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District 6900 News for July, 2024
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Thank You For Your Leadership André!
By Gordon Owens The role of District Governor doesn't start on July 1 each year. It starts the day after the nominating committee makes their selection two and half years earlier. From that day forward you join the g-line on weekly calls, attend Rotary conferences around the world and put in a ton of time making plans for the year that you will have the honor to lead the district. Our Immediate Past District Governor, André Marria has been there for me along every step of that journey. I certainly would not be as prepared to start the 2024-2025 without her guidance and more importantly her friendship. A benefit of spending so much time together, André and I have become more than friends, she calls me her little brother and we are most definitely family.
We all were witness to the amazing job she did Creating Hope In The World during the 2023-2024 Rotary year as the Lady With A Song. What you didn't get to see is all the work she put in behind the scenes to make sure our district remains one of the top districts in our zone. The compassion she has for fellow Rotarians, constantly checking in with our family of Rotary to ask, "how are you, really?" The determination she displayed when things didn't go exactly as planned, to push through and make an impact. Her amazing ability to challenge people with difficult questions and get people to see another perspective. To André, my friend for life, my sister, thank you for your leadership as our District Governor! I love you and most importantly, "I SEE YOU!"
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Thank you for allowing us to serve this “Awesome District”!
By André Marria Thank you to each one of you for all your support this Rotary Year. Walter and I could not have done it without you! We did our best to lead by the 4-way test. I hope time will tell that we succeeded. It has been a long journey, filled with many good, inspiring, and challenging experiences. Yet, we faced them with “true grit.” The road ahead leads us home to work in our own garden. It will be fun to be among those who have supported us at every turn. Again, thank you! To my Thomasville Rotary Club of Thomasville, we want to say thank you for having our back, for supporting us at every turn, for calling, the gifts, and the encouragement you gave us along the way. Most appreciated and dear to us was the “Rose Pin” that was given to us at the beginning of our journey. I wear that Rose with pride and will continue to do so. I shared with you the belief that we needed to be intentional in all that we do, and the best way to engage is with genuine caring and authentic dialogue. Rotary will grow as we allow others to feel comfortable in the spaces Rotary provides. We can create a new Culture when we embrace the collective traditions and values of those who come to us from every walk of life. They have the skills to grow us beyond the eighteen thousand (18,000) members we lost last year. Continue to "Be The Inspiration as you Create Hope In The World”, and you will embody "The Magic of Rotary." [more] |
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Help Rotary Spread Peace Around The World
By Gordon Owens We have been challenged by RI President Stephanie Urchick to help Rotary spread the idea of peace around the world by planting peace poles in our communities. There was even a peace park at the Rotary International Convention in Singapore to learn more about how to engage in peace building initiatives sponsored by the Rotary Action Group For Peace. Every member is encouraged to go through the Positive Peace Academy, a free training course to discover the strategies and tools that can help individuals, Rotarians like yourselves, cities and nations build and sustain peace. I hope your club will take on this challenge and plant a peace pole this year. When you do, make sure it gets added to the Global Peace Pole Map.
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Leave A Lasting Legacy
By Lee Hollingsworth We are looking for 40 39 Rotarians (DG Gordon is our 1st) in our district to commit to leaving a gift of $25,000 or more to Rotary in their estate. That's right, no cash out of pocket today, just fill out a couple forms and decide how you want your gift to impact the world long after you are gone. With each gift of $25,000 or more to the Endowment Fund, Rotarians can establish a named fund and direct where the proceeds go to do good in the world. Leave your gift to SHARE and some of those proceeds come back to our district for local & global grants; dedicate it to an area of focus to support projects, scholarships & vocational training you are passionate about; or leave it to the World Fund and let Rotary decide the best way this gift will create positive change in the world. Contact our District Major Gifts Chair, Lee Hollingsworth, for more information or to setup your legacy gift to the Endowment Fund. [more] |
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PolioPickem.com
By Gordon Owens All year long we are playing games for Polio Plus. The winner gets half the pool up to $1000 and the other half goes to our Rotary Foundation to support Polio Plus. Our first game is for the 2024 Summer Olympics. Once you pay the $20 entry fee you will select several countries to make your team. If your team wins the most points (3 for gold, 2 for silver, 1 for bronze) through medalling in events then you will win the Polio Pick'em 2024 Summer Olympics. Let's have some fun raising money for a good cause!
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Rotavette.com
By Will Daniel One lucky winner will drive away from Jekyll Island on April 27, 2025 with a Corvette C8 or $50,000 in cash. We only have 3000 tickets available and they are going fast, just like the Rotavette. Purchase 1 entry for $100 or get 6 entries for $500. All the proceeds from the raffle go to our Rotary Foundation so it's a win-win.
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Jekyll Island | April 24-27, 2025
By Ryan Swertfager For the 1st time ever, all three Rotary Districts in Georgia are joining forces to put on a conference like no other. We hope you will mark your calendars to join us in April 2025 for what is going to be a Rotary take over of Jekyll Island. We will have a beach party, friendly competitions, inspiring speakers, a massive Hall of Friendship and most importantly fellowship with Rotary friends new & old from around the state. Registration is open and room blocks are filling up fast. Visit GeorgiaUnitedDC.com and sign up today, you don't want to miss this!
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Webinar - July 8 @ 5:30 PM
By Dave Schwickerath The Membership Action Plan (MAP) Webinar series is designed for club leaders like you. Our viewers keep returning for strategies and ideas that truly work, and we are excited about our next session. Mark your calendars for July 8th and join us for "Kickstart Your Year - Driving Membership Growth." This webinar will provide you with actionable insights to help drive membership growth in your club, setting the stage for a successful year ahead.Don't miss out on this opportunity to learn from experienced leaders who will share information that can make a difference in your membership efforts.
