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What a year!

It has been quite a year and we're not finished yet.
 
As we approach the District changeover, which will occur on Saturday the 27th of June at 11:00 am, I am thinking about how significantly our world has changed.  To say we are living in unprecedented times is a bit of an understatement.  Who would have believed a year ago that this changeover ceremony would find us living in the midst of a pandemic that has swept the world?  This pandemic that has resulted in the closure of the U.S./Canada border; forced us to meet online because of the significant restrictions with meeting in person; and resulted in the cancellation of the Rotary International Convention, District Assembly, and Foundation Dinner.
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What Are Clubs Doing During This Time?

 
(courtesy Nation Valley News)
 
Visiting Seniors
 
 
The Rotary Clubs of Ausable, Lake Placid and Saranac Lake and their dogs teamed up to window visit the seniors and staff at Elderwood of Uihlein. We stopped for a quick group photo (missing a couple who were still spreading cheer at a window when the photo was taken).
 
 
Rotarians and friends from the Ausable Valley and Saranac Lake clubs enjoyed physically distant socializing with residents at Will Rogers. Some folks (and staff) braved the weather to gather on the deck and others waved from their apartments. We even had a short ukulele concert thanks to Chris Winters.
 
Upcoming Events
PETS Online Session #4
Jun 06, 2020
10:30 AM – 11:30 AM
 
BACK TO NORMAL LIFE AFTER COVID19!
https://www.gotomeet.me/EclubPremier7040
Jun 13, 2020
10:30 AM – 11:30 AM
 
International Service & Foundation Online
Jun 20, 2020
9:30 AM – 11:30 PM
 
Council of Governors Online
Jun 27, 2020
9:30 AM – 10:45 AM
 
District Changeover Online
Jun 27, 2020
11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
 
New Rotary Year / La nouvelle année rotarienne
Jul 01, 2020
 
DisCon 2020 Online
Oct 16, 2020 – Oct 18, 2020
 
DisCon 2020 Online Auction Contact Registration
Oct 16, 2020 – Oct 18, 2020
 
World Polio Day / Journée mondiale contre la polio
Oct 24, 2020
 
View entire list
Newsletters

A Message from Rotary International President Mark Maloney 

https://my.rotary.org/en/news-media/office-president/presidential-message

Membership Minute

Honouring Indigenous People

Rotarians Wanted

Looking for Rotarians to fill positions in the  District Organization for 2020-2021.
 
If interested please contact Hadi Mortada at hmortada@aol.com
Bulletin Editor
Ariane Carriere
Click on image to get to the Zone newsletter for June.
All About the District - Tout sur le district

Breaking news/dernières nouvelles

We are living in an interesting time. Each day there is more news about this virus that is spreading around the world. Now we have the added news of protests. The District is physically divided in half because the border is closed. Yet, Rotarians are meeting and getting together online.
 
We have made the decision to move our changeover and our annual conference online to protect the health and safety of our members and attendees. These events will be free of charge and we urge all of you to try to attend.
 
Nous vivons une période intéressante. Chaque jour, il y a plus de nouvelles sur ce virus qui se propage dans le monde entier. Maintenant, nous avons les nouvelles supplémentaires de protestations. Le district est divisé physiquement en deux parce que la frontière est fermée. Pourtant, les Rotariens se réunissent et se réunissent en ligne.
 
Nous avons pris la décision de déplacer notre passation des pouvoirs et notre conférence annuelle en ligne pour protéger la santé et la sécurité de nos membres et de nos participants. Ces événements seront gratuits et nous vous exhortons tous à essayer d’y assister.
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Program of the Rotary International Virtual Convention

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District Alumni Chair/présidente des anciens du district.

I am excited to announce the appointment of Jordan Stroud as the District Alumni Chair.
 
 
Je suis heureux d’annoncer la nomination de Jordan Stroud à la présidence des anciens du district.
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COVID-19 Relief  for District Clubs

We know that most of you are working on budgets for the next Rotary year. Due to cancellation of PETS & DTA this year, the District Finance Committee has decided to waive the $10 levy per member for 2020-2021 as a COVID-19 relief. This waiver is only for this coming year. We expect that the levy will return for the following year so that we can meet again in person.

