Please email John Smith at [email protected] as soon as possible to confirm your attendance at one of these important training sessions.  You can also register online by clicking on the event that you plan to attend under the District Events column on the right side of this home page.  Then follow the steps requested.

A "light" supper will be available at each location.  This is another reason that a very close to accurate head count is needed.  So, please register today to attend.

On behalf of DG Judy Walker, DGE Christina Dougherty, thank you in advance for your valuable assistance in this important effort to get all PEs to attend one of these sessions.  Your continued service and support of Rotary in District 6540 is greatly appreciated.

Presidents-Elect Training Seminar (PETS) is a mandatory and vital training program for all Presidents-Elect for Rotary Clubs within a given district or group of districts (multi PETS). The purpose of the PETS is to provide club presidents with the necessary skills, knowledge, and motivation to lead an effective club. This training takes place in all countries of the Rotary world, currently every year during March.

This year the Great Lakes Rotary PETS session will be held March 14 - 16, 2013, at the Radisson Plaza Hotel and Suites, located at 100 West Michigan Avenue, in Kalamazoo, MI.

Great Lakes Rotary PETS is a multi PETS that includes Districts, 6290 - NW Michigan plus Wawa Ontario, 6310 - NE Michigan, 6360 - SW Michigan, 6380 - four SE Michigan counties and Kent Co., Ontario, 6400 - SE Michigan, including Detroit, plus Essex Co. Ontario, and 6540 - Northern Indiana.

For registration information including future dates, maps, etc., please visit the Great Lakes Rotary PETS website at www.GreatLakesRotaryPets.org to sign up to attend the 2013 Great Lakes Rotary PETS today. 

Attention all Rotarians and friends of Rotary in District 6540.  For your convenience, online registration is now available to sign up to attend the 2013 Rotary District Conference Celebration to be held at the Radisson Star Plaza in Merrillville, IN, April 26 & 27.  For additional information about the District Conference celebration, click here to review the upcoming events, breakout session topics, guest speakers and much more.

You can purchase a complete conference ticket pass to attend the conference on Friday and Saturday.  Or you can purchase a single day ticket pass for just Friday or Saturday attendance.  Ticket passes cover the cost of meals and other conference related expenses.  You must purchase one of the options above to attend the conference in advance, as no tickets will be sold on-site during the conference.

      >  Only two rehearsals – Saturday, March 9 and Saturday, April 13, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. EDT, at Lindenwood Conference Center on the grounds of Ancilla College, in Donaldson, IN
>  Dress rehearsal at the conference – April 26
>  Music provided
>  Practice CD provided
>  Fun time guaranteed

Our own Professor Harold Hill (PDG Jim Jeselnick) already has been drumming up business!  Please come join us!

Dear fellow Rotarians,

In December, I spoke at the first of the three Rotary Global Peace Forums we have planned for this Rotary year. This first event, with the theme “Peace Without Borders,” was held in Berlin, the home of the Berlin Peace Clock. The clock, intended as a piece of art, is 3 meters high and weighs over 2 tons. On its side are inscribed the words, Time bursts all walls asunder.

The clock was unveiled on 9 November 1989. That was the day the Berlin Wall fell. It was a wonderful coincidence that the moment the hands on the clock began to move, the orders were given to open the border to West Berlin. The words written on the side of the clock had come true.

In Rotary, we do not divide our work by nation, culture, or language. It does not matter what is printed in your passport. What matters is that you believe in Service Above Self. But even in Rotary, it is easy to think in terms of countries or communities. This project may help someone in my own community, or that project may help someone from Germany, or Kenya, or South Africa. Sometimes we think of different types of borders. This project, we think, helps the young. This helps the elderly. This helps people who are hungry, poor, or sick, or who have disabilities.

The truth is that Service Above Self does not know such borders. When we serve, the impact is not limited to our community, or the community we are helping. We are not only helping the young, or the elderly, or this school, or that orphanage. When we serve, we are helping all of humanity. The effects of what we do go on and on.

