October was an exciting month for the Rotary Clubs of Northeast Kansas! We celebrated, honored and grew with one another.
Zone Institute was in Evanston, IL, the home city of Rotary. During the conference, your district received a number of awards thanks to the hard work, dedication and tenacity of each District 5710 Rotarian and last year’s leadership team. The district received:
Overall District of the Year
Foundation District of the Year
Polio Plus District of the Year
All Star District (for citations in all four categories – Membership, Foundation, Polio Plus and Public Image)
Third Place in Membership Programming
Third Place in Paul Harris society members
Thrive Place in per Capita Polio Giving
AMAZING!! A hearty congratulations to Past District Governor (PDG) Stephanie Meyer and her entire leadership team!
From PDG Stephanie: "Wow - what a Zone Institute! Thanks to the tremendous work of our district level leadership, including Membership Chair Chuck Udell, Foundation Chair Faron Barr, Polio Plus Chair Jim Arnett, and Public Image Co-Chairs Bill Musgrave and Dave Lewis. Beyond the work of our district chairs, none of this would have been possible without the outstanding effort of the nearly 2,000 Rotarians, working hard in every club to make our community a better place...congratulations! "
We also continued to do what we do best – move forward our efforts End Polio Now! Last month we hosted Pumpkin Runs, Pints for Polios, and were honored with a proclamation from Kansas Governor Laura Kelly proclaiming Oct. 24 World Polio Day in the State of Kansas.
The district also hosted its annual District Conference to offer Rotarians the opportunity to learn about issues impacting our communities and world, find opportunities for collaboration, and most importantly have fun and fellowship together! It was a powerful conference – we hope you enjoyed it! Go to the District Conference Page on the Website to view photos and other materials from the Conference.
As we enter into the last two months of 2023 and begin to enjoy the holiday season, I give thanks for the opportunities that Rotary has presented to me and how much I value and appreciate each of you. Here’s to a you, your club and Rotary International!
Sorry to report that there was one new Wild Polio cases reported in the last two weeks in Pakistan.See our “Countdown to History”. There are increased contacts being 100% funded by Rotary to reach every child in the regions where these Wild Polio Virus1 cases are occurring, especially among the nomadic tribes near the Afghanistan border. But there is good news about the rollout of the nOPV2. Nearly 820 million doses of nOPV2 have been administered across 35 countries under its WHO Emergency Use Listing (EUL) to date. An additional 16 countries have met the requirements for nOPV2 use in the event of an outbreak. For more information on nOPV2, visit:www.polioeradication.org/nOPV2
Since we are just wrapping up the month and week that Rotary, the GPEI and WHO celebrate World Polio Day, I just wanted to share some great numbers about Rotary’s support and how well our District compares to Districts around the world with our Fundraising for the 2022-2023 Year.
District 5710 was named the Zone 29 END POLIO NOW District of the YEAR!
Over 73% of our Clubs donated to Polio Plus compared to only 58% internationally.
40% of our clubs donated at least $1,500 to Polio Plus
15.8% of our District’s members individually donated vs. only 12.4% internationally.
We are one of only 207 Districts out of 529 worldwide that donated at least 20% of our District Discretionary Funds to Polio Plus with our major $30,000 donation.
Finally, what did your club and members do to celebrate World Polio Day?
Did your Club set its Polio Plus Annual Goal? It’s not too late this year to set or increase your Polio Goal. no matter how much or how small, as every $ raised protects another child from contracting Polio! Let’s see if we can be a 100% Polio Goal setting District!! Please do it today!
Did you encourage your members to join the POLIO PLUS SOCIETY? An annual donation of at least $100 for each year until Polio is defeated is a guaranteed way to show their support and help your club meet its Polio fundraising goal, as well as earning Paul Harris credit. It is easy to open My.Rotary.Org and use Rotary Direct to donate monthly, quarterly or even just annually.
