-Annual Report and Dues to Rotary International: January 1, 2012
• District Governor nominations due: January 15, 2012
• SCRYE meeting in Tulsa: January 27-29, 2012

February: World Understanding

• Rotary’s 107th Birthday: February 23, 2012
• District Leadership Team Seminar (DGE Mark Pearce): February 25, 2012

March: Literacy

• Changemaker Award Forms submitted to District Governor: March 1, 2011
• RYLA applications due: March 1, 2012
• Matching Grants submission deadline: March 1, 2012
• Student Government Day in Jefferson City: TBA
• Presidential Citation Forms submitted to District Governor: March 15, 2011
• Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar applications due to club presidents: March 15, 2012
• Peace Scholar applications due: March 15, 2012
• President-Elect/Secretary-Elect Training Seminar in Jefferson City: March 23-24, 2012

April: Magazine

• Presidents submit endorsed Ambassadorial Scholar applications: April 1, 2012
• Youth Exchange Outbound Second Orientation: April 7, 2012
• Ambassadorial Scholar interviews: April 28, 2012

May: International Convention

• Rotary International Convention in Bangkok, Thailand: May 6-9, 2012
• Group Study Exchange Outbound Team leaves for Italy: May 1, 2012
• Assistant Governor’s submit completed Memo’s of Club Visit to District Governor: May 15, 2012
• Rotary Club Leadership Team Retreat (DGE Mark Pearce): May 19, 2012

June: Fellowship

• RYLA: June 24-27
• Deadline for contributions to The Rotary Foundation: June 30, 2012
• Youth Exchange Outbound Final Orientation: TBA

Fellow Rotarians:
I would like for you to put a few meeting dates on your 2012 calendar.

Saturday, February 25, 2012
The District Leadership Training Meeting In the Clydesdale Room at Schepper’s Distributing in Jefferson City. That is an opportunity for AG’s, prospective AG’s and District Officers to get together, report in, and look ahead at the changes and challenges for the up-coming Rotary year.

Friday and Saturday, March 23 & 24, 2012
President-elect training and secretary-elect training (PETS and SETS) at Capitol Plaza Hotel in Jefferson City. I hope that many of you are in attendance and involved in these very important sessions as we tread our way toward New Visions and even bolder objectives. Our president-elects can use all the support from our AGs and officers as we can muster.

Saturday, May 19, 2012
District Assembly at the American Legion Building in Warrensburg. District Assembly is our opportunity to finalize and record goals, to incorporate other club leaders (besides PEs) into primary Rotary initiatives, and to assimilate and operationalize the voluminous information the PE’s encountered at PETS. Once again, AGs attendance is important. Together, we’re better.

Thursday through Saturday, October 18 – 20, 2012
The District Conference, to be held at the Radisson Hotel in Branson, Missouri. We’ll have plenty of social time and activities, great speakers, opportunities for ancillary meetings, plus information and contacts that will help make you and your club excel throughout the rest of the year.

District Conference Advisory: This is gonna be fun.

Mark Pearce
Governor 2012-13
Rotary District 6080

December Inspiration

Your Rotary Life Blank Slate
Rita Esterly, District Governor

Imagine being given a piece of chalk with which to write. Then imagine a blank slate. Now imagine that you can write anything you want to with that piece of chalk on that blank slate. What would you write in terms of your Rotary Life? Your Rotary Life is like a blank slate. Your actions are the chalk that creates words or pictures on your blank slate. What word can you write or image can you draw that will be effective in giving Service Above Self?

Let me give you an example of what I wrote last January with my chalk on my blank slate about my Rotary Life. There is a saying that states: “There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.” Believing this to be true, I wrote with my chalk on my Rotary Life slate the words “Be the Light.” Over the year I took every opportunity to spread the message of the changes at Rotary International that would enlighten Rotarians so our District could help Rotary be strong and thrive in the coming years.

At times I was the candle. For example, when I trained my District Leadership Team, I spoke and role modeled the new ideas Rotary was promoting with the Strategic Plan and with Continuity. When I visited clubs, my speech was all about the changes in Rotary. At times I was the mirror. For example, when I met with Rotaract clubs, they shared all the amazing things they were doing and I reflected to them how they were already implementing the ideas that would help Rotary to thrive in the coming years. When I would visit with individuals, I would reflect on what he/she was doing and plant a seed about how that particular Rotarian could make a larger impact in his/her Rotary life.

The reason these words were important for me to write on my Rotary Life slate was that I believe that the more people are educated, the more effective they can be in what they choose to do in their Rotary Life. The more people realize the value and impact of what they believe to be only small actions, the more they are willing to give to Rotary. I never knew what a conversation might lead to, so I was determined not to let any opportunity go by without either sharing or reflecting the light.

As the year draws to a close, I look back to see if my efforts were effective. What I do know is that those clubs who were enlightened to embrace change such as visioning have developed a strategic plan that will help their club grow and thrive. Some of the strategic plans I have seen are going to create dynamic clubs. Those individuals who caught their own reflection in my mirror are some of our most amazing leaders and have accomplished such remarkable goals. I know that I am going to continue to “Be the Light” in my Rotary Life.

What are you going to write on your blank slate about your Rotary Life this coming year? I challenge you to write a word or design a picture with your chalk on your blank slate so that your actions have a focused goal for your Rotary Life this year. With such individual determination about one’s Rotary Life, humanitarian efforts as well as creating dynamic clubs will continue to make our district strong and preserve Rotary for future generations.