District 5690 - District Assembly

The Passing of the Pin Ceremony was conducted Friday evening, May 15^th and the 2009 District Assembly was held Saturday, May 16^th, at the Dodge City Country Club. The assembly seems to come around at a very busy time of the year for most Rotarians, with graduations, class reunions, etc. coming in May. But any time is a busy time for Rotarians, since all are active, involved, dedicated people. In spite of that, the assembly was relatively well-attended, and I am very appreciative of those who gave of their time to participate. Annie and PDG Dick Wyatt did a tremendous job, as always, of making the facility and meal arrangements. The club officers in attendance received a high-intensity and fast-paced final training and information program before their year in office begins on July 1. I felt it was one of the best district assemblies I have attended, thanks to what I believe is the best leadership team I have seen (with the possible exception of the district governor-elect). The new District Trainer Kelli Thompson did a commendable job of setting up the agenda and presenters.

I explained to the Rotarians in attendance that although community service has always been my top priority in Rotary, after more exposure to the larger picture of what is happening in the districts and the world over the last two years of training, I have had a new priority thrust upon me. Membership, both recruitment and retention, is the most critical issue facing our organization in the United States at this time. The ever-increasing needs for our services and all the lofty plans and goals in the world are not going to matter if there is no one, or at least not enough of us, here to carry them out. Toward that end, new Membership Chair Dee Ann Sullivan presented her ambitious plan to increase membership in the district. Dee Ann is requesting a contact person for each club, with whom she will communicate. That contact person would preferably be the club membership committee chair, but it can be anyone in the club to help with this critical issue. She will survey each club’s particular membership issues and customize a membership plan for them, filtering the massive amount of info and plans available from RI. She will also survey clubs to see if they wish to take advantage of the available Vision Training program, that she is excited about and knows has great potential for the district. DeAnn pointed out that Rotarians often forget what they know at work when they go to Rotary and fail to use their expertise at the club.

DeAnn, and District Public Relations chair, Phil Michel, are working closely together, as was my hope, since public relations is an extension of membership efforts and is a valuable tool that can be utilized to attract potential new members and inspire current members. Phil explained how “PR” has a negative connotation that we need to be aware of, and try to overcome, and how different PR methods apply to different size clubs. While it is usually easy for small-community clubs to get local news coverage, it is more difficult for larger clubs and they must seek exposure in different venues. He explained how research reveals that coverage is more likely when projects involve (1) Kids, (2) Animals, and (3) Elderly in that order. Greg Waters, secretary of the Greensburg club gave an update and a photo power point on the progress in Greensburg. It was happily reported that the Greensburg club is functioning well. District Foundation Chair, Geri Appel, presented information about several facets of the Rotary Foundation, and Grants Committee chair, Donna Meier Pfiefer gave information about District Simplified Grants. Youth Protection officer, Bob Obee presented information about current youth exchanges and GSE chair, Steve Woods gave an update on the status of exchanges. DGN David Nygaard gave more valuable information on the IRS 990 form, which is very important to all clubs. District Awards chair, Terri Weaver explained a few literacy projects that are easy and simple, and she gave some detailed information on the district awards process.

District Assembly is my favorite district event, because of the free exchange of ideas in a less formal setting. Some examples of the discussions are: In the Ulysses club, if a member volunteers to work a shift at a project, they get their name put in a hat once for each shift worked, and then a drawing is held to award $100 from the club with a match, to the winner, that goes to the Foundation toward a Paul Harris Fellowship. The club auctions off leftover or unused recognition points from members that leave or pass away and combine the auction price with the purchased points toward a PHF. Representatives from the Hugoton Club explained how they stage a grocery grab and raise a significant sum of funds. Several other ideas were discussed at the brainstorming session.

The useful information from all the presenters came hard and fast, and the assembly was concluded on schedule.

The most common comment I heard about the Passing of the Pin Ceremony was “fun”, which is at it should be. The participants seemed to enjoy the “roast” of me, and the interview of Governor Tom about his impressions, feeling, experiences, and perceptions of his year so far. A surprise guest, our daughter, Sheila, president of the North Oklahoma City Rotary Club, accompanied by her husband, Preston, also participated in the insults. Then Sunday, I roto-rooted a sewer line for one of our club members.

District #5690 – District Seminar/Assembly

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Registration at 8:30 – Seminar/Assembly

9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Dodge City Country Club – N. Avenue “C” – Dodge City, Kansas

REGISTRATION FORM

Who Should Attend? ¨ Club Presidents Elect ¨ Club Officers & Board Member

¨ Club Committee Chair ¨ District Committee Chairs

¨ Assistant Governors ¨ New Rotary Members

¨ Anyone wanting to learn more about Rotary, its projects and programs

Why Should You Attend? To strengthen your leadership capacity

To help your club sustain and/or grow your membership base

To gain knowledge and understanding of Rotary

To share successful ideas with other clubs in the district

Topics Available

“Shared Vision – Shared Success”

“The Future of Rotary Is In Your Hands”

¨ Youth Exchange ¨ The Rotary Foundation

¨ District Simplified Grants for Community Projects

¨ Service Opportunities

¨ Membership Development & Retention

¨ Club Leadership Plan ¨ Russian Open World Program

¨ RYLA ¨990 TAX FORMS

¨ Literacy ¨ Scholastic Dictionary Project ¨ I Like Me Books

¨ Water Issues ¨ Presidential Citation

¨ Group Study Exchange

¨ District Awards ¨ AND MORE!

Registration Form

Registration Fee: $25

Due: May 11, 2009

(Registration Form & Details on the reverse)