This story in TIME Magazine (read it here) gives an excellent overview of why it is important to finish the job of stamping out polio world wide. The article was written on January 3 of this year and is succinct. It will take a couple of minutes to read, but will give you a reason for why we are pursuing polio to the bitter end; even in the face of the recent killings of polio workers in Pakistan, by the Taliban. Please contact me for any questions.

Mark Anderson

5490 District Polio Chair

This is your chance to open your Rotary heart to those who really, really need you. Because of YOU the children you immunize will NEVER have polio. Sign up!

(Excerpt from Images AZ magazine Dec. 31, 2012 - Written by Jenny Brooks. Photographer Mike Spinelli)

If you missed this year’s Anthem North Gateway Chamber of Commerce holiday event, you missed one heck of a party! For the first time Anthem Community Council and Anthem North Gateway Chamber of Commerce co-hosted the event. There were more than 140 people in attendance for this jolly event, and with food aplenty, socializing and networking were in full swing.

On December 20, 2012 the Rotary Club of the Verde Valley had the honor of adopting a local family of five for the holiday season.  After two weeks the Club was able to provide shoes, pants, tops, jackets, coats and toys for each child in the family. Also collected were hygiene products and cash to enhance the gift.  (Pictured left to right are Victoria Michael, Lana Tolleson, Mark Pelletier, Margie Beach, Leonard Miller, Brian Sawyer, Dino Viotti and Mark Tufte)

Preview Lisbon’s old-world charm and new-world flair with RI President Sakuji Tanaka. Portugal’s capital offers Rotarians breathtaking views, rich history and culture, and some of the country’s finest shopping and dining.

Rotary gets ready to explore Lisbon

Good Day Rotarian Peace Leaders,

The Rotary Peace Centers would like to congratulate you on your candidate’s recent selection as a Rotary Peace Fellow! The fellowship is a globally competitive and prestigious award. You should be proud of your club and district’s work in finding a successful candidate.

Now why not announce your accomplishment to your community!

Here is press release guide to announce your club or district’s achievement. We encourage you to send a press release to your local newspapers, news sources or the fellow’s alumni universities.
A press release template is available in all Rotary languages from [email protected]. Feel free to customize the press releases with additional information about your fellow and/or a quote from your fellow.

Announcing your success helps us get the word out about the Rotary Peace Fellowship. Applications for the 2014 Rotary Peace Fellowship will be available in January at www.rotary.org/rotarycenters. If you have any questions please email niki.fritz@rotary.org.

Cheers

Niki

Aloha!

It is my pleasure to extend President Tanaka’s personal invitation to attend the Rotary Global Peace Forum in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. The forum will take place 25-27 January 2013.

 The theme of the Honolulu Peace Forum is “The Green Path to Peace” and will focus on empowering the New Generations’ visions of peace. You will have the opportunity to:

• Hear inspiring calls to action from Rotary leaders and other special guests
• Participate in interactive workshops to enhance your peace-building skills: communication, collaboration, service, and advocacy
• Learn how social media tools can be used to advance peace
• Engage with young adults and help them express their ideas, plan peace projects, and become catalysts for peace
• Partner with the crew of the Hokule’a Voyaging Canoe as they embark on a three-year journey around the world to spread messages of peace
• Learn about Hawaiian history and culture and enjoy local entertainment

For additional details and information on how to register, please visit the Honolulu Peace Forum website. Information on all three Rotary Global Peace Forums scheduled for 2012-13 can be found on President Tanaka’s web page, www.rotary.org/peaceforums. 

This event is open to all Rotarians, friends of Rotary, and young adults, so please share this information freely and encourage others to attend. We hope to see you in Honolulu to share Peace Through Service.

Sincerely,

Luis Vicente Giay
Past President, Rotary International
Chair and Convener of the Rotary Global Peace Forums

(SLIDE PRESENTATION HERE) Nutrition has always been a priority and we believe this issue should be addressed with the collaboration of active and sensitive groups such as Rotary which maintain a clear vision towards this specific need at a global scale, we share your vision and approach.

