Zone Institute In Huntsville in September
The Zones 30/31 Institute is being held in Huntsville, AL from September 5-8. This is a great way to meet other district leaders from across the Midwest and the South and to learn about the latest Rotary initiatives. |
Calling All Interact Clubs
Calling All Interact Clubs: We are updating our Interact Club contact information and am asking that each Rotary Club with an active Interact Club email curtis.cook@lsr7.org to confirm your information.
|
What Kind of Rotary Magic Will You Create in 2024-2025? As we begin the 2024-2025 Rotary year, we have a chance to build on the numerous successes of the past year, to grow Rotary, and to continue to provide invaluable service in our local communities and around the world. Our District 6040 leadership team is here to serve you as a club leader and Rotarian. To see who serves on the committees of the district, please visit https://rotary6040.org/DistrictOrganizationChartPhoto/2024 |
Thank You For Your Leadership
The Rotary Leadership Institute – Heart of America Division (RLI-HOA) recognized and congratulated Jeff Romine, active member of the Rotary Club of Kirksville, MO, for his recent selection as Chair of RLI-HOA and Julie McCoy, active member of the Rotary Club of Chillicothe, MO, for her service to RLI-HOA as Board Member and Regional Coordinator.
|
District 6040 Charters New Rotary Club
District 6040 welcomes the newest Rotary Club, Kansas City Metro Rotary Club to End Homelessness. The club's mission is to help end homelessness for individuals and families. This may range from paying for an ID or Security Deposit, to finding legal assistance among the Rotarians and sharing resources with those who may not have known they were available before. This club will meet bi-weekly at 11am on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month at a different nonprofit monthly, beginning at Metro Lutheran Ministry. Meetings will be paired with a service project. Membership is as little as $20/mo + 2 hours volunteer time, but there are *no* mandatory meetings!! |
District 6040 has a new Rotary Friendship Exchange Chair and Committee
|
GrantsYour club can receive funding from The Rotary Foundation for your priority projects. |
Rotary District 6040 Governor for 2027-2028
It is my honor and privilege to announce that Beth Franklin, from the Rotary Club of Independence, will be our District Governor for Missouri District 6040 for Rotary year 2027-28! Beth joined the Rotary Club of Independence in 2015, She was their Club President in 2020-21 after serving in several Club positions. Beth is currently the Chair of the District Grants Subcommittee for our District, and has worked with several of the clubs on their District Grants and projects the last couple of years. She is also a District Representative for Show Me Rotary. She is a graduate of the Rotary Leadership Institute. Beth has attended Rotary International Conventions in Houston, Texas and Melbourne Australia. |
Rotary Peace Fellowships
Since 2002, Rotary has awarded Peace Fellowships to leaders with professional work experience in Peace and development. Up to 130 fully funded fellowships are awarded annually for study at one of Rotary's Peace Centers, with 1700 Peace Fellowships awarded to people who work in 140 countries to date. Through academic training, practice, and global networking opportunities, the Rotary Peace Centers program develops the capacity of peace and development professionals to become effective catalysts for Peace. |
Rotary Fun-Vention
Join Rotary Districts 6040, 6060, & 6080 for Fun-Vention April 19-21, 2024 at Margartaville at Lake of the Ozarks. |
Positive Peace
People frequently feel detached from the presence or absence of Peace in society. As if Peace is something over which they have limited influence. However, the concept of Positive Peace can change that perspective because Positive Peace emphasizes and describes “attitudes, structures, and institutions that underpin and sustain peaceful societies. Positive Peace is the presence of something good, like education, sustainable resources, human capital, or a functioning government.”1 In learning about Positive Peace, we begin to see how we can impact and create conditions where Peace can flourish. |
Missouri RYLA Hiring
Missouri RYLA is seeking qualified candidates for the Executive Administrative Director position that supports RYLA throughout the year. This position is ideal for someone that has great organizational skills, excellent communication skills and a little free time to spend changing the world and building future Rotarians. This is a paid position, offering a stipend of $6,000.00 annually, which will be processed via a 1099 form for tax purposes. |
District Governor Nominations
It is time again to select a future District Governor of our District 6040. This selection will be for the Governor that serves in the Rotary year 2027-28. Everyone receiving this email has served your Club in numerous capacities. Many of you have also served the District and beyond in various positions. Your club is being invited to submit nominations for District Governor for Rotary year 2027-2028. You, as a Rotarian in good standing, may submit to your Club President and Secretary, the name of a Rotarian in your club who you believe would be willing and qualified to serve as District Governor. |
Celebration Ray Klinginsmith’s LifeCelebration Ray Klinginsmith’s Life |
Dynamic Speaker: Sigrid Solomon
Sigrid Solomon an independent diversity consultant and a frequent presenter at conferences on the topic of diversity leadership. She will speak during Saturday’s lunch. Sigrid has more than 30 years of higher education experience and serves as the VP, Chief Student Affairs Officer and Dean of Students at Wilmington College in Ohio. |
Registration
Early Show Me Rotary PETS registration begins Jan 1. Those who sign up during the month of January are eligible to win four tickets to Silver Dollar City. The names will be entered into a drawing. Go to the Show Me Rotary website (showmerotary.org) for sign up information. |
Friday Entertainment: Ashley Dawn
Our entertainment during Friday evening’s dinner will be Ashley Dawn, who was Branson’s Terry Music Female Vocalist of 2022. She is a seasoned Nashville recording artist with country, bluegrass and southern gospel roots. who channels the music of Reba, Dolly, Miranda Lambert, Shania, the Judds, etc.
|
Making a Move
Show Me Rotary Presidents Elect training has been in Jefferson City at the Capital Plaza hotel for many years. However, throughout those years, the hotel has deteriorated more and more each year. Last year 75 PE’s responded to a survey saying the hotel was the biggest negative factor in attending PETS. Two years ago, it was cold and they had no heat. Last year, it was hot and they had no air conditioning. Rooms were showing a lot of wear and tear. I could go on and on; but, the bottom line is, we had to make a change.
|
Dynamic Speaker: Stephanie A. Urchick
Stephanie A. Urchick: The incoming president (2024-25) of Rotary International, Stephanie Urchick, will be the featured speaker at Friday evening’s dinner. A Rotary member since 1991, she is a member of the Rotary Club of McMurray, Pennsylvania. Stephanie has been an RI director and Rotary Foundation trustee. She has served RI in numerous capacities, including as training leader, regional Rotary Foundation coordinator, and RI president’s representative.
|
Dynamic Speaker: Beth Stubbs
Beth Stubbs, Rotary International Director for Zones 30 and 31, will be Friday’s luncheon speaker. She first started frequenting Rotary club meetings at age 8 with her father and joined the Rotary Club of Maryville, Tennessee, in 1991. Beth served her district in several capacities including as chair of its finance, Foundation, and leadership development and education committees. |
Dynamic Speaker: Michael Angelo Caruso
Friday morning’s speaker, Michael Angelo Caruso, teaches people how to be better speakers and presenters so they can help more people and amp up their careers. He utilizes his unique background in the technology sector and a separate career in the entertainment business to deliver keynote speeches that feel like a combination of your best teacher and your favorite comedian. |
Show Me Rotary 2024.png)
If you haven’t yet heard the news, we are tremendously excited to share that Show Me Rotary President-elect and President-nominee training (PETS) will be held Friday, March 22 and Saturday, March 23 at the University Plaza Hotel in Springfield. This is a different location than in prior years. In addition to the new location, there are many other reasons why every Rotary club will want to send 2 representatives, ideally the club’s President-elect (2024-2025) and President-nominee (2025-2026), to PETS.
As part of each club’s district dues that District 6040 directly passes on to fund the PETS training event, each club is assessed for 2 people to attend. Realizing that this can be a challenge for some clubs, for 2024-2025 only, District 6040 will offer a “free” district grant, that doesn’t require a club match (of course the match is still recommended and will result in a larger project) of $2,500 for every club that sends their 2 representatives PETS in 2024. There are a few other training requirements and deadlines that must be met to qualify, the details of which will be shared at PETS. |
Foundation HOOP-la Success and Thank You
The District Foundation HOOP-la was a success raising almost $65,000, which will be available for future District and Global grant projects. Randy Steinman, District Governor, and Frances Reddis, HOOP-la Committee Chair, want to thank the Rotarians of District 6040 who helped plan and participated in the annual District Foundation fundraiser, HOOP-la, at the College Basketball Experience on November 4, 2023. The following clubs contributed $39,000 by attending and sponsoring tables at the event: Kansas City Plaza (four tables x $2,500 = $10,000), Kansas City (two tables x $2,500 = $5,000), Lee’s Summit ($2,500), Liberty ($2,500), Lee’s Summit Sunrise/Sunset ($2,500), Lexington ($2,500), St. Joseph East Side ($2,500), Lawson ($2,500), Waldo/Brookside ($2,500), and Trenton ($2,500). The Independence and Kirksville/Kirksville Thousand Hills Clubs each sponsored four reserved seats for $1,500 each. Kansas City South and Parkville each sponsored two reserved seats for $500 each. There were 73 other individual Rotarians and guests that purchased tickets for the event, totaling $9,125. |
Lumpuma Rural Health Centre Project
The Raytown Rotary Club is working with the Kitwe-North Rotary Club in Zambia to bring water supply to the GG 2238560 Lumpuma Rural Health Centre in rural Zambia. Recently the Rotary Club of Kitwe North visited the Lumpuma Project to monitor the progress. Direct water supply to the health centre is critical for their operations.
|
Celebrating Success
Congratulations to the Rotary District 6040 Clubs who were recognized for their success during the 2022-2023 year. Awards presented included the Star Awards – Annual Fund/SHARE; End Polio Now Awards – Polio Giving; Three Highest Per Capita Giving Awards for Annual Fund/SHARE and Polio; Rotary Citations; The Klinginsmith Cup;TRF Giving Banner - Clubs who had 100% participation in TRF Giving (any fund of The Rotary Foundation) and achieved $100 or more in average TRF Giving; and Every Rotary Every Year Giving Banner - Clubs who had 100% participation in EREY and achieved US $100 or more in Annual Fund Per Capita Giving.
|
A Moment For Peace
In this month following the start of the Israeli/Hamas conflict, focusing on children seems an important topic for A Moment for Peace. It seems to be a good time to think about Conflict Resolution activities and programs for schools. A goal of conflict resolution programs in schools is often managing the conflict that arises in everyday life. Conflict Resolution concepts cover principles of dignity, trauma and resiliency, empathy, emotional regulation, conflict choices, perspective and identity. One program in Missouri, the Center for Conflict Resolution, uses TALK as an acronym: T-take a breath A-ask for a person's perspective and share your own L-list the options to move forward K- keep it real; make a plan |
23rd Year of Shoes for Orphan Souls23rd Year of Shoes for Orphan SoulsGreetings to each of you in the Rotary Clubs of District 6040! After another successful year of shoes collection for orphan and vulnerable children, I am honored to again serve as the Shoes Cheerleader for Rotary District 6040. Thank you. Our District 6040 Governor, Randy Steinman, has encouraged the Rotary Clubs throughout the great state of Missouri to join the Shoes for Orphan Souls efforts. District 6060 Governor Valerie Sorensen, and District 6080 Governor Jimmy Standfast, are joining Randy to spread the word as we hope to collect 50,000 pairs of shoes across the state of Missouri this year. I know I can count on each of your Rotary Clubs to participate at meaningful levels again this year. I must say that District 6060 has begun a “Let’s Bury Larry (in shoes)” campaign…and from what I have seen on social media, they are off to a great start. In April 2024, we will again do our Shoes Caravan, and on the weekend of April 19-21, 2024 our efforts will culminate alongside the efforts across the state of Missouri at a Joint District Conference at the Margaritaville Resort at the Lake of the Ozarks! With it being Back to School Season, it is a perfect time to secure the current deals at your local retail stores, and I encourage you to do so. Let’s make our Shoes collection efforts this year a year-round effort! I was privileged to recently speak at the Trenton Rotary Club about the Shoes project, and it certainly raised my excitement levels once again for Shoes for Orphan Souls. If you have any questions, please reach out to me at larrylunsford@b-r.com I am here to serve you. Grateful for this 23rd Year of Shoes for Orphan Souls. Larry Lunsford District 6040 Shoes Cheerleader
|
Shoes for Orphan Souls
While each year of this service project is great, our 23rd year will be special. Rotary District 6040 will be joined by District 6060 and District 6080 in this year’s collection, and I am extremely excited about this development. Our District 6040 Governor, Randy Steinman, has encouraged the Rotary Clubs throughout the great state of Missouri to join the Shoes for Orphan Souls efforts. District 6060 Governor Valerie Sorensen, and District 6080 Governor Jimmy Standfast, are joining Randy to spread the word as we hope to collect 50,000 pairs of shoes across the state of Missouri this year. |
Purple Pinkie Donut Program
We are excited to announce we are doing the Purple Pinkie Donut program again this year to help raise money for PolioPlus for you and your clubs. Over the last 5 years Districts from Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Missouri and Kansas partnered with Dunkin Donuts to give donuts away in exchange for PolioPlus donations. It has become a very successful campaign and generated over $5,000,000.00. The Clubs in our District last year raised close to $13,500.00, and with the matches of the District, Rotary International and the Gates Foundation, that turned into almost $102,000.00 for PolioPlus. |
World Polio Day
World Polio Day is October 24th! Our District has some new programs we are doing for Polio Plus this year including a new Polio Plus Society, A Candle Against The Dark and more.
|
Become a Paul Harris Fellow
Across the district and within all of Rotary International being a Paul Harris Fellow is meaningful. It signifies that you support The Rotary Foundation, its causes and the work it funds around the world. So, are you interested in becoming a Paul Harris Fellow? Well, we have a program this year that can help you get there a little faster. I'll be sharing various incentives throughout the Rotary Year. |
BINGO
The Rotary Club of Scotland County (Memphis, MO), just completed its annual fundraiser at the Antique Fair held on the Memphis Square. The club hosts three nights of BINGO as well as a Saturday lunch bbq of Chicken or Chop, beans, slaw and a drink. All proceeds from the BINGO go towards scholarships for local Scotland County R-1 High School Seniors and proceeds from the BBQ go towards local charities.
|
A Second Moment for Peace
A Rotary project is helping victims of war in Ukraine. Since the start of the Russian invasion, the Ukrainian power grid has been a target of Russian airstrikes. The Ukrainian power grid is essential for citizens as they depend on it to charge cell phones, a critical lifeline. Cell phones let people know when to evacuate or take shelter, where they can find food and medical assistance, and how to check on the status of loved ones fighting to defend their country. |
Polio Plus Society Kicks Off
District 6040 is pleased to kick off the PolioPlus Society in an effort to increase sustainable giving. The PolioPlus Society (PPS) was formed to encourage Rotarians to commit to a minimum of $100 per year to the PolioPlus Fund until polio is eradicated from the face of the earth. Any Rotary member in our District that pledges to give at least $100.00 per year by October 24th, 2023 to Polio Plus, may submit an Application and become a Charter member of the Polio Plus Society. If you have already given $100.00 or more since July 1st of this Rotary year, you can apply for the Membership and be a Charter Member of our Polio Plus Society. |
A Moment for Peace
In this space each month, I hope District Rotarians will take a moment to think about Peace. Perhaps in taking that moment, you will think about Peace differently. And think differently about what you can do as an individual or a Rotary Club to bring about Peace. When Rotary first designated Peace and Conflict Resolution as an area of focus, I think many of us initially thought about Peace as…. War and Peace. Something BIG and removed from anything we could influence. But, studying the Rotary resources and club programs around Peace shows us there is much that can be addressed by us as individuals and through our Rotary Clubs. |
Shoes for Orphan Souls
Greetings to each of you in the Rotary Clubs of District 6040! After another successful year of shoes collection for orphan and vulnerable children, I am honored to again serve as the Shoes Cheerleader for Rotary District 6040. Thank you. While each year of this service project is great, our 23rd year will be special. Rotary District 6040 will be joined by District 6060 and District 6080 in this year’s collection, and I am extremely excited about this development. Our District 6040 Governor, Randy Steinman, has encouraged the Rotary Clubs throughout the great state of Missouri to join the Shoes for Orphan Souls efforts. District 6060 Governor Valerie Sorensen, and District 6080 Governor Jimmy Standfast, are joining Randy to spread the word as we hope to collect 50,000 pairs of shoes across the state of Missouri this year. |
Making a Difference in Hawai'i
August 9, 2023 was a tragic day for our Rotarians, families and friends on the Island of Maui. The fires across the island have changed lives forever. Truly devastating. Our sympathy, thoughts and prayers are with everyone impacted. As people of action, we can take immediate action. As we come together to recover and rebuild, we need to support each other. We need to Create Hope for Maui. |
Show Me Rotary Training
Please save the date for Show Me Rotary Presidents Elect and Nominee training to be held March 22 and 23, 2024. This year’s event will be held at the University Plaza Hotel in Springfield and we have many exciting things planned for you this year. We listened to the evaluations from last year and our entire focus this year will be on best practices for Rotary Clubs and how to make your Rotary club the best it can possibly be. District 6040 will also have 4 sessions focused on our local initiatives and support to clubs in our district.
