Greetings 5610 Rotarians! 

 

Yesterday, September 2, I completed my final visit at the Mitchell Rotary Club, before Penny and I head to Houston, Texas for the annual Zone 25B-29 Institute.  I'm not quite at the end of my visits yet, but I can definitely see it, with only five clubs left to visit.  I will definitely not miss being gone from my wife, family (our pups, Fancy and Gracie) and most certainly will not miss the long drives across District 5610.  I will miss the face-to-face meetings with new Rotarians almost every day of the week, and being able to hopefully help and inspire Rotarians and their clubs to grow and to tell their communities and everyone they meet about our amazing organization!  I'm so pleased to report that the message of Rotary is spreading, and all clubs across our District are eagerly taking on the challenge of growing our District  and helping to grow Rotary International as well. Our 9% growth goal is something to start in the month of September, and to monitor throughout the course of the year, and with every club's participation, will certainly be something to celebrate at the end of our Rotary year!  I hope that you will all join me in President Mehta's initiative and "Each one, bring one"!  As the end of summer is fast approaching and as we enter into back-to-school time, be sure to remember and be grateful for our educators and wonderful school systems as we celebrate BASIC EDUCATION AND LITERACY  MONTH  with Rotarians around the world. Education and literacy are important for so many reasons that we often take for granted...security, upward mobility, health, and success.  Not everyone in the world or even in our District is assured of access to education and literacy, and this month is an important reminder that we as Rotarians are charged with doing everything we can to help those around the world, and those in our midst who need help gaining access to education and becoming literate.  After awarding District matching grants, we are left with an additional surplus of unused grant funds, and I'm happy to announce that there will be a second round of grants awarded!  Watch for Grants Chairman Don Norton's announcement regarding grant application due dates, and if you haven't yet been trained in the grant application process, Don will offer his advice and assistance.  We are now closing in on being only a month away from the District Conference in Deadwood, SD, October 14 - 16!  We have several outstanding motivational and exciting speakers, as well as valuable and interesting breakout sessions with new information that will help you and your clubs in many ways!  Please strongly consider attending, and encouraging other members from your club to attend!  THANK YOU ALL for all you are doing to help our district grow in numbers, enthusiasm, and positive attitude!  I look forward to seeing you all in Deadwood, and sharing stories, laughs and learning from each other to make our District better and stronger!  Service above self...

A second round of District 5610 matching grants will begin October 1, 2021, and run until November 12, 2021. About $30,000 in matching grant funds remain after the first round of grants was completed in August.

 

“This gives clubs plenty of time to survey their community needs and determine a project that will have meaningful impact on their community,” said Don Norton, District 5610 Grant Subcommittee Chair.

 

Clubs are reminded to complete the paper grant application in Word, then upload that document as a pdf before completing the grant application on the Matchinggrants.org website. Clubs must have a signed MOU uploaded as well. The grant subcommittee will meet shortly after November 12 to determine award recipients. All project funds requested must be matched by local clubs and/or partner organizations from their communities. The granted projects will need to be completed within 24 months.

 

Don will give a presentation at the District Conference in Deadwood on how to plan a grant and have a successful application. Attendance at this session will count as the required training necessary to be eligible for grant submission, so if a representative from your club was not able to attend one of the trainings presented via Zoom earlier this summer, plan to attend in person in Deadwood. There will be almost one month after that presentation before the grant deadline for this round.

 

For more information on this second round of district grants, please contact Don Norton at donnorton75@gmail.com.

 

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