THIS WEEK’S MEETING
WEEK BEGINNING: January 18, 2016
PRESIDING TODAY IS: Richard Phalunas, Past (inaugural President)
Ding! We’re now in session.
Welcome all – Visitors, fellow Rotarians and guests alike to the E-Club meeting for the week of January 18, 2016!
Remember the smiling pot. Donations to our E-Club help support our service projects.
We’d like to respectfully remind all visitors that if they would like to contribute the normal cost of a meal for your makeup, we would be grateful. These funds go directly to our many and varied service projects around the world. You can make a contribution in the Donation box on your left. Or you can write a check to: Rotary E-Club of District 7530 and mail it to Treasurer MSRE, 115 Hoffman Avenue, Morgantown, WV 26505.
Four-Way Test
At the beginning of each meeting we remind ourselves of the The Four-Way Test. Therefore, please remember to ask yourself always . . .
Of the things we think, say or do:
- Is it the TRUTH?
- Is it FAIR to all concerned?
- Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
- Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
A Reflective Moment
Let us take a moment to remember all the religions represented in the Rotary family; and let us also recall that when we were invited to join our Rotary clubs we were not asked: are you a Protestant, a Hindu, a Muslim, a Jew, a Catholic or a Buddhist, or a Sikh? You were not asked because all religions are welcome in the Rotary family.
Therefore, please join me in a moment of reflection and thanks with these words:
With our friends beside us,
With the bonds of Rotary Between us,
And our worries behind us,
With our goals before us,
With a thirst for knowledge,
And a dream of a Polio free world,
We are thankful for our Rotary friends and the meal we are about to share.
Thank You, Shalom, Ah-men.
Adapted from Chris Offer, Governor 5040/99-00
Dickinson, North Dakota Rotary Club
A Light Moment
LEXOPHILIA: Lexophilia is a word used to describe those that have a love for words, such as "you can tune a piano, but you can't tuna fish", or "to write with a broken pencil is pointless." A competition to see who can come up with the best lexophiles is held every year in an undisclosed location. One year's winning submission is posted at the very end.
... When fish are in schools, they sometimes take debate
... A thief who stole a calendar got twelve months
... The batteries were given out free of charge
... A dentist and a manicurist married. They fought tooth and nail
... A will is a dead giveaway
... With her marriage, she got a new name and a dress
... A boiled egg is hard to beat
... When you've seen one shopping center you've seen a mall
... Police were summoned to a day-care center where a three-year-old was resisting a rest
... Did you hear about the fellow whose entire left side was cut off? He's all right now
... A bicycle can't stand alone; it's just two tired
... When a clock is hungry it goes back four seconds
... The guy who fell onto an upholstery machine is now fully recovered
... He had a photographic memory which was never developed
... When she saw her first strands of grey hair she thought she'd dye
... Acupuncture is a jab well done - that's the point of it
... And the cream of the twisted crop: Those who get too big for their pants will be totally exposed in the end.
This week’s Program: DG MIKE VIRTUAL CLUB VISIT TO MSRE, E-CLUB OF DISTRICT 7530
THANK YOU PRESIDENT BRETT FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE REMARKS TO THE MEMBERS OF THE MOUNTAIN STATE ROTARY E-CLUB!
BEING THE GOVERNOR OF OUR DISTRICT IS A VERY HUMBLING EXPERIENCE BECAUSE I KNOW ALL THE GREAT THINGS OUR ROTARIANS THROUGHOUT NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA ARE DOING. WE HAVE GREAT ROTARY CLUBS!
WE HAVE A STRONG LEADERSHIP TEAM PUT TOGETHER WHICH I BELIEVE IS GOING TO MOVE THE DISTRICT, AND OUR CLUBS, FORWARD THIS ROTARY YEAR. FRANKLY, MY ONLY REASON FOR BEING IS TO SERVE THE DISTRICT'S CLUBS AND ROTARIANS, TO HELP YOU SUCCEED IN WHATEVER YOU WANT TO DO THROUGH ROTARY.
I'VE BEEN ASKED WHY DO WE HAVE A DISTRICT?
FIRST, ROTARY INTERNATIONAL (RI) SAYS THAT WE MUST HAVE ONE; THEY'D RATHER DEAL WITH 530 DISTRICTS THAN 35,000 CLUBS, SO THERE IS AN ADMINISTRATIVE REASON.