|
Independence Uncorked
The Rotary Club of Eastern Independence invites you to the 10th annual Independence Uncorked Wine Festival on September 9, 2023. Come enjoy a day of wine, music, art, food, and so much more! Your ticket helps to support numerous community service and betterment projects. Rotary Club of Eastern Independence Is Proud to have donated over $400,000 to local non-profit programs. You can learn more about Winefest at https://www.independenceuncorked.com/. |
Service Above Self
The Kirksville-Thousand Hills Rotary Club dedicates one meeting each month to completing a service project. These projects are designed to benefit individuals and organizations in the local community. The project for July was assembling dishwashing kits for distribution to patrons of the Pantry for Adair County. The kits included dish soap, a dish towel, sponges, and hand-knitted dishcloths. Pictured are PAC manager Krista Tinney and Kirksville-Thousand Hills Rotary service project chair Marilyn Romine. |
Rotary Club of Scotland County Holds Annual Banquet
|
HOOP-la Happens
The Annual Foundation Dinner is now Foundation HOOP-la! When you attend HOOP-la, you’ll: Celebrate District 6040’s championship spirit and the accomplishments of our 53 clubs’ work in the community, and help raise funds to support future District and Global grants.
|
Weston Rotarians Sacking for Service
|
Community Garden
Bethany Rotary Club members recently planted a row of mixed berry bushes in the Harrison County Health Department Community Garden. Pictured are Rotarians Shane Jones, Kurt Kimble, and Charlie Trump. The Rotary Club received a grant from Rotary International and Rotary District 6040 for the plants. The grant required a cash match and sweat equity from the club. The new berry garden will help provide nutrition diversity for Harrison County community residents.
|
Waldo-Brookside Paw-tners with Pawsperity
This year the Waldo-Brookside Rotary Club decided to partner with The Grooming Project, recently rebranded as Pawsperity, a local non for profit that makes a difference in the lives of women and children within the Kansas City metro. We learned about the organization through one of our meetings where they were welcomed as a guest speaker and then wanted to help assist their efforts. Pawsperity trains impoverished parents in pet grooming and salon management, a high-demand, family-flexible trade, that pays a living wage.
|
Run For Rotary
Chillicothe Rotary is excited to announce a Fun Run Friday, June 16th at the Sliced Bread Innovation Center, in Chillicothe, MO. We are proud to kick off a new Running event with a race that is truly for everyone! Festivities begin at 5:30 p.m. with the race starting at 6:00 p.m. at the Sliced Bread Museum. Directly following the race, tacos and tequila will be served. Run an exhausting .05K, 54 Yards or 162 feet, in the name of Rotary. We will have a water top at the halfway marker! Your $35 registration fee includes a race bib and commemorative T-shirt (if you register by May 16th). Plus tacos and tequila (or a Mexican beer) after you push through the finish line. |
Global Grants Can Be Fun!
Thinking about undertaking an International Project? Global Grants are FUN! It is a great opportunity to meet Rotarians from around the world; even if it is via ZOOM. You get to tell your friends and neighbors how your Rotary club helps people thousands of miles away through your club's sponsoring a Global Grant. There is a great deal of satisfaction in helping a community thousands of miles away improve the quality of life for their neighbors too. Rotary International wants to help District 6040 clubs find good International projects.
|
2023 SHOES CARAVANApril 25, 2023 Shoes Cheerleaders in Rotary District 6040 Rotary Clubs – Two things today.
I look forward to seeing you this week. Thank you. |
District Conference 2023
Dear District 6040 Rotarians, Hope you and your Club are having a successful Rotary year. Have enjoyed all the Club Visits and only have 7 Clubs left. We have a great District Conference planned for this year! Friday April 28th Rotary Youth Camp 22310 NE Colbern Road Lee’s Summit, Missouri 64086 Cookout and Campfire (Outside-Campfire attire) Fun, Fellowship, NFL Draft watch party and small Service Project 6:00-9:00 No Charge as evening is sponsored by Lee’s Summit Rotary Club (Cash Bar available) Saturday April 29th Harry S. Truman Library 500 NW US Highway 24 Independence, Missouri 64050 Agenda attached for all the activities for the day. Registration Fee includes Admission to Library, food, drinks, and cocktails. ($65.00) Hotel Info: Hilton Garden Inn 19677 E. Jackson Dr Independence, Missouri 64057 ($153.00 for King Size Bed or 2 Queen Beds for $171.00) (April 12 deadline) Please register for both days at: https://tinyurl.com/D6040Conference2023 Thank you to David Gale, Tonya Parker, Kandi Kos and the Committee for helping to organize these events. Also, thank you to the Lee's Summit Rotary Club for sponsoring the Friday night cookout. Larry "Kent" Shelman District Governor 2022-2023 816-510-9945 |
2023 Shoes for Orphan SoulsMarch 6, 2023 To All Shoes Cheerleaders in Rotary District 6040 Rotary Clubs – Good morning to the Rotarians in north Missouri. Please have a look at this Communication #2 regarding our Shoes for Orphan Souls project. Well, we did indeed get that Chiefs Super Bowl win – and we are now seeing the spring season beginning to come upon us. I am grateful to all of you for your efforts working on shoes again this year. Our 22nd year. I hope and trust that your club President has received the informational/PR packets from Buckner – if you did not, or you need more of those materials, just let me know. As always, I hope and trust that you are engaging your club members, your Interact Clubs, your high schools and churches in your community. I’m happy to remind you of our goals for this year. |
Joining Forces for Good
The Thousand Hills Rotary Club partnered with FosterAdoptConnect in the Give Joy Rotary District 6040 Grant . The grant made it possible for FosterAdoptConnect to obtain the needed supplies to advertise, collect, store, and deliver gifts this holiday season to the children in foster care.
|
SHOW ME Rotary
District 6040’s President-Elects Training Seminar (PETS), known as Show Me Rotary will take place this spring March 23-25 at the Capital Plaza Inn in Jefferson City, MO. This is an opportunity for your club too exchange ideas with other Rotary leaders from around the state about service projects, international projects, and strategies for increasing membership and engagement. |
Keeping Our Club Alive
Our club was founded on March 26, 1999. I joined Rotary in 2018 and often heard our founding members talk about the glory days of our club when membership hovered around 50. By mid-2020 we were closer to 30 and one founding member expressed concern that our club was dying. Like many clubs, we’d add a new member only to turn around and lose a member. We weren’t growing and were certainly smaller than many years ago. I had only been a Rotarian for two years when the concern surfaced. Being president nominee at the time, I was determined it wouldn’t happen on my watch. I really liked our club and, more importantly, the people who made up our amazing club. Wanting us to change our growth trajectory, I began to explore changes we could make to avoid dying. |
World Polio Day
World Polio Day was October 24th. Rotarians and Clubs in District 6040 did fundraising activities including Purple Pinkie Donuts, Cookies and other Donations. Total raised was $13,722.50 and with the District Match, Rotary International Match and the Gates Foundation Match, that will be a total donated to Polio Plus of $102,918.75. A big thank you to Lynn McClure our Polio Chair and Marc Horner for getting the Donuts to our designated locations for Clubs to pick up. Also a big thank you to the Clubs Polio Plus Chairs and Foundation Chairs and all that participated and donated!
|
Kirksville Club Partners with HyVee to Fight Polio
Hy-Vee Stores in Kirksville sold chocolate chip cookies to help Rotary International efforts to eradicate polio. The sale ran from October 19-25 and $2 from the purchase of each box of coolies was donated to the Polio Plus Fund and with matching funds available from Rotary District 6040 and the Gates Foundation, each box of cookies sold resulted in $18 for Polio Plus.
|
Rotary International Convention 2023
A few months ago, I had the pleasure of attending my first Rotary International Convention in Houston. It was amazing! Meeting Rotarians from other part of our country and the world and listening to them share their Rotary experience was one of the most profound things I have encountered in my Rotary journey. Not only did I make new friends and get reacquainted with Rotarians from the Philippines whom I have not seen since my GSE trip back in 2001, but I was able to bring ideas back to our district and share those ideas with Rotarians with specific project priorities. Projects addressing human trafficking, Alzheimer's therapies and better community engagement are now being implemented in our district thanks to International Convention. |
A Tale of Two Parkville Rotarians
This is a story of two Parkville Rotarians, Dr. Steve Bleish, DVM & Edie Hays, a retired bank manager. They met when Edie joined Rotary in 2004. Through the years they attended many meetings & Rotary functions becoming Rotary friends. Steve also became Edie’s family veterinarian.
In February 2022, Edie’s husband, Kim passed away. Steve's wife, Mary Ann, passed away in March 2022. For the past 2 years Kim was on hemodialysis & Mary Ann struggled with pancreatic cancer. |
Purple Pinkie Donuts
We are excited to announce we are doing the Purple Pinkie Donut program again this year to help raise money for PolioPlus for you and your clubs. Over the last few years District 6760, 6780 and 6800 (Tennessee and Mississippi) partnered with Dunkin Donuts to give donuts away in exchange for PolioPlus donations. It has become a very successful campaign and generated close to $1,300,000 in 2021. The Clubs in our District sold close to $10,000 last year of the donuts, and with the matches of the District and Gates Foundation, that turned into almost $80,000.00. Our District leadership has coordinated with several local Dunkin Donuts locations in the KC Area to offer, again, the same programming here in District 6040. A franchise owner who has 7 stores (2 Missouri and 5 in Kansas) in the Metro KC area has agreed to work with our District this year. |
Save the Monarch Butterfly Tree Challenge
Save the Monarch Butterfly 60,000 Tree challenge North American Boxcar Tour was on Saturday, September 24th and was a great success for Rotary Club 13. The Monarch Mariposa Boxcar, a custom designed boxcar that celebrates and raises awareness of the journey of the monarch butterfly, had traveled the path of the monarchs from Windsor, Ontario, and was on the rails beside Union Station.
|
Purple Pinkie Donut Program
We are excited to announce we are doing the Purple Pinkie Donut program again this year to help raise money for PolioPlus for you and your clubs. Over the last few years District 6760, 6780 and 6800 (Tennessee and Mississippi) partnered with Dunkin Donuts to give donuts away in exchange for PolioPlus donations. It has become a very successful campaign and generated close to $1,300,000 in 2021. The Clubs in our District sold close to $10,000 last year of the donuts, and with the matches of the District and Gates Foundation, that turned into almost $80,000.00. |
World Polio Day Oct 24th
World Polio Day (Monday, October 24th) is rapidly approaching. This is the day Rotarians around the world and the communities we serve pause to acknowledge all that has been accomplished and prepare for the remaining work required to eradicate the world of the awful disease known as polio. The Rotary calendar also tells us that it is the time of year when we work with our individual clubs to raise funds that are funneled through our district and onto the international foundation for the purpose of continuing our polio eradication efforts and furthering all the many causes supported by Rotary. Donated funds earn added value from matching monies contributed by the Gates Foundation and the International Rotarian Foundation. Clubs across the nation use a variety of methods for raising funds. The simplest of these methods is taking up a collection from among existing club members, however those clubs that engage their communities find that in addition to an increased level of gifting they are also able to educate others about the cause as well as the good works achieved by their club. In addition to fund raising it is a GREAT time to get your club and its members out in front of the community. Completing a proclamation with your local community marking October 24th as World Polio Day will get you recognized at a council meeting and in most cases get your clubs picture in the paper. Hosting a fundraiser event will help spread the word as well. For more information PLEASE CLICK HERE |
Change-ing the World
Change-ing the World one jar at a time! Ask your members to bring their change to meetings and bring your total (in the form of a check) to the Foundation Dinner on November 5th for the Annual Fund! Highest per capita giving club will get special recognition across the District! For more information about the Foundation Dinner Click Here!
|
Brookfield 100 Year Anniversary
On Tuesday, August 30th, 2022 the Brookfield Rotary Club celebrated their 100th anniversary. The club was organized on November 22, 1922 and was recognized as a Club by Rotary International on January 1, 1923. Over the past 100 years, the club has participated in many community projects.
|
Foundation Dinner
Mark your calendar for the District 6040 Foundation Dinner on Saturday, November 5, 2022 at the Historical Elms Hotel. The keynote speaker, Mike McGovern, has served as the chair of the Rotary International Polioplus committee since October 2014. In addition, he served in many Rotary positions including Director and Vice-President of Rotary International and as a Trustee and Vice-Chair of the Rotary Foundation. For more information about the Foundation Dinner Click Here!
|
Rotary Celebrates Newly Renovated Disc Golf Course
The Andrew County Rotary Club was featured in News-Press Now for their work on renovating a disc golf course. This project was made possible with a grant from the Rotary District 6040 Foundation. The course was updated and extended to 18 holes.
|
Romine Attends International Rotary Event on Behalf of Local Clubs
|
Trenton Rotary Club Honored for Participation in Rotary Foundation
The Trenton Rotary Club was featured on KTTN for their giving to the Rotary Foundation. The Trenton Club was the top club in the district in annual giving to the foundation and was the only club to average over $400 per member. The club was also recognized as having 100 percent participation in foundation giving as 100 percent participation in the Every Rotarian Every Year Program. The club is also listed as a 100 percent Paul Harris Fellow Club, meaning all members have been recognized with at least one Paul Harris Fellow in recognition of their participation in the foundation.
|
Weston Rotary Club Makes an Impact
The Weston Rotary Club saw a need and a way they could help their community. The club replaced an old sign the help to direct visitors to the community. The sign supports visits to Weston from the campers and visitors in the Weston Bend Park.
|
Randolph County Observes Government Day
About 50 students from area schools traveled to the county seat in Huntsville April 20 to experience first-hand how their local government works. American Government students from Huntsville and Cairo gathered at the Randolph County Justice Center in Huntsville and were given a tour. Students met the county officials at their offices and learned of their duties. Students saw the “vault”, the records room kept by Mark Price, Recorder of Deeds. His office records real estate transactions, marriages and deaths, among other things. The vault houses all the records from the establishment of the county in 1829 to the present. Records are on acid-free paper and they are microfilmed and imaged. The original records, some bearing presidential signatures, according to Price, are on shelves of 400 books each protected by a fire suppression unit without water. Outside the office are computers where people can come look up recorded information. This is especially helpful to those doing genealogical work. |
New Rotary Year 2022-23 and Theme Imagine RotaryNew Rotary Year 2022-23 and Theme Imagine Rotary Dear District 6040 Rotarians, Just a quick note to all our Rotarians in our great District 6040 of Northern, Missouri. I have been waiting for this day for some time to be your District Governor. Before any further comments I would need to thank David McCaughey, last year's District Governor, and all the District Officers, Committee Chairs, and their committee members for such a successful year and lots of amazing events and activities that took place! Thank you David for your leadership of our District and for being such a great mentor for me to learn from. We have a great team we are putting together for this Rotary year and are very excited to work with all of them. Can't wait to get out to see all of your Clubs and the great things all of you are doing in your communities and also outside the US with all of our different Rotary programs. Will be doing our monthly Newsletter as in the past and will also share a smaller version update on the 15th of each month to help share all the good things going on in the District. Our Rotary Theme this year is "Imagine Rotary". Imagine all the things your Club, your members, and new members can help do with the help of our District and Rotary International to do great things all over the world! Look forward to working with all of you this year and more to come on the Theme, Club Visits, Polio Day, Foundation Dinner, District Conference, and all the wonderful things we do in our District! Thank you all for what you do for Rotary and please reach out if you have any questions or need help with anything this year! Kent Larry “Kent” Shelman Rotary District 6040 District Governor 2022-23 |
Annual Fund
Contributions to the Annual Fund-Share by Rotarians in District 6040 are what provide the funds for District Grant matches for local club projects, matches for Global Grants, scholarships, and other important projects funded through District 6040. All of the funds raised in the current Rotary year 2021-2022 will be available to put to work right here in Missouri as well as around the world in the Rotary year of 2024-2025.