If your club’s Polio Plus Fundraiser occurred as part of celebrating WPD, please let our District Polio Chair know how well you did by email. We heard that there were lots of great projects and they all helped: ranging from “Pints4Polio” - “Purple Pinky Donuts” – Pumpkin Runs”– Happy Bucks dedication - Skip-a-Meal $’s - to just passing the hat at clubs all around the District. Let’s not stop now! Keep working to meet our District’s $105,000 Goal of support to End Polio!
And “We are…This Close” as shown in our “Countdown to History”
Call/email me for help / (913) 200-0514 ~ maajca@gmail.com / Jim Arnett, Polio Plus 5710 Chair
The District 5710 Anti-Human Trafficking (HT) committee was formed 4 years ago as a way to unite clubs across the District in their efforts to fight human trafficking. The committee is encouraging all Club Presidents and Executives to help us to invigorate the committee by asking a member of your club to serve on the District committee. We meet for one hour via Zoom periodically (monthly or quarterly depending on the activities we are working on).
Following is a short history of the committee and its work. Prior to the CAAHT Club being formed, January 27, 2021, most HT projects, presentations at District Conference, Team Training, and the 1st Global Grant establishing the YWCA Day Center in Topeka, were done through this committee. We also established a speakers list that clubs could contact for presentations on HT. There have always been members from many clubs across the District on this committee. Patti Mellard (Topeka South) chaired the committee for the first 3 years (3 years is the normal District Chair commitment) and then recruited Lucy Bloom (Leawood) to chair it last year. When Lucy stepped away from Rotary, it was decided to just let the CAAHT Club and the Rotary Swarm committee fill the role for the remainder of the year. I agreed to assume leadership of the District Committee for the 2023-24 year, and hopefully longer.
We hope your club can participate in this important committee. Please contact me with any questions or suggestions at nettles.steven@gmail.com.
Would you believe that one third of our 2023-2024 Rotary year is complete. Besides enjoying an awesome district conference this month, I hope that your clubs had a fantastic Pints for Polio or another Polio related event.
Our membership is at 1,924 Rotarians four months into our Rotary year, - a net increase of 32. We inducted 56 new Rotarians since July 1st. Let’s ensure our new members become actively engaged Rotarians who will have fun while serving others and meeting new friends! Our district also lost 24 Rotarians since the start of this Rotary year. Please ensure you understand why they left.
Do not forget, our District has fantastic tools that will help your clubs retain more members. A big one is The District 5710 Membership Olympics! This is is a sure-fire way to increase your club retention rate and reduce the number of members leaving.
These Olympic Games are underway! I hope your clubs are either participating or will soon be. Here is where we stand for the first two games:
Game One -
# of clubs with membership chair = 21. This represents 51% of our clubs – little over half
Some clubs have mentioned to me that they are a small club and do not need to have a membership or other committee chairs. However, I would ask you to think that having committee chairs will help to allow more of your membership play an active role in the activities of your club. And active members!
Game Two -
# of clubs with a membership goal = 19 which represents 46% of our clubs
To date, 12 clubs in our district have completed bothGames OneandTwo. They have achieved half the goals to qualify for bronze status and a Russell Hampton gift certificate. They are:
CAAHT Gardner Jayhawk Breakfast
Lawrence Central Leavenworth Leawood
Lenexa Manhattan Manhattan Konza
Rotary Club of Topeka Shawnee Mission Topeka South
I hope the the rest of our District 5710 Clubs will be joining them soon.
The steps to increased club retention thru the Membership Olympics Games are:
Game 1 - Have a club membership chair,
Game 2 - Get your club membership goals,
Game 3 - Survey your members to learn more about them,
Game 4 - Do club member engagement events based on what your members want.
Game 5 - Learn best practice membership ideas – have 3 or more of your members attend the November 27th Semi-Annual District Membership Conversation
Game 6 - Continue to learn from the Rotary Learning Center,
Game 7 - Consider establishing a Service Champion Club
To find out more about the District 5710 Olympics, go to https://rotary5710.org/sitepage/membership-olympics on the district website. There you will find out specifically what your club needs to do to complete each game, resources available to help you complete each game, and when you do – how to report it.
