February 9 - Tea for Female Ambassadors.  THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER. Our Embassy Relations Committee is hosting a tea for all female ambassadors at the Dupont Circle home of Rotarian Paul Rhodes (1902 R Street, NW) at 4:30 p.m.  This event is open only to our female members.  Click the link to RSVP for this event.

February 10 - Ombudsman's Roundtable.  Our club's Ombudsman, Mike Steiner, will host a roundtable discussion directly following our luncheon meeting.  All members are encouraged to attend and the discussion is open to any questions or concerns.  Click the link to RSVP.

Monday through Friday, the dress code in the Club is "business casual."  Business casual for men, is defined as creased slacks (no denim), collared shirt (polo/dress shirt) and non-athletic shoes which is acceptable throughout the Clubhouse except in the Taft Dining Room for lunch and dinner, where a jacket is required for men. (Note: A jacket is not required in the Taft during the Memorial Day-Labor Day timeframe!) Comparable attire is required for ladies (no denim).

For more information, please visit the University Club website at http://www.universityclubdc.com . 

Our February 10th speaker is H.E. Friis Arne Petersen, Ambassador of Denmark.

Friis Arne Petersen became ambassador of Denmark to the United States on Oct. 3, 2005.

In 1997, Ambassador Petersen became head of the Foreign Ministry, assuming the position of permanent secretary of state. Throughout his term (1997-2005), he was the alternate for the foreign minister in the European Union Council of Foreign Ministers. In 1994, Ambassador Petersen was appointed head of the Department of Relations with Russia, Eastern Europe and the Balkans as well as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

So we thought the two to four inches of snow that fell Tuesday night was something!  As I write this we could be faced with a blizzard of historic proportions.  The attendance was a bit lighter than usual this week, however, the snow obviously impacting travel and attendance – but not our Rotary spirit!  Entering, Andrea, our dedicated Rotaractor, tried to sell me $10 worth of raffle tickets.  Using all my might, I was able to decline and purchased just one.  Moving quickly to my table, I sat with Chris Manning, new member and last weeks Greeter, and PP Jim Brookshire.  President J.W. Arnold brought us to order, we pledged our allegiance to the flag, toasted and then waited for our Words of Inspiration…and waited some more.  And then, in true Rotarian form Andy Cook seized the moment, inspiring in itself, and inspired us all to give to the Rotary Foundation.  If you meet a certain threshold, you will be honored in a ceremony at Chevy Chase Club. 

The Club would like to extend its wishes for the happiest of birthday to these members:

Jack Arness—February 8^th

Jack is a Past President of our club and served during the 1980—1981 Rotary year.  He works for Hogan & Hartson and is classified as Law: Banking.  Jack was sponsored by George Monk and joined our club in August 1967.

Jack Jackson—February 9^th

Jack works for C-SPAN and is classified as Broadcast Media: Human Resource Management.  He was sponsored by Bill Simons and joined our club in January 1995.

Our thoughts are with Strong-Legs Richardson because he is currently in the Cardiology Clinic at Walter Reed Medical Hospital.  He was admitted on February 3, 2010.  We do not have any details on how long he will be in the hospital.

He would love to get cards from his Rotary friends.  You can send them to his home at:  6404 Wolf Run Hunt Court, Fairfax Station, VA  22039.

Applications for the 2010 Community Service Grants are due February 16, 2010.  If you know of any worthy charities or non-profits that might benefit from one of our grants, let them know about our application.  It can be found under Downloads on the homepage of our website, www.dcrotary.org.  The Downloads are on the right side of the homepage (you need to scroll down to see them) and the grant application is the first item in the column.  You can also access it by clicking this link.                      2010 Community Service Grants Application

This is YOUR chance to make a difference!  This is YOUR chance to have a direct impact on the health of your children & grandchildren, your neighbors' children & grandchildren, the world's children.

Zone 34 / District 6990 on a NATIONAL IMMUNIZATION DAY TRIP TO INDIA from February 3^rd – 13^th, 2010

$1750 plus airfare for Double accommodations

The 2010 District Conference will be held in Gettysburg, PA April 22-25, 2010.  To register for the conference, go to www.rotary7620.org and look for the "DisCon 2010"."  It is in the middle of the homepage.

The registration for the Districts 7390/7620 Multi-District Conference Golf Tournament is here.  Click the link to get to the registration form. 

DID YOU KNOW that R.I. supports many Rotary Fellowships that promote unity and world understanding by catering to the worldwide interests of Rotarians (amateur-radio, sailing, scouting, fishing, golf, flying, chess, etc.)? 

One of the many existing Rotary Fellowships is the International Travel and Hosting Fellowship (ITHF) which publishes a worldwide directory of Rotarians who are willing to host foreign Rotarians in their homes.  Once a member of ITHF, arrangements can be made to stay a few days with a local Rotarian in the place you plan to visit.

CONTACT:  Kate Ferry, Rotary Club of Washington, DC.  Tel:  202/331-8686

DATE:  October 23, 2009

Rotary Club of Washington, DC Victimized by Nationwide Check Fraud Scam

The Rotary Club of Washington, DC is the victim of a check fraud scam being perpetrated by what is believed to be a number of individuals throughout the country.  The checks are being sent to persons who attempt to sell items online.  The checks are issued in amounts in excess of the item being purchased and the seller is then asked to send the excess to a person through wire transfer.