When we put Service Above Self, we are making a choice. We are choosing to put other people’s needs ahead of our own desires. We are saying, “Your problems are my problems, and I care enough to help you.”

Rotary brings peace by addressing the needs that cause conflict: the need for clean water, for nutrition, sanitation, and health care. When these needs are met, there is opportunity. And there is hope. Hope has no borders. It is the garden from which peace can grow.

Peace Through Service brings out the best in us. It makes us aware of the borders we set up around ourselves – and it helps us tear them down.

Sakuji Tanaka

President, Rotary International

It takes attending a Rotary International Convention to comprehend how international Rotary truly is.  You meet Rotarians who are passionate about what we can and do accomplish to embody Peace Through Service.  And you come home with more great ideas than you can imagine!

I attended the Bangkok convention and made friends with interesting people from Australia, East Africa, Germany, throughout Asia, Latin America and, of course, North America.  Almost every country you could name was represented.

I invite you to experience Rotarians from around the world at this Rotary year’s international convention in Lisbon, Portugal, June 23-26, 2013.

Based on my experience, I recommend the following:

• Book early.  Some group functions fill early.
• Extend your trip.  The schedule is full during those several days and you need time to adjust to the time change and to appreciate all that Lisbon and Portugal offer.
• Reserve at D6540’s designated hotel, the Marques de Pombal Hotel.  It’s a fantastic location on the main avenue of Lisbon at a moderate price (€150 including breakfast and VAT).
• Register to attend the 2013 RI Convention by December 15th, online at www.rotary.org to save additional cost.

Watch for more information about convention in the coming months but please, please take the initial step to register now and request space at our District 6540 hotel, the Marques de Pombal.

If you do not already work with a travel agency, I invite you to contact Dee Suski at Menno Travel/American Express Travel in Goshen for assistance with airfare and additional travel options.  Her e-mail is [email protected] and her phone number is (574) 534-1521.

Participate in the RI Lisbon convention and return home energized with passion for Rotary!

For additional information about the 2013 RI Convention and to see the RI Convention Newsletter, click on the 2013 RI Convention Info - Lisbon, Portugal in the Site Pages on the left side of our District 6540 Home Page.

RI President Elect Ron Burton has chosen the theme Engage Rotary, Change Lives, for his year as RI President in 2013 - 2014.  Ron urges every Rotarian to get involved, to get engaged, and to change lives, a perfect transition from current RI President Sakuji Tanaka.  It will continue to advance world understanding, goodwill and peace. Please join our District 6540 Leadership Team in wishing Ron and Jetta the best of luck during their special Rotary year.

DGE Christina Dougherty was in attendance for her intense week long training, in preparation to become our District Governor on July 1, 2013.

If you have any questions along the way, during this process, please feel free to contact John Smith, District Administrator or Steve Sorenson, DGN & Technology/Webmaster for assistance.

Almost 3,000 people have added their photo and joined the World's Biggest Commercial.  Add Your Photo.  Change the World.  Let’s Make History Together.  Click on this link to find out how you can be a part of it.   http://thisclose.endpolio.org/

February, 2013

Rotary was built upon the idea of advancing goodwill and understanding – it’s in our mission, and part of everything we do. The Rotary Foundation has six areas of focus, each of which is important. But every one of them depends on peace in the world. We can’t celebrate the World Day of Social Justice on 20 February unless we have peace. We can’t really celebrate World Understanding and Peace Day on 23 February, which also marks Rotary’s 108th year of existence, unless we can say that we are working for peace.

There are endless ways to help build peace in our world, through our clubs and through our Foundation. The polio eradication initiative, as the largest global public health initiative in history, is doing a tremendous amount to promote peace – by building partnerships between the public and private sectors, by improving health infrastructure and monitoring the poorest areas, and by making it clear to all that we cannot have a healthy world if even one child is forgotten.

Peace comes from sharing, and as many of you know, Rotary Shares is my personal answer to what each Rotarian should be doing. This month, which we celebrate in Rotary as World Understanding Month, the efforts of every district, club, and Rotarian should be directed toward doing something for peace.