|
Shoe Caravan Update
It was simply great to see our Rotarians at each of our 42 stops over the past two weekends for the 2022 Shoes Caravan. Tremendous Rotary spirit throughout Northwest Missouri, Northeast Missouri, North Central Missouri, West Central Missouri and the Kansas City area. I’m told the two weekends totaled 1,600 miles of driving. I believe it.
|
You Can Help
St. Joseph East Rotary is holding a sheet and pillow sale fundraiser to support club projects. All proceeds go towards projects including sponsoring students for RYLA, funds for their next district grant project to install a shed and gardening infrastructure for Midtown Community Gardens in St. Joseph, support towards PolioPlus and The Rotary Foundation projects, and numerous other local projects and causes in the St. Joseph area. There is an online store where the available items can be viewed and purchased. |
Shoe Caravan
I am looking forward to our 21st year together, and I am looking forward to another year when all our Rotary Clubs participate in this meaningful service project. In this 21st anniversary year and that children everywhere, including Peru, need us now more than ever. I continue to encourage your efforts and want to share more information in the planning of our Shoes Caravan. I am extremely excited to let you know that just as we did a year ago…….we do indeed plan to come to EVERY ROTARY COMMUNITY (not every club, per se, but every Rotary community) this year.
|
Save the Date
On May 22nd, The Rotary Youth Camp will be introducing its new Health Lodge and Administration Building to the public. We are ecstatic for everyone to finally see this wonderful building and all that it will provide to our amazing campers.
|
District Governor 2025-2026
Congratulations to Jodi Sundaram from the Liberty Club who has been selected to serve as the District Governor for 2025-26. She will join the current District Governor lineup July 1 as the District Governor Nominee Designate. Jodi has served the Liberty Club as President, Membership chair, Director, Chair of their major fundraiser this year and numerous other roles. |
RYLA Student Sign-Up Deadline Approaching
The RYLA student sign up deadline is April 30th. You can find everything RYLA online at www.missouriryla.com.
|
Malawi Cyclone Ana Relief Effort
Rotary District 6040 has had individuals and clubs donate to help in the relief efforts from Cyclone Anna. Donations have helped to provide families with various items including plastic sheets, soya pieces, maize flour, beans, cooking oil, soap, and blankets. Communication from D9210 PDG Hutch Mthinda said, “The main access road was cut off by the cyclone and they had to take a long, muddy and difficult route to reach the camp. Despite problems experienced at the camp people still pull a smile and even dance. Amazing. Your donation is bringing a smile to many people. Rotary is serving lives here."
|
Waldo-Brookside Rotary Club Donates $13,035 to Ukrainian Relief Efforts
|
Impact of Cyclone Ana on our friends in Malawi
Our Rotary District had a Group Study Exchange with D9210 in Southern Africa last Autumn. One of the countries in that district is Malawi. One of the members of their GSE team who visited us is Eveline Sibindi van Dam; currently the President of the Lilongwe-Lingadzi Rotary Club. Our outbound team visited the area mentioned in the attached articles. There are two Rotary Clubs in the affected area of Malawi; Blantyre RC and Blantyre-Limbe RC. The people in the affected villages are some of the poorest people in the world and this disaster has destroyed what little that they had. The Rotary Clubs of Malawi are requesting our help. I summarized the following from the attached letter. |
Annual Fund Rotary Direct Points Match
District 6040 is offering a points match of 100 Paul Harris Fellow points for any Rotarian who isn’t yet signed up for Rotary Direct to sign up for Rotary Direct between January 1 and May 31, 2022 and contribute at least $100 towards the Annual Fund during this period. All Rotarians in District 6040 who sign up as new participants in Rotary Direct and contribute at least $100 towards The Annual Fund of The Rotary Foundation between 1/1/22 and 5/31/22 will earn 100 bonus Paul Harris Fellow Points.
|
Change-MakersIn June, the RI Board of Directors strengthened its commitment to making diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) a part of all aspects of Rotary’s culture. That commitment includes evolving our approach to leading, motivating, guiding, and governing our clubs. You have the opportunity to help our members develop the skills they need to embrace all facets of diversity. You can ensure that everyone is included in our efforts to take action to create change. And you can promote equity so that every person who engages with us has access to the resources, opportunities, networks, and support they need to thrive.
|
Rotary Brand Center
We’re introducing new templates to make it easier for you to create official club logos and to customize ads, social media graphics, and brochures. You’ll find these templates in the Brand Center after 15 February 2022. With these updated templates, you can:
|
Operation Pink Pail
October 2021 brought some inspiring visitors from the African continent to District 6040! Hearing about some of the terrific projects of Group Study Exchange members are engaged in within District 9210, the #smallbutmighty North Kansas City and the Lilongwe Lingadzi, Malawi Club presidents developed a joint project to address the feminine needs and drop out rates of school girls in the region, based on the issue they do not have the appropriate health care items they need each month. |
Donations for Tornado Relief in Kentucky
Rotarians are People of Action. Throughout the world in disaster recovery situations, our compassion and commitment to service are a significant part of relief efforts. Right here, right now, your help is needed here in our own zones. The tornado that touched down in Kentucky has devastated communities in 18 counties in our District 6710. The loss of life in many small towns, such as Dawson Springs and Mayfield, is heartbreaking, and survivors have lost their communities, their homes and livelihoods. In many areas, there is limited electricity, resources for food, gasoline and supplies and medical services. Now more than ever is the time for us to live our hashtag, #Rotary Responds. |
Chillicothe’s 100th Anniversary Celebration was a Success
The Chillicothe Rotary Club’s 100th celebration is finally over and the third time was a charm! The Trio of Club Presidents all did such a fine job at the event. It really began in 2018-2019 with President Lindy Chapman beginning the planning process and achieving our first goal, which was to become a 100% Paul Harris Fellow club. She was followed by President Adam Warren who kicked off 2020 with a New Years Eve party that was fabulous. Then came Amy Supple who kept the ball rolling and initiated the 4th of July Freedom Festival and laid plans to hold a community concert (along with Lindy). Finally President David Adam concluded our two year long journey by hosting the 100th celebration this past weekend.
|
Global Scholarship Grants
District 6040 is getting ready to start a new cycle for Global Scholarship Grants for students traveling in the 2022-2023 academic year (AY23) and Rotary fiscal year. The AY23 academic year would include travel for fall of 2022 through the spring and summer of 2023. The District 6040 Global Grant Scholarship committee would like to ask you to notify your membership about these opportunities. While these scholarships are not available to Rotarians or their families, one of the best approaches is to identify key college and university contacts who may be able to inform students. |
Group Study Exchange Visit to Rotary District 9210; Malawi and Zambia
The team consisted of Marc Horner, Therese McGill a Rotarian in the Kansas City-Plaza Rotary Club, Lindsay Jarquio of the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and Engoma Fataki a former Interactor and Rotoractor most recently at Missouri Western University in St Joseph, Missouri. The team left for Malawi on September 30, 2021, and arrived in the capital of Malawi, Lilongwe, on October 2nd midday. They were in Malawi visiting clubs and projects through October 10th when they flew to Lusaka, Zambia for the balance of our visit to D9210. The team left Zambia for a return flight to the United States on October 30th. After a long layover in Washington DC they finally returned to Kansas City the evening of October 31st. |
Dunkin' Purple Pinkie Day for Polio Eradication - 2021
2021 Dunkin' Purple Pinkie Project - $1.3 Million DollarsHere is a brief recap of our 2021 Dunkin' Purple Pinkie Project. When the final sales were tallied and all matches applied, we are at $1.3 Million Dollars with a few checks still in the mail. |
2021 Foundation Dinner - Nov 5thDISTRICT 6040 “FOUNDATION DINNER” FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2021 HISTORICAL HOTEL KANSAS CITY  All members of Rotary District 6040 are encouraged to attend the upcoming “Foundation Dinner” on Friday, November 5, 2021, at the Hotel Kansas City, once known as the Kansas City Downtown Club and the original meeting location of Rotary Club 13. Two years is too long not to come together in person with District 6040 Rotarians to celebrate the accomplishments of our individual District Clubs. |
Congratulations KCI Rotary Club
2019-2020 District Governor Marc Horner came to KCI Rotary’s 5th Wednesday Social event at Weatherby Lake Pavilion on June 30th to present Lynn McClure all of our awards from the 2019-2020 year, which included the Ray Klingensmith Traveling Trophy.
|
Independence Uncorked
The Rotary Club of Eastern Independence invites you to the 8th Annual Independence Uncorked Wine Festival presented by Edward Jones will be held on September, 11th, 2021 from 1:00pm-6:00pm on the grounds of the Historic Bingham-Waggoner Estate in Independence, MO. Independence Uncorked will be one of the largest Missouri wine festivals in the state featuring 25 Missouri wineries sampling several of their wines, a guest spirits distiller, and over 2500 attendees. The day will also feature art, music, beer, food booths and wine classes. The cost will be $30 in advance and $40 at the door and will include a wine glass and 4 bottle wine bag (for 1st 2000 people).
|
6040 Covid Relief Support
|
Richmond District Grant
The Richmond Rotary Club completed their 2020-2021 District Grant Project. Trees were planted and an irrigation plan implemented with help from the Richmond Rotary Club in a joint effort with the City of Richmond.
|
2020 Foundation CelebrationDistrict 6040 Foundation Celebration Saturday evening, May 22nd, 2021 A huge thank you to all who contributed and supported our Foundation Celebration event and The Rotary Foundation. We raised over $73,000 during our Foundation Celebration from generous Rotarian's and participants. Thanks to the Rotarian's and friends of District 6040 we can continue Doing Good in the World in so many, many ways! |
Teacher IMPACT Award Winners
For the past several years, the District has had two Teacher of the Year awards. The focus was on Literacy. This year, because it was such a challenging year in our schools, due to Covid, the decision was made to expand the awards to teachers who took on the challenges of teaching, with different methods, both in the classroom and virtually that changed frequently throughout the school year.
|
Rotarians in Honduras and Missouri Partner to Combat the Pandemic
Covid-19, a global pandemic that changed the lives of individuals and families around the world, claiming lives and forcing everyone to adjust to new social distancing rules and country wide lock downs to keep others safe. One of few things that was found to aid in preventing the spread of the disease when close contact with others was unavoidable is the use of Personal Protective Equipment or PPE. The Center for Disease Control, or CDC, recommended everyone use PPE when going in public including the use of things like face masks, gowns, gloves and sanitizer. Unfortunately, this high demand of PPE to keep safe caused a shortage of supplies for some, including hospital staff in the Covid-19 wards in Honduras. This is where Rotarians in Missouri (District 6040) and Tegucigalpa Honduras (District 4250) stepped in. With the help of donations from various Rotary clubs in the 6040 District, the WaldoBrookside Rotary Club and Villa Real de Tegucigalpa Rotary Club applied for, and were granted, a Global Grant through Rotary International to provide $169,000 of PPE to hospitals across Honduras.
|
4 Way Speech Contest Results
Thank you to everyone who participated in the District 6040 4 Way Speech Contest. First place went to Madi Norris entered by the Rotary Club of Lee’s Summit. Second place went to Emma Rule entered by the Rotary Club of Chillicothe. Third place went to Seth Jahraus entered by the KCI Rotary Club.
|
Making an Impact
The Weston Rotary Club held a Ribbon Cutting, June 19th, as part of their grant to the City of Weston for three new park benches near the entrance to Holladay Park at Thomas and Blackhawk Streets and two refurbished benches disassembled, power coated, reassembled and placed at the Holladay Park entrance at Short and Main. This was a grant from Weston Rotary and Rotary District 6040 for the new benches with $5000 divided between the two sources and Weston Rotary donating expenses of $1000.00 to complete the project. Pictured L-R, Rotarians Lynn Johnson, Dorothy Emery, Richard Emery, Ted Wilson, Lee Robertson, Mayor Ken Stelljes; past alderman, Michael Goentzel , city representative of the grant; Rotary President, Chris Donnelli; Kevin Harper, Louis Smither, Jerry Adams.
|
Parkville Rotary Celebrates 75 Years
Seventy-five years ago, today, the Parkville Rotary Club was founded. I want to first point out that Dave Napoli, Homer Williams, Kent Mayfield, Steve Bleish, Dave Overman, Bob Stone, and Tony Tognascioli have been members for more than half of those years. Bill Quitmeier, Don Breckon and Scott McRuer have been members for nearly half of our history. I am certain you all join me in thanking them for their loyalty and service to our Club. Let’s look back with pride. Approximately nine months before the Club was founded, WWII had ended. The war had been disastrous, with husbands and sons and some daughters sent overseas to fight. Many of them did not return alive. Many families were grieving, and those who did return alive had to face a rapidly changing world. People returned having to find jobs, and being frustrated by the confines of what they had left, after the greatest adventure of their lives. Our founding fathers were in the midst of a world of instability and uncertainty. |
Grow Your Membership
Membership should always be a priority in our clubs. Not for the sake of finances or to satisfy any Rotary International policies. Instead, because we need to make sure that our clubs have enough members to provide the services our communities need our clubs to provide. Every year we have club members die, or move, or decide that Rotary does not provide the value to them that they were looking for when they joined. That is why membership should always be a priority. Several truths exist that we need to accept to grow our clubs.
|
Meet Another Rotary Leadership Institute Grad
Meet Ryan Elam from the Lee's Summit Rotary Club and a recent Rotary Leadership Institute grad. "The RLI program was a fantastic way to explore Rotary on a deeper level. The program provides an opportunity to not only strengthen your individual knowledge of Rotary, but inspires you to do more as a Rotarian. The discussions with the facilitators and participants builds upon each other and truly opens opportunities for partnerships and new ways to make an impact," said Elam.
|
Rotary Leadership Institute Part 1
Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) Part I is coming to you online via Zoom in April. An agenda is attached for your convenience. Also attached are couple of documents: "Preparing to Participate in RLI Part I Online 2021" and " Tips for Participating in an online meeting". They both give you the guidelines for the class. Please note that you must attend all nights in the April session. The dates are noted below: Tech Night-Tuesday April 13 from 5:30 to 6:00 Night One - Monday April 19 from 5:30 to 8:15 Night Two -Monday April 26 from 5:30 to 8:15 |
District Governor 2024-2025
Congratulations to Erik McGuire of the Rotary Club of St. Joseph East on being named our District 6040 Governor, 2024 - 25! Eric Erik joined the Rotary Club of Burlington, KS in 2008. After moving to St. Joseph, MO he joined the Rotary Club of St. Joseph East in 2012. Being a part of this great club inspired Erik to get involved with a variety of service projects, and to complete the Rotary Leadership Institute. Erik had the opportunity to serve as the club’s President in 2016-2017. Other roles he has served in at the club level include meals on wheels coordinator, sergeant-at-arms, spaghetti fundraiser chair, leading the 2015-2016 district grant to install a play-path at Northeast Park in St. Joseph, and The Rotary Foundation chair.
