“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”
– John Quincy Adams
Thoughts from DG Ingrid
I see clubs now getting into gear for the second half of the Rotary year. It has been great to see in club bulletins that most of our clubs are taking planning of their year seriously, and it really shows in the great actions that are going to be happening between now and 1 July – AND they are planning beyond that.
I thought this month I would borrow some words from our RI President Barry Rassin, words he wrote in his editorial for The Rotarian magazine. He is challenging every Rotary club to come up with at least one high impact service project. I have seen many many high impact service projects in clubs in our district - see some examples below. But the following words I thought are worth sharing:
What makes a project transformational? It doesn’t have to involve a lot of money but it has to reach people and have a major impact in the community. That is the key, and that is where careful planning and through research come in. So do your research. Leverage your resources. Seek partnerships that can increase your impact. And then take action.
If your club is transformational and well organised, everything else will follow Members will be engaged and new members will be eager to join you. Fundraising will be easier: People love to give when they see how their money is making a difference and when they know the organisation is accountable. Your club will be vibrant, relevant, and alive – and it will Be the Inspiration to those within it as well as to the community it serves.
March is Water and Sanitation Month
... and ...
11-17 March is World Rotaract Week –
wouldn’t that be a great time to connect with your local Rotaract club?
Here are some examples of some of the inspiring events that have taken place in our communities over the last couple of months:
Papeete RotaryClub celebrated their 60th anniversary in style;
Taravao Tahiti-iti club put on a Magic show for about 500 children from their local community;
DG Ingrid's own club of Parnell organised supermarket chain Countdown’s annual golf tournament for suppliers and raised over $140,000 for Dementia Auckland;
Waiheke ran a very successful Onetangi Beach Races for the 21st year. See here for their great write-up in the Island magazine;
Auckland South showed us how to 'Shoot for Oxygen' and have a load of fun while also raising money for the Oxygen project in Fiji and raising Rotary’s profile;
Highbrook organised a Fun Run in their local community that got over 600 people out and moving.
And these are only the larger events – I am sure there are many more happening that superbly demonstrate who we are as Rotarians – People of Action.
The Rotary Club of Parnell expects to be able to donate $140,000 to Dementia Auckland as a result of the 2019 Golf Day. This sum will add to the $2.2 million already donated over the last fifteen years. These donations have been raised at golf tournaments held in conjunction with Countdown and its suppliers.
<<< DG Ingrid and Avis signing players in.
Before dawn on Friday 15th , 45 Parnell Rotarians and friends set up at the Titirangi Golf Club course with sponsors’ stands, sun tan lotion (it was a very sunny day!), refreshments (it was a very hot day!) and big smiles to welcome the 36 teams for each of the morning and afternoon rounds.
The 78 teams, some of whom took the competition very seriously, represented many of Countdown’s suppliers. The players welcomed the opportunity of catching up with old friends and renewing business relationships.
Sponsor Sistema’s stand, with Rotarians encouraging players to bet on how close they could land the ball to the hole >>>
It is really fascinating to receive a number of club bulletins. They illustrate similar themes: how quiet it was over Christmas and the holidays, planning for the second half of the Rotary year and the many imaginative projects that the clubs sponsor.
Bulletins were received from the Rotary Clubs of:
Auckland
Auckland Downtown
Auckland East
Auckland Harbourside
Botany East Tamaki
Ellerslie
Howick
Mangere
Manukau Sunrise
Newmarket
Otahuhu
Pakuranga
Papakura
Parnell
Penrose
St Johns
Suva East
From the Mangere bulletin – too good to delete!
Auckland City Mission (ACM) is one of the 7 social causes Auckland Downtown members voted to support. Here's a link to their Clubrunner article: City Mission - Cooking for the Homeless
St John’s Rotary has a great lineup for 2019. Good luck, people. You will really make a difference with all these projects.
Golf Tournament March 2019 – Supporting KidsCan
Freshwater Project – Interact Team alongside NIWA
Visit to Little Barrier Island
Have a Go Sailing – 20 schools
Discovery Training for year 8 students
RYDA Training for student drivers
ANZAC Breakfast – April
Club Trivia Nite – 2nd Raising funds for Oxygenator project / Club activities – May
Taveuni Project Team Trip – May
RYPEN planning for attendees
RYLA planning for attendees
Alongside attending the District conference in May
Interact Club looking at establishing a pop-up library in Glen Innes
Ed: As a spot of trivia, other than not being able to spell ‘night’, this looks totally brilliant!