Lastly - don’t forget to read Bill Musgrave monthly series on the various benefits of Rotary membership. This month his article is all about lasting friendships that await you in Rotary. Bill’s article will show the many ways that Rotary creates and nurtures lifelong friendships.
His article, which follows this one, should help clubs reaching out to young professionals showing them how they can meet and get to know some fantastic people whether it is at a service project or a club social.
Rotary is known for fostering lifelong friendships among its members. Here are some ways in which Rotary creates and nurtures such bonds:
1. Club Meetings: Rotary meetings create a sense of belonging and offer opportunities for members to connect with fellow Rotarians on a personal and professional level. Clubs meet at various times, frequency and format to meet the needs and schedules of their members.
2. Fellowship Activities: Rotary clubs organize various fellowship activities, such as social events, outings, and team building exercises. These activities help members bond outside the formal club meetings and create lasting memories together.
3. Service Projects: Rotary members work side by side on service projects, both locally and internationally. This shared passion for making a positive impact can forge strong friendships and a sense of solidarity among members.
4. Conventions and Events: Rotary International organizes conventions and events where Rotarians from different regions come together. These gatherings provide the chance to meet and interact with fellow members from all over the world, fostering connections that can last a lifetime.
5. Rotary Youth Programs: Rotary's youth programs, like Interact for high schoolers and Rotaract for post-secondary students, encourage younger individuals to get involved in community service and leadership development. By participating in these programs, young Rotarians have the opportunity to form friendships that can grow and evolve as they transition into Rotary clubs as full-fledged members.
6. Rotary Friendship Exchange: The Rotary Friendship Exchange program allows Rotarians to visit and be hosted by fellow Rotarians in different parts of the world. These exchanges provide a unique opportunity to experience local culture, forge new friendships, and create international connections.
7. Rotary Fellowships: Rotary Fellowships are groups of Rotarians who share a common passion or interest outside of their professional lives. Joining a fellowship allows members to connect with like-minded individuals and build friendships based on shared hobbies, sports, or other activities.
8. Mentorship and Support: Rotary's mentorship programs offer members the chance to build strong relationships with more experienced Rotarians who provide guidance and support. These mentor-mentee relationships often develop into lifelong friendships.
9. Rotary Alumni Associations: Rotary International encourages former members to join Rotary Alumni Associations. These associations provide a platform for alumni to stay connected with each other and with the larger Rotary community, fostering lifelong friendships and collaborations.
By providing numerous opportunities for members to connect, collaborate, and make a difference together, Rotary ensures that its members forge deep and lasting friendships that extend beyond their Rotary journey.
November is Foundation month for Rotary! Roger Aeschliman and I have several Foundation related presentations scheduled this month. If you have not made your contribution to Our Rotary Foundation yet this year, this would be a good month to do so. You can also learn more about Our Rotary Foundation in the Learning Center at https://learn.rotary.org/members/learn/catalog/view/69. I encourage you to take at least the basics course to enhance your knowledge of our wonderful foundation that helps us fund our various projects throughout the district.
Last month at our District Conference, I had the honor of presenting one of Rotary’s prestigious Foundation awards to a wonderful individual who has committed themselves to helping their club and District 5710 achieve our goals for several years.
The Rotary Foundation Citation for Meritorious Service was presented to Patti Mellard from the CAAHT club for her service related to The Rotary Foundation. For many years, Patti has led the way in finding Rotary Peace Fellows and has written four Global Grants that have benefited District 5710 in our efforts to fight human trafficking. Congratulations to Patti on achieving this award! On behalf of District 5710 and The Rotary Foundation, we want to thank you for your commitment to our clubs and our District. Your efforts throughout the years have truly made us a better district and has helped enhance the lives of countless individuals.
Thank you to all of you in D5710 for your continued contributions to The Rotary Foundation and Polio Plus. At our District conference last month, we recognized 24 clubs for achieving the STAR status in Annual Fund giving, 17 clubs for achieving their Polio Plus Drop for Polio Plus giving, and 7 clubs who were 100% TRF giving last year. We also recognized the top three clubs in the categories of total Annual Fund giving, Per Capita Annual Fund giving, and Polio Plus giving. Those clubs are listed below.
