I have six weeks under my belt now as District Governor and by the time you read this I will have completed over half of my club visits. They have all been enjoyable and every club has been so welcoming and accommodating. I am very impressed with the small clubs as their attendance is better, a high percentage of the population are members and they are very active and a driving force in their communities. I’ve enjoyed touring Rotary projects from all sizes of clubs and member get-togethers if I have a day’s layover to visit their community.
This is Membership and New Club Development Month. Almost every club brings up the challenge of attracting new members. If I have visited your club, you know that part of my presentation is about enhancing member participation. Clubs that are vibrant with several service projects that engage their members are more likely to retain members and grow their club as the community can see the impact of Rotary and they want to be a part of it. Thanks to Tahiry Razafimanjoto and the Spearfish Club for working to form the new Sturgis Rotaract Club. I know Carmen Hansen, Heidi Bell Gease and other Black Hills Rotarians were instrumental, also. Work is also under way to form a new student based Rotaract Club at Augustana University in Sioux Falls. Carmen Hansen is our District Membership Chair and would be happy to work with you to grow membership.
Coming up very rapidly is our District 5610 Conference in Sioux City September 22-24. There is a lot of information about it on the website. It will be a celebration of what Rotarians have done in our District recently. I do want to add that in addition to keynote speaker Boyd Renner, we have other great general assembly speakers which will also be breakout session facilitators. They include past RI Vice President and current trustee on The Rotary Foundation, Greg Podd, and our immediate past RI Board of Director, Suzi Howe and Rotaract extraordinaire Clare Richards from St. Cloud, MN. Registrations are expected by September 8th for meal counts and hotel room block reservations will end about August 22nd.
I am looking forward to meeting many of you at the District Conference and at my remaining club visits!!
Yours in Rotary!!!
DG 5610 John Schneider
The District Governor Award for Rotarian of the Year is presented to Don Norton. He is a Rotarian who has gone above and beyond and has proven to be extraordinary in his service above self. This is a new award this Rotary year that will serve to honor one individual who has exhibited these attributes. Congratulations Don! 
s in education and communication. He taught more than 20 communication courses at the college and university level, and has received four Associated Press News Awards for broadcast journalism, including as a news anchor/reporter at WGN Radio in Chicago. He has a Master of Arts Degree in Communication from Western Illinois University, and is certified in Non-Profit Management from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. He is a Maxwell Leadership certified trainer, speaker and coach.
Tahiry Razafimanjato has been presented Rotarian of the Quarter for his dedication to Rotary and District 5610. Tahiry started Sturgis Rotaract Club, and is past president of Northern Black Hills Rotary Club, and a member of the District Membership Committee. Tahiry joined Rotary in 2015 at Northern Black Hills Rotary. Rotary was not something new for him. He grew up in a Rotarian environment in Madagascar; his dad is a long time Rotarian. Her sister and brother are also all Rotarians. For Tahiry, Rotary means more than a service. He considers Rotary as a way of life.
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