Rotary District 6110 Newsletter AUGUST 2016 Page 1

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1 Rotary District 6110 Newsletter AUGUST 2016 Page 1 As our new Rotary year and my service as District 6110 Governor begins, my first order of business is to thank Larry and Nancy Long for exemplary service above self. They literally traveled more than 16,000 miles serving our district. Larry and his team have significantly increased the membership in our clubs including adding many more women. The most exciting thing is that our donations to the Rotary Foundation during Larry s service increased from $385,495 or $88 per Rotarian to 459,485 or $107 per Rotarian. This builds on the records set by past District Governors Herb Orr, Ken Colley, and John Williams. To keep you informed, we have posted some Foundation information provide by Rotary so you can see how our district is doing. Please keep up the giving. There is more need today than ever before, and we Rotarians are making a difference. When someone is selected to become District Governor, he or she receives a lot of training. (Some of you will say that I may have needed more training. Too late! I m here, and I m yours for the year.) What most Rotarians are not aware of is that the spouses also go through training. Most of this is done at the Zone level, and then the climax is the Rotary International Assembly in San Diego. That was tough duty, spending time in San Diego in January, but we managed to survive. The spouses have a name for themselves: the Spartners. You will have to ask Judy where that came from! As part of their training, each Spartner was challenged to take on a project of his or her own for the Rotary year. Judy selected Polio Plus. She selected this for a couple of reasons. First, Judy actually had two friends with polio. Second, we were thunderstruck when a dollar amount was put with the slogan We re this close. Do you know how close we really are to eradicating polio on the planet? We need only $1.5 billion. Judy is passing around an Iron Lung savings bank and asking clubs for their donations. She has made 11 club visits, and Rotarians have donated close to $3,000. But this money is worth much more. After it is coupled with the Bill and Melinda Gates matching grants, it grows to an extraordinary $9,000. If individuals write checks, your donation to Judy s Polio Plus campaign will be counted toward your Paul Harris giving. AND! The total of every club s donations will be recorded and will count toward the $2,650 a club needs to donate as part of their quest to receive a Presidential Citation. You get triple the benefit when you drop a check into Judy s Iron Lung bank. ONE: your money benefits Polio Plus. TWO: it counts toward your Paul Harris donation. And THREE: it moves your club closer to a Presidential Citation. Please support Judy when we visit your club. District 6110 also has a redesigned website! (Thanks again to Governor Larry!) You can find it here: RotaryDistrict6110.org. The format is one used by many clubs and districts. That is because it was developed by DACdb and is very user-friendly, making it very popular with Rotarians. Since the website comes from DACdb, the two organizational charts that you have been used to seeing, that rarely matched, are now eliminated. We are in the process of cleaning up the committee structure, and it should be understandable in the near future. As always, our biggest challenge is still membership. Our goal for this year is 4,533 members. (Right now, we are at just over 4,200) Our three-year goal is 5,000 members. This is seemingly quite a task, but if you break it down, it is only 3 new members per year per club. IPDG Larry Long is in charge of new club development and with the addition of new clubs this goal is very achievable. We can do this! On a personal note, Judy and I would like to thank all past district governors and their spouses for their support and encouragement. In Rotary the term in your year is used quite frequently. We don t look at it in that manner. It is our year! Meaning every member in the district. You will hear me say more than once that where Rotary happens is in your club. Not anywhere else! More importantly, Rotary happens because of what you do. So, get new members, continue your giving, and most important do what you can to make your club a vibrant club. I look forward to meeting each of you over the coming year.

2 Rotary District 6110 Newsletter AUGUST 2016 Page 2 NEW Manual for the Four Way Test Speech Contest By PDG Ron Petersen, SR Having a manual to follow and complete set of rules for the Four Way Test Speech Contest is long overdue. Streamlining the contest was the committee s goal with fewer steps and fewer involved in the process. This year we have established an entry fee of $100 for your club to compete at the district level. This entry fee helps cover the cost of the District Contest and District cash awards. Please budget for this new fee now and into the future. The complete manual with everything a club needs to conduct their club contest and compete with other clubs in the district competition is available for download at navigate Youth Services then Four Way Test Speech Contest. Download and print the manual so it can be read and understood in its entirety. The instructions are simple and straight forward. Of the things we think, say or do: 1. Is it the TRUTH? 2. Is it FAIR to all concerned? 3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS? 4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned? The purpose of the Four Way Test Speech Contest is to foster these principles of ethics in everyday life as well as in business. There has never been a more urgent time or need for skilled speakers who can articulate ideas, especially showing how ethical behaviors contribute to a productive civil life. The impact of the Four Way Test Speech contest is immeasurable both for Rotary Clubs and the schools that the participants attend. Rotarians, family members and friends are influenced by the impact of these young fresh perceptions. Each student who competes in these contests spends much effort preparing and rehearsing their speeches. The committee made it easier than ever for a Rotary Club to enter. If your club hasn t participated in the Four Way Test Speech Contest you are missing out on a great project to touch lives with a meaningful message that will make Rotary and your Rotary Club shine in your community. Feel free to contact me or my co-chair DGN Jayne Lowe. Our contact information is contained in the manual.