Annual Share Fund
Leawood – $39,166
Topeka - $28,236
Lawrence - $28,120
Per Capita Annual Share Fund
CAAHT - $1,379.00
Leawood - $639.87
Gardner - $381.00
Polio Plus
Jayhawk Breakfast Lawrence - $21,267
Shawnee - $16,531
Topeka - $11,875
I am constantly amazed at the generosity of time and giving that our D5710 Rotarians dedicate toward helping others in our communities, our world, and in ourselves. I look forward to what this next year will bring and working with you to enhance the lives of others.
How can you give money away and still come out ahead?
By making carefully tax planned donations to the Rotary Foundation Endowment!
Specifically, you can use your IRA to make charitable gifts. For many Rotarians an IRA is their second largest asset (after a house). Annual Required Minimum Distributions can cause your social security to be 100% taxable, can cause your Medicare premiums to jump and even generate a surcharge (Washington wants its money!). In some cases, an RMD can cause taxes that nearly eat the entire RMD.
With careful planning you can send some or all of your RMD directly to a charity. This means you pay zero tax on the RMD, the charity pays zero tax on the RMD, and taxes on your social security and Medicare can be reduced as well. Everyone wins except the IRS!!
If you would like to learn more about using IRA funds to make a gift to Rotary, please contact me and we can visit about the how.
I would be pleased to attend your club meeting to talk about the Rotary Foundation, Endowments and Major Gifts. Call me at 785-267-8782 (daytime work) or raeschliman@corefirstbank.com (same) to connect and get energized about the Rotary International Foundation.
You can also contact Rotary Professional Lizzy King at Elizabeth.King@rotary.org to visit about making a major gift or funding your Rotary endowment.
October12th-14th we were in Topeka attending the Create Hope in the World District 5710 Conference. WOW! DG Jenalea and the committee put together a great conference that was really a first-class learning event! From the presenters and discussions on Mental Health, Empowering Girls, and Youth in Rotary, to the breakout sessions, to the Saturday scheduled Volunteer Projects --attendees Created Hope in the World. We learned, and socialized while enjoying food and drinks and became more familiar with various venues within Topeka. This year’s District 5710 Conference truly provided us an opportunity to meet with Rotaractors and fellow Rotarians from various clubs, and to learn and share perspectives while having fun!
This month we participated in a Zoom meeting with other District Learning Chairs who are members of the Rocky Mountain Division RLI (Rotary Learning Institute) group. Jeff Weinrich, Rocky Mountain Division RLI Chair led the meeting. We shared thoughts on RLI lessons and schedules. Jeff recently forwarded the updated curriculum to all of the districts within our Rocky Mountain group. Our District RLI s 5710 schedule design will continue to be a hybrid approach: a few hours of Zoom one evening and then one full Saturday in-person session. Please contact us if your club would like to schedule an RLI class in January or February.
Update on Rotary Global Grant Scholars Past and Present
This past winter the District 5710 Global Grant Scholarship Committee selected Mattie Vandel for a scholarship. Mattie Vandel, from Weston, MO., attended Kansas State University and majored in Anthropology. After graduation, she worked abroad and in the U.S. for four years.
Mattie applied to and was accepted to a unique Global Studies master’s program through Humboldt University in Berlin. Her Global Studies program is a two-year program where they study in Berlin for a while, then go abroad to various locations to study.
Mattie has been studying in Pretoria, South Africa this semester. She finally was able to connect with the Hatfield Rotary Club on October 25th. There was a Rotarian visiting from Dallas and Mattie enjoyed chatting with him. She is planning to go back this week and possibly participate in a volunteer shift if there is one that works with her schedule (see photos).
Mattie will return home in early December for Christmas break. She will speak to the Manhattan Rotary Club on December 21st. Please join our meeting on Zoom to hear an update from Mattie. I will send a Zoom link to everyone via Mandy Sheldon.
In mid-January, Mattie will go to India to attend a 10-day Global Winter School as part of her Global Studies program. In late January, she will go to Chulalongkorn University in Thailand.