First Ever Virtual Foundation Walk

The first ever virtual District 7040 Rotary Foundation Walk was held May 9, 2020. It was a cold, windy and snowy day for sure; however, we Rotarians provided service above self to support the Rotary Foundation. Fifty-six walkers representing seven clubs participated: Three from the US - Rotary Clubs of Canton, Potsdam and Massena. Three from Ontario, Canada - Cornwall Sunrise, Kingston-Frontenac,  1000 Islands-Brockville and one from Quebec – Old Montreal. The total amount raised was $10,728.31(US).
 
 
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We Do Better Together

Rotary is a service organization with more than 35,000 clubs and 1.2 million members world-wide. At times, Rotary clubs join together to carry out worthwhile international projects to meet specific needs in communities.
 
Rotarian Nosberto L. Lou was the connecting link for two such Rotary clubs in Ottawa-Stittsville and in Guatemala North. Originally from Guatemala where he was a member of the Rotary club, Nosberto now lives with his family in Stittsville. Currently however, he is in Guatemala where he was able to see the great need for medical supplies to deal with the current COVID-19 crisis.
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RI Board Asks Everyone to Use the New Rotary Brand

At the April 2019 meeting of the Rotary International Board of Directors, the Board reviewed the Rotary brand and
  • requested all users of the Rotary Marks to come into visual brand compliance as soon as possible;
  • agreed not to publish in official Rotary media, after July 31, 2019, any advertisements or other information that are not in brand compliance;
  • agreed not to permit any exhibitions at all official Rotary events that are not in brand compliance;
We encourage all Rotary Clubs in District 7040 to become compliant too, as soon as possible. We will no longer publish pictures that have the old logo in them. You can find out more at the Rotary Brand Center.

Potsdam donates to Food Bank

 

Potsdam Rotary Club President Duane Pelkey (right) presents a $1,000 donation to Potsdam Neighborhood Center Director Kristal Hayes at a safe social distance. The gift will be used by the Neighborhood Center food bank for COVID-19 relief. #RotaryResponds

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Rotary Kingston’s COVID-19 Project

Summary of Rotary Kingston’s COVID-19 Project
Collaboration between: Isthmus, Food Sharing Project & Rotary
 
Last year, over 16,000 children at 87 schools in Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington  were fed at school either a snack, breakfast or lunch or in some cases all three through the food provided by The Food Sharing Project, and over 200 young students from five high-needs schools received small food hampers each weekend. Food insecurity is a serious concern in our community and, according to the Partners in Mission Food Bank here, of the participants in the Food Bank hamper program, a staggering 34% are children. With the onset of the pandemic, schools have been closed with no prospect of them reopening this academic year, so these children are not able to access food through established Student Nutrition Programs. Food Banks are trying to cope with an increased surge in demand and extended wait times.
 
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Rotary to the rescue/à la rescousse

On March 13 one of our members – Suzanne Hocquard reached out to the Meals On Wheels director in our area to inquire if they would need assistance delivering meals. Normally this task is completed by retired individuals but with the quarantine in force these individuals were not available.
 
Le 13 mars, une de nos membres - Suzanne Hocquard a contacté la directrice services communautaires de Prescott & Russell pour lui demander si elle aurait besoin d'aide pour livrer les repas. Normalement, cette tâche est accomplie par des individus retraités mais avec la quarantaine en vigueur, ces individus n'étaient pas disponibles.
 
 
 
 
 
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Première réunion virtuelle depuis 106 ans pour le Club Rotary de Montréal !

First online meeting in 106 years!
President Fatima sent this so inspiring message to the Montreal Rotary Club:
“Just a quick note to thank everyone who attended the May 8th online meeting.
This virtual meeting marked a new page in the history of the Montreal Rotary Club and you can be proud to be part of it, since it is the first time in 106 years of its existence that our Club has held such a meeting.

Let us make sure that all members of our Club will meet in large numbers online in order to share our points of view and get to know each other better so that this unique current crisis has a positive side thanks to this virtual tool. Thank you all for your presence and I hope to see more members online next Friday.”
 