Downtown are proposing a new logo – neat, eh?
And, here's an idea from Otahuhu Club’s bulletin - neat, eh?
Many youngsters have benefited hugely from the overseas experience as outbound students. And many clubs have benefited from having an inbound exchange student staying with them. Here are the latest group of outbound students.
Rotary Exchange Students leaving ; Madita Pleiss (sponsored by RC Howick), Katrine Lundo-Nielsen (Pukekohe), John Fothergill (District 9920 Outbound Student Co-ordinator ), Jake Le Sueur (Half Moon Bay), Mia Kidston (Pakuranga), Madeleine Kennedy-Jarman (Waiuku).
The bulletin editor is sent lots of stuff, some exciting, some boring but most of it interesting. Recently, Interplast sent me their regular newsletter. This is a brief description of what it does, see the link below for more details. It is important work, as it is professional Rotarians using their skills to the direct benefit of members of our community in the Pacific.
Interplast is a small charitable organisation started by Rotary in 1983 through a partnership with the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. Rotary continues to be crucial in both governance and support from clubs and Districts throughout Australia and New Zealand.
The Constitution designates Rotary members of the Company, the Board of Directors and the Rotarian Committee of 9 Past District Governors.
Interplast sends fully qualified Australian and New Zealand volunteer plastic and reconstructive surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses and allied health professionals to the Asia Pacific region to provide free surgical treatment for patients who would otherwise not be able to afford access to such services.
Harbourside Rotary Chinese New Year Gala Ball, Sat 23 Feb - always a huge event and they have the Mayor of Auckland and local MPs attending.
Pakuranga Rotary Community River Carnival – Sun 24 Feb, 11am – 3pm – Bramley Drive Reserve, Pakuranga
South Pacific Presidents Elect Training at Waipuna 2-3 March, with President Elect Training for our Pacific Island Presidents on 1 March. There will be a casual pay-your-own-way District Dinner on Friday 1 March at Wellingtons (Mt Wellington). Please let DG Ingrid know if you would like to attend - $27.50 per person.
St Johns Golf tournament for Kids Can - 18 March
30 Years of Women in Rotary – Keep this date free - Saturday 6 April - a special event is to be organised for all women Rotarians in Districts 9910 and 9920, and their friends.
Auckland South Charity Event - Saturday 6 April in the evening
Please let us know about your events so we can include them in next month's newsletter!!!
Our 9920 Conference 10-12 May 2019
Don’t forget to register and join your fellow Rotarians for a great weekend in Napier.
Mt Eden Rotary invites you to its QUIZ NIGHT fundraiser. Grab your mates and get a team together, or just come along yourself and we'll match you up with a team. Please SHARE this invitation with anyone who you think may find it of interest. For more details ...
This will be an opportunity to discuss any of the proposed legislation and voice your views on matters you think I, as the District reprentative, should be taking into account when I vote at the Council meeting.
We are timing this event to give the President Elects from the Pacific Islands an opportunity to participate while they are in Auckland for President Elect training.
This forum is open to all members within District 9920. I will there from 7.30pm until 9.00pm. Feel free to come and go at times that work for you.
RYPEN – 29, 30 & 31st March 2019. Rotary Youth Program of Enrichment has a fantastic impact on young people’s lives. This is a weekend long camp for Year 12 and 13 students, aged between 14 - 17 years old, designed at developing young people’s potential through a mixture of lecture style sessions and adventure-based learning. I trust your club is supporting this.
RYLA 2019 – This year’s 9920 RYLA will run 29 June – 6 July 2019 at Willow Park in Eastern Beach. I am sure there is a young person in every community our clubs serve who would love the opportunity to join with 120 other young people for a life changing week. I would like to see 80% of our clubs sending someone along. It is a modest investment for a wonderful leadership programme.
Using the Rotary months, programme organisers and bulletin editors can focus speakers and topics to support Rotary International's programme. The next four months are:
<<< DG Ingrid and Avis signing players in.
Sponsor Sistema’s stand, with Rotarians encouraging players to bet on how close they could land the ball to the hole >>>
RYPEN – 29, 30 & 31st March 2019. Rotary Youth Program of Enrichment has a fantastic impact on young people’s lives. This is a weekend long camp for Year 12 and 13 students, aged between 14 - 17 years old, designed at developing young people’s potential through a mixture of lecture style sessions and adventure-based learning. I trust your club is supporting this.