SECOND, THE DISTRICT COORDINATES THINGS SUCH AS YOUTH EXCHANGE (NOT TOO EARLY TO BE THINKING ABOUT HOSTING AN IN-BOUND STUDENT IN 2016-2017 OR RECRUITING AN OUT-BOUND STUDENT), ROTARY YOUTH LEADERSHIP AWARDS (RYLA), INTERACT (ROTARY FOR HIGH SCHOOLERS), PRESIDENTS ELECT TRAINING SEMINAR (PETS), DISTRICT ASSEMBLY, DISTRICT CONFERENCE, ZONE INSTITUTE, INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION, AND ROTARY LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE (RLI).
THIRD, THE DISTRICT MANAGES EXTENSION/EXPANSION OF ROTARY.
FOURTH, OUR ROTARY FOUNDATION SENDS THE DISTRICT ITS SHARE OF MONEY YOU'VE CONTRIBUTED TO OUR ROTARY FOUNDATION TO BE USED FOR DISTRICT GRANTS AND GLOBAL GRANTS.
FINALLY, THE DISTRICT SERVES AS A RESOURCE TO HELP YOUR CLUB SUCCEED IN MEETING ITS GOALS. I HOPE THAT BY THE END OF THIS ROTARY YEAR YOU'LL FEEL THAT THE DISTRICT ADDS VALUE TO YOUR EFFORTS.
I HAVE A FEW GOALS FOR MY YEAR AS GOVERNOR THAT I NEED YOUR HELP TO ACHIEVE:
• A NET INCREASE OF 38 MEMBERS (DISTRICT 7530 IS ONE OF SMALLEST DISTRICTS IN THE WORLD)
◦ THE GOAL FOR YOUR CLUB IS A NET INCREASE OF 1 (TO 25 MEMBERS) BY 6/30/2016.
◦ WE’RE ALL ROTARIANS BECAUSE SOMEONE SAW IN US THAT WE WERE ALREADY LIVING THE IDEALS OF ROTARY AND THEY ASKED US TO JOIN. I’M CHALLENGING YOU TO ASK SOMEONE YOU KNOW WHO LIVES THE IDEALS OF ROTARY TO BECOME A ROTARIAN. ASK!!!!!!!!!!
• INITIATE AT LEAST ONE NEW SATELLITE CLUB:
◦ PHILLIPPI/BARBOUR COUNTY
◦ PARSONS/TUCKER COUNTY
◦ WEIRTON SUNSET
◦ GLENVILLE/GILMER COUNTY
◦ WESTERN MONONGALIA COUNTY
◦ WILLIAMSTOWN
• IMPROVE RETENTION OF MEMBERS
◦ WE WORK TOO HARD TO FIND AND INDUCT NEW MEMBERS NOT TO DO WHATEVER IS HUMANLY POSSIBLE TO RETAIN THEM
◦ USE YOUR E-CLUB, WWW.MSRE.ORG, TO MOVE GOOD ROTARIANS INTO WHO HAVE LIFE CHANGES THAT PRECLUDE THEM FROM REMAINING IN “BRICKS AND MORTAR” CLUBS
◦ INDUCT INTO YOUR E-CLUB PEOPLE WHO WE IDENTIFY AS POTENTIAL ROTARIANS BUT WHO, FOR WHATEVER REASON, CAN'T FIT INTO AN EXISTING “BRICKS AND MORTAR” CLUB
• BETTER INTEGRATE THE E-CLUB INTO THE DISTRICT AND ITS “BRICKS AND MORTAR” CLUBS
◦ MEMBERS ATTEND CLUB MEETINGS, ASSIST IN CLUB PROJECTS
◦ WILL REQUIRE BETTER COMMUNICATIONS BOTH WAYS
• CHARTER AT LEAST ONE NEW INTERACT CLUB IN THE DISTRICT
• IMPROVE COMMUNICATIONS WITHIN THE DISTRICT
◦ GOAL: MONTHLY EMAIL NEWSLETTER TO ALL ROTARIANS – SO FAR SENT OUT EVERY MONTH
◦ IMPROVE/ENHANCE DISTRICT'S WEBSITE, WWW.ROTARY7530.ORG
◦ ENHANCE DISTRICT'S SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE (FACEBOOK, TWITTER, ETC.)
▪ NEW FACEBOOK PAGE: ROTARYDISTRICT7530
▪ AND I WOULD CHALLENGE YOUR CLUB TO DO THIS TOO!