At our District 5710 Conference in Topeka, I spoke about Rotary Global Grant Scholarships and how they work. I was joined by Genevieve Akins, who was our Global Grant Scholar to University College Dublin (Ireland) in 2018-19. She shared stories from her studies, travel, and career since that time. It was great to learn how the scholarship positively impacted her.
Thanks to our Scholarship committee, to District 5710 leadership for funding and restarting the Global Grant Scholarship, and for those clubs who help find good candidates to apply. It is exciting to have these excellent scholars studying abroad and representing District 5710.
Just received this email from Mattie:
"I wanted to keep you in the loop. I met yesterday with the Pretoria East Rotary club. The president of the Pretoria Hatfield club connected me with the president of the Pretoria East club. So I'm now connected with 2 clubs here! Also, I will be speaking at the Pretoria East meeting next Monday and am looking forward to it. I'll let you know how it goes.
I updated the google drive. I'm not sure if you ever look at it, but there are photos and the syllabi for my courses if you care to check it out.
Greetings, 5710! This month I thought I would introduce you to the Rotary Global History Fellowship, of which I am a member – and this rather important bit of Rotary History, which was a part of the latest RGHF newsletter.
“At its meeting on July 21,2023, the Rotary Club of Claremont, CA presented member Dr. Sylvia V. Whitlock with a replica of an engraved stone from the Club in her name to be placed on the Presidential Walkway at the Paul P. Harris Memorial at Mount Hope Cemetery in Chicago. During a visit to the Memorial last year, club member Chuck Cable was both impressed and moved by the years of service and leadership represented there. Chuck showed several pictures of the memorial including one of the Presidential Walkway where Rotarian luminaries, like Sylvia, are honored.
It was 1976, when Duarte, CA Rotarian and School Superintendent Richard Key invited three women, MaryLou Elliott, Rosemary Freitag and Donna Bogart to be members of the Duarte Club to increase its numbers. Later in 1976, Donna was replaced by Dr. Sylvia Whitlock, an elementary school principal. All were listed by first initial only. This rogue decision started a long organizational and legal battle to change Rotary Bylaws to include women. When Rotary International leadership became aware of the club’s admission of women, the Club was given a choice, to terminate the women’s membership or to lose the club charter. The Club voted to maintain the women’s membership and become the X-Rotary Club of Duarte and remained so through the US Supreme Court Decision.
Sylvia continued to serve in the X-Rotary Club of Duarte, and was Club President in 1987 when the United States Supreme Court decided that Rotary International must allow women to be members of the organization. This made her the first female president of a Rotary club in the world. While Sylvia insists that she was simply in the right position at the right time, she has been a superb representative of Rotary and Rotary women. Over the past 47 years,* she has served the mission of Rotary (the last 19 in Claremont Rotary). She was the District 5300 Governor in 2013-14, and has continuously encouraged women, including her friend PRIP Jennifer Jones (2022-23), to follow in her footsteps.
*RI records still show that Sylvia first joined Rotary in 1986! (Rotary in Evanston *can* be stubborn – John D)
Written by Harry Sparrow and Elizabeth “Buff” Wright, Past President, Rotary Club of Claremont, Claremont, CA 91711. July 26, 2023.”
I do so like the part of the story where the Rotary Club of Duarte just called themselves the X-Rotary Club of Duarte and had pins made while their lawsuit dawdled through the justice system. They kept the flame alive. I’ve long maintained that one of the strengths of Rotary is that change can bubble up from below, and is hard to just impose from above. This is not a universal view at the RI Board level… It keeps us unique among our peers in the NGO world.
With fall coming soon the District Youth Exchange program is now shifting gears for recruitment of next years' class of Outbound students from Kansas. These students will be on exchange for the 2024-25 academic year. Applicants can be between 15 1/2 and 18 1/2 at the time of travel. Relatives of Rotarians are eligible as well. The district has financial aid available for students. The district interviews for applicants and their parents will be held in Lenexa in mid December. If you have any questions please feel free to contact District 5710 Youth Exchange Officer Stephen Wheatley at rotary5710ye@gmail.com.