Attached you will find the proposal of the nutrition project with the requirements as well as budgeting information for you to review, we plan to benefit 1760 children and their families in isolated Indian communities (Yaqui and Mayo) where life conditions are extreme, the goal is to prevent them from malnourishment.

Included (HERE) is financial data to this point.

Your advocacy is of high importance for this project, your assistance in connecting with other groups in the Phoenix area may lead our Rotary Club in Obregon to a successful relationship and bring major benefits in the health, nutrition, and well being of the neediest.

Just like yourself, I do hope we can accomplish a great relationship with more Rotary Clubs and Districts; we just added District 5490 to our Facebook network and take this opportunity to compliment you for your efforts.

Muchas Gracias,

Jorge Valenzuela

Community Project Director

Club Rotario Obregon Sur ID 6868

Call for District Governor Nominee Candidates to serve as District Governor 2015-2016

(NOMINATION FORM HERE.)  The District Governor is the chairperson of the District Nominating Committee. The next meeting of the nomination committee shall be on March 9, 2013, starting at 1000 hrs. at the offices of The Rotary Club of Phoenix (Phoenix 100) located at 501 W. Osborn Rd, Phoenix, Arizona and for the purpose of choosing a District Governor for 2015-2016 and such other business as shall come before that committee.

It is the responsibility of every Rotarian in the district to encourage qualified leaders to make the gift of time and talent. If you know a Rotarian who might be willing, offer to work to support them if they are selected. The commitment includes nearly two years of quality training and preparation and one fun year of service to the district. It is not a decision to take lightly. It can, however, be very rewarding yet challenging.

QUALIFICATIONS FOR GOVERNOR NOMINEE:
15.070. Unless specifically excused by the board, no person shall be selected as nominee for governor unless the Rotarian has the following qualifications at the time of selection.
15.070.1. Rotarian in Good Standing.
The Rotarian must be a member in good standing of a functioning club in the district.
15.070.2. Rotarian Maintaining Full Qualifications of Membership.
The Rotarian must have full qualifications for such membership in the strict application
of the provisions therefor, and the integrity of the Rotarian’s classification must be
without question.

Rocky Mountain Rotary Leadership Institute invites you to attend its next RLI course.

This is advance notice so you can post March 23rd on your 2013 calendar.    

WHAT: Rocky Mountain Rotary Leadership Institute 

WHEN: Saturday, March 23, 2013

WHERE: Crowne Plaza Phoenix, 2532 W. Peoria (@I-17)

VISIT WEBSITE PAGE

DOWNLOAD REGISTRATION FORM

DOWNLOAD INFORMATION SHEET

Ask any RLI graduate and you'll find RLI is something you'll want to experience for yourself. The training is open to all District Rotarians regardless of their number of years in Rotary. I strongly encourage each club to promote this exceptional training to your club members. Complete and mail the registration form as indicated.

Questions should be directed to Kevin Pitts, RLI Coordinator at 928-778-4512 or email Kevin at [email protected]

NOTE: In the past, there was a communications glitch for those who registered on-line through District 5490's Events. Therefore, all registrations and checks for March 23, 2013 sessions are to be mailed to me at the address on the attached registration form. Thank you.

Yours in Rotary,

Jo Ann Oxsen

Gary Whiting, PDG and Gift of Life-AZ Board President -

Since 1989 Michael Teodori, M D has volunteered his surgical skills, knowledge and time to help GOL-AZ save the lives of needy children from around the world who were suffering from congenital heart defects.  As such, over these many years he has performed over 60 of the most complex heart surgeries confronting some of the now 282 GOL-AZ children that have been helped so they now have a chance at a normal and healthy life.