|
6040 Foundation Virtual Celebration May 22
Please mark your calendar and join us virtually on May 22 from 6:30 to 8:30pm. This celebration will be our annual awards evening replacing our Foundation Dinner that was canceled due to Covid last November. We will celebrate the conclusion of the Kimbrough Challenge which funded many significant projects throughout the District and worldwide through our 6040 Grants during the ’19-’20 year. We will also have the opportunity to donate to the Foundation through auctions and raffles, which will provide funding for future District and Global grants. Our Keynote speaker will be Brenda Cressey. Brenda is a Rotary Foundation Trustee. |
Rotary Leadership Institute News
18 participants graduated from RLI Part 3 in February of 2021. This makes 50 RLI graduates since April of 2020 when we moved the program to an online format. Meet one of our most recent graduates, Jennifer Bergman. Jennifer is from the KCI Rotary Club and hears what she has to say. The RLI class was very helpful. The speakers have so much rotary knowledge and experience. You will walk away with pages of notes and practical ideas to take back to your club and implement right away. My favorite part was the break-out rooms with the other participants. It is a great way to meet other Rotary members and share best practices. This is definitely worth the investment of your time. |
Global Grant Makes an Impact in the Fight Against COVID
The Waldo Brookside Rotary Club is making a big impact in the fight against COVID-19. Using their connections to the larger Rotary world, the club help provide $169,000 for PPE for medical staff in Honduras through a global grant.
|
Geeks for Kids
Members of the Waldo Brookside Rotary Club volunteered with in their Geeks for Kids program, assembling 3 custom, electric cars for local kids with movement disabilities. These modified cars give kids with movements disabilities the freedom to explore, learn, and interact with their peers. Waldo Brookside and Overland Park South Rotary Clubs have provided $5,000 each to the program to help with their mission.
|
Show Me Rotary PETs Training
Registration is now open for Show Me Rotary PETS on March 27th at Show Me Rotary Leadership Institute by clicking here. Show Me Rotary Leadership Institute helps Club Presidents-Elect and Presidents-Nominees prepare for the year of leadership they provide their Rotary Clubs. Breakout sessions on increasing impact, enhancing member engagement, increasing our ability to respond to change and planning to serve will help you focus on the needs of your club.
|
2021-2022 Rotary Theme Announced
On Monday, February 1, Rotary International President-elect Shekhar Mehta encouraged members to be changemakers and announced that his theme for the 2021-2022 Rotary year is Serve to Change Lives.
|
20th Anniversary of Shoes for Orphan Souls
It is time to kick off the 20th Anniversary of our Shoes for Orphan Souls project in north Missouri. Informational and PR packets are on the way to club presidents. With many of our clubs meeting via Zoom, I know that can add unique challenges to our opportunities to “get out” and perform service. That is why we are extending our efforts into May this year, while encouraging you to plan accordingly in your clubs to be generously generous again this year.
|
KCI Rotary Club and Empowering Women in Rotary hosted Jennifer Jones, speaking on Advancing Women in RotaryThe KCI Rotary Club and Empowering Women in Rotary were proud to host Rotary International’s First Female President Nominee Jennifer Jones speaking on Advancing Women in Rotary. You can watch the Club meeting on YouTube.
|
Merchants' Harvest Days
On a chilly day in October (October 24, 2020) in Kansas City, Missouri two dedicated rotarians from Waldo-Brookside Rotary Club combined their talents and energy to educate and engage visitors to the Brookside Merchants' Harvest Days Event about the on-going war to eradicate polio worldwide. The two objectives on this World Polio Day were to share information about efforts to eradicate this debilitating and life threatening disease and to share information on how to make donations to this cause directly to the Polio Foundation.
|
Rotary Leadership Institute
RLI is HAPPENING…and it is ONLINE…and we are having great results. We are still making new friends and enjoying each other’s company…it is just now via Zoom. We did have a few classes in person in early 2020. Since I am an accountant, I do love numbers. We had 9 participants complete Part I and 16 complete Part II before the pandemic set in. So, my fabulous team of facilitators decided that COVID19 wasn’t going to stop us and we began converting our materials to an online format. As a result, we have had 31 take Part I, 18 take Part II and we have 32 new graduates of the program completing Part III! |
Celebrations
We are now several months down the road from the end of our year as Rotary leaders responsible for our Clubs and the District. This is typically the time of year when we get to celebrate the accomplishments of our clubs at the District Foundation dinner. As the Foundation dinner is currently scheduled for May 22nd and it will be many months before we get together again we wanted to share this information with you now. It was the toughest year that any President of a Rotary Club could have. Best laid plans were suddenly cancelled in the third quarter of the Rotary year. A lot of clubs had to cancel major fundraisers for the year which impacted clubs abilities to meet giving/gifting goals. Everyone had to cancel meeting in person for a long time which impacted the fellowship and any membership building efforts planned. Enough about the troubles we faced last year. Let's catalog the things we did accomplish. Here is a summary of our District's accomplishments. |
The Christmas Spirit
In December the members of the Brookfield Rotary Club purchased $3,000 in Christmas gifts for 47 needy children in Linn County. Congratulations on one of the biggest community service projects of the year in cooperation with Brookfield High School and other community groups.
|
Leave it to the Dogs
The St. Joseph School District received on Tuesday a grant to support a therapy dog program for local students. The local Rotary International district, which is composed of three clubs, presented the grant valued at just under $2,500 to support the Behavior Animals Rescuing Kids (BARK) program focused at Coleman Elementary and Mark Twain School. The dog training program is designed to promote student social and emotional wellbeing, and presents key health benefits. Donald Gladhart, Rotary district governor, said research shows that young students often suffer from hypertension. In a given class room, more than 25% of kids might register elevated blood pressure driven by stress. |
MDA Distinguished Service Award
Dr. Joel Pratt, member of the Unionville, Mo. Rotary Club, has been honored with the Missouri Dental Association (MDA) Distinguished Service Award. The Distinguished Service Award is presented to a member with a long history of exemplary service and dedication to the dental profession and organized dentistry. Dr. Pratt’s commitment and dedication to the dental profession and organized dentistry is evidenced by his 43 consecutive years of membership and during this tenure, service in numerous leadership roles on the local, state and national levels. |
Veterans Fishing Deck Making an Impact
The Cameron Rotary Club Cameron Rotary Club dedicated a ADA Veterans Fishing Deck with Ribbon Cutting at Camron’s Sunrise on September 24th. Following months of construction, officials of the Rotary Club, City of Cameron, Chamber of Commerce and Park Board joined for a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new, covered ADA compliant Fishing Dock. Cameron Public Works Director Drew Bontrager described the project as the centerpiece of Sunrise Lake. The fishing dock was conceived as a way to allow disabled veterans access to Sunrise Lake. |
Butt Buster BBQ -COVID Style
The Rotary Club of Liberty, MO traditionally hosts a "Butt Buster BBQ" Fundraiser each May which raises funds for scholarships and other youth programs throughout the year. They have been blessed to present high school seniors with $22,500 in scholarships each spring over the past 4-5 years with the proceeds from the event. This year they had to change it up and instead of preparing 1,000 meals of yummy BBQ, they did an exercise challenge to "Busting our Butts - Covid Style". They used RunSignUp.com as the tool to capture participants as well as donations.
|
Rotary Youth Exchange
Calling all Clubs & Students seeking Adventure! Rotary Youth Exchange has been suspended for this year, but it is time to get ready for next fall. If you know any students or clubs interested in long or short term exchanges, please contact Wendy Coffey at rid6040yeo@gmail.com or call 816-868-5474. The adventure of a lifetime does have a deadline of 11/30 for completed applications for long term students and February 1st for short term & host clubs.
|
Feed Lee's Summit
We know it has been a long time since you've heard those words! But we have a date you truly need to SAVE and something you can look forward to this fall. Feed Lee's Summit is coming 7 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 12! And yes, we are VIRTUAL that evening! Give us an hour of your time and we will dazzle you and your friends with a phenomenal silent auction, soulful blues, jammin' jazz, inspiring video presentations from local celebrities and endless opportunities for you to support FOUR wonderful nonprofits that truly work each day to FEED Lee's Summit: Coldwater of Lee's Summit, Lee's Summit Social Services, Meals on Wheels Lee's Summit and One Good Meal. |
Food for the Needy
Weston Rotary Club has adopted the Weston Food Pantry and is now in charge of "food for the needy" and helping administer the USDA food program which started earlier this year at West Platte R-II School District as the Rotary Club assisted West Platte personnel. For the final two weeks of this program the distribution was moved to an outside location as West Platte opened for school this week and traffic demands were better addressed off of the school sight.
|
Peace Pavilion Gets a Makeover
The Rotary Club of Independence (RCI), under the leadership of President Cindy Isabel, completed its 2019-2020 Kimbrough Challenge District Grant Project at the end of August 2020. RCI’s renovated an existing 15,500 sq ft structure to meet the growing needs of the Peace Pathways’ Peace Pavilion. The Peace Pavilion has been promoting and educating adults and children about peace and conflict resolution for the past 23 years. The current Peace Pavilion operates in 2,400 sq ft area. Thousands of youth groups, schoolchildren, families and individual visitors pass through the Peace Pavilion every year. |
Disc Golf Anyone?
The Andrew County Rotary Club is hosting a Disc Golf Tournament on October 17th in Savannah as a fundraiser. Proceeds from the event will support Andrew County Rotary Club projects and activities such as a cold storage expansion at a local food pantry, coat purchases for children in need, Polio eradication efforts, and Shoes for Orphan Souls purchases. There is a competitive and a recreational round available. This is a fun sport for all ages to play!
|
Mother's Refuge Gets an Update
The Rotary Club of Eastern Independence participated in the Kimbrough Challenge District Grant Challenge for the 2019/20 Rotary Year. The Club project was to assist Mother’s Refuge in upgrading their computer and I.T. capabilities to better support their pregnant and teen mother clients. Mother’s Refuge is a local non-profit organization with a much needed humanitarian mission – “Our mission is to shelter and educate homeless, pregnant and parenting young women by providing comprehensive services that empower them to make successful life decisions for themselves and their babies.”
|
Holladay Park
On Sunday, September 20, at 1:00 PM, Weston Rotary members, members of the Weston Park Board, City of Weston officials, Rotary District 6040 Governor Don Gladhart, and Weston Chamber had a ribbon cutting to conclude the $14,000 grant obligation from Weston Rotary and Rotary Foundation.
This grant undertaking was to advance Holladay Park, located in the center of the business district of downtown Weston, into a more children friendly park. Improvements were made to improve the park's ability to accommodate a wider range of children age wise and need wise. |
Corn Hole Challenge
The KC South Rotary Club is hosting a Corn Hole Challenge on Thursday, October 22 at Rosehill Gardens in Kansas City. The cost is $50 per two person team. Proceeds from the event will benefit local charities. Come join the fun with beer tastings, food trucks, and more!
|
Poker Run
The Andrew County Rotary Club is hosting a ATV/UTV Poker Run on September 26th. There is a $25 entry fee that includes one poker hand. The ride is being held to help raise funds to support the addition of the Cold Storage Facility to Andrew County Food Pantry that was completed in June 2020.
|
Pro Deo/Rotary Learning Garden
A partnership between St. Matthew Lutheran Church, the Rotary Clubs of Lee’s Summit and Pro Deo Youth Center has transformed unused green space into a vibrant raised bed learning garden to serve northeast Lee’s Summit. Our vision is to use the community garden as a laboratory for learning, production, and recreation accessible by Pro Deo Youth Center and St. Matthews pre-school and others in the church. The garden will produce a year-round schedule of harvesting dependent upon the season. Community volunteers with expertise in urban gardens will assist to ensure oversight fo the care, maintenance and beautification of the garden.
|
UnWineFest Raffle
2020 has been turned upside down and the Eastern Independence Rotary Club had to cancel Independence Uncorked but there is still a chance to enjoy some wine! The club is selling raffle tickets to win a Wine County adventure (a $5,000 value) You receive a trip voucher for $5,000 and yu can customize your trip with Mary House-Cruise Planners. Plus you will be entered to win more than 20 other prizes including a private tent and 6 VIP tickets at Independence Uncorked 2021. Come join the fun at the live drawing on September 12 from 1:00-6:00 p.m. at 3 Trails Brewing in Independence.
|
Looking for a Club Program?Members of the Rotary District are available to give presentations to clubs on MyRotary website. They have a zoom presentation that is a 20 to 30 minute program that is great resource for club members as well as club executives. There is a learning center, online newsletter and magazine, forms, discussion groups, and so much more.
|
Candle Against the Dark
You’re Invited to a One-of-a-Kind Fundraising Event Honoring the Battle Against Polio. Announcing the Premiere of Candle Against the Dark at 7:00 p.m., Thursday, August 13, 2020, via Facebook Live. All proceeds will benefit End Polio Now. This special fundraising event is a three-act radio play, centering on the family of Past District Governor Carl Chinnery in their struggle against polio, and including the role of Rotary International and others in bringing us “thisclose” to eradicating this dread disease from the face of the earth. |
Empowering Women in Rotary
You are all invited to join us this fall for the virtual 20-21 Series Empowering Women in Rotary. This inspirational series is for all to learn and grow as Rotarians in support of the Difference we can make when working together. Each of these sessions will leave you inspired and challenged as we hear from these incredible leaders and hear the impact they are making to empower us all.
|
KCI Rotary Club Hosts Virtual Bingo Fundraiser
Host a polio fundraiser during a pandemic you ask? No problem said the Rotary Club of KCI, accepting a challenge from District Governor Marc Horner and putting (virtually) a whole new spin on the game of Bingo! The Rotary Club of KCI hosted a fundraiser, “Bingo to End Polio Now,” on Thursday, May 28 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Because of in-person gathering restrictions due to COVID-19, the club used the Zoom online platform to carry out the event, which allowed participants to connect remotely from the comfort of their own homes while also doing good for the world. |
75 Years of Weston Rotary
Weston Rotary Club’s adventure began on June 20, 1945 at its charter presentation in West Platte High School auditorium. Officers were President, Ralph Pettis; VP, Earl Folely; Secretary, Raymond Felling; Treasurer: M.M. Ohlhausen; Sgt.-At-Arms, Lewis Calvert. Weston Rotary charter was sponsored my St. Joseph South Side Rotary Club which was well represented. The 25th anniversary of Weston Rotary was held July 17, 1970 at the Molia Temple, St. Joseph, Missouri. Officers: President, L.Dale Hagerman; VP, Charles D. Fisher; Secretary, William McGee; Treasurer, Joseph Pepper; Sgt.-at arms, Carl Gebhardt; Anniversary Chairman, L.R. Vaughn. |
Rotarians Deliver Over 12 Tons of Food
In Lee’s Summit more than 12 tons of food, diapers, and toiletries have been collected in an “Eight Week Neighborly Competition” conceived of and organized by Rotarian Laura Maxwell. “It’s been amazing to experience how the various neighborhoods have attempted to out-do each other in donating to Lee’s Summit Social Services and Coldwater, our local food banks” stated a broadly-smiling Laura. “The reality far exceeded the idea.”
|
Rotary Cares Assistance Program
In Response to the nationwide COVID crisis, the Rotary Youth Camp and Downtown Kansas City Rotary Club (Club 13) allocates $50,000 to aid the families and organizations they serve. Donations, both monetary and in-kind, will be sent to families and the 13 organizations who were signed up to use the camp over the summer. In an effort to strengthen their camping community in these uncertain times, the Rotary Youth Camp launches the “Rotary Cares” assistance program for organizations using the camp and camper families. The goal of the program is to aid as many families as possible as well as the organizations that host summer camp at the Rotary Youth Camp. Organizations that were scheduled for the 2020 summer season will be targeted. |
Liberty Rotary Club
The Liberty Rotary Club has been busy helping in their community during this pandemic. They have been donating fabric for the construction of face masks, funds to The Liberty Hospital Foundation’s frontline fundraiser and to their requested needs of sani-wipes, brown paper lunch bags, toilet paper, snacks & sanitizer just to mention a few. Members have been supporting local businesses & non profits with E-Cards for Hair Therapy and providing egg cartons to Mimi’s Pantry. |
Eastern Independence Rotary Club
With funds primarily raised through their signature event “Independence Uncorked”, the Eastern Independence Club made available up to 10 emergency relief grants of $500.00 each to local non-profit and social service agencies to aid them in dealing with their Covid 19 challenges. |
KCI Rotary Club
In addition to their weekly virtual meetings, the KCI Rotary Club held a bingo night on zoom in May to raise money for Chinnery Challenge – Polio Plus. |
Rotary Club 13
Rotary Club 13 has been helping with monatary donations during the pandemic. The club's foundation donated $5,000 to Harvesters and The club (along with D6040) donated $2,000 to Truman Medical Center for their Healthy Harvest, which is providing $10 bags of fruit and veggies to 100 employees each week. The club has written thank you notes to go in each bag.