The Ambassadors Rotary club held our October meeting at Transport Brewery. We had Pints for Polio, and discussed how our club will meet our Polio Plus goal.
It has been a busy fall for the Emporia Rotary Club! On September 16th we partnered with the Kiwanis & Lions clubs of Emporia to have a cleanup day at Camp Double E, a local Girl Scout camp. We also hosted a pickle ball tournament that same day, raising over $700 for Corky’s Cupboard, Emporia State’s food pantry.
We were pleased in October to welcome our newest member, Cathy Pimple, the CEO of Newman Regional Health. We also hosted our annual Rotary Picnic, and held our first post-pandemic Emporia Rotary Happy Hour for members.
After DG Jenalea Randall visited the club earlier this year, we were inspired by her message of empowering girls and especially "punctuating the period." With help from the school district, we learned what items were needed to assist girls with everything they need for their periods, as well as other hygiene items needed by all students. And, the call went out to club members to bring those items to a meeting in October. Then, last week, President Mary Nelson and Marci Soetaert delivered over $600 worth of hygiene items to Nike Elementary!! These will be distributed to all of the middle schools in the district. We are so happy we could help!
Towers of Goldfish Crackers, Cheezits, Rice Krispie Treats, Fruit Snacks and cereal bars greeted Lawrence Rotarians Wednesday night, Oct. 11. Three Lawrence Rotary clubs came together to donate and pack hundreds of these popular snack foods for use by the Lawrence School District.
The service project is an attempt by the clubs to help combat childhood hunger at city schools. Forty percent of our community’s schoolchildren experience some degree of food instability, and hungry children make poor learners. Teachers find that supplementary snacks during the school day mean that kids are less likely to be tired, are more attentive in class and retain more information.
While parents of students are asked to provide a box of healthy shareable snacks once a month, this is beyond the means of many parents. There are over 1776 students in grades 1 through 5, who are part of the free or reduced-price lunch program, so it becomes a daunting task to provide every student with adequate snacks 5 days a week for an entire school year.
Lawrence Rotarians will next take the project beyond the Wednesday night packing. They have obtained a Rotary District grant for the coming year, and will now seek cash donations to match the grant and provide an additional $8000 to purchase appropriate snacks and get them to our community’s schools.
World Polio Day Proclamation; thanks Mayor Wilson! #endpolionow#peopleofaction DGE Tamara presents Mayor Jermaine Wilson with an End Polio Now Lapel Pin.
Our club featured our youth (the future of our Nation) programs this year at District Conference; some of our programs are in part covered by monies from district grants.
Three sister Rotarians enjoying social time at our district conference this month; you can go wrong with great music, food, fellowship and drinks - all work and no play makes for a long day!
Club attendees getting ready for our service projects at our district conference. President Blake and Past President/District Co-Trainer DeEtte demonstrating "service above self" as they help prepare 20,000 meals for local and international distribution.
Despite a terrible weather day, our first annual Oktoberfest Volksmarch went off without a hitch. A few highlights of our event follow!
The Manhattan Rotary Club was chartered on November 1, 1917. Our club is celebrating 106 years this month.
Rotary in November began a meeting venue change to the new Stormont Vail Manhattan Campus. Rotarians were given tour of the facilities and heard from past president Robbin Cole on '2023 Mental Health in America.'
Bob Ward presented Mike Dodson with a Paul Harris, +6 Ruby level recognizing his generous contribution to support the mission of Rotary. Kate Ryan, Board Chair of the Konza United Way received the September Cup Money contribution for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library.
Five club members attended the Annual District Conference. The Public Image Committee created a Community Cares Chest service project poster displayed at the conference Friendship House. Over the last month, over 15 nonprofits picked up products from the Community Cares Chest. New inventory was delivered the week on October 23.
Shelley Carver received a proclamation from the Manhattan City Commission meeting designating Oct 24 as World Polio Day.
Since school started, the K-State Rotaract Club, led by Arts and Sciences Dean Chris Culbertson have been assembling Birthing Kits sent to Nigeria, braved the challenge of navigating record low Kansas River water levels to removed debris including old battery cases.
