February is Peacebuilding and Conflict Prevention Month. Rotary also has its International Assembly in Orlando, FL held Feb. 9-13 and the Rotary's Anniversary being celebrated Feb.23rd.
What is your club doing to elevate peace and conflict prevention knowledge within your club or in your community? We would love to hear from you! Please submit your stories through this link or send a note to district5610rotary@gmail.com.
Did you know that the 4-Way Test Competition is part of the Vocational Service offerings from Rotary? What a great segway into getting 6th graders in your community to write about their thoughts on the Four Way Test of the things you think, say, or do. Help this district program get more participation this month!
Vocational service calls all Rotarians to encourage and foster:
high ethical standards in business and professions
the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations
the dignifying of each Rotarian's occupation as an opportunity to serve society
Rotary recognizes the importance of all skills and occupations. Check out the additional links.
The devastating wildfires in California have left countless families and communities in urgent need of support. As Rotarians, we have the power to make a difference and extend a helping hand to those affected by this tragedy. Your contributions can provide essential relief such as:
RLI is a grassroots coalition of Rotary districts implementing a leadership development program for "potential" leaders of Rotary CLUBS. Read a little bit more or go to Rotaryleadershipinstitute.org.
Exciting news! The Rotary International float earned the coveted Tournament Volunteer Award for “Most Outstanding Floral Presentation of the Rose Parade Theme among Floats Under 35 Feet in Length” at this year’s Tournament of Roses Parade.
In December, members of Rushmore Rotary braved the chilly weather to lend a hand to Feeding South Dakota. We were proud to be part of this effort, ensuring that families in need received essential food supplies.
A big shout-out to the Centerville Rotary Club for embodying what it means to be #PeopleOfAction! This incredible Club operates the Centerville Food Pantry, a vital resource for the community. The pantry opens its doors every Wednesday evening from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., with dedicated Rotary volunteers ensuring it runs smoothly.
On Saturday, January 11, Rushmore Rotary hosted its annual Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) workshop offered to all of the clubs in the Black Hills. A casual and interactive environment lead to a day of inspiration, creative ideas and fantastic fellowship while learning more about Rotary.
Mark your calendar for the Sibley Rotary's Sweetheart Dinner on February 9th from 11AM-1PM. All proceeds go towards 100th Year Anniversary Project. Tickets in advance are $15, $20 day of the event.
Provided by our DG Bruce Nearhood. "They say the second Friday is when most New Year’s resolutions have been broken. Fortunately, being a Rotarian is not a resolution to be broken but an ideal to strive for.
The Rotary District 5610 Four-Way Test Essay Contest begins at the Rotary Club level where each club can have their own contest with sixth graders in their community.
Find a sixth grade teacher who is willing to work with you and then have her students write essays using the following rules. The winner of each local contest must be to the District 5610 Chair Pat Sutliff (pmsutliff@gmail.com) by March 15 so that district winners can be announced at President Elect Learning Seminar (PELS).
We want to alert you about a phishing email circulating that falsely claims to be from our District Governor requesting assistance. Please note that these emails are not legitimate. Do not respond, click any links, or provide any personal information. If you receive such an email, report it as phishing and delete it immediately. For any questions or concerns, please contact pblankenzee@ca.rr.com.
On December 17, Rotary Club of Sioux City held their first Red Cross blood drive. Rotarian Ashley Snyder is the Service Committee's liaison working with the Red Cross. Ashley greeted donors and checked them in. The next Rotary sponsored drive will be on February 18 from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. in the MidAmerican Energy Community Room.
On March 19-29, 2025, Hope Haven is celebrating our new wheelchair facility and 20 years of Rotary presence with a trip to Romania. We will celebrate the opening of this facility in Barlad and join Rotarians from Barlad, Focsani, Bucharest and Izmail, Ukraine. Costs for airfare, travel and touring, meals and lodging, will run around $2,500+ per person. Although we celebrate Rotary's involvement with Barlad over the years, we will not seat wheelchair recipients on this trip. We will do some extensive touring for 5 days through medieval villages, castles citadels and the mountains of Transylvania. We will also celebrate with the local Rotarians from Romania. See attached for itinerary.