|
Raytown Rotary ClubThe Raytown Rotary Club is hosting weekly Zoom meetings for their members. During the meetings members share out giving and volunteer opportunities. One of the best parts about doing Zoom meetings is allowing the club to connect with members who have moved away and/or traveling during the winter. The club's future plans include looking into doing a virtual social gathering or happy hour. |
Lee's Summit Rotary Club
The Lee's Summit Rotary Club held their 5th meeting of the month as a Virtual Happy Hour!
|
Youth Peacebuilder Award
Rotary International District 6040 (Kansas City and northern Missouri) has selected the winner of its inaugural district Youth Peacebuilder Award. Amy Montalbano, a senior at Park Hill South High school and Parkville resident, was selected by a district committee to receive the award, which includes a $2500 scholarship. |
Literacy Teacher of the Year Awards
The Rotary District 6040 Teacher of the Year Award was established to honor a teacher who is a powerful proponent of literacy and who has made significant contributions in the teaching of reading. Awards are given to one Elementary teacher, grades K-6 and one Secondary teacher, grades 7-12. This year we received 17 nominations all of which were outstanding. The following clubs nominated a deserving teacher(s) from their area:The Rotary District 6040 Teacher of the Year Award was established to honor a teacher who is a powerful proponent of literacy and who has made significant contributions in the teaching of reading. Awards are given to one Elementary teacher, grades K-6 and one Secondary teacher, grades 7-12. This year we received 17 nominations all of which were outstanding. The following clubs nominated a deserving teacher(s) from their area: |
Service Above Self Award
During my very first training session to be a District Governor, It was suggested to select a Past District Governor to be my mentor…and I choose Cassy Venters. Everything she does, she does well and she does right. And I knew I would be in good hands. I know Cassy didn’t have an easy childhood. |
International Youth Exchange
For the first time in modern history, we are experiencing a major global humanitarian challenge that all of humanity is working hand-in-hand to overcome. In some cases, it seems that COVID-19 has taken from us more than we can bear, and asked of us more than we can provide. Yet amidst the fear, turmoil and global divisions, somehow we have found ways to stay connected. Perhaps one of the best ways to stay engaged and connected on a global scale is International Youth Exchange. What better way for the global youth of today to meet the global challenges of tomorrow than building bridges of cross-cultural understanding!
|
Rotary Leadership Institute is Breaking Barriers
Rotary Leadership Institute or RLI went online for the first time in April. This was largest class I’ve ever participated in with 18 attending the online class. It was also the first time we have had Rotaract Students from Kirksville in the classes. Three young med students joined us in Kirksville for Part I and Part II and completed the classes with our online version. These are awesome young people and I wish them much luck in their future. I couldn’t have done this without my facilitators who ventured into new waters. |
Overcome Your Fear of Online Meetings
With everything that’s going on with the quarantine and social separation – Rotary Clubs around the world are looking for ways to engage their membership and continue their Rotary camaraderie and connection. Many have turned to online video meetings, such as Zoom.
While it’s not a perfect solution, it is proving to be a very adequate substitute in the interim before we can resume our full, in-person meetings. As a District, we want to encourage and challenge you to jump into the world of online meetings. Following is a list of resources that will quickly bring you up to speed. And remember – your meeting doesn’t need to be “perfect.” Our members are friends and will celebrate with you the opportunity to get together in Rotary fellowship. Just begin! |
Update on Kimbrough Challenge Grants
These are challenging times in too many ways. The pressures being exerted on our families, friends and institutions is painful. But what is even worse is the not knowing what to expect; when will shelter in place end, when can I go back to work, to worship and to serve. A lot of you have reached out with questions regarding your District Grant projects. We recognize that it is likely impossible or at least improbable that many of our “Kimbrough Challenge” 2019-2020 District Grant projects will be completed in time to create a final grant report by May 31, 2020. The weather was an issue in many areas this winter but the overwhelming issue now is the pandemic. In light of this we are extending the date for the completion of the projects and the filing of the final reports until September 30, 2020. |
Randy Steinman to Serve as District Governor in 2023-2024
Rotary District 6040 is proud to announce the selection of Randy Steinman to the position of District Governor Nominee Designate. He will take the helm as District Governor in July 2023, following current DG Marc Horner, DG Elect Don Gladhart, DG Nominee David McCaughey, and DG Nominee Designate Kent Shelman. He is a member and immediate past president of the Kansas City Plaza Rotary Club. “I am deeply honored to have been selected for this service role,” says Steinman. “I look forward to working with our clubs to achieve the goals of Rotary.” |
Warm Up Kirksville
Recently the Kirksville Rotary Clubs worked together on a Warm Up Kirksville project which was organized by the Andrew Taylor Still University (ATSU) Rotaract Club. These busy medical students discovered that the Community Mission was in need of blankets. Wyatt Eikermann and his fellow Rotaract members scheduled a Saturday in January that volunteers from the 3 Kirksville Rotary Clubs, the 2 Rotaract Clubs (ATSU and Truman State University), and the Interact Club at the Kirksville High School all made blankets. Rotary Clubs donated funds to buy the materials. Nobody had to know how to sew. The volunteers cut and tied fleece blankets all day. |
Kirksville Rotary Raises $10,000 to Eradicate Polio
Members of Kirksville’s three Rotary clubs, along with honored guests, celebrated Rotary’s 115th Birthday on February 23. The featured speaker was Carl Chinnery from Lee’s Summit, Missouri, who has had a very distinguished Rotary career, including serving as District Governor in 2002-2003 and receiving numerous Rotary International awards thereafter. Carl and his four brothers were all polio victims, and one brother succumbed to the disease. In a televised interview with KTVO, Carl said, “We need to eradicate this dread, awful, ugly, nasty, evil disease. It will be the second disease that has been eradicated worldwide after smallpox. Rotary has been on this venture for the better part of 40 years, and we are very, very close to eradicating that disease.” Past District Governor Jerry Venters (who also had a mild case of the disease at age six) told us about a very sad letter written by Carl’s mother in 1999 about her family’s experience with polio in 1942. Current Rotary District Governor Mark Horner said the letter is available on the District’s website, https://rotary6040.org, under “Foundation.” |
Youth Peacebuilder Award
Peace always been central to the mission of Rotary International. In recognition of this, Rotary District 6040 is sponsoring a Youth Peacebuilders Award to recognize outstanding efforts by a student within the district to assist the disadvantaged, build bridges between communities, and/or prevent or resolve conflicts. This award, a $2500 scholarship, will not only celebrate the winner’s peacebuilding efforts, but encourage future peacebuilding initiatives by youth in the district. |
Literacy Teacher of the Year Awards.jpg)
Great teachers deserve to be recognized so clubs are encouraged to nominate outstanding teachers in your community who are powerful proponents of literacy and have made significant contributions in the teaching of reading. The deadline for applications is February 21, 2020. . Special consideration will be given to candidates who actively participate in local, state and/or national youth or vocational services, effectively interweave literacy into their involvement in these areas, and positively promote the ideals of Rotary.
|
Play 4 Polio
The Lawson Rotary Club, along with the Lawson Chamber of Commerce, is hosting a "Be the Good" Play 4 Polio Disc Golf Tournament on Saturday, March 14, 2020. Tournament registration begins at 8:30 a.m. and each disc golf participant receives a "Be The Good" Rotary T-Shirt. Lunch will be provided after the tournament ends. Why play? Rotary International has an "End Polio Now" campaign that raises money every year for the eradication of this crippling disease worldwide. In 1985, Rotary International launched their "Polio Plus" campaign to immunize the world's children against Polio.
|
Getting the Word Out
Have you ever really wanted to get your club information in the local newspaper? Take a note from the Weston Rotary Club, send it, send it, send it. Every time your club gives away money, participates in a service project, receives an award, etc. send the information to the local paper. Will it get printed every time, probably not, however nothing will ever print if you don't send it.
|
Mardi Gras
The Rotary Club of Independence, in collaboration with KC Scholars, presents Mardi Gras 2020! Experience the fun and food of this incredible evening for the benefit of the KC Scholars program for Independence area students. A New Orleans-style dinner and live music along with thrilling entertainment and surprises will bring the fun of Mardi Gras to the Kansas City area. There will be crazy fun games of skill and chance, and of course, a colorful Mardi Gras backdrop of beads, masks, and costumes parading down Bourbon Street showcasing craft beers and signature drinks. Join the fun Saturday, February 22, 2020 at 6:00 p.m. at the Arrowhead Stadium North Club. Tickets are on sale now at Facebook.com/IndependenceRotaryMardiGras.
|
Rotary World Peace Conference
(Ontario, California)--Like most attendees at the Rotary World Peace Conference last weekend in Ontario, CA, I came away with mixed feelings. On the one hand, I depart deeply concerned about conflicts that plague our world. On the other, I head home encouraged and inspired by the amazing work being done by Rotarians and others in the cause of world peace.
My presentation on the basics of peace journalism typifies this binary. I started my presentation with a discussion about low public approval ratings of the media, and the ills that plague the profession. Then my talk took a hopeful turn as I described peace journalism and its ability to create an atmosphere conducive to peace without compromising the principles of good journalism. A large, engaged audience showered me with perceptive questions both during and indeed after the presentation. One attendee wanted to know if anyone is practicing peace journalism. I mentioned the Guardian, Nicolas Kristof, and many radio journalists in Cameroon and Uganda as positive examples. It was interesting to see many of the themes I touched upon in my talk echoed by other speakers at the conference. This includes the need to reject divisive “us vs. them” constructs, and to give a “voice to the voiceless” in everything we do. |
Membership Drive Underway
Do you want to attract more members in your club and engage them in more service to your community? Let me share how you can attract energetic, inspired, excited new members while keeping the current members engaged. We have introduced a Membership Initiative team in your District to do just that! Some clubs are having success with annual net growth, yet many others are staying neutral, or losing members each year. Our clubs incorporating a more flexible model are having the most success and attracting newer, engaged members. We don’t just need younger members, we need young thinkers, open minded individuals who are willing to try new things in new ways to be an attractive organization in today’s busy society. Rotary offers what statistics show people are looking for; a chance to join like minded people to network and make a difference. So how do we share that opportunity and keep our members engaged? |
Connecting the World
Rotary District 6040 is a contributor year in and year out to the Rotary Zones 30-31 Heart to Heart (Mexico) projects. There is a diverse listing of projects that take place and our District is proud to be part making differences around the world. These seven global grants total $832,030, and the Rotary Foundation match comprises $407,425 of that total.
|
Brush Fires in Australia
As you may be aware Australia has been undergoing a severe drought for the last decade and brush fires are currently active in all of the states. It is a huge country so this involves a tremendous area. Imagine if brush fires were to break out in most of the continental United States at the same time. That is a roughly equal to what they are facing. Fires have now spread into South Australia and Tasmania. I mention those two provinces specifically because I have been in contact with their District Governors to see if we can be of any assistance. I know DG Tim Klar (D9520) and DG Michael Cooke (D9830) from my District Governor training and you may remember the Group Study Exchange team that visited us from D9520 during IPDG Julie McCoy's year. They were well received here and they treated our outbound team very well too.
|
Rotary Club helps with Regulation Rooms
The three St. Joseph Rotary Clubs have helped the St. Joseph School District to create regulation rooms. Kids who are acting out or over-emotional in the classroom now have a place to go to clam down and learn coping skills on how to deal with their stress. "It's designed to help kids regulate their emotions. It is designed around the areas of the brain and how the brain regulates, " said Jean West a social worker a certified trauma trainer with the St. Joseph School District. In addiiton to Rotarians volunteered their time helping to assemble the rooms.
|
KCI Rotary Club Helps Promote LIteracy
KCI Rotary Club members were guest readers last week in three Platte County School District elementary schools as part of the Kansas City metro-wide “KC Rotary Reads” program. The program was developed to promote literacy—one of the six Rotarian pillars—throughout Greater Kansas City. KCI Rotary Club volunteers read “Andy and Elmer’s Apple Dumpling Adventure” to 400 students in 18 fourth grade classes at Siegrist, Compass and Pathfinder elementary schools. The book, written and illustrated by Rotary member Andrew J. Shoup, supports making good decisions based on the Rotary Four-Way Test: "Is it the truth? Is it fair for all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? And will it be beneficial to all concerned?"
|
Renovation of the New Peace Museum
The Rotary Club of Independence is helping with the renovation of the new Peace Museum at 607 W. Lexington in Independence. The club raised $3,500 which was matched by the Kimbrough Challenge in Rotary District 6040. The 3:1 match means that a grand total of $14,000 was enough to underwrite paint and supplies, carpet tiles, new decking for the outside handicapped ramp and more.
|
Grand Opening.png)
The official opening of the Kinyin McKenzie Dialysis Centre in Pukatja (Ernabella), South Australia is taking place on Thursday, November 7th. This project was made possible thanks to a Global Grant. Tjunkaya Tapaya took time to write a poem to honor this special occasion.
|
Micocredit Project Receives Next Grant Installment
The Rotary Foundation notified the district’s Microcredit Chair, Randy Steinman (Kansas City Plaza Club), on October 24th the next $25,000 installment for the microcredit grant has been wired to the district. These funds are part of a $125,000, five year Global Grant project to provide business startup loans to women living in poverty in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. To date this project has helped approximately 80 women start businesses with small loans of $250-750 US. The profits from these businesses help repay the loans and create an income stream to help these women lift themselves and their families out of poverty. Of these women 32 have already repaid their loans in full. |
Peacebuilding
Steven Youngblood, with the Parkville Rotary Club, wrote an opinion piece for The Kansas City Star about peacebuilding/Peace Day that features KC peacebuilding organizations, including a plug for Rotary. The article mentions that Kansas City is fortunate to have numerous "rock star" peacebuilders and peacebuilding organizations. "While it's understandable to be discouraged by the violence and discord around us, conversely, it's easy to be encouraged by the numerous peacebuilding efforts in Kansas City, and to be empowered by the knowledge that each of us can help make our world a more peaceful place," said Youngblood.
|
The Chinnery Challenge
All clubs have been asked by District Governor Marc Horner to schedule or hold an event by Polio Day to raise money for Dollars for Polio. A few clubs have already started the challenge and even created more awareness for Rotary's fight against Polio.
|
District 6040 Global Grant in Action
The Australian District we partnered with for our GSE last year also gave us the opportunity for a Global Grant. After many years, the first remote renal dialysis service recently opened on the APY lands in far north South Australia at Pukatja (Ernabella). Known by the name of Purple House, the facility is run by the Western Desert Nganampa Walytja Palyantjaku Tjutaku Aboriginal Corporation (WDNWPT), with its CEO Sarah Brown. WDNWPT is run by Aboriginal people from remote communities with input and leadership from the Pukatja Community Council, the APY Council, NPY Women’s Council and the APY Art Collective. There has also been a growing association with Rotary clubs over the past ten years. Their CEO, Sarah Brown, has been a popular motivational speaker at District conferences and Institutes over the past few years. In 2017, she presented at a District Conference in Mount Gambier and talked of her experiences with the existing Purple House facilities and, of course, the Purple House bus, a mobile dialysis unit. Many present that day were inspired by her presentation, and talk began about Rotary Clubs joining forces to provide much needed assistance to this latest project.
|
Polio Volunteers Needed for Upcoming Immunizations
The Rotary Club of Agra Taj Mahal Initiative is conducting Polio Mega Campaign in 3-5 January 2020 , if any of club/district members are interested now is the time to sign up . Polio Volunteers will have the opportunities on upcoming Polio Immunization Round as Final Push “ KEEP INDIA POLIO FREE." This journey will be a landmark event in your Rotary Experience.
|
Congratulations.png)
District 6040 Group Study Exchange (GSE) committee is proud to announce the selection of William (Bill) Schmidt of the Plaza Club as Leader of our GSE team to the Dominican Republic 2019-20. The out-bound team will be in the Dominican Republic from Mid January to Mid February 2020. The in-bound Dominican Republic team will be in our District from mid October to mid November 2019. There is a survey going out to all club presidents for the hosting of the DR team this fall. |
Dinner Anywhere in the World
In celebration of our Rotary 2019-20 theme, Rotary Connects the World – a new raffle will be held, with a prize of dinner anywhere in the world. (The prize will include travel and expenses for a trip for two – including that special dinner – anywhere in the world, with a travel voucher valued at $5,000.00. For this special event, one-thousand raffle tickets will be sold, priced at $25.00 each – with proceeds going to the Polio Fund. |
Golden Ticket
Back by popular demand: a replay (and enhancement) of last year's raffle. Your single $100 raffle ticket will put you in the three drawings for these fabulous prizes. (Why stop at one ticket? You deserve more chances to win!)