3 Rotary District 6110 Newsletter AUGUST 2016 Page 3 Public Relations: Effective Communications for Rotary Clubs Ronald E. Petty District 6110 Public Relations Chair The effective use of Public Relations by District Rotary Clubs will enhance the value of club service projects in the communities they serve. Rotary Clubs and Rotarians generally have performed effectively communicating with each other on an internal basis. This internal message needs to be repositioned into an external message that connects with individuals and organizations outside of Rotary Clubs. Communicating with your perspective stakeholders is a critical factor in developing interest and support for an organizations mission. Public Relations allows organizations a nonpaid communication tool for external stakeholders. Kerin and Hartley define Public Relations as a form of communication that seeks to influence the feelings, opinions, or beliefs held by potential customers, stockholders, suppliers, employees, and others about a company and its products. (McGraw-Hill, 2016) Public Relations is the only item in the Promotional Mix (Advertising, Direct Marketing, Internet, Personal Selling, and Sales Promotion) that does not cost the organization. Some of the Public Relations methods used to deliver the message include; press releases, media interviews electronic and print, community service events, social media, volunteer projects, and fund raising projects. Traditional media has reduced staff levels to accommodate the competition from new media which has limited coverage of community organizations events. If organizations (Rotary Clubs) fill this limitation with well-timed and interesting press releases, traditional media will perhaps use the material in their publications. In summary, this is a suggestion to consider using Public Relations as a communication in your Rotary Club on a quarterly basis and improve our external communication with the communities that we serve. BLOCKBUSTER ROTARIAN EVENT District 6080 / 6110 Joint Conference Hilton Branson Convention Center 200 E Main St, Branson, MO Click Here for Hotel Reservations Click Here for the Agenda After September 1st, a late registration fee of $25.00 will be assessed. The deadline for registrations is October 10, NO refunds will be given for cancellations or no shows after this date. Payment in full must be made by October 10, The hotel room rate is good through September 20, 2016.

4 Rotary District 6110 Newsletter AUGUST 2016 Page 4 RI PRESIDENT JOHN F. GERM PRESIDENT ROTARY CLUB OF CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE, USA John F. Germ is board chair and chief executive officer of Campbell and Associates Inc., consulting engineers. He joined the firm as an engineer in 1965 after four years in the U.S. Air Force. He serves on the boards of several organizations, including the board and executive committee of the Public Education Foundation, Orange Grove Center Inc., and as board chair of Blood Assurance Inc. He also is founder and treasurer of the Chattanooga State Technical Community College Foundation and president of the Tennessee Jaycee Foundation. He was Tennessee Young Man of the Year in 1970; Engineer of the Year, 1986; Volunteer Fundraiser of the Year, 1992; and Tennessee Community Organizations Volunteer of the Year, He is a recipient of the Boy Scouts Silver Beaver Award and the Arthritis Foundation Circle of Hope Award. In 2013, the White House recognized him as a Champion of Change. Germ joined Rotary in 1976 and has served Rotary as vice president, director, Foundation trustee and vice chair, aide to the Foundation trustee chair, chair of Rotary s US$200 Million Challenge, RI Board Executive Committee member, RI president s aide, Council on Legislation representative and chair, membership zone coordinator, chair of numerous committees, area coordinator, RI training leader, and district governor. Germ has received RI s Service Above Self Award and The Rotary Foundation s Citation for Meritorious Service and Distinguished Service Award. He and his wife, Judy, are Benefactors and members of the Arch Klumph Society of The Rotary Foundation. They have four children and six grandchildren.

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