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Rotarians of District 5610 are People of Action

District requests Raffle Prize Information
 
My thanks to the clubs who have already submitted information on raffle prizes. To be able to pull together a flyer listing the prizes and develop the raffle ticket stubs, I need the clubs to respond to me with their donations and raffle chair contacts by February 18. My goal is to have a flyer available to all of the clubs listing the donations and further information regarding the raffle event before the ticket sales begin on March 11. Tickets sales will last a little over 4 weeks from March 11 until April 15. 
  • February 18 - Deadline to send prize and contact information
  • March 11- Raffle ticket sales begin
For more information or to submit your information please contact me at rkab1158@pacific.net. Thank you.
Rich Burns
District 5610 Raffle Chair
NCPETS Registration is now open - Virtual Event March 12th-20th
 
Great Opportunity for Presidents Elect and Presidents Nominee, please review your email received on NCPETS Registration or contact District Administrator Nicole Rawden for you Promo Code for your cost of attending NCPETS will be covered by District 5610.  Click on the image below or the following link to find out more information on NCPETS.
Rotary ramps up COVID-19 vaccination efforts
by Ryan Hyland

Rotary clubs around the world are mobilizing in their communities to support the introduction and delivery of COVID-19 vaccinations. Rotary leaders are urging members to connect with their local health agencies to determine how Rotary can support COVID-19 vaccine efforts.

Rotary has decades of experience in supporting the distribution of polio vaccines as well as highlighting their power and efficacy, which is a critical reason why polio is on the brink of eradication. It’s this expertise, along with strategic partnerships and innovation, that Rotary members can tap into to protect communities from COVID-19.

John Hall, president of the Rotary Club of Trenton, North Carolina, receives his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at the Jones County immunization day.

Photo courtesy of Dawn Rochelle

Back-up for health officials

Rotary International President Holger Knaack and Foundation Trustee Chair K.R. “Ravi” Ravindran have called on Rotary members to take action on a number of levels. Rotary members in North Carolina, USA, quickly organized to offer assistance to health officials. District leaders contacted the state’s secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to strategize support efforts.

The six district governors in North Carolina joined the state’s health department in conducting a webinar, open to the more than 12,200 Rotary members in North Carolina, to provide information about the available COVID-19 vaccines, how they will be distributed, and answer their questions so they can serve as role models and instill confidence in the vaccines in their community.

“Rotarians are leaders who are looked upon for guidance, and the more information and opportunity to share ideas with health officials, the better,” said Dawn Rochelle, governor of Rotary district 7730 (North Carolina).

Members volunteered at local vaccination sites across the state to help health officials with logistics including data entry, crowd control, and check-ins. Members also provide health workers and volunteers with food and beverages. In addition, the districts provided the state health department with a spreadsheet that included a Rotary member contact for each of the 100 counties in North Carolina.

Nancy Barbee and Rochelle, past governors of the same district, volunteered together during National Immunization Days in India. It’s those experiences with mass immunization for polio that helped them identify specific needs for how members can help support COVID-19 vaccinations.

“The polio eradication initiative gives a blueprint that provides strategy that is effective in any community,” says Rochelle, who took part in two polio immunization drives in India. “Governments take the lead on immunizations there and here in the U.S., but what’s critical to the success is the additional layer of support Rotarians bring. We are here to back-up the frontline workers with anything they need. It’s amazing to see the response of North Carolina Rotarians.”

New joint COVID-19 taskforce gives direction to clubs

Clubs: Share your COVID-19 efforts on Rotary Showcase.

At a meeting in December, the Rotary International Board of Directors and Rotary Foundation Trustees created a joint taskforce that will help guide upcoming efforts to distribute the COVID-19 vaccines and advocate for people to get vaccinated. The newly formed group will also share information promoting vaccine acceptance, and encourage service projects to stop the spread of the disease, such as social distancing, wearing masks, and washing hands frequently.

In a joint letter to district leaders, Knaack and Ravindran said members have a successful history of getting things done when help is needed. “Through the hundreds of global grants and projects, Rotary members have demonstrated what we can accomplish to raise awareness, deliver critical personal protection equipment, and provide support to frontline health workers,” they said in the letter.

The two Rotary leaders called particular attention to the importance of one specific call to action: combatting vaccine hesitancy. “Help us combat the powerful, growing force of vaccine resistance and misinformation. Our advocacy in our communities will be critical – we need to spread the message about the power of vaccines to save lives,” they urged.

Other ways clubs can mobilize around COVID-19 vaccine introduction and delivery at the local level include community education, ensuring equitable distribution of the vaccine, helping stop the continued spread of the disease, and aiding local health authorities to get prepared for mass vaccinations.

The infrastructure created by Rotary and its Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) partners is already supporting efforts to combat COVID-19. The GPEI recently announced that it is ready to support the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines.

1-Feb-2021


District 5610 Clubs Receive Rotary Disaster Response Grant
 
The District Governor and the members of the COVID-19 Disaster Response Grant Taskforce are happy to announce that thirteen District 5610 clubs have been awarded funds to help with projects in their communities to lessen the impact of COVID-19.  The projects are briefly described below, and they are a testament to the work of Rotary clubs in District 5610 to help our communities in these unprecedented times.
 
These funds were allocated from a $25,000 Disaster Response Grant awarded to District 5610 this fall.  The funds will be used by the clubs between now and April 2021 after which the clubs will report on their efforts to lessen the impact of the pandemic.
 
Centerville Rotary will purchase Plexiglas dividers to protect students in the local schools.
Clark Rotary will partner with local restaurants to prepare a community meal and will purchase boots for children in need.
Downtown Sioux Falls Rotary will purchase supplies for the Bishop Dudley Hospitality House which has seen an increase in demand for services for the homeless because of the pandemic.
Gettysburg Rotary will be providing supplies for a new critical care facility to serve the region.
Luverne Rotary will use the funds to buy supplies and lessen the impact of the epidemic on the public pre-school. 
Spearfish/Northern Black Hills Rotary will purchase protective equipment for the volunteer staff of the Good Shepard Clinic in Spearfish.
Pierre/Fort Pierre Rotary will work with the Boys & Girls Club in their plans to construct a raised-bed vegetable garden onsite, to teach gardening skills and to use the produce for healthy snacks.
Brookings Rotary will work with the Teen Center at the Boys & Girls Club of Brookings to implement a virtual job fair program. 
Rapid City Rushmore Rotary will partner with Feeding South Dakota in Rapid City to provide protein foods that are in desperate need.
Rapid City Rotary will purchase artwork from Pine Ridge Reservation artists and will then donate that artwork to an effort to raise funds for community program assisting the homeless.
Sioux City Rotary will purchase the supplies needed for the Soup Kitchen to reopen and expand the meals it provides for those in need. 
Sioux Falls South Rotary will purchase to-go containers for The Banquet of Sioux Falls to serve their meals.
Vermillion Rotary will partner with the Community Connections Center in Vermillion to provide diapers that are in high demand as well as gift cards to local restaurants that have been severely hit by the pandemic.
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