Note: any Rotarian who buys a $100.00 raffle ticket will get credit for the donation to the Rotary Foundation. Proceeds will go to the Annual Fund. You can buy your ticket online at HTTPS://TINYURL.COM/ROTARYGOLDENTICKET |
Rotary Zone 30-31 Newsletter
In introducing this year's theme, R.I. President Mark Maloney said, "Rotary allows us to connect with each other in deep and meaningful ways, across our differences. Through Rotary, we connect to the incredible diversity of humanity on a truly unique footing, forging deep and lasting ties in pursuit of a common goal. In this ever more divided world, Rotary connects us all." He urged us to identify segments of our communities not represented in our clubs by creating a membership committee with diverse members.
|
Cruise Around the Hawaiian Islands After the Rotary Convention.png)
The Rotary International Convention in Honolulu next summer ends on Wednesday June 10, 2020. In case you want to do something else while you are 3,896 miles from Kansas City we have a deal for you. In fact if you are not going to the convention we still have the same deal. A Norwegian Cruise Lines cruise leaves Honolulu on Saturday June 13, 2020 to take you all around the Hawaiian islands. It is a nice cruise.
|
Chinnery Challenge for Polio
It is our intent in 2019-2020 to have a multi-level District effort to raise awareness and monies for Rotary’s polio eradication efforts. For each club in the District to have a Polio Awareness and Fund Raising Event. No matter how big or how small to let people know that even though “we are this close”, Polio is still claiming the lives and limbs of children in the world today and we need to eradicate it forever.
|
2019 Foundation Dinner
The District 6040 Foundation Dinner is always one of the highlights of the Rotary year. This year’s Dinner will be one of the great events of the decade. You won’t want to miss it. Save the date:Saturday, November 2, 2019Arrowhead StadiumKansas City, Missouri |
Rotary District 6040 – Not Just Another District
|
Dominican deaths dampening enthusiasm for Rotary tripAn area Rotary club is recruiting professionals for a group study exchange with the Dominican Republic. However, recent negative news from the island nation is dampening efforts.
|
So long farewell, auf weidersehen goodbye…
So long farewell, auf weidersehen goodbye… Picture me singing one of my favorite ”Sound Of Music” songs as I fleet, I float, I fleetly flee I fly...
Wow, I can’t believe that this Rotary Year is over…and I have all of you to THANK for making this year one of the most memorable years of my life! District 6040, you are simply THE BEST! |
2019-2020 Rotary Friendship Exchange.png)
Our District 6040 has accepted the RI District invitation to visit their district on the dates they proposed: the first day to be Sunday, 29 of September 2019, and the ending day to be 11 of October 2019, on Friday morning. Our District 6040 team will be in Romania/Moldova for 12 nights divided into three locations, with four nights in every area. We will stay in the homes of Romanian Rotarians while visiting their District 2241. Our Rotary District 6040 Friendship Exchange Team will consist of twelve persons (six couples). They request only couples, not single persons, as the makeup of our team going to Romania/Moldova. |
Giving Back to the Community
The Blue Springs Rotary Club held their 28th Annual Car Raffle on April 27th. They raised over $38,000 to give back to the community. Think about the difference they are making and what your club can do to help support your communities.
|
District 6040 Teacher of the Year
Diane McGinnis, Adair County R-II School in Brashear, was nominated by the Kirksville North Star Club. Diane is the school’s only English teacher for grades 9-12. She fills her classroom with books at her own expense so that her students have easy access to reading material of interest to them. Diane challenges her students to read 40 books a year, requires them to write about their reading, and helps them make connections between what they read and their own lives.
|
Gremaud Receives JC Penny Award.png)
JCPenney general manager Janet Lee Gremaud, of the Kirksville store, was recently awarded the company’s prestigious Founder’s Award for outstanding accomplishments in 2018. Janet is a member of the Kirksville Thousand Hills Rotary, the District 6040 4-Way Speech Contest chair and Past Assistant Governor. The Founder’s Award highlights store leaders excelling in the areas of financial performance, customer and client service and business expertise. With more than 860 JCPenney stores across the country, Gremaud was one of 80 leaders presented with the Founder’s Award. |
The Should be Rotarian
Meet Keith Grigsby. He is not a Rotarian; but he should be. He is a dentist that has traveled to Jamaica with NKC Rotary in each of the last 20 years to provide dental services to those in need. Keith told me that he came to serve; but, in the end, it was him who was served. I have met so many people this year that have a heart for service…that’s what makes Rotary such a great organization. And, I would have to agree with Keith. In my Rotary world, the life most often changed is my own. |
The Greatest Show in Rotary
It’s that time of year again – it’s CUP CRAZY time for any hockey fan – and especially exciting as our own MISSOURI team – The St. Louis Blues! On another note – it would be a SUPER GREAT SERVICE if you would open your calendar and CIRCLE/BLOCK/SAVE this date: SATURDAY AUGUST 17, 2019. Our District Governor Elect, Marc Horner & the cracker jack TEAM working with him, will be presenting a Reprise of THE GREATEST SHOW IN ROTARY theme that we used at PETS (President Elect Training Seminar) back in March… you may have heard a thing or two about it. |
Camp Rise
Rotaract Kansas City is proud to be entering our third summer of hosting Camp Rise, a free overnight summer camp opportunity for youth in Kansas City living at or below the poverty line. Held at the Rotary Youth Camp in Lee Summit Missouri, Camp Rise is an all inclusive experience for our campers. Upon arrival, campers receive a backpack full of all the gear necessary to enjoy their time at camp and then take with them in preparation for the new school year. In order to provide these backpacks we rely on the generosity of our community! Please help us by visiting our Amazon wish list! All items purchased directly benefit our campers and a portion of Amazon wish list sales are donated right back to the Rotary Youth Camp! https://smile.amazon.
|
Group Study Exchange
The dates for the Dominican Republic Group Study Exchange is set for January 20 to February 20, 2020. The Team Leader Application deadline has been extended. This application is due June 15, 2019 by 5:00 p.m. and can be emailed to mdental@sbcglobal.net or mailed to 850 Fairway Drive, Chillicothe, MO 64601. Please note: Team Member applications will be publicized and due later in the summer.
|
Helping Those In NeedRecently the Parkville Rotary Club donated $2,236 to help with flood relief. The donation went to http://www.floodrelifene.org in Nebraska. This is just one of the many way Rotary clubs in our district are helping those in need.
|
Getting Their Hands Dirty
The KCI Rotary Club recently repainted the apartment they sponsor to house a family who is struggling with homelessness. A big group took on the task of painting the ceiling and walls throughout the apartment. It is now ready for the mom and her 4 kids who will be calling it home for the next 90 days. During their stay in the program the KCI Rotary Club will provide meals and encouragement for the family. This will help the mom to be successful paying off her debt and developing a savings. Her goal is to move into a place of her own with a budget in place to sustain her. KCI Rotarians appreciated the camaraderie while providing a better life for a local family. Service Above Self is exactly what is happening in the pictures here!
|
District Establishes New Peacebuilding Ambassador
When District Governor Elect Marc Horner asked me to be District 6040’s Peacebuilding Ambassador, I imagined that, as an ambassador, I would hobnob with glitterati, attend swanky receptions and high-brow cultural events, rub elbows with the rich and famous, and advise powerful government officials. It wasn’t until I was stuck behind a stinky semi on my way to Jeff City for the state conference that cold reality struck. My name is Steven Youngblood, and I am breaking in the new job of district peacebuilding ambassador. While my new job isn’t exactly glamorous, the opportunity to work with my fellow Rotarians on peacebuilding projects is nonetheless exciting. |
Shoes Enthusiasts
Thank you to everyone who helped their club and our District with our Shoes Caravan. We were able to collect 18,819 pairs of shoes, 3,744 pairs of socks, 1,578 pairs of shoelaces, and $12,772 in cash donations! So which clubs took the lead in each category?
|
Eleven More Rotarians Graduate From RLI
At the conclusion of very successful evening sessions in March and April, eleven more District 6040 Rotarians graduated from the District’s Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI). This brings to 82 the number of graduates from the club leadership program since its inception in 2014. They have come from 26 different Rotary clubs. The newest graduates (pictured) are Dalyn Novak and Sandy Knoernschild, Parkville; Frank Dixon and Pat Knauss, Liberty; Trish Kennedy and Donna Best, Blue Springs; Jordan Assel, Cameron; Beth Franklin and Ilene Shehan, Independence; Matt Sanning, Lee’s Summit; and Becky Treccariche, Richmond. |
Member Honored with Peace Award
Sister Andrea Kantner, member of the Rotary Club of Independence, was the recipient of the prestigious International Peace Award from the Community of Christ. Sister Andrea is the founder of the Franciscan Mission Warehouse. She was presented the award at the Community of Christ's World Conference.
|
2020 Group Study Exchange
Have you ever wanted to travel to the Dominican Republic? Plans are underway now for the Districts 6040-4060 Group Study Exchange in 2020. GSE provides travel grants for teams to exchange visits in paired areas of different countries. Teams are comprised of four team members who may be Rotarians or non-Rotarians. All team members must commit to assist in humanitarian service projects upon completion of the GSE experience. The team leader is a Rotarian.
For three to four weeks, team members observe and participate in the Rotary District and Club humanitarian service projects and observe how their vocations are practiced abroad. They develop personal and professional relationships, and exchange ideas. The teams are home hosted for lodging and meals and group travel within the host country. District 6040 pays for round-trip airfare to the host country. |
ShelterBox Update From Malawi
Cyclone Idai ripped through Southern Africa and millions have been affected in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe after what the UN says could be the worst natural disaster ever to hit the southern hemisphere. Floods have affected almost 1 million Malawians and forced at least 125,000 from their homes and sadly these numbers continue to rise. District 6040 has multiple projects in Malawi. ShelterBox is determined to reach as many families as possible. ShelterBox has a team en route to Malawi to assess damage to homes and to coordinate support for families to recover as the floodwaters recede. |
2019-2020 Rotary Friendship Exchange
Our District 6040 has accepted the RI District 2241 (2241 includes Romania and Moldova) invitation to visit their district on the dates they proposed: the first day to be Sunday, 29 of September 2019, and the ending day to be 11 of October 2019, on Friday morning. Our District 6040 team will be in Romania/Moldova for 12 nights divided into three locations, with four nights in every area. We will stay in the homes of Romanian Rotarians while visiting their District 2241. Our Rotary District 6040 Friendship Exchange Team will consist of twelve persons (six couples). They request only couples, not single persons, as the makeup of our team going to Romania/Moldova. |
The Power of Giving! The Power of Rotary!
What started as an auction item for one last lei left on the podium at the end of Show Me Rotary, ended up as a huge gift to The Rotary Foundation and our Polio Plus eradication efforts. Two people were bidding on the lei, then two tables and then random people from all over the ballroom at the Capitol Plaza Hotel started coming forward to donate money to Polio Plus. Many of those donating money were from District 6040.
|
Five Rotarians Graduate from RLI
In March, five more District 6040 Rotarians joined the ranks of Rotary Leadership Institute graduates, bringing to 71 the number of D 6040 Rotarians to have graduated from the premier Rotary leadership program. They are (L-R) Frank Grimshaw (Macon County), Kurt Hueschen and Dan Ryan (Waldo-Brookside), Janet Gremaud (Kirksville Thousand Hills), and Penny Donnelly (Blue Springs). Members of 24 different Rotary clubs have graduated from the three-day course since it was started here in 2014. |
The Power of Women in Rotary
Dear Women in Rotary: My fellow District Governors in Missouri: Jayne Lowe (6110), Linda Puchbauer (6060) and Susan Haralson (6080) and I are hosting the first ever “Power of Women in Rotary Conference.” It will be held in Jefferson City on May 11th from 11-4. The cost is only $25 and includes your lunch for the day. We have filled the day with an action packed list of powerful women speakers. |
Happy 40th Anniversary
|
The Power of Women in Rotary
Women in Rotary, please join me for the first ever Power of Women in Rotary event. We will celebrate of the first time in history that Missouri Rotary has been governed by four Women. Linda, Susan, Jayne and I have set aside Saturday, May 11th as a dynamic day to learn about women in service and women in leadership. The cost is only $25 and I can assure you, it will be an action packed day. Space is limited; so, please sign up at tinyurl.com/WIRConference. I look forward to seeing you there!
|
Paul Harris Society
It may surprise some of you to learn that the Paul Harris Society is a relatively new recognition program that became an official Rotary Foundation program in 2013. This new program was developed to recognize those members who generously contribute significant sums of money regularly to the Rotary Foundation. There is a difference, and some confusion, regarding being a Paul Harris Fellow and being a Paul Harris Society member, and I will attempt to explain the difference in this column. |
Shoe Caravan
The 18th annual “shoes season” is off and running. We are two months away from the Shoes Caravan (April 25-27), and Caravan Driver John Gill and I have developed a tentative Shoes Caravan schedule. Both UPS and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway have again agreed to assist us with the transport of your shoes to Dallas, to be prepared for international shipment. Our UPS truck drivers, Patrick and Roger, will be with us again. It was a resounding consensus at our fall 2018 District Conference to send our shoes this year to KENYA, along with some distribution in the UNITED STATES. We will have our annual SHOES ROLL CALL OF CLUBS on April 27th at the District Assembly in Cameron. Our plan is to have the “John Gill trailer” at the District Assembly…with our traditional Shoes Caravan to precede with a few stops on Wednesday, April 24, then full days on Thursday, April 25, and Friday, April 26, culminating at the District Assembly in Cameron on Saturday, April 27th. |
Everyone Loves a Good Book
The Kirksville Rotary Club donates books to the Adair County Public Library as a thank you to their guest speakers. Each meeting the speaker is given a book mark from the Adair County Public Library. Recently, President Randy Smith and President Elect Debi Boughton met with Librarian Sonja Hannah to purchase $250.00 worth of new books for the Library. The members of the Kirksville Rotary Club also take a week each February and reads to all the third, fourth and fifth grade classes in the community. Dale Schenewerk, Rotarian and volunteer reader explains, “The students and teachers always enjoy having a fresh face come into the classroom. The opportunity to read allows us a chance to focus on the importance of reading and to introduce Rotary to the kids.” |
Registration for MO RYLA
Registration for the Missouri RYLA Academy 2019 (MO RYLA) is in full swing! (registration link is under the “For Rotary Clubs” and “For Rotary: Student Sign Up) |
St Joseph area clubs win Arbor awardsLast May, the St Joseph area community and the four local clubs were honored to have RI President Ian Riseley come to St Joseph for a day. President Riseley had set a goal as he entered his Presidency of "planting a tree for every Rotarian somewhere in the world (1.2 million trees). The 4 clubs here accomplished the goal. The Clubs were just notified recently that they were selected as winners of the 2018 Missouri Arbor Award of Excellence. |
RLI Classes Coming Soon!