Back in September, Yankton Rotarians Mike Villanueva and Rich Burns got together in Guatemala City, Guatemala with fellow Rotarians from California, Kansas, Mexico, Netherlands, Honduras, and Guatemala to gain an understanding of the issues surrounding the Motagua River and its associated watershed. The Motagua River Basin contributes 3% of all plastics entering the oceans worldwide.
The winners will be announced at the Calgary Rotary Convention in June by your President of Rotary, Stephanie Urchick but the actual awards will be handed over locally (unless the winner is in Calgary, as last year in Singapore) so we request that you be the host or arrange such a presentation at the winner’s club in your district.
There are only 2 categories this year including the theme The Magic of Rotary, the other being open, with the main award for Rotary Poet of the Year a beautiful handmade plaque. Enter at (www.rotarypoetry.org)
Join peacebuilders from around the world for the 2025 Rotary Presidential Peace Conference, 20-22 February, in Istanbul, Türkiye, to explore ways to create environments that foster peace and understanding.
Members of Luverne Rotary club are all smiles as they present a representative check for the 2024 Polio Plus campaign that was sent to Rotary District 5610 to help #EndPolioNow. All Happy Dollars given in the month of October were pledged to the Polio fight and the club treasury matched those dollars, up to $500. When the District receives the funds, the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation will match our $1371 donation 2:1.
Maria Putzu, the inbound Rotary exchange student from Italy, received the Offensive MVP Award for the C team at the Madison Bulldogs volleyball banquet. She's being hosted by the Madison Rotary Club and staying with Tom and Kim Jones. Congratulations to Maria for this great achievement!
It’s been an incredible year at The School of St Jude, and we couldn’t have done it without your support! I’ve enjoyed keeping you updated about Janitor’s education journeys and all the exciting things happening at St Jude’s. Listen to Merry Christmas Message from students.
Ginger Thomson and Jay Vanduch presented the program at a Brookings Rotary Club meeting, announcing that their invention, The Doorhickey®, will be featured on a new TV show streamed by Amazon Prime, “Buy It Now.” It is available through Amazon.com or doorhickey.com. See press release.
Brookings Rotarian Ginger Thomson invents The Doorhickey
This is a friendly reminder to update your club membership and officer information in your local country or district database by 1 January 2025. We will use this information to generate your January 2025 club invoice. It is important that your club’s member information is up to date because Rotary cannot change the club invoice after it has been generated or accept membership updates with your payment. As a current club officer, you can ensure that your club invoice will be correct by updating the information in your local database. Here is how:
The theme for the month of December is Disease Prevention and Treatment. I’m sure you are all aware of the End Polio Now campaign which has been in place for many years. We are so close to polio eradication in our world that we can’t let up now. Other efforts worldwide include combatting diseases like malaria, HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis and diabetes.
Happy Holidays to everyone and thank you for all you do as Rotarians! We are getting ready to start the second half of the Rotary year. Some of my plans for the rest of the year is to meet with the presidents in January to see how the clubs are doing. I hope the presidents will make an effort to attend.
I have been talking with a number of clubs about starting a companion club and a number of clubs have followed through. We are seeing some great results and maybe not as hard as was anticipated. There are countless innovators in our communities who share our value of Service Above Self. We simply need to give them an opportunity to engage with us. Some of these innovators can’t make a noon meeting so giving them another time to choose from works well. If you have any questions about starting a companion club please contact Joe Lichter; joejlichter@gmail.com; or me.
Membership Minute is a bimonthly newsletter that provides the latest membership trends, strategies, best practices, and resources to help strengthen membership in your clubs. The newsletter is sent to district and club leaders throughout Rotary. If you are interested in getting this publication, please go to the online version AAP.