Dr. Teodori is the Clinical Professor and the Director of Pediatric and Adult Congenital Cardiac Surgery at the University of Arizona Health Center and recently was voted as one of the “Best top docs in America” by his peers and was honored at the 2011 Hon Kachina Volunteer Award Celebration with the prestigious Hon Kachina Award in recognition of his volunteerism in Arizona.  

As a way of expressing a THANK YOU by Rotarians, Dr. Teodori was presented a Paul Harris Award from Rotary District 5500 and a Heart Sculpture representing the goal of 300 children by end of this Rotary year from the Gift of Life-Arizona Board.

Reprinted article by Rachel Trott, West Valley View Newspaper www.westvalleyview.com

As a joint effort between the Rotary Club of Buckeye and the Goodyear White Tanks Rotary Club, the charity bingo hall’s grand opening at 3690 S. Estrella Parkway in Goodyear brought in more than 170 people to the 7,200-square-foot location, almost to its max capacity of 200. “We were so pleased with the turnout,” Rotary member Vince Evans said. “We put a lot of time and effort into it. It’s been a group effort and we finally made it happen.”

“We based it off of a Rotary club up in Washington that has been in business for 20 years now and has raised more than $7 million for the community,” Evans said. “That’s why this is a big deal. This is a legacy-type business that can really affect the nonprofits in the area.” While both Rotary clubs will continue to give to nonprofits with grants, the bingo hall will allow four to five organizations to apply to be a “nonprofit of the month.”

Read entire article here...

THIS is Peace Through Service... Our District like so many others world wide are making the effort to assist our fellow citizens on the East Coast. I have authorized an initial donation of $1200 from RD 5490. If your club wishes to help with a donation please send it directly to Walter D. Head Foundation of Rotary District 7490, c/o Calisto Bertin, Bertin Engineering, 66 Glen Avenue, Glen Rock, NJ 07452.

Dear Friends throughout the Rotary world and beyond...

It has now been almost a week since Hurricane Sandy attacked New Jersey and New York.  All of the seven District governors in the area whose Districts were most affected  have been in contact with one another, and I would like to give you an update on what has happened to each of our areas, as well as a list of both immediate and long-term needs as we know them now.

At Zones 24 and 32's director Bryn Sykes suggestion, we are all working together to get donated supplies to the right area.  We are asking that cash donations be made to one fund, the Walter D. Head Foundation if Rotary District 7490, c/o Calisto Bertin ( our DGN), Bertin Engineering, 66 Glen Avenue, Glen Rock, NJ 07452.  By tomorrow, we will also have a way those who wish to do so can wire transfer money or donate on-line or using PayPal or other major credit cards.  We will split whatever donations are given among the six affected districts, although we may decide to give more to those districts that are most affected( see below).  That information will be on the website  (created as part of a mufti-district PR grant we received from Rotary International): www.nynjrotary.org.  We will keep that site updated with the latest information every other day. We will also post information on the individual Districts' foundations, as we receive them, on our joint website at www.nynjrotary.org.

Andrea Shields stands by a shelter box tent displayed in Locomotive Park during the Kingman Route 66 Rotary Club's Oktoberfest. She is a Rotary member and the ambassador for the international Shelter Box Program, which provides a box with a tent and supplies to people who lose their homes in disasters. In cold climates, the tents include a liner for added warmth. In warm climates, there may be extra mosquito nets. The tents are large and can withstand 120-mile-an-hour winds. The shelter box also includes a water filter, vital for areas that do not have safe drinking water. For more information on the program, call Andrea at 757-2802 or visit www.shelterboxusa.org.

Content: Kingman Daily Miner

It seems like almost every club could use a program now and again. This could provide red meat for some. - DG Craig Wilson

Erin Worrell Scheduler National Beef Speaker's Bureau, asked us to share this information with Clubs in our District, especially those in the Phoenix area. Our speaker has visited some Rotary Clubs in Tucson but is also willing to go to Phoenix. The Beef Checkoff and the American National CattleWomen, Inc. would appreciate the opportunity to share the Beef Story. It is the story of today’s farmers and ranchers, how beef is raised, where it comes from and what makes it safe and sustainable. The average American today is at least two generations removed from agriculture, meaning that future generations may not understand how food is raised or who raises it. This is a free public service program from farmers and ranchers for your group.