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 The Fourth of July parade in Dunwoody, where Ashley Owens was busy taking pictures to help capture the magic of the year. |
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District Newsletter Update
By Jackie Cuthbert Help us share the magic of what's happening in your clubs went it comes to the ways you are serving your communities and the world, the youth programs you support, your strategies for membership and fellowship and more! We will publish the newsletter on the 5th of each month and include articles received by the 25th of the prior month. So the stories … [more] |
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By Katheryne Fields Rotarians and guests are invited to Conclave to welcome the Georgia Rotary Student Program Class of 2024-25 in Columbus August 23-25, 2024. Conclave is hosted this year by District 6900 and under the direction of the Rotary Club of Columbus, Muscogee-Columbus and North Columbus. Registration is now open for Conclave, please visit the GRSP Calendar to sign up. [more] |
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Rotary Youth Exchange
By Mike Parks The Rotary Youth Exchange Southeast final training and orientation session for the 2024 - 2025 Outbound Class of Rotary Youth Exchange students from Georgia and Florida was a great success! The students learned all about cultural adaptation and becoming truly bilingual and bicultural. They honed their skills in improving resiliency while on exchange, and participated in role plays and exercises to be a more effective ambassador for the USA and for Rotary while overseas. Parents, friends, family, and Rotarians from all over Georgia and Florida participated in the long-awaited graduation ceremony and the awarding of the prestigious Rotary Youth Exchange blue blazers. Congratulations to the 2024 - 2025 Outbound Rotary Youth Exchange students from Rotary Youth Exchange Southeast
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By Jaclyn Donovan Summertime in District 6900 mean it’s time for the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, better known as RYLA!! RYLA is designed for young adults with proven leadership ability and a commitment to community service. The District 6900 RYLA camp was hosted by the Rotary Club of Americus and held June 8-12 on the campus of Georgia Southwestern State University and included 95 students sponsored by over 30 clubs. RYLA brings together these young people from different backgrounds - home, educational, religious, and lifestyle – for the opportunity to challenge themselves through small team activities, large group activities, and candid, round-table discussions. RYLA programming includes individual personality profiles, conflict resolution styles, and ropes course activities in a schedule designed to encourage each student’s growth in the areas of teamwork, communication, and trust. So what did they do this year? [more] |
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My.Rotary.org
By Mary Ligon It's a new Rotary year and you may be kicking off a new leadership role for your club. Even if you have an awesome mentor helping you learn the responsibilities that come with the role, remember, just because "it's the way we've always done it" doesn't mean it's the way it should be done. The Learning Center on more] |
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Congressional Office For International Leadership
By Gordon Owens The Open World program offers clubs and districts in Rotary a way to enjoy meaningful international exchanges while giving professionals from Eurasian countries personal experiences with U.S. democracy. This program, funded by a U.S. government agency, focuses on developing an international network that allows leaders with common interests to consult and cooperate with each other on issues that affect their communities.
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Due: September 1, 2024
By Gordon Owens Past RI Director, Robert Hall was the last Director to serve Zone 34 from District 6900. There are several qualifications any candidate must meet, so be sure to read through those before making a nomination. If your club wishes to submit a qualified Rotarian for consideration by the Nominating Committee for Director in your zone, the club must follow these guidelines: [more] |
 Representatives from all the winning organizations gather with Grant Chair Kelly Caudle (left) and President Tozzi (right) |
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Club News
By Dudley Larus Decatur Rotary was very pleased to welcome seven leaders of outstanding Dekalb County Non-Profit organizations to the Historic Dekalb Courthouse. All these organizations support causes that we hold dear: Literacy and Youth-At-Risk. Each organization was able to tell its story and explain the specific project that the Rotary grant supports.
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Club News
By Brenda Borden The Junior Book Club for 3 to 5 year-old children is a weekly, early literacy-based program at the Vinings Library. It is designed to help young library patrons, who attend with their parents or caregivers, to develop language and literacy skills. A Vinings Cumberland Rotary Club Local Service Grant funds the program, and Rotary Club members are encouraged to become volunteers at the library to read to the preschoolers and to help with book-based discussions afterward. The Rotary grant makes it possible to give books away to the Junior Book Club members and to entertain them with professional puppet shows put on by the Atlanta Center for Puppetry Arts.
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Club News
By Lisa Gelber Rotary Club of North Fulton President Lisa Gelber recently invited FOX Weather Journalist Robert Ray, and local resident, to present to the Club at their regular bi-monthly meeting. Ray began with a video on situations in which national media, first responders, and emergency management find themselves in and how they historically collaborated. Many times, things don’t go to plan, and confusion takes hold in the aftermath of natural and man-made disasters. Ray went on to explain how the media assists in managing disasters by educating the public about disasters, warning of hazards, gathering and transmitting information about affected areas, and alerting government officials, relief organizations, and the public to specific needs.
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Upcoming Key Dates
| Monday, July 8th, 2024 | Marietta Metro Installation | | Tuesday, July 23rd, 2024 | Cuthbert Official Visit | | Tuesday, July 23rd, 2024 | Rotary Means Business | | Wednesday, July 24th, 2024 | Cordele Official Visit | | Thursday, July 25th, 2024 | Blakely Official Visit | | Saturday, July 27th, 2024 | Americus Rotary Sheffield Gala & Silent Auction | | Monday, July 29th, 2024 | Atlanta Official Visit | | Wednesday, July 31st, 2024 | Brookhaven Official Visit |
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