Wilfrid J. Wilkinson
Foundation Trustee Chair 

Have you thought about what your Rotary legacy will be?

The Permanent Fund builds long-term stability for the future of The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International by providing an extra stream of income to meet an increasing demand for the Foundation's educational, humanitarian, and cultural programs.  We invite you to invest in tomorrow by joining Rotarians around the world, and throughout District 6540 in their efforts to improve and enrich lives of people around the globe.

A Benefactor of The Rotary Foundation is anyone who informs The Rotary Foundation in writing that he or she has made a provision in his or her will or other estate plan, naming the Foundation's Permanent Fund as a beneficiary; or by making an outright gift of $1,000 or more to the Permanent Fund.  Benefactor recognition consists of a certificate and insignia (Angel Wings) to be worn with a Rotary pin.

The Rotary Foundation also recognizes those couples or individuals who have made commitments in their estate plans totaling $10,000 or more, as a Bequest Society Member.  Donors may elect to receive an engraved crystal recognition piece and a Diamond Circle pin commemorating the commitment.

This support goes above and beyond your current Every Rotarian Every Year (EREY) annual contributions to The Rotary Foundation.  It is a commitment to the future in your estate planning.  

If you would like to receive a gift commitment card to complete, please contact any member of the Rotary District 6540 Foundation Committee or any member of the District Leadership Team.  Your legacy will make a lasting difference in the world!  Thank you for your consideration.

Interact is Rotary International's service club for young people ages 12 to 18. Interact clubs are sponsored by individual Rotary clubs, which provide support and guidance, but they are self-governing and self-supporting.

Club membership varies greatly. Clubs can be single gender or mixed, large or small. They can draw from the student body of a single high school or from two or more high schools in the same community.

Each year, Interact clubs complete at least two community service projects, one of which furthers international understanding and goodwill. Through these efforts, Interactors develop a network of friendships with local and overseas clubs and learn the importance of - Developing leadership skills and personal integrity - Demonstrating helpfulness and respect for others - Understanding the value of individual responsibility and hard work - Advancing international understanding and goodwill.

As one of the most significant and fastest-growing programs of Rotary service, with more than 10,700 clubs in 109 countries and geographical areas, Interact has become a worldwide phenomenon. Almost 200,000 young people are involved in Interact.

Could this be a possibility for students at your local high school? This could be a great opportunity for your Rotary Club to sponsor this program at our local high school.  Let's see what we can do as Rotarians to expand this program throughout District 6540.

By Arnold Grahl, Rotary International News –

Luanne Triolo was several weeks into a challenge to wear her Rotary pin for 60 days straight when she realized she had missed a day.

So the 2009-10 president of the Rotary Club of Carol Stream, Illinois, USA, started all over again to meet the challenge William Ferreira, governor of District 6440, had set before all his club presidents.

"You get used to it. It's something that is really good to do," says Triolo. "Different pins do catch people's eye in different ways."

Many Rotarians are serious about wearing their Rotary pins. Eugene Beil, past governor of District 6950 (Florida, USA) and a member of the Rotary Club of Hudson, tapped into that dedication recently when he started a discussion thread on RI's official LinkedIn group, asking Rotarians whether they wear their pins every day or just for meetings. The discussion has prompted more than 190 comments.

"I am happy with the feedback," Beil says. "I feel strongly about the value of wearing the pin every day. Whether you are at the grocery store, at work, or anywhere, you never know when a stranger is going to notice and you have an opportunity to explain Rotary to them."

Tony Quinn, governor of District 1200 (England), notes on the LinkedIn thread that Rotarians agree to wear their pins at all times when they are inducted.

On Friday, October 19th, PDG Floyd & Betty Lou Lancia were inducted into the Arch Klumph Society at Rotary International in Evanston, IL, for their outstanding support of The Rotary Foundation.  Floyd & Betty Lou were honored to have their children present for the recognition ceremonies. 

The Lancia's join PDG Bill & Miriam Cable as the only other District 6540 honorees as members of the Arch Klumph Society.