As the world observes the United Nations’ annual International Day of Peace on Sept. 21, more than 680 alumni of Rotary’s Peace Centers  program are applying ‘lessons-learned’ in conflict prevention and resolution in key decision-making positions in governments and organizations around the world. Interested in becoming involved? Then read on...

Rotary clubs have long embraced the call for peace at the grassroots level by addressing the underlying causes of conflict and violence, such as hunger, poverty, disease and illiteracy. Ten years ago, the international humanitarian organization of volunteer service clubs decided to take a direct approach to world understanding by providing future leaders with the tools they need to “wage peace” on the global stage.

This article is a nice reminder about how we can foster or hinder creativity in those around us.  It is a simple message but one I thought might help us remember how to motivate volunteers and achieve success.  Thanks for taking a minute to read the short document. - DG Randy Brooks, Rotary District 5500

By: Steven Garrett, Southern CA, Dist 5300

Never having the experience of working for someone who failed to deliver a paycheck on the date and time expected leaves me with the question of how I would react under those circumstances. I suspect I would not continue working at that place for very long.

While Rotary doesn't issue paychecks that can be deposited into your bank account, Rotary does pay off in the form of what I call 'karma points' or good feelings. Famous behavioral psychologist Abraham Maslow explains that individuals work to fulfill a need, and in the case of most Rotarians that need is what he called self-actualization.

I always thought that what was done was very good; I had no idea that what we did was outstanding and absolutely VITAL to the people of the Mosiro. My only wish is that each of our Rotarians could feel what I felt when I saw the transformation of the area. I am humbled to be a part of this organization.

The Rotary project team visited Mosiro in August, 2012, and were treated to a huge celebration by the school children, the Maasai and community leaders.  The impacts of this project far exceeded our expectations. 

·        There are fewer animal encounters (with subsequent maiming and deaths) due to reducing the need to walk to far away water sources.

·        There has been an improvement in the health of the community and a virtual elimination of Trachoma (a bacterial disease of the eye leading to blindness).

District 5490 is participating in an exciting new fundraising program to benefit our New Generations Avenue of Service.  All you have to do is shop ‘till you drop at:   WWW.ShopNewGeneragions.COM featuring thousands of stores like Kohl’s, GAP, Banana Republic, Victoria’s Secret, Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s JCPenney, Target, Best Buy, Apple, Home Depot, Bass Pro Shops and many more. When you make a purchase, New Generations receives royalties and you earn up to 35% cash back on qualified purchases.

Goodyear White Tanks Rotary Club and the Rotary Club of Buckeye have entered into a joint agreement to bring Bingo entertainment and fun to the Southwest Valley community with our goal and focus being to help our nonprofits and our many charities with their much needed fundraising efforts to support their projects.

NEWS from our neighboring District, 5500:

John Hewko and his spouse, Marga, will be in Tucson, Arizona participating in the El Tour de Tucson and the Rotary Bike Ride to End Polio.  This is exciting news for our District goal to help eradicate polio by raising $200,000 this year during the event.  Riders and Rotarians will travel to Tucson from around the world to be part of this amazing event.  Last year we had 85 Rotarians join us for this ride.  This year we hope to welcome 200 riders.  John will be riding the 109 mile event and Marga has not chosen her distance as of yet.  Governor Randy Brooks and his spouse Deb will again ride the 42 mile leg of the race. 

Despite the dramatic drop in polio cases in the last year, the threat of continued transmission due to funding and immunization gaps has driven the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPI to launch the Global Polio Emergency Action Plan 2012-13. 

rotary.org article published May 25 2012