Happy Holidays; Hannukah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, and New Year to each of us, no matter how you celebrate. Enjoy this precious time spent with family and friends.
December is Rotary's Disease Prevention and Treatment Month. We will continue the ABCs of Rotary with the letters K and L which happen to be in keeping with this theme.
K: Kindness and Knowledge and L: listening, Laughter, and Love
Please submit anything that you want in the newsletter by the 25th of each month. The newsletter usually goes out by the first or second of each month and it takes time to put things together in the proper format.
Veuillez soumettre tout ce que vous voulez dans la newsletter d'ici le 25 de chaque mois. La newsletter sort habituellement au premier ou au deuxième de chaque mois et il faut du temps pour mettre les choses en forme.
Our district homepage, www.rotary7040.com has a COVID-19 resource page. It includes a list of speakers that you may find useful for your meetings. In addition, the D7040 Passport club has an Education Centre where you may find useful videos.
Make sure that you also check our Membership article by Kateri Clarke about ideas for connecting virtually.
In this new world created by the COVID-19 pandemic, Rotarians all over the world are looking for new ways to safely connect. Online meetings and events are the norm now in and outside of Rotary; and if you’re finding yourself struggling to find ways to connect with your fellow Rotarians or aren’t feeling the same sense of community as you may be used to, you’re not alone! So, as we adapt to our new reality, let’s discuss some ways that you may be able to increase your connectivity.
When I hear people describe me as “diverse,” I say, “Yes, and much more!” Let me start by saying that, growing up in the Middle East, I had the impression that all women were strong survivors and decision-makers. My grandmother and mother, despite their traditional roles, certainly were family leaders. It seemed like a natural inheritance from the days of the Egyptian Queen Nefertiti. My father and my faith also supported my sense of empowerment. As early as the age of 13, I had a clear say in all family decisions; my opinion was independent and as important as my brother’s. Before traveling, I was advised to “be professional, be proud, work hard and let your actions speak for themselves,” as if the world was ready for me!
Traveling brings people together. Nadia (on left) met three Rotary exchange students in a recent Rotary conference in Toronto.
Voyager rapproche les gens. Nadia (à gauche) a rencontré trois étudiants d'échange du Rotary lors d'une récente conférence du Rotary à Toronto.
This is the month where we do most of our gift giving and receiving but if you’re part of a Presidents’ Council you can give other clubs (via their presidents) your ideas and in return come away with solutions you may not have thought of.
As area governor for the Northeast NY and NY Lakes area clubs, I facilitate the presidents’ council meetings each month for the combined areas and have seen this in action. We know we run into issues in our clubs and can spend time worrying and problem solving, but if we combine forces we often find another club has already been through that same issue and their solution may well work for us.
Most recently at one of these meetings, I was reminded of a holiday card project that was developed last year by the Plattsburgh Noon club in response to the isolation of seniors caused by the pandemic. Volunteers from the club, and when word spread, from various community groups and school classes, wrote, signed and delivered over 2000 holiday cards to elders throughout the community. It was so well received they are coordinating it again and this has inspired the Saranac Lake club to do the same in their community. This is just one of the benefits of being involved beyond the boundaries of our own clubs, teaming up to support one another and to share the gifts of wisdom and experience.
Once again, the Rotary Clubs of Kingston brought a little holiday cheer to thousands of children. Our annual book distribution occurred between Nov. 23 – Nov. 25, thanks to our volunteers and partners, and it was an overwhelming success.
Almost 25% of households in Canada do not have a single book. Low literacy levels place children at a disadvantage that perpetuates poverty. First Book Canada, a non-profit based out of Mississauga, Ontario, is trying to change this pattern by building libraries in those homes. Each year, they donate thousands of new books to families in low-income neighborhoods. The results of these efforts are significant. Children report greater self-esteem, are more engaged in reading and close the achievement gap in their classrooms.
Our event would normally take place in one of our north-end schools, but the pandemic prevented Rotarians from having access to this site. Fortunately, Rotarian Bernie Robinson provided some available space in his new building at the corner of Gardiners Road and Cataraqui Woods Drive. We reached out to teachers through the Limestone District School Board and to many other local organizations who are focused on children’s reading programs. Teachers and program leaders then registered to receive books through the First Book Canada site and selected a time and day to collect the books.
While that was happening, 40 Rotarian volunteers and friends received the 12 large pallets of books over two days. In total, there were over 17,000 books from publishers like Firefly, Disney and Penguin/Random House. It was a monumental effort to unpack the boxes and organize tables by grade/age. Once this was done, the volunteers put together the teacher orders so that each person would receive at least 350 books.
One of the teachers participating in the program said: “These books will bring so much joy to our students. Thank you so much for making this happen.” It is so special to hear these words and know that this event is making such a difference in the lives of so many children. It would not happen without the collaborative efforts of all of the Kingston clubs and our community partners. We are already looking forward to next year’s distribution.
A new custom Rotary license plate will soon be available for New York State Rotarians! The new custom plate will feature the Rotary logo and our motto, "Service Above Self."
District 7120 Governor Janet Tenreiro along with District 7040 Area Governor Michael Griffin are taking point on this project, which has the support of all nine district governors in New York State. The new plate will take the place of Rotary's current custom plate in New York, which uses the old logo and has no motto.
In order for New York State to move ahead on printing the new plates, we need to get at least 200 New York State Rotarians to express interest in ordering the new custom license plate.
If you are interested in ordering a plate, please fill out the short form online at https://forms.gle/sQAhXsejZBanX25K8 or print out and mail in the attached form.
Posted by Michael Angelo Caruso, Zone 28 Public Image Coordinator
Remember, a good story has a beginning, a middle and an end. It should take between two and five minutes to get it out. If it’s shorter, it’s merely an anecdote; longer and you’ll risk losing your audience.
Contact your local Public Image specialist if you want help.
***PLEASE NOTE*** This notice only refers to Canadian clubs.
We have been informed by our insurance company for Canadian insurance that it is now required to charge sales tax. This year our total district insurance premium for all Canadian clubs could be as much as $4000.00 over what was projected because we also have an added cyber policy.
We are writing to let you know that the district will take care of this extra amount for this year. We are not going to ask you for another levy to make up the shortfall. Be aware that because of this the premium for 2022-23 will likely increase to at least $22.00 per member, instead of $19.00 that you were charged this year. Some of you will be looking at what level you need to set your dues for next year, and you will need to keep this in mind.