For additional pictures and information about all of the honorees from three different countries recognized at this special event, which was held October 19th at Rotary International Headquarters in Evanston, IL, click here.

If you aren’t already using Rotary Club Central, now is the perfect time to start. Reached through Member Access, this online tool enables you to monitor your club’s progress in three key performance areas: membership initiatives, service activities, and Rotary Foundation giving. Club leaders — president, secretary, treasurer, executive secretary, Foundation chair, and membership chair — can edit goals and achievements for their year, and all members can view club progress for all years. In addition, district leaders can view a summary of goals and achievements for all clubs in their district by clicking on "District View".

Log in to Member Access and start using Rotary Club Central today.

RI conventions aren’t very exciting.  Have you heard that before?

That was my thought as a relatively new Rotarian when Doug said he would be attending the 2012 RI convention in Bangkok.  Still, I wanted to experience Thailand and Southeast Asia and agreed to go along.

Wow!  What an eye-opening experience!

For five days we met Rotarians from throughout the world, chatting over coffee with a South African couple visiting the US next year, comparing notes on Alzheimer’s with a fellow nurse from Mexico, seeing the picture of the last little in girl in India to contract Polio, and experiencing the hospitality of Thai Rotarians proudly showing their culture.  I even joined the Rotarian Wine Appreciation Fellowship!

I’ve enjoyed Lisbon and surrounding area and know that not only will you come away from the RI convention inspired, energized, and with a better understanding of all things Rotary, but you’ll enjoy the history and culture of Portugal.  The bonus is that Portugal is one of the best bargains in Europe!

If you attend, I suggest that you stay at the Marques de Pombal Hotel, well-located in the city center.  With tens of thousands attending convention, you’ll enjoy socializing with other D6540 Rotarians.  Otherwise, you may never run into them!

You’ll come home with a better understanding of why some Rotarians have attended every convention for more than 20 years.  RI conventions are very exciting.  Put June 23-26, 2013 on your calendar and add some time to enjoy all that Portugal and elsewhere in Europe offer.

Sharon Risser
Goshen Rotary Club

Interested in joining a particular Rotarian Action Group? Download the Rotarian Action Group flier or view a directory of Rotarian Action Groups and contact them directly.

RI President-elect Sakuji Tanaka will ask Rotarians to build Peace Through Service in 2012-13. 

Tanaka unveiled the RI theme during the opening plenary session of the 2012 International Assembly, a training event for incoming Rotary district governors.  

"Peace, in all of the ways that we can understand it, is a real goal and a realistic goal for Rotary," he said. "Peace is not something that can only be achieved through agreements, by governments, or through heroic struggles. It is something that we can find and that we can achieve, every day and in many simple ways."

Peace has different meanings for different people, Tanaka said.

Recognition currently consist of a Certificate of Membership and a lapel pin that attaches to your PHF pin with the initials PHS on the pin.  The commitment to become a PHS member is for a minimum of two consecutive years, contributing $1,000 the first year, and paying or committing $1,000 the second year.  Ongoing contributions beyond the first two years are always welcome to continue supporting The Rotary Foundation.

ClubRunner is very excited to announce that the ClubRunner Mobile App is now available for download!  The ClubRunner Mobile App is your key to connect to your ClubRunner website on the go!  Completely, free to download and use, this app will let you do what you need to run your club effectively while you're on the go.  Password protected just like your website, the ClubRunner Mobile app is comprised of 3 main modules.  You now will have the ability to view your member directory, view the articles posted to your website and locate the nearest club right from your iPhone or iPod, bringing you even closer to being able to connect, collaborate and communicate!

Download the latest version today!

Standing L to R: PDG Fred Bettner, PDG Steve Van Scoik, PDG Floyd Lancia,DG Judy Walker, IPDG Mike Crabill, PDG John Wendel, PDG Dave Wilson & PDG Jim Jeselnick. Seated: PDG Jim Buchanan 

Thanks to our Rotarian friends from the Gilroy Rotary Club in CA, for sharing their Sing-a-long meeting with Specs providing the live music.