District Governor Bruce Nearhood and the District 5610 Nominating Committee are pleased to announce the selection of Jennifer Rollins of the Rotary Club of Rapid City Rushmore as the District Governor for the Rotary year beginning July 1, 2027. Congratulations Jennifer!
DG Bruce Nearhood paid a visit to the Custer Rotary Club at the club's Dec. 9 meeting. Nearhood sat in on the club's board meeting and then presented to the club during its regular meeting, emphasizing the purpose of Rotary and how to attract and keep new members. At the conclusion of his presentation he was given a gift on behalf of the Custer club by club president Rob McWhorter.
Hello, Fellow Rotarians! Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas filled with joy, fellowship, and the spirit of giving. May this holiday season bring warmth to your hearts and inspiration for the year ahead.
The Rotary Club of Rapid City Rushmore recently launched a companion club, allowing it to grow membership while also expanding its reach in the community. A companion club is simply an extension of an existing Rotary Club where members generally meet after hours, which enables more people to join. Rushmore Rotary is now one club that meets at two different times!
The Rapid City Rushmore Rotary Club brought the magic of Rotary and the message of peace to life during the 2024 Holiday Parade. This year, the club’s float embodied the spirit of the season with the theme of peace—a message that resonated through a brilliantly lit sign that illuminated the night.
The ClubRunner Mobile App has just gotten even better! Designed to make staying connected with your club and district easier than ever, the latest updates bring a host of new features and improvements. Whether you’re an officer, member, or simply interested in staying in the loop, the app's enhanced functionality ensures you have everything you need at your fingertips. (View slide presentation) Here’s what’s new:
Discover our latest PUBLIC IMAGE TOOL designed specifically for Clubs: Simplifying the Newsletter Creation Process with Club Runner. Crafting a Club Newsletter is a powerful way to engage members, ensuring they stay updated on upcoming events, programs, and your community contributions.
The Rotary Club of Watertown, SD, brought holiday cheer and community spirit to life during this year’s Holiday Lights Parade. The club's float, an enchanting display of creativity and Rotary pride, featured a stunning lighted Rotary Wheel, a cheerful snowman, and beloved Peanuts characters Snoopy and Woodstock.
Rotary District 5610 has made a profound impact across the globe by supporting Rotary District 3120 in India with a $6,000 global grant for cataract surgeries. This initiative aims to restore vision and improve the quality of life for individuals in underserved communities.
Hope Haven International (HHI), Rotary Sioux Falls West and Sioux Falls Downtown, recently returned from a wheelchair appropriation trip to Izmail, Ukraine. Grant #GG2001299, which was written and approved in 2018 by Rotary International (RI), along with a partnering grant from US Aid for Eastern European countries, was completed that year.
On November 21, the Rotary Club of Sioux Falls West embraced the spirit of giving by volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club of the Sioux Empire. Club members rolled up their sleeves to serve a hearty Thanksgiving meal to children and families, spreading warmth and joy during this season of gratitude.
This June in Calgary, our biggest annual gathering promises to inspire, connects, and recharge your passion for making a difference. Come see why #Rotary25 isn't just an event—it’s an experience Early registration ends 15 December! Register now to save and secure your top hotel choice and tickets to exclusive events. Click to Register.
District Governor Bruce Nearhood interviews Ryan Webster, new member of the Rushmore Rotary IMPACT CLUB and why he joined. Listen to the video. Be inspired to grow your club's membership by forming an #ImpactClub! Learn more.
Our district's Public Image efforts are yielding fantastic results, and it’s all thanks to the hard work of our clubs and members. We’re thrilled to share some positive metrics from our recent activities on YouTube and Facebook, demonstrating the power of storytelling and connection.
YouTube Views Are Soaring
This past month, we have had 468 views and 179 minutes watched
This Thanksgiving, let us take a moment to reflect on the blessings in our lives and express our heartfelt gratitude for the love and support we share. May we remain humble in our abundance and strive to