Leadership skills are yours for the taking this spring in District 6040! District 6040’s Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) offers a unique opportunity for District Rotarians to complete the three-day course in just five weeks in March and April. The series will begin in Chillicothe on Saturday, March 9, when all three Parts of the course will be available. Those sessions will begin with a light breakfast at 8 a.m. and will conclude by 3:30 p.m. Rotarians are high achievers, but it is not possible to take more than one Part in a single day because each Part is a full-day course. The registration deadline for all three Parts is Tuesday, March 5. |
Each One Reach One
We wanted to be sure that all Rotarians knew about the exciting opportunity to MAKE some $$$$ and enrich the lives of others. I know, is this another gimmick, or what? wait, please read on. Seriously, this will be your clubs easiest and most rewarding way to make $1,250 dollars this year. How does it work? All your club has to do is grow your membership by the largest percent with like size clubs. The club size categories are below. We are basing growth off of July 1, 2018 numbers. Small clubs are <23 members Medium clubs are 24-45 members Large Clubs are >45 members As a quick shoutout, the following clubs in each of the categories are off to a great start Small: Andrew County and Marceline Medium: Parkville, Schuyler and Trenton Large: Blue Springs, Independence and Waldo Brookside |
Kimbrough Global and District Challenge Grants
The Global and District Grants programs for 2019-2020, as most of you know now, will be an exciting year due to the generous donation of the Kimbrough's 3 years ago to the Share program with the Rotary Foundation. Because of this, we are moving the times of training and applications to be submitted deadlines up, so that we can try and use all those funds for lots of projects locally and international as well. Did you know you can do a Global Grant for an international project of $50,000.00 with no money needed from your Club due to the Kimbrough donation ! The Global Grant Guidelines are attached for those details and you can contact Karyn Eppler at eppler.karyn @gmail.com for more information
|
Guten Tag from MO RYLA
A Rotary International youth program found throughout the world, RYLA has over a 25 year history in western Missouri, which began under the leadership of Rotary Director Fred Hahn from Independence. To date, over 2,000 Missouri high school students can proudly call themselves “RYLArians.” Fifteen years ago, RYLA expanded its framework to become the tri-district Missouri RYLA Academy. High school students from Districts 6040, 6060, and 6080 come together each summer to spend four days on the William Woods University campus in Fulton, Missouri. Because of the program’s outstanding curriculum and achievement, the academy now offers two sessions each summer, capable of hosting 100 students per session. Considered the Rotary International model service leadership development curriculum for high school aged participants, students dive deep into learning about Rotary and the power of service above self. |
Who was Ben Holladay?
Members of the Weston Rotary Club and other members of the community are working with the City of Weston in hopes of establishing an annual event recognizing Ben Holladay. But unless you are a resident of Weston, Missouri or a history buff of the Old West, chances are you may have never heard of Ben Holladay. For Visitors to Weston or for those who grew up in the area, Ben Holladay is known as “The Stagecoach King”; founder of the local distillery in 1856; owner of the fabulous three-story International Hotel opened in Weston in 1858, but burnt down during the American Civil War. The site is now the location of the Weston Historical Museum. Other than these locally promoted facts on Holladay, very few people in the region know the complete story of this truly historic and iconic individual or the fact he was a resident of Weston for approximately 20 years before becoming famous and moving on. The local group is hopeful in establishing an annual event honoring Ben Holladay, starting as early as April of 2020. Travelers to Weston always seem to find one reason or another to visit the historic Rivertown, but they are hopeful this new event will attract additional visitors to the city.
|
2020 Rotary Peace Fellowships
Rotary International is now accepting applications for the 2020 Rotary Peace Fellowship. The Rotary Peace Fellowship covers tuition and living expenses for students in a 15 to 24 month program at one of Rotaries five Rotary Peace Centers at leading partner universities. The Fellowship also covers expenses to increase the capacity of existing leaders to prevent and resolve conflict through academic training, field experience, and professional networking. The spike in regional and local conflicts around the globe has boosted the need for peace and development leaders skilled in building positive social change. Up to 100 fellows are selected every year in a globally competitive process based on personal, academic, and professional achievements. Fellows earn either a master’s degree or a professional development certificate in peace and conflict studies at one of the Rotary Peace Centers, located within seven leading universities around the world. More than 1,200 program alumni are working in over 100 countries as leaders in national governments, NGOs, social enterprises, the military, law enforcement, and international organizations such as the United Nations. |
THE REACH OUT AND READ CHALLENGE
THE REACH OUT AND READ CHALLENGE February 23, 2019 is Rotary International’s 114th birthday. What better way to celebrate than to “Reach Out and Read”? Can we get EVERY club in district 6040 to reach out and read to a group of children, teens or adults during the week of Rotary International’s birthday (February 17th – 23rd, 2019)? The Challenge: During the week of Rotary International’s birthday, February 17th through February 23rd, 2019, organize members of your club to reach out and read in your local school, a nursing home, a residence for individuals with disabilities, etc. Be the inspiration and spread the joy of reading. Take a picture of your club’s effort and send to Janet Gooch, District 6040 Literacy Chair at jquinzer@truman.edu and I’ll post it on the 6040 website. Let me know how many members were involved, the number of hours served, and other details that highlight the project. Use the event to promote Rotary and your club via Facebook, Twitter and other forms of social media. I will attempt to post the success of the district project on Rotary Showcase. Think about the impact on our communities if every club in our district reaches out and reads, connecting with others and spreading the joy of literacy in celebration of Rotary International’s Birthday. |
Group Study Exchange Gears Up
This month is all about the Group Study Exchange to Australia. There is great information for clubs on our team and the visitors coming to District 6040. Host Australians in District 6040This is a Great Time for District 6040! We have an exciting Group Study Exchange--- Oceans to Outback between Southern Australia and Rivers to Ranges of Northern Missouri! We are beginning to arrange the visit of our Inbound GSE from Rotary District 9520 Australia and YOU will want to be a part of that!  District 9520 is part of four states--South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. There are about 1400 Rotarians in 51 Clubs in the district. The main population center is Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia. The team leader is a Past District Governor and there are 4 professional women who make up the team. They will be in our district from March 31-April 28, 2019. Clubs may host the team for 3-4 days during this period. Now is the time to let us know of your interest hosting, (or co-hosting with other clubs) for 3-4 days during this spring. Several clubs near each other can have great fun sharing the group and enjoying International Rotary Fellowship. Please complete the survey this week, so we can include you! Survey - Click the link: |
#GivingTuesday - Nov 27, 2018
 #GivingTuesday is a global giving movement that has been built by individuals, families, organizations, businesses and communities in countries around the world. Millions of people have come together to support and champion the causes they believe in and the communities in which they live. We have two days for getting deals – Black Friday and Cyber Monday. On #GivingTuesday, we have a day for giving back. Together, people are creating a new ritual for our annual calendar. #GivingTuesday is the opening day of the giving season. You can start the holiday season on a charitable note by donating on Giving Tuesday, November 27th. Why should Rotary be your charity of choice? Because our 1.2 million members see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change — across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves. |
People of Action Awards
The district’s new People of Action Awards presented for the first time at the 19th Annual Foundation Dinner honor clubs that provide service through district grant projects in the 2017-18 Rotary year. The awards consider humanitarian service, sustainability, measurable outcomes, creativity and Rotarians involvement. The winners are: |
Klinginsmith Cup
The Klinginsmith Cup was first awarded for the 2009-10 Rotary year and was instituted to honor our Rotary International President, Ray Klinginsmith (Kirksville Rotary Club) who served as RI President in 2010-11. The award is presented to the club that meets two criteria that President Ray values: 1. Earning the Presidential Citation for the Rotary year and 2. Making the highest per capita contribution to The Rotary Foundation Annual Fund/SHARE for the Rotary Year. |
People of Action 2017-18Rotarians are People of Action! In 2018, clubs throughout northern Missouri worked on hands-on, grant-funded projects to improve lives and communities. Take a look at this video: https://youtu.be/f7KjvdsxJ-c If you want to make a real difference in your community, join the Rotary!
|
Hurricane Florence Relief Efforts
As you know hurricane Florence has wrecked havoc on the East Coast and the damage is significant. Rotarians are by nature very generous and always interested in helping with the relief efforts, especially when they strike so close to home. I have been in contact with several groups that are or will be on the front lines shortly. They will do their part in the clean up that will be needed and provide aid in the form of food and shelter to those in need. Rotary International Director David Stovall from our neighboring Zones of 33-34 is working diligently on the efforts to help in the best way possible. His two zones have established a donor advised fund to direct any contributions to help in the relief efforts. The flyer with instructions on how to contribute to this cause can be found here. |
Princeton Rotary Youth Turkey Calling
|
Service Above Self
On Sunday, July 22, I was truly able to act up the Rotary ideal of “Service Above Self.” On that day, I was blessed to lay the cornerstone of the new teacher’s quarters at St. Kizito Namusera Primary School in the Wakiso district of Kampala, Uganda. A pretty big step for a Rotarian from Higginsville, MO Rotary Club in District 6040. Leading up to that moment were many events in the life of new Rotarian. I am an educator by profession. Mike Warneke has been a family friend for 18 years, but in the past six years he has grown an international non-profit organization - Fields of Dreams Uganda - whose mission is to provide hope to the orphaned and vulnerable children of Uganda through the vehicles of soccer and education. Through this organization I was able to travel to Uganda this July with Mike and 10 other individuals. |
THE R.E.A.L. TRAINING was R.E.A.L.L.Y. INSPIRING!With over 100 attendees - it is being hailed as one of the best attended and most "inspiring" training event in our District to date! With the right Energy, the right LEADERSHIP, a CLEAR vision and a hockey stick - it's amazing what can be accomplished! Two minutes for "hooking" our hearts, eh?
The theme was to change the MUSIC so we can change the Dance to take better care of our Membership Experience to Inspire the Inspired to Inspire! A big HUGE Thank You goes out to our DG - Julie the REAL McCoy for leading the choreographing of the event, and to the LEADERSHIP TEAM and Presenters who went ALL IN 110%. Also, and especially, to all those who took action to wake up, pray up, wash up, dress up, prep up, drive up and SHOW UP on a warm August Saturday morning in Chillicothe MO! Everyone rose to the call and moved the yardsticks forward seeking out solutions to further our quest for NEW MUSIC for Rotary and our world!! All this towards a NEW Dance for MORE Peace, Joy, Health, Compassion, FUN, Harmony, Prosperity, Abundance, LOVE!!! (Just to name a few...). |
Chillicothe Rotary Provides Handicapped Accessible Playground
In May 2018, the Chillicothe Rotary Club, with the help of the City of Chillicothe, the Rotary Foundation and the Chillicothe Rotary Foundation, purchased and installed three pieces of handicapped accessible playground equipment in Simpson Park. Mike Palmer, 2017-2018 Chillicothe Club President, was instrumental in getting this partnership together and ensuring that the equipment was installed. |
Play for Polio
Last year District 6040 Clubs raised over $83,900 for Polio. In addition we raised over $100,000 through Play for Polio and $300,000 with the Gates Foundation match. This year clubs are asked to set a fundraising goal to help District 6040 raise $35,000. How can you do that? Designate a champion, a person who will communicate the details, motivate the club members, coordinate the process, and calculate the fundraising. You can plan fun events during the month of September such as golf, bowling, softball, pickelball, poker tournament, disc golf, etc. Collect your donations by September 30th and send them to The Rotary Foundation. Don't forget to send your total monies raised to jimbergman1934@hotmail.com.
|
Andrew County Rotary Mexican Fiesta
Andrew County Rotary hosted the annual Mexican Fiesta on May 4th outside on the square in Savannah, MO. The annual event is held to raise funds to support rotary projects as well as engage the community to become involved in Rotary. Rotarians sold tickets to guest for a fajita bar and a margarita or soda, entertained with live music, a piñata and the entire evening was complimented with beautiful weather.
|
Paul Harris 1/2 Off Promotion
Paul Harris 1/2 Off Promotion for 2018-2019District 6040 Annual Fund Chair DGND David McCaughey is pleased to announce that, once again, Rotary Foundation recognition points are available to match unrestricted cash contributions to The Rotary Foundation’s Annual Fund-SHARE. This is a great opportunity for Rotarians to become new Paul Harris Fellows. Do take advantage of this generous donation and support the wonderful work of Rotary International. |
Ready for a Rotary Day at the ZOU?
 Do you like football? Enjoy watching the Tigers play? I am an avid Mizzou football fan and I would love for you to join me at the 2018 Rotary Day at the Mizzou Stadium. We will be gathering for the Mizzou/Kentucky game on October 27th. The game time is yet to be decided; but don't worry. Chillicothe Rotary will be hosting a tailgate before the game in Lot N or at the NW corner of Champions Drive. The Leamer brothers are known far and wide for their tailgate experiences. So, we'd love for you to join us before the game too. |
2018 Foundation Dinner
Save the Date Friday October 26!Rotary District 60402018 Foundation Dinner
Please join us! Share! Learn! Celebrate! You are the inspiration!
Our speaker, Jean Irwin-Hatfield, Ambassadorial Scholar and Teacher of the Deaf |
A mother’s horror: Her polio-stricken son died while ‘tied to the bed’
In 1998, Carl Chinnery, an attorney in Lee's Summit, asked his mother for some recollections of the family's experience with polio in 1942. His mother responded with a detailed letter of how one of his brothers died
|
Group Study Exchange
Just ask any of last years GSE team about their trip to Chile and you will immediately see smiles across their faces. Alan Van Zandt (St. Joe East), Leslie Gasser (KC #13), Rolfe McCoy (Chillicothe) and Ernesto Marquez are pictured here along with the beautiful scenery in Chile.
Are you interested in going to Australia this year? It is not too late to apply. Contact Rolfe McCoy for an application at rolfe@msmdental.net. |
It's Membership Month
August is Membership Month for Rotary. Many District 6040 clubs have set goals for the new year, to help the achieve the district goal of 250. There are many ways to "be the Inspiration" of Rotary to attract good people. Active plan and goal for your club or establish and sponsor a Community Rotaract Club. Also, another way is to analyze a need in your community and start a Satellite club. That is exactly what the good Rotarians of St. Joe are doing.
|
August Foundation Moment.jpg){kind=logo}
Longer-term Rotarians often talk about using their Foundation Points and newer Rotarians sometimes look confused as they listen to this discussion. What are Foundation Recognition Points and Who Has Them? Foundation recognition points (sometimes just referred to as Points) are awarded to donors who contribute to The Rotary Foundation (TRF) through the Annual Fund/SHARE or PolioPlus or who contribute to sponsorship of a Foundation grant. Donors receive one recognition point for every U.S. dollar contributed to these funds. So every donor to TRF has points. |
Spreading the Rotary Word Cooperatively
During the last quarter of the 2017-18 Rotary year District 5710 invited our Rotary District to participate in a joint Public Image Campaign to raise awareness and perhaps boost interest in membership in Rotary. Since our Districts split the Kansas City metro media market, it made sense to support the collaborate effort. The effort was initiated, planned and conducted by several Rotarians in District 5710, spearheaded by Pat O’Donnell the District 5710 Public Image Chair. Individual clubs and Districts 5710, 6040, 5670, and 5690 with a huge assist from RI, funded and monitored the campaign. |
Who is Dr. Jay Craig
He is a Multiple Paul Harris Fellow, a member of the Paul Harris Society, a Sustaining Member, Past President of the Rotary Club of Bristow, and a graduate of the Rotary District Leadership Academy. He is a member of the District Club Visioning Team, and is a Facilitator and Evaluator at Mid America PETS. He went on a Rotary Wheel Chair Mission to La Paz Mexico. He also volunteers to be the RYLA Camp Doctor every year. He attended the Rotary International Convention in Seoul, Korea, as well as the International Convention in Atlanta, Ga. He was selected as a Paul Harris Society Coordinator for the State of Oklahoma. Jay was named the 2016, District 6110 Assistant Governor of the Year, and has since been elected as the District Governor Nominee. He will be serving as the District Governor in 2020-2021. He is very proud of his Native American heritage, and of being an official Warrior of the Comanche Nation. He performs his Native American Program for clubs all over our district, as well as other districts. Now, sit back and enjoy a visit with a Comanche Warrior at the District 6040 Conference in October. |
Capture the Moment in Hamburg
At our 2019 convention, Rotary members become insiders — the first to discover the latest news, along with the ideas and strategies that drive Rotary. Whether it’s a chance meeting at the House of Friendship that leads to a new project partner, or a speaker who inspires you to take action, you’ll find plenty of excitement around you. Interact with people whose ideas are transforming lives.
|
Do you know a good dentist?
