Rotary District 5580 Cross Currents November 2020 (Nov 11, 2020)

NOVEMBER IS ROTARY FOUNDATION MONTH

PRESIDENTIAL MESSAGE

Rotary International President, Holger Knaack (Presidential message retrieved from: https://my.rotary.org/en/news-media/office-president/presidential-message)

We all know Rotary's tremendous power to transform our communities and ourselves. However, in every community, people have been left out, and we have not made a strong enough effort to reach them.

DISTRICT GOVERNOR MESSAGE

District Governor Robert (Bob) McLean and his wife Terri pictured with RI President Elect Holger Knacck and his wife Susanne

Gratitude - the foundation of The Rotary Foundation

This week, as part of the November theme of The Rotary Foundation (TRF), Rotarians and Rotaractors from Ontario to Latin America gathered (via Zoom) in celebration of the contributions that were made to TRF this past year.

DISTRICT CONFERENCE: APRIL 29 - MAY 1, 2021 - BEMIDJI, MN

Submitted by: District 5580 Conference Committee

Learn more at the 2021 Rotary District 5580 Conference Website

LITERACY CORNER: LITERACY AS A PRE-CONDITION FOR PEACE

Submitted by: Marjorie McPeak, District 5580 Literacy Coordinator

One of the goals of Rotary International is to strengthen the capacity of communities to support basic education and literacy. In 1985 Rotary declared basic literacy to be a pre-condition in order to develop world peace.

There are three basic areas of service for literacy.

Early Childhood Literacy which encourages reading skills at an early age.
Adult Literacy programs for those lacking the skills needed to hold a job or perform basic tasks required by everyday life.
Literacy and Women that recognizes the need in many parts of the world where girls do not have access to education.

Many of our clubs have Literacy Projects ranging from the distribution of Dictionaries to school children to volunteering as tutors through the local school system, plus others that are creative and unique. Is your Club involved in a Literacy Project? If not, check with education leaders in your community. Supporting literacy is another service that not only helps the community but also promotes our Public Image.

PUBLIC IMAGE IN THE AGE OF COVID-19

Originally appeared here.

By: Laura Spear, Assistant Rotary Public Image Coordinator for Zone 32

How can your club promote your activities and service projects if almost all of it is virtual today? Your club’s website and social media channels are now more important than ever.

ZONE MEMBERSHIP RESOURCES

Submitted by: Past-District 5580 Governor Craig Loughery, District 5580 Membership Chair

YOUTH PROTECTION CERTIFICATION

Submitted by: Lynn Hunt, District 5580 Youth Protection Officer, United States

Hello all you wonderful Rotarians.

Your efforts to support your communities and the world are noted and appreciated.

Now let’s focus on Youth Protection Current status. out of 66 Clubs in our District, only 18 or 29% have sent the Youth Protection Resolution to us. So Please do this ASAP. It is so simple to do this.. Print out the document.. Sign it during a board meeting.. And then send a copy/ electronically to us.. And it is done..

CREATIVE VIRTUAL FUNDRAISING IDEAS

Originally appeared in the Region 36 Rotary Article.

From Tim Murphy:

The purpose of this list is to provide virtual fundraising ideas to Rotary clubs, including fundraising projects that can be safely conducted during COVID-19. The list will be updated as new ideas emerge. Many of the ideas are general and clubs can learn more details and see examples of actual fundraisers by searching for the idea online. In some cases, we have included links to specific examples or provided contact information for more details.

SHELTERBOX UPDATE: 20 YEARS OF GRATITUDE: HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Submitted by: Allison Kingston, Community Fundraising Coordinator, ShelterBox Canada, Rotaract Club of Toronto

ShelterBox and Rotary are official project partners in international disaster relief. ShelterBox is a registered charity independent of Rotary International and the Rotary Foundation

ShelterBox Update

DECEMBER 2020

20 YEARS OF GRATITUDE: Home for the Holidays

As the calendar year comes to a close and we reach the half-way point of the Rotary year, families all over the world are gathering in new ways to find gratefulness in being together, however that may look. Thank to our supporters in 2020, ShelterBox has been able to ensure that over 25,000 families have a home for the holidays. Home is the center of all that we do at ShelterBox, the same way as home is central to our lives, families, and communities.

CLUB NEWS

Editor's Note: This section showcases news items submitted by clubs. Clubs are encouraged to send news items for inclusion in "Cross Currents".

In this month's Club News we would like to ask what your club is doing during the COVID-19 Coronavirus outbreak that is keeping clubs from holding face-to-face meetings throughout much of District 5580 pursuant to the U.S. Center for Disease Control recommendations against any gatherings where 10 or more people are in the same location.

We encourage District 5580 clubs to share what you are doing to help your communities during this challenging time!

Click "read more" to view events and news shared by fellow District 5580 Clubs!

HONORING ROTARIANS

Editor's Note: This section honors the Rotary legacy of District 5580 Rotarians who have passed away during each month. Clubs are encouraged to send information and share reflections for inclusion in "Cross Currents".

This month we remember David Rutford of Rotary Club of Duluth 25 and Randy McCarty of the Grand Rapids Rotary Club.

VISIT A ROTARY CLUB ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD FROM THE COMFORT OF YOUR HOME

You can visit a Rotary Club anywhere is the World!! You can also add your club to the list and you could have an international visitor at your next club meeting!

While the world deals with the Covid-19 pandemic, more and more Rotary clubs are meeting online via Zoom or streaming their meetings on Facebook. The Rotary Club of Mt Lawley is creating a list of online Rotary club meetings happening around the world so that you can "visit" other clubs.

To add information on your online club meetings and to access the database, please take a short moment to fill out this form bit.ly/addmyonlinemeeting

View the list of online meetings here: https://bit.ly/OnlineRotaryMeetingsDatabase.

NEWSLETTER INFORMATION

Newsletter articles contain a Social Media Share Bar allowing them to be shared on various Social Media platforms.

Articles and photos for the District Newsletter can be sent to District Administrator, Gloria Mink, at gloriad5580@outlook.com and to Newsletter Editor, Greg Carlson, at gregory.carlson@ndus.edu. Articles should be sent in Microsoft Word format. Photos should be sent in .jpeg format. Past newsletter issues may be viewed here.