Voilà comment le 2ème plus ancien Club du Rotary au Canada ouvre les portes à de nouvelles opportunités pour son futur, en s’adaptant avec fierté, et en appuyant son développement sur l’amitié de ses membres.
 
Tous les Clubs de la grande région de Montréal/Laurentides se réunissent désormais online. Qu’ils partagent la plateforme Gotomeeting que le e-Club Premier a mis à leur disposition ou qu’ils utilisent Zoom, un planning commun permet de maintenir un contact plus fréquent entre les Clubs. Les projets communs se multiplient et les Conseils de Présidents sous la direction des deux AG Michel Wong Kee Song et Charles Ezin sont maintenant effectifs.
 
Bravo à tous, l’avenir du Rotary est plus que jamais entre nos mains. Les portes sont ouvertes à tous les possibles!

Napanee At Home Learning Kits

In an inspiring collaborative effort, 238 At Home Learning Kits have been prepared and delivered to students within L&A County thanks to a partnership with Rotary Club of Napanee, OntarioLennox and Addington County Museum and ArchivesTown of Greater Napanee, and Lennox and Addington County. These kits will provide fun activities and learning resources for students while learning from home. Thank you to the Rotary Club for being our primary funding partner and to all of the County staff who have made this initiative possible.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Finley's Walk for Water

Finley Johnston, 10, of Westport, ON, set out to walk 350 kms to raise $3000 towards building a well for people living without fresh water.
 
 
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Rotary Club of Ottawa Bytown COVID-19 Initiatives

In order to support our local community during the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Rotary Club of Ottawa Bytown decided to offer our support to the families of Immaculata High School students. 
 
Located on Main Street in Old Ottawa South, this school of the Ottawa Catholic School Board serves a wide catchment area, spanning neighbourhoods of widely diverse socio-economic conditions. A pillar of the Old Ottawa South/East community since 1928, the school has evolved to serve the needs of its community moving from a girls-only school to a co-ed. 
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Nouvelles des Échanges amicaux/News from D7040 Rotary Friendship Exchange

As a result of the present COVID-19 pandemic all Rotary Friendship Exchanges have temporarily been put on halt and will be reviewed at a later stage when general conditions allow it.
 
En raison de la pandémie actuelle de COVID-19, tous les échanges amicaux ont été temporairement suspendus et seront réexaminés ultérieurement lorsque les conditions générales le permettront.
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Fundraising Goes Virtual

District 7780 Rotarians met recently (by Zoom, naturally!) to talk about fundraising options in the age of COVID.  Generally speaking, the group agreed that:
  • Any fundraising project can be done virtually or with social distancing – it just takes creativity and maybe some downsizing. 
  • Good givers will continue to give, even in the tough times.
  • A club should think about its traditional sponsors.  If they are a restaurant or other establishment hard-hit by COVID, this is not the time to approach them.  If they are an insurance agency or utility or other organization that has not been hard-hit, by all means reach out to them.
  • It’s critical to advertise, advertise, advertise events and activities on social media and wherever possible.  People are feeling cooped up and are looking for fun things to do.
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Fundraising In A Changed World: Online Events

 
Here are six important considerations that go into a successful online fundraising event.
 
MISSION
The “why” about fundraising is more important than ever.  Your event message needs to be short, simple, relevant, and centered on your mission.  Who are we helping?  What impact will a donation have?  Make the stories resonant and personal.  Have someone record short videos of why they donate or how they’ve been helped.  Throughout your online event, keep relating mission and impact.
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Revised Citation requirements for the 2019-20 Rotary Citation

We know that some of the 2019-20 Rotary Citation goals may be difficult for clubs to achieve during this pandemic, so we’ve revised the requirements. Instead of achieving five of the nine goals in the Unite People and Take Action categories, clubs now need to achieve at least three goals in each of these categories. The Presidential Distinction requirements remain the same, and clubs still need to be in good standing to be eligible. 

We appreciate the work you continue to do during this time and are looking forward to seeing the creative ways in which clubs achieve their goals. Clubs can still report their achievements as described in the Achievement Guide and use the Rotary Citation Recipients report on My Rotary to check their progress. Contact us at riawards@rotary.org if you have any questions. 

Thank You