October 20th was year 4 of selling Purple Pinky Donuts and was a phenomenal success!
Konza Rotarians raised over $11,000 this year to End Polio, crushing previous years totals. That brings our 4-year amount raised to over $36,500.
A special thank you to Dunkin Donuts for the ongoing support to continue the fight to End Polio Now.
Thank you to all the participated this year for your time and passion in helping us make an impact in our community, country and world. Without your support PPD doesn't happen.
The Ottawa Rotary Club invites all District 5710 Rotarians to participate in Mental Health First Aid Training at the Ottawa Memorial Auditorium on Tuesday, November 14th at 6pm. The class is being led by members of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and will last around 2 hours. There is no charge for this event, but we do ask for an RSVP for materials and refreshments. RSVP’s can be sent to Tiffany Evans – tevans@ottawaks.gov
Rich Sell with Manhattan Konza spoke to the Ottawa Rotary Club in the spring about their fundraiser for Polio Plus, the Purple Pinky Donut project. This was inspiring to our club, so we decided to add to our Polio efforts by doing a fundraising project too. Working with Bluemont Group, who owns a number of Dunkin Donuts in the KC metro area, we were able to “give” donuts to anyone who made at least a $25 donation to Polio Plus. Ottawa Rotary raised $1750, resulting in 700 donuts we were able to give to the donors because of Bluemont. This gift is matched by Rotary International, increasing its impact!
The Rotary Club of Shawnee along with the Satellite Club, were happy to participate in our annual Pints for Polio fundraiser held at FRICTION BEER COMPANY, downtown Shawnee. This new brewery was very generous by donating a portion of all sales on October 24th. In addition, club members donated directly to the fund. Fun was had by many Rotarians, significant others and friends, including the author who neglected to snap photos except for one under-age guest! The total amount raised has not been finalized.
The 1st Annual Spooktacular Gala was a great time for all. There was a lot of good food and everyone seemed to have a great time. We had a lot of items up for auction and made a lot of money that will go to many good causes. Next year will be even more fantastic.
Since we are just wrapping up the month and week that Rotary, the GPEI and WHO celebrate World Polio Day, I just wanted to share some great numbers about Rotary’s support and how well our District compares to Districts around the world with our Fundraising for the 2022-2023 Year. 
Wild Poliovirus Weekly Update
Would you believe that one third of our 2023-2024 Rotary year is complete. Besides enjoying an awesome district conference this month, I hope that your clubs had a fantastic Pints for Polio or another Polio related event.
Update on Rotary Global Grant Scholars Past and Present
Mattie will return home in early December for Christmas break. She will speak to the Manhattan Rotary Club on December 21st. Please join our meeting on Zoom to hear an update from Mattie. I will send a Zoom link to everyone via Mandy Sheldon.
Greetings, 5710! This month I thought I would introduce you to the 
Sylvia continued to serve in the X-Rotary Club of Duarte, and was Club President in 1987 when the 
After DG Jenalea Randall visited the club earlier this year, we were inspired by her message of empowering girls and especially "punctuating the period." With help from the school district, we learned what items were needed to assist girls with everything they need for their periods, as well as other hygiene items needed by all students. And, the call went out to club members to bring those items to a meeting in October. Then, last week, President Mary Nelson and Marci Soetaert delivered over $600 worth of hygiene items to Nike Elementary!! These will be distributed to all of the middle schools in the district. We are so happy we could help!
Towers of Goldfish Crackers, Cheezits, Rice Krispie Treats, Fruit Snacks and cereal bars greeted Lawrence Rotarians Wednesday night, Oct. 11. Three Lawrence Rotary clubs came together to donate and pack hundreds of these popular snack foods for use by the Lawrence School District.
Our club featured our youth (the future of our Nation) programs this year at District Conference; some of our programs are in part covered by monies from district grants. 
Three sister Rotarians enjoying social time at our district conference this month; you can go wrong with great music, food, fellowship and drinks - all work and no play makes for a long day!
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