Do you know a good dentist? I was asked this question six years ago by Dr. Bob McGee of North Kansas City Rotary. When I told him I was related to six, I think he almost fainted. But, this question and a subsequent discussion lead to a medical and dental mission trip to Jamaica for my husband and myself. There we treat the Jamaican people with their medical and dental needs. I'll have to say that it is the most rewarding week of my year. |
R.E.A.L. - Rotary Education & Action for Leadership
The R.E.A.L. is coming to you…and I’m going to call it The R.E.A.L. because I am the “REAL McCoy”. This is an annual training event (formerly known as Mega Training) to be held in Chillicothe on Saturday, August 18, 2018. The District Leadership Team will be at the First Baptist Church, 1601 Bryan Street in Chillicothe. The Rotary Education and Action for Leadership day is designed to give you hands on training and tools in many areas of Rotary. |
RI Extends Deadline for Clubs to Enter Achievements
Recently, a water leak at Rotary International World Headquarters damaged critical hardware in our data center. We’ve replaced the damaged equipment, but as a result you may not have been able to access the Rotary sites and online tools you use to report Rotary Citation achievements. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.
|
RI President Riseley Visits St. JosephThe four St Joseph area Rotary Clubs hosted RI President Ian Riseley on May 30. He attended a tree planting ceremony at the new Convention and Visitor’s Bureau in downtown St. Joseph. President Ian participated in a press conference, a ceremonial tree planting, received a Key to the City, received proclamations from the Mayor and the State Legislature and gave a short presentation to those gathered. .jpg) |
Rotary Facebook & Public Image Tips for ClubsFacebook can be a powerful tool for Rotary clubs, helping you to keep your members informed and engaged, and at the same time informing and engaging others in your community about Rotary! A few suggestions for putting the power of Facebook to work for you:
The ideal scenario? When others see what your club is doing in and for your community – and they see the camaraderie and engagement of your members – they’ll want to join! |
New Look. New ResourcesDon’t look yet, but the District 6040 website is undergoing an overhaul. “It really started as a simple initiative to update information,” District Governor McCoy explained. “But as we looked at what we wanted to do, the project grew. The objective is fairly simple: to make it easy.” Easy for members to find out about district initiatives and events and to register, where applicable. Easy for club leadership to access support materials or other resources (through the officers’ file cabinets, for example). Easy for non-member visitors to learn about types of membership, clubs in their vicinity, etc. And, with the introduction of the new ClubRunner App, easier than ever to access!
|
Welcome to the New Rotary Year
My dear friends and fellow Rotary leaders,
Today marks the beginning of the 2018-2019 Rotary year, and the beginning of our time together in Rotary office. It is the day that we accept the baton of leadership from those who held our offices before us, and begin the task of preparing to pass those batons to our successors. If we do our jobs well, we will leave office, one year from now, with clubs and districts that are larger and stronger, more efficient and more effective, and more fully committed to the work and the values of Rotary. |
District Officer InstallationPlease join usfor the installation of the District 6040 Officers including Julie McCoy, District Governor and the 2018-2019 Chillicothe Club Officers
|
Foundation(al) NewsThis newsletter is begun with the hope that it will inspire, communicate and motivate clubs to take full advantage of the opportunities The Rotary Foundation presents. Indeed, The Rotary Foundation is foundation(al) to what Rotary can and does accomplish. Send your story ideas and questions to Cassy Venters, District Foundation Chair, cdventers@me.com.
|
Foundation ContactsAnnual Fund - Kirby Asplund - kirbyasplund@aol.com Endowment - Roger Samuel - rdsamuelkc@outlook.com Paul Harris Society - Kenny Harris - kharris.rotary6040@yahoo.com Polio - Frank Dixon - fdixon3@gmail.com Polio - Mark Bertrand - mark.bertrand@libertyhospital.org District Grants - Kent Shelman - kentshelman86@gmail.com Global Grants - Randy Steinman - randy@rlsteinman.com Scholarships - Sherri Hahn - shahnsj@aol.com Group Study Exchange - Amy Supple - amy@visitchillicothe.com GSE Inbound Chair - Barbara Dolci - btrdolci@gmail.com GSE Outbound Chair - Rolfe McCoy - mdental@sbcglobal.net Foundation Alumni - Bill Cosgrove - bcosgrove@comcast.net District Foundation Chair - Cassy Dierking Venters - cdventers@me.com |
Independence Club Visit - July 1, 2014
|
July 2014 US RotaryJazz Newsletter |
District 6040's inaugural Rotary Leadership InstituteBe the first! Register now for District 6040's inaugural Rotary Leadership Institute, starting August 23, at www.hoa-rli.org. Scroll down until you see the calendar on the left. Under the heading of Up-coming RLI events look for and click on the event titled Rotary Leadership Institute - Part 1. For more RLI information, click on Rotary Leadership Institute - Part I and then under the heading of Related Files, click the link titled RLI Website Package.
|
May 2014 US RotaryJazz Newsletter
|
Raytown Rotarian Kim LeSage selected as 2017-18 District Governor |
District Governor Nominations for Rotary year 2017-2018Dear District 6040 Rotarians, You are invited to submit nominations for District Governor for Rotary year 2017-2018. You, as a Rotarian in good standing, may submit to your club president and secretary, the name of a Rotarian in your club who you feel would be willing and qualified to serve as your District Governor. This person will then be voted on within your club and, if approved, will be submitted to the District Nominating Committee. This committee consists of the last 5 Past District Governors (voting permissions), the current District Governor, Governor Elect, Governor Nominee, and the Governor Nominee Designate (non-voting). Please note that under Rotary International Bylaws Qualifications for Nomination, a qualified candidate will include all of the following six criteria: 1. Rotarian must have served a full term as club president, or as charter president from the date of charter to 30 June (six-month minimum), at the time of nomination. (RI Bylaws 15.070.3) 2. Member of a Rotary Club for at least seven (7) years. (RI Bylaws 15.080) 3. Rotarian in good standing. (RI Bylaws 15.070.1) 4. Rotarian maintaining full qualification of membership. (RI Bylaws 15.070.2) 5. Willing to fulfill duties of Governor (as described in RI Bylaws 15.070.4) 6. Will attend the International Assembly (for District Governor Elects) prior to taking office. (While not required, having served as an Assistant Governor is a “plus” for a nominee.) Our District Executive Officers would like to see this nominee selected earlier in the current Rotary year so this person can be included in officer discussions to improve understanding and continuity from year to year.
Immediate Past District Governor Kenny Harris, Nominations Committee Chair, will convene the District Governor Nomination interviews on April 24, 2014, at a location central to a majority of the applicants. This location will be determined once the slate of candidates is identified.
PLEASE NOTE : - Your clubs’ completed District Governor nomination form must be completed fully. - Notice all the signatures required (secretary, and applicant). - Return this application (and any additional documentation) via electronic media to District Governor Rick Simonricksimon6040@gmail.com, - (Be advised, this is a firm date for submitting nominations).
If you have questions about this process, please contact IPDG Kenny Harris at kharris.
DGN DistrictElectionGuidelines 2013EN.docx DGN Data FormApplication.doc If you cannot open the above link, copy and paste the following address into your browser: http://www.crsadmin.com/gen/ http://www.crsadmin.com/gen/ |
Shoes for Orphan Souls - Dominican Republic 02/2014 - Dan Hall |
US Jazz March 2014 Newsletter |
US Jazz - March 2014 Newsletter |
US Jazz - March 2014
|
District 6040 Donor Advised Fund for Philippine ReliefRotarians are asking how they can help the victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.
With our District Donor Advised Fund, we have established the Philippines Relief Sub Account where you can make a tax deductible contribution to help in the relief efforts. We have enlisted the help of District Rotarians that have served that area for many years to help us determine the best use of these funds.
You may donate by check, payable to: District 6040 Donor Advised Fund for Philippine Relief And mail directly to: District 6040 1201 Burlington North Kansas City, MO 64116
Sincerely,
Rick Simon District 6040 Governor
|
Council On Legislation Increases Dues, Take Other Actions
Ray Klinginsmith, Jerry Venters, Robert Ryan
Delegates from Rotary’s 532 districts, meeting for the 2013 Council on Legislation in Chicago, approved a $1-a-year increase in per capita dues, removed limits on e-clubs, and changed the name of the Fifth Avenue of Service to Youth Service. |
Shoes for Orphan Souls |
Charlotte Ruoff Receives the Service Above Self Awards
Charlotte Ruoff, a member of the Independence, MO Rotary Club since 2002, was nominated for and awarded Rotary’s coveted “Service Above Self” Award. This special award is awarded to only 150 Rotarians worldwide, out of over 1.2 million Rotarians, who truly exemplify Rotary’s motto, Service Above Self.  Kenny Harris, Charlotte Ruoff, Cassy Venters |
Carl Chinnery Receives Distinguished Service Award
Carl Chinnery and Kenny Harris Past District Governor Carl Chinnery, a member of the Lee’s Summit Rotary Club, was nominated for and was awarded the Distinguished Service Award. This award is an internationally competitive award granted annually to a maximum off fifty Rotarians who have exhibited exceptional active service to The Rotary Foundation. To qualify for this award, Rotarians must demonstrate a broad range of service over an extended period of time. |
The Three R's |
Kansas City Day at the Royals Home Opener 4/8/13 |
Merry Christmas 2012On behalf of the District 6040 Leadership, I wish each of you a very Merry Christmas and a Healthy, Happy and Prosperous New Year for 2013. This Christmas season allows all of us to pause and reflect where we have been, where we are currently at, and where we want to go with our personal, professional, and yes even our Rotary life. We have been conditioned to think of Christmas as a season of giving and receiving gifts. I believe all of us know this is not the real reason for Christmas, but lets visit the gift giving/receiving thought for a moment. Allow me to ask a few questions to promote some thought.... Since each of us are charged with promoting Rotary and to develop our membership, - Do you feel you received a gift when someone invited you to Rotary? - Have you given the gift of inviting someone to join Rotary? |
Go On a Rotary Friendship Exchange to the CaribbeanYou are invited to become part of the Rotary District 6040 Friendship Exchange (RFE) with Rotarians in the Dominican Republic. This RFE will depart on February 1, 2013 and return on February 15, 2013. Couples are welcome so long as one is a Rotarian. Individual Rotarians are also welcome.The Dominican Republic has beautiful beaches on the south shore and lush jungle and coffee plantations in the high mountains where also rare gems are mined. Average temperatures will be 68 low to 82 high. Why not escape Missouri's cold, snow and ice for two weeks in February?In the Dominican Republic you will stay free in the homes of Dominican Rotarians who also provide your meals, but, you pay for your own airline tickets (RT on Delta $650). Group tours of points of interest are arranged by local Rotarians. It is the VERY BEST way to travel and see a country and make lifelong friends.
|
Now is the time to mold the Future of District 6040.
Rotarians,
These few months before the Holidays are busy with Rotary business that allows you, as a District 6040 Rotarian, the opportunity to shape your District in the future. Possibly most impactful is the opportunity for you to encourage and nominate someone from your club to be D6040's District Governor for 2015-16. I have to admit, this is the most rewarding, busy, fulfilling, and fun body of volunteer work I have ever been involved with and I would encourage you to consider yourself or someone you know. |
District 6040 Mega Training a Huge Success.
By Kenny Harris, District Governor
Outstanding......Just Outstanding...... This is how I would describe the first-ever Mega Training event, which was held in Chillicothe, MO on Saturday, August 25, 2012. Yes, we had outstanding presenters sharing information in their areas of expertise in a relaxing, give and take fashion. Yes, the meal that the Rotary Club of Chillicothe prepared for us was tasty. Yes, the venue at the First Baptist Church of Chillicothe was perfect for what and how we wanted to share the information. What was truly outstanding however, was the over 115 Rotarians who attended the Mega Training who wanted to improve their knowledge of this wonderful organization of Rotary. They wanted to ensure that their clubs have every opportunity to succeed and improve. And in doing this, they were ensuring that they were going to be successful also. This is how we make Rotary better. Every person who attended Mega Training has made their |
Changing of the Rotary Guard
A new Rotary year is upon us. The 2012-13 Rotary year promises to be filled with high expectations, work, excitement and, most importantly, FUN.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Past District Governor Dan Hall for his friendship, tutelage, tireless work for District 6040, and his undying love of Rotary. My wife Donna and I will always be a good friend to Dan and Phyllis. Always the teacher, he answered my questions quickly, calmly and accurately. He was supportive of everyone on his team of officers and directors and I will rely on him more than he knows....or wants. I have learned a lot from PDG Dan Hall. Thank you Dan Hall for your hard work and dedication. |
Wow… you did it!!!By: District Governor Dan Hall One of our District goals was to strengthen the New Generations Avenue of service with our clubs. That was accomplished with several clubs starting High School Rotary Interact clubs where there had never been a club before. Two new Rotaract clubs were initiated. Our District will send more High School students than ever to the Rotary Youth Leadership Academy. Our High School 4-Way test speech contest had excellent participation. A second goal was to enhance the work done in International Projects. Several clubs were involved in significant projects in foreign countries. The St. Joseph East club initiated twenty new water purification projects serving economically needy schools and villages in northern Thailand. We had a first, for our district, with our Group Study Exchange. We sent four young professionals and a Rotary team leader behind the former “iron curtain” to the country of Romania. We learned much about Romania from their GSE Team as they toured our district and met many of you reading this newsletter (for more insights see GSE feature article in this newsletter). Lastly we began development of a District 6040 Caribbean Micro-Credit initiative in one of the very poorest parts of the Dominican Republic. Thanks to you our Rotary District raised a net of $20,000 for The Rotary Foundation at our annual Foundation Dinner. |
Romanians tour Vernon County farmBy Rusty Murry, Nevada Daily Mail (Edited by Dan Hall & reprinted with permission) In an effort "to promote good will and understanding" the Rotary International Foundation brought its Group Study Exchange participants to Vernon County. The group was from the Eastern European country of Romania (RI District 2241); and the three men and two women visited the northern part of Vernon county on Monday, as part of their month long tour of sites throughout Missouri. Dan Hall of Lee's Summit, Mo., Rotary International District 6040 Governor, has property in southern Bates County that has been in his family for several generations. Hall, who served as tour guide, was accompanied on this trip by Chad Waldo, Lee's Summit, incoming president of the Lee's Summit Sunrise Rotary Club. Hall, is a graduate of Rich Hill High School. The five Romanian professionals also spent time in the northern half of the state and in the Kansas City area, where they visited museums, as well as Arrowhead and Kauffman stadiums. Despite the discrepancies between life in America and in Romania, Ciprian Badila, 30, an area sales manager for a paint and chemical manufacturer, said, "We noticed more similarities than differences." Each member of the group stayed with several host Rotary families and during that time saw some farmland in northern Missouri, but they hadn't seen anything like the old order Mennonite store, and the Dan Hoover farm on northern edge of the county. Even though there was a recent death at the Hoover farm, neighbor Ethan Brubacker agreed to give the group a brief tour of the horse-powered wood and metals shop. Brubacker discovered that one of the group, a college English teacher named Acna Banescu, 30, spoke German and he told the group that members of his order "read, speak and sing" what is known as "high German." The tour moved on to the store and then to the farm of Dennis and Jan Reed near Metz, Missouri. |
Anyone wishing and able to attend is welcome. In his obituary (with the link below) Ray suggested that attendees wear apparel that represents their connection to him. (Putnam County, Truman State, Mizzou, Rotary, CVA. Kansas City Chiefs, etc,)
Big News from Independence Club President, Billie Ray Preston. A New Fundraiser for 2014-15 will be a Mardi Gras Party and Dance in Independence. They are hoping for 300 people at this fundraiser on Friday, February 13, 2015. Money raised from the Mardis Gras event will help the club put on a Polio Rotary Day on May 23, 2015.
