2024 ROTARY DISTRICT 5580 CONFERENCE

District 5580 Conference 
APRIL 11 - 13, 2024
 
“Healthy Minds - Healthy Environment”
CREATE HOPE IN THE WORLD
 
RAMADA BY WYNDHAM, FARGO, ND

District 5580 Conference

(Healthy Minds, Healthy Environment)

WHAT: The Rotary International 2023-24 Theme is Create Hope in the World.  DG Dave Long wants our District Conference to focus on our mental well-being, sharing hope and protecting the environment.  So come and explore Nature’s powerful benefits for our communities’ mental health and well-being and the ways Rotary can create hope for our planet and the people who live here through our international connections with the world around us.
WHY: Our goal is to inspire Rotarians to connect with nature, noticing the impact that this connection can have for our mental health.  Secondly, to convince decision-makers at all levels that access to, and quality of nature is a mental health and social justice issue as well as an environmental one that Rotarians are uniquely poised to influence. And thirdly, to give Rotarians from across our large district the opportunity to meet, share ideas, form collaborations & connections, which also is shown to improve mental health and increase longevity.  Finally, to learn more about and enjoy our region’s beautiful and bounteous natural areas and resources.
WHEN & WHERE: April 11-13, 2024 @ the Fargo Ramada Inn.  April 11th will consist of D5580 Committee meetings.  The F-M Rotary clubs have organized an exceptional “Recital with a Cause” (free attendance - all are welcome) beginning at 7 pm (transportation will be provided from Ramada) with an Icebreaker slated at the Ramada to begin at 9 pm.  Friday & Saturday will include inspirational and thought-provoking plenary sessions beginning at 9 am each day, with social activities following.
Registration is now available, but you must register by March 15, 2024, or the price increases by $50 each.  Full Conference registration including buffet lunches and plated dinners Friday & Saturday will be $170 for Rotarians, $140 for spouse of significant other or $125 for Rotaract/Interact.  (single day options are available).
We plan for a House of Friendship for clubs to display their projects, for vendors (multiple apparel vendors); and for silent auction items (we ask that each club bring an item of a minimum $100 value to auction with proceeds going to Polio Plus.  Bidders will be given credit toward their next Paul Harris level.
We’ve arranged for free time on Friday from 3-5 pm for our family fun time.  If you plan to bring your family, ask the Ramada (when you reserve a room) for a pool side room.  The Ramada has slides going from the 2nd floor directly into the pool.  Another choice may be to tour the FM Rotary clubs’ joint projects (The Universal Playground, The Miracle Field, and the newly constructed Natural Playground).  For those golfers in D5580, we have a new venue in town called Suite Shots where you can tee off on an elevated platform and swing away!
We want all Rotarians to leave with satisfaction that this was a most meaningful and memorable District Conference!

ACCOMODATIONS

Ramada by Wyndham Fargo

3333 13th Ave South, Fargo, North Dakota 58103

Welcome to the Fargo Moorhead Area

You might recognize our name from the 1996 film, Fargo, or hit FX series featuring thick Midwestern accents, white barren landscape, and the infamous woodchipper scene (we have the original on display!). While the accents are mildly accurate and it is pretty flat, everything else is completely unexpected – or as we like to call it, North of Normal. Come see for yourself.

Clancy Clark

Author - Speaker - Coach

In my 30-plus years of successful sales experience, I have quickly risen to the top of three different agri-business companies, in three different decades, in three vastly different geographical regions of the country. Now, I’m building a writing, speaking, and coaching platform based on helping others be more fulfilled and successful in their careers and in their lives.
Our lives are the sum of the choices we make, and, through times both joyous and challenging, I have taken to heart how my choices impact the quality of my life. I’ve lived a life of intuition, following the callings which give my life purpose and not concerning myself with what others may think. It has made for a freeing, fulfilling life, and everyone should have the opportunity to do the same with their own life.
Among the most essential choices I’ve ever made was to live to serve others. In the spirit of my purpose and my unique gifts, my mission is to help you realize your own dreams and attain your own fulfillment.
Author of:
"LOVE YOUR WORK LIVE YOUR DREAM",
"SELLING BY SERVING"

Chuck Johnson

The Night Before Gettysburg

An original, historically accurate, one-act play written and performed by Chuck Johnson.

Chuck Johnson from Perham, wrote “The Night Before Gettysburg" in 2021, to compete in a one-act play contest in Wadena, and won the competition. He got national recognition when Destination Gettysburg invited him to perform in Gettysburg in 2022 and 2023, and he’ll perform there again in 2024

 
“The Night Before Gettysburg” is a 1-man, 3-scene, 1-act play, in which Abraham Lincoln finishes writing the Gettysburg Address in his bedroom the night before the speech. In Scene 1, Lincoln talks directly to the audience, explaining events that led up to the Battle of Gettysburg.  Scene 2 takes place in his bedroom in 1863 as he finishes the speech.  He is torn as he grapples with slavery, racism, war carnage and the deaths of two of his children; and recounts the battle as told to him by General Meade.  Scene 3 is the presentation of the Gettysburg Address. 

Erin Stieg

Speaker - Coach - Instructor
Erin is a Rotarian and a working mom of three who lives with her husband and family in Williston, North Dakota. She is a suicide attempt survivor who struggled with childhood and domestic abuse for much of her early life. Erin is a born-again Christian, Certified Health Coach, and Trauma Informed Yoga Instructor who is using what she has learned to overcome her traumatic past. By navigating effective forgiveness and radical acceptance through her faith, she is learning to heal, break generational curses, and live her best life

Tim Eggebraaten

Speaker - Entertainer - Musician

A police officer since 1992, Tim is now “Off Duty,” allowing him to take his inspirational message, award-winning music, and talent to the streets. A sought-after entertainer with a powerful life-changing message your attendees won’t soon forget. Tim shares remarkable, engaging stories of life on the force and his life lessons and translates them into our everyday lives.

Combining his witty take on life with his unique musical style that will have you tempted to bust-a-move, Tim will have you laughing and learning while encouraging you to fill your dance card with the right rhythm to work your own beat.

https://www.offdutychief.com/

Al Batt 

Writer - Speaker - Storyteller - Humorist

Al Batt of Hartland, Minnesota is a writer, speaker, storyteller and humorist. Al writes humor and nature columns for many newspapers and does regular radio shows about nature. He writes a number of popular cartoon strips that are syndicated nationally and is author of the book, "A Life Gone to the Birds." He is a columnist for "Bird Watcher’s Digest" and “Watching Backyard Birds,” and writes for a number of magazines and books. He is a trustee of the American Bald Eagle Foundation in Haines, Alaska. Al hosted TV shows for many years and speaks at various festivals, conferences and conventions all over the world. He has received the Ed Franey Conservation Media Award from the Izaak Walton League, the Thomas Sadler Roberts Award from the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union for lifetime contributions to birding, and was recognized by Bluebirds Across Nebraska for outstanding contributions to wildlife conservation. Al speaks to anyone who will listen. His mother thinks he’s a big deal.
 
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