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Blaine JohnsonDistrict Governor 2018-2019
It may be cliché, but the opportunity to serve as your District Governor in 2018-19 is a heartfelt honor and a privilege. Together with District Governor Elect Rick Bricker, District Governor Nominee Bob McLean, and the countless others that have answered the call to service, our leadership team is poised to heed Rotary International President Barry Rassin’s call to Be the Inspiration!
The year ahead will be filled with many opportunities for Rotarians to Be the Inspiration, and what a better way to start off this year’s theme than with Camp RYLA. Led by outstanding directors Beth Althoff, Nick Kroshus, and Liz Kapella, and assisted by a number of facilitators, Camp RYLA engaged young leaders from across our District with life changing, transformational skills. The proof of the lasting effect that RYLA has is evident by the number of facilitators that return from all over the country each year to pass on the knowledge and experience they themselves received years before as campers. It is a tremendous group of individuals, and we owe them all a huge amount of gratitude. They each exemplify the spirit of Rotary and our motto Service Above Self.
Barry Rassin
President 2018-19
One year ago, your Rotary International Board of Directors adopted a new vision statement, reflecting our aspirations for our organization and its future. It reads, “Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.”
That simple sentence distills so much of what is essential about Rotary. We unite, because we know that we are far stronger together than we could ever be alone. We take action, because we are not dreamers, but doers. We work to create lasting change that will endure long after our involvement has ended – across the globeand in our communities. And perhaps most important of all, we work to create change in ourselves – not just building a better world around us, but becoming better people ourselves.
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We are excited to announce that our district will be presenting One Rotary Summits on September, 15 in Duluth and October, 13 in Fargo. These summits emphasize how Membership, Public Image, and Humanitarian Service through The Rotary Foundation activities can build a strong club. It's a unique and effective way to help club members understand and become truly engaged in the opportunities offered by Rotary. Watch for more information!
District 5580 is now calling for nominations for the office of District Governor for the Rotary year 2021-2022, and qualified Rotarians may submit a nomination for consideration by the District Nominating Committee. The Nominee must submit the following documents: 
Submitted by: Holly Anderson Battocchi, International Service Chair, Fargo-Moorhead PM Rotary Club, ShelterBoxUSA Ambassador
The Mississippi Expedition for ShelterBox is underway, thanks in no small part to many of you who have supported Erik and had us speak to your club, donated to the cause or came out to Itasca to send him off Saturday July 7th! https://www.facebook.com/MississippiExpedition/videos/2061280027524610/
Mississippi Expedition for ShelterBox #ME4SB
Erik Elsea, President of Cape Coral, FL, Rotary Club and ShelterBox Ambassador, embarked on a three-month adventure July 7 to raise awareness about Rotary and ShelterBox by canoeing solo down the Mississippi River from source to sea.
Follow the Expedition
Submitted By: Bob McLean, District Governor- NomineeInspiration AROUND EVERY CORNER…
Canada’s own Justin Trudeau, Former First Lady Laura Bush, The first woman Prime Minister of New Zealand (and UN Development Administrator) Helen Clark, the Princess Royal Anne, Haiti’s Prime Minister Dr Jack Guy Lafontant… these were just some of the “headliner” speakers that addressed a gathering of 24,000 Rotarians from around the world at this year’s Rotary International Convention in Toronto.
Inspiration was a wonderfully appropriate theme for an outstanding week in this cosmopolitan city. It was also a week that reaffirmed for me a clear sense of HOPE for a better world. Those final steps for eradicating POLIO, once and for all, were highlighted AND you could feel Rotary is ready to fully embrace its Six Areas of Focus with WaSH (Water and Sanitation/Hygiene) and PEACE initiatives at the forefront of Rotary’s work. With so many challenges and disasters that we hear and read about from around the world, this conference demonstrated that Rotarians are truly “People of ACTION!”
This learning adventure started two days before the convention with the annual WASRAG (Water And Sanitation/Hygiene Rotary Action Group). The day was packed with exceptional keynote speeches and significant breakouts. We heard from Peter Lochery, Senior Fellow from CARE. Bud Rock, Principal of Global Water 2020, Chris Dunston from Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Silvia Gaya, Senior Advisor to WASH – UNICEF and outstanding remarks by RI President-Elect Barry Rassin.
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Submitted by: Matt JohnsonI was a Junior Rotarian this past year and I learned so much from that experience. This past week I have been in Spain for a travel abroad trip with my Spanish teacher and a few of my classmates. We traveled around the central and southern parts of the country including Madrid, Sevilla, and Malaga. One of the side trips we went on was out to Gibraltar, an English territory. Walking towards the Rock of Gibraltar something caught my eye- a Rotary gear! I knew Rotary was an international organization but wow, that was cool. It truly amazes me that our team, our family, of Rotarians extends this far and I know even farther. Thank you everyone for the amazing work you do to better our community, our country, and our planet.
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At Duluth Harbortown Rotary’s changing of the guard, the founding father and first president of this 34 year old club, Don Holm, accepted the Don Holm fund keepsake from his son, Duane Holm, past Harbortown President and shortly after was as pleasantly surprised as the rest of us to learn that his grandson, Max, would be the Harbortown President in 2019-20! Don, who’s determination to become a Rotarian, even after a classification decision kept him from Duluth Club #25, was joined by his wife, sons and daughters and spouses and grand children as the fund announcement was made.
Submitted by: Susan Kasbeer, Ely Rotary Club PR ChairFor thirty years Ely Rotary has held an auction as its single big fundraiser to support all of its activities. Gradually the club added smaller, targeted fundraisers in aid of specific causes, like our Penny Jars that support the Ely Area Food Shelf, but the annual auction remains our major source of funds. Held each August, the auction has generated as much as twenty thousand dollars for club projects.
This year the club is broadening its efforts to include the raffle of a side-by-side ATV and trailer. Tickets for the Polaris 570 Ranger and 12 foot Karavan trailer are $50, with only 400 tickets available. Drawing for the winning ticket will be held at the August 15 Auction and winners need not be present to win. For more details or to purchase a ticket, please call Susan at 218-365-8480.