• INCREASE GIVING TO OUR ROTARY FOUNDATION
◦ GOAL#1: EVERY CLUB BECOMES A 100% SUSTAINING MEMBER CLUB ($100/MEMBER DONATION)
▪ EVERY CLUB THAT ACHIEVES THIS GOAL WILL BE GIVEN A FREE PAUL HARRIS FELLOW BY THE DISTRICT TO AWARD HOW THEY SEE FIT
◦ GOAL #2: EVERY CLUB DONATES $1500 TO POLIO PLUS
▪ WE ARE “THIS CLOSE” TO ERADICATING POLIO FROM THE FACE OF THE EARTH. NO CASES IN ALL OF AFRICA FOR OVER A YEAR. REALLY ONLY AFGHANISTAN AND PAKISTAN REMAINING; BOTH ARE WAY DOWN COMPARED TO LAST YEAR
◦ REMEMBER THAT MONEY DONATED TO OUR ROTARY FOUNDATION DOESN'T GO TO EVANSTON, IT GOES TO HELP A SIGHTLESS PERSON SEE; TO BUILD SCHOOLS WHERE THERE ARE NONE; TO PROVIDE A CLEAN, SANITARY, NEARBY WATER SUPPLY WHERE THERE ISN'T ONE; TO HELP STOP THE DIABETES EPIDEMIC IN WEST VIRGINIA
• MY FINAL GOAL IS FOR ALL OF US TO HAVE FUN, TO ENJOY “SERVICE ABOVE SELF!”
YOUR CLUB HAS UNIQUE CHALLENGES; SOME ARE INHERENT IN THE VIRTUAL NATURE OF YOUR ORGANIZATION WHILE OTHERS, I BELIEVE, ARE CONTRIBUTED TO BY A HISTORIC LACK OF COMMUNICATION WITH YOUR MEMBERS. I HOPE TO CHANGE THE LATTER, SO THAT YOUR MEMBERSHIP WILL GROW (YOU ENDED LAST ROTARY YEAR WITH 24 MEMBERS, DOWN SUBSTANTIALLY FROM YOUR RECENT HIGH OF 56) AND YOU WILL SEE THE VALUE OF DONATING TO OUR ROTARY FOUNDATION (YOUR CLUB MEMBERS DONATED NO MONEY TO THE FOUNDATION ANNUAL FUND LAST ROTARY YEAR WHICH WAS DOWN SUBSTANTIALLY FROM PRIOR YEARS, ESPECIALLY 2012-2013 WHEN YOUR CLUB ACHIEVED EREY (EVERY ROTARIAN EVERY YEAR) STATUS BY ALL MEMBERS CONTRIBUTING SOMETHING TO THE ANNUAL FUND).
EVERY YEAR, THE RI PRESIDENT COMES UP WITH A THEME. THIS YEAR'S IS “BE A GIFT TO THE WORLD!” THIS IS A GREAT THEME, BUT THE THEME TWO YEARS AGO, “ENGAGE ROTARY, CHANGE LIVES!” IS, I THINK, THE BEST THEME EVER. THINK ABOUT IT: “ENGAGE ROTARY” - GET INVOLVED IN A CLUB FUNDRAISER, A SERVICE PROJECT, A DISTRICT COMMITTEE; SPONSOR AND MENTOR A NEW MEMBER; BE A CLUB OFFICER; BECOME INVOLVED IN INTERACT; HOST AN EXCHANGE STUDENT; THERE ARE INNUMERABLE WAYS TO ENGAGE ROTARY. “CHANGE LIVES” - CHANGE THE LIFE OF SOMEONE WHO CAN NOW SEE, CHANGE THE LIFE OF CHILDREN WHO NOW HAVE A SCHOOL TO ATTEND, CHANGE THE LIFE OF A VILLAGE WHICH NOW HAS ANEARBY SANITARY WATER SOURCE, CHANGE THE LIFE OF SOMEONE IN NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA WHO WILL NOT GET DIABETES. WHO KNOWS? MAYBE THE LIFE YOU CHANGE IS YOUR OWN!!!!!!!
ROTARY IS A UNIQUE ORGANIZATION. THERE IS NOTHING LIKE IT IN THE WORLD. THERE IS NOTHING LIKE IT IN NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA! SO I CHALLENGE YOU TO PUT “SERVICE ABOVE SELF,” AND “TO ENGAGE ROTARY, CHANGE LIVES.” IF WE DO THIS, ROTARY, AND EACH OF US, WILL “BE A GIFT TO THE WORLD!” THINK WHAT WE'LL ACHIEVE!
THANK YOU!
PLEASE CONTACT ME WITH ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CONCERNS, ETC.
DG MIKE
DGMIKE7530@AOL.COM AND @DGMIKE7530 ON TWITTER
Thank you for participating in this week’s meeting! RP
Ding! We’re now in session.