As we approach the new fiscal year, Rotary International has made changes in many of our traditional procedures.  We encourage you to attend the District Club Officers Training Seminar (COTS). The training has been designed to support the leaders of your club and to enable you and your officers to have a successful year.

There are two Saturday sites are available from 9:00 am to Noon at no charge. To get the most out of this training we advise for you to bring your lap top.  The trainers would ask for you to have your member access information available. If you need your ClubRunner login name and password, please contact DGN Steve Sorenson at steve.rotary6540@yahoo.com or District Secretary John Smith at john.smith@rotary6540.org for that information, to able to login to your club or the district ClubRunner site.

AGENDA

RI Member Access

Semi Annual Report (SAR) to RI

Integrating Club information with RI

District Semi Annual Dues Statements

Use of Distinct Website for Club Administration

COTS Dates & Locations:  Saturday, June 8, 2013 at Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, IN (CDT) or Saturday, June 15, 2013 at Indiana Wesleyan University, Fort Wayne, IN (EDT)                                                                      

Register at:  www.rotary6540.org  then go to the District Events column on the right side of this homepage, click on location and date that you wish to attend.  Then follow the simple steps to Register Online after login has happened.

We all look forward to seeing you there!

Christina Dougherty, DGE 

If you have any questions along the way, during this process, please feel free to contact John Smith, District Administrator or Steve Sorenson, DGN & Technology/Webmaster for assistance.

Dear fellow Rotarians,

From the moment I was nominated as Rotary International president, I knew I would choose a theme that would focus on peace. This is why I planned three peace forums – to give Rotarians an opportunity to think about peace, to talk about peace, and to share their ideas on building peace together. The final Rotary Global Peace Forum takes place this month in Hiroshima, Japan.

We hear the word peace every day. But most of us spend little time thinking about what peace is. On its simplest level, we can define peace by what it is not. It is a state of no war, no violence, and no fear. It means that you are not in danger of hunger, or persecution, or the suffering of poverty.

But we can also define peace by what it is, and by what it can be. Peace can mean freedom of thought and of speech, freedom of opinion and of choice, and the ability for self-determination. It can mean security, confidence in the future – a life and home in a stable society. On a more abstract level, peace can mean a sense of happiness, of inner serenity, of calm.

However we use the word, however we understand peace, Rotary can help us to achieve it. Rotary helps us to meet the basic needs of others – to provide health care, sanitation, food, and education when and where they are most needed. It helps to meet the inner needs as well, for friendship, connection, and caring. And Rotary helps us to build peace in its most traditional sense, by reducing the causes of conflict. It builds bridges of friendship and tolerance among people and nations. It helps us to understand one another.

However we define peace, whatever peace means to us, we can bring it closer through service. Peace, in all of the ways that we can understand it, is a real goal, and a realistic goal for Rotary. Peace is not something that can only be achieved through treaties, by governments, or through heroic struggles. It is something that we can find, and that we can achieve – every day, and in many simple ways.

And so I thank you for your commitment to Peace Through Service – and to a Rotary goal of a more peaceful world.  

Sakuji Tanaka
President, Rotary International

Once you've registered for the convention and booked your Lisbon hotel through the convention, be sure to register for events!

Information on evening entertainment planned by the Lisbon host committee can be found at www.congressos.abreu.pt/rotary2013/hostEvent.asp

Luncheons that require reservations can be booked at www.riconvention.org/en/2013/Program/Events/Pages/TicketedRIEvents.aspx

With tens of thousands of Rotarians attending, we'll plan a time and place to meet at convention to make sure we connect!  Contact District RI chairs Doug and Sharon Risser with your questions at doug@mennotrav.com.

See you in Lisbon!

Doug Risser, District International Convention Co-Chair

May, 2013

In Canada, May is usually a beautiful month. Spring has blossomed, trees and flowers are in bloom, and everyone is filled with a renewed energy as winter finally comes to a close. The changing of seasons can also serve as a time for action as Rotarians bring a fresh perspective to the goals they set for the 2012-13 year.

Every Rotarian, every contribution, and every project makes a difference every year. Through The Rotary Foundation, we can all do our part to work toward global peace from the ground up. Has your club worked on a humanitarian or educational project through the Foundation? And if not – why not?

There is still time to make your contribution. There is still time to give a community the chance to drink clean water, a young girl the opportunity to attend school, and a mother the access to the safe maternal care she needs. Contact your district Rotary Foundation chair and see how you and the other Rotarians in your club or district can participate.

I understand the impact these difficult economic times have had on all of us, but we still need your help. Foundation programs and projects all start with money. I hope each Rotarian reading my message will have given something based on his or her own situation. It doesn’t take much from each individual when you have the support of more than 1.2 million members, but that assumes 100 percent support. If you’ve given, I thank you sincerely. But if you haven’t, I hope you will as together we make May a great month for Rotary and for our Foundation. 

Wilfrid J. Wilkinson
Foundation Trustee Chair 

A Rotary Matching Grant contribution that was made by Rotary District 6540 during the 2010 - 2011 Rotary year, with the leadership at that time of DG Steve Van Scoik, to support this important international project.  It is finally coming to completion, and we want to share with you a report from Bob’s Africa Rotary Blog 153 – Wheelchair Update from Livingstone, Zambia, dated February 24, 2013.

Greetings from Arizona, USA. I am still here finally getting my financial house in order. It now appears I have sold my home here in Casa Grande and will be moving to a smaller home in the same tract after March 20. This was my goal on this home stay. You can’t do what you want to do in the humanitarian part of Rotary unless you have the fiscal responsibility & personal backup that being a Rotary Volunteer full time requires. As a once infamous President said”Mission Accomplished” with caveats are my added words.

This Matching Grant is truly a three continent extravaganza of the Rotary spirit demonstrating that in the future major international projects can be implemented from the Club level.

Please contact Bob Selinger to speak to your Club/District about opportunities for joint projects in Zambia & Zimbabwe. Telephone in USA: (949) 887-3266, or email at: rdselinger@aol.com for additional details.

At some point this year, we expect a challenge will be issued between the three Rotary Districts here in Indiana.  We may very well be the first to know about this friendly upcoming challenge.  So let's get a head start, and show our Rotary pride, as a Rotarian in District 6540, and let everyone else know how proud we are to be a Rotarian in Indiana.  Please consider ordering an Indiana Rotary License Plate when it is time for your renewal this year, on any vehicle that you own.

Almost 3,000 people have added their photo and joined the World's Biggest Commercial.  Add Your Photo.  Change the World.  Let’s Make History Together.  Click on this link to find out how you can be a part of it.   http://thisclose.endpolio.org/

RI President Elect Ron Burton has chosen the theme Engage Rotary, Change Lives, for his year as RI President in 2013 - 2014.  Ron urges every Rotarian to get involved, to get engaged, and to change lives, a perfect transition from current RI President Sakuji Tanaka.  It will continue to advance world understanding, goodwill and peace. Please join our District 6540 Leadership Team in wishing Ron and Jetta the best of luck during their special Rotary year.

DGE Christina Dougherty was in attendance for her intense week long training, in preparation to become our District Governor on July 1, 2013.

Have you thought about what your Rotary legacy will be?

The Permanent Fund builds long-term stability for the future of The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International by providing an extra stream of income to meet an increasing demand for the Foundation's educational, humanitarian, and cultural programs.  We invite you to invest in tomorrow by joining Rotarians around the world, and throughout District 6540 in their efforts to improve and enrich lives of people around the globe.

A Benefactor of The Rotary Foundation is anyone who informs The Rotary Foundation in writing that he or she has made a provision in his or her will or other estate plan, naming the Foundation's Permanent Fund as a beneficiary; or by making an outright gift of $1,000 or more to the Permanent Fund.  Benefactor recognition consists of a certificate and insignia (Angel Wings) to be worn with a Rotary pin.

The Rotary Foundation also recognizes those couples or individuals who have made commitments in their estate plans totaling $10,000 or more, as a Bequest Society Member.  Donors may elect to receive an engraved crystal recognition piece and a Diamond Circle pin commemorating the commitment.

This support goes above and beyond your current Every Rotarian Every Year (EREY) annual contributions to The Rotary Foundation.  It is a commitment to the future in your estate planning.  

If you would like to receive a gift commitment card to complete, please contact any member of the Rotary District 6540 Foundation Committee or any member of the District Leadership Team.  Your legacy will make a lasting difference in the world!  Thank you for your consideration.

Interact is Rotary International's service club for young people ages 12 to 18. Interact clubs are sponsored by individual Rotary clubs, which provide support and guidance, but they are self-governing and self-supporting.

Club membership varies greatly. Clubs can be single gender or mixed, large or small. They can draw from the student body of a single high school or from two or more high schools in the same community.

Each year, Interact clubs complete at least two community service projects, one of which furthers international understanding and goodwill. Through these efforts, Interactors develop a network of friendships with local and overseas clubs and learn the importance of - Developing leadership skills and personal integrity - Demonstrating helpfulness and respect for others - Understanding the value of individual responsibility and hard work - Advancing international understanding and goodwill.

As one of the most significant and fastest-growing programs of Rotary service, with more than 10,700 clubs in 109 countries and geographical areas, Interact has become a worldwide phenomenon. Almost 200,000 young people are involved in Interact.

Could this be a possibility for students at your local high school? This could be a great opportunity for your Rotary Club to sponsor this program at our local high school.  Let's see what we can do as Rotarians to expand this program throughout District 6540.

By Arnold Grahl, Rotary International News –

Luanne Triolo was several weeks into a challenge to wear her Rotary pin for 60 days straight when she realized she had missed a day.

So the 2009-10 president of the Rotary Club of Carol Stream, Illinois, USA, started all over again to meet the challenge William Ferreira, governor of District 6440, had set before all his club presidents.

"You get used to it. It's something that is really good to do," says Triolo. "Different pins do catch people's eye in different ways."

Many Rotarians are serious about wearing their Rotary pins. Eugene Beil, past governor of District 6950 (Florida, USA) and a member of the Rotary Club of Hudson, tapped into that dedication recently when he started a discussion thread on RI's official LinkedIn group, asking Rotarians whether they wear their pins every day or just for meetings. The discussion has prompted more than 190 comments.

"I am happy with the feedback," Beil says. "I feel strongly about the value of wearing the pin every day. Whether you are at the grocery store, at work, or anywhere, you never know when a stranger is going to notice and you have an opportunity to explain Rotary to them."

Tony Quinn, governor of District 1200 (England), notes on the LinkedIn thread that Rotarians agree to wear their pins at all times when they are inducted.

On Friday, October 19th, PDG Floyd & Betty Lou Lancia were inducted into the Arch Klumph Society at Rotary International in Evanston, IL, for their outstanding support of The Rotary Foundation.  Floyd & Betty Lou were honored to have their children present for the recognition ceremonies. 

The Lancia's join PDG Bill & Miriam Cable as the only other District 6540 honorees as members of the Arch Klumph Society.

For additional pictures and information about all of the honorees from three different countries recognized at this special event, which was held October 19th at Rotary International Headquarters in Evanston, IL, click here.

If you aren’t already using Rotary Club Central, now is the perfect time to start. Reached through Member Access, this online tool enables you to monitor your club’s progress in three key performance areas: membership initiatives, service activities, and Rotary Foundation giving. Club leaders — president, secretary, treasurer, executive secretary, Foundation chair, and membership chair — can edit goals and achievements for their year, and all members can view club progress for all years. In addition, district leaders can view a summary of goals and achievements for all clubs in their district by clicking on "District View".

Log in to Member Access and start using Rotary Club Central today.

RI conventions aren’t very exciting.  Have you heard that before?

That was my thought as a relatively new Rotarian when Doug said he would be attending the 2012 RI convention in Bangkok.  Still, I wanted to experience Thailand and Southeast Asia and agreed to go along.

Wow!  What an eye-opening experience!

For five days we met Rotarians from throughout the world, chatting over coffee with a South African couple visiting the US next year, comparing notes on Alzheimer’s with a fellow nurse from Mexico, seeing the picture of the last little in girl in India to contract Polio, and experiencing the hospitality of Thai Rotarians proudly showing their culture.  I even joined the Rotarian Wine Appreciation Fellowship!

I’ve enjoyed Lisbon and surrounding area and know that not only will you come away from the RI convention inspired, energized, and with a better understanding of all things Rotary, but you’ll enjoy the history and culture of Portugal.  The bonus is that Portugal is one of the best bargains in Europe!

If you attend, I suggest that you stay at the Marques de Pombal Hotel, well-located in the city center.  With tens of thousands attending convention, you’ll enjoy socializing with other D6540 Rotarians.  Otherwise, you may never run into them!

You’ll come home with a better understanding of why some Rotarians have attended every convention for more than 20 years.  RI conventions are very exciting.  Put June 23-26, 2013 on your calendar and add some time to enjoy all that Portugal and elsewhere in Europe offer.

Sharon Risser
Goshen Rotary Club

Interested in joining a particular Rotarian Action Group? Download the Rotarian Action Group flier or view a directory of Rotarian Action Groups and contact them directly.

RI President-elect Sakuji Tanaka will ask Rotarians to build Peace Through Service in 2012-13. 

Tanaka unveiled the RI theme during the opening plenary session of the 2012 International Assembly, a training event for incoming Rotary district governors.  

"Peace, in all of the ways that we can understand it, is a real goal and a realistic goal for Rotary," he said. "Peace is not something that can only be achieved through agreements, by governments, or through heroic struggles. It is something that we can find and that we can achieve, every day and in many simple ways."

Peace has different meanings for different people, Tanaka said.

Recognition currently consist of a Certificate of Membership and a lapel pin that attaches to your PHF pin with the initials PHS on the pin.  The commitment to become a PHS member is for a minimum of two consecutive years, contributing $1,000 the first year, and paying or committing $1,000 the second year.  Ongoing contributions beyond the first two years are always welcome to continue supporting The Rotary Foundation.

ClubRunner is very excited to announce that the ClubRunner Mobile App is now available for download!  The ClubRunner Mobile App is your key to connect to your ClubRunner website on the go!  Completely, free to download and use, this app will let you do what you need to run your club effectively while you're on the go.  Password protected just like your website, the ClubRunner Mobile app is comprised of 3 main modules.  You now will have the ability to view your member directory, view the articles posted to your website and locate the nearest club right from your iPhone or iPod, bringing you even closer to being able to connect, collaborate and communicate!

Download the latest version today!

Thanks to our Rotarian friends from the Gilroy Rotary Club in CA, for sharing their Sing-a-long meeting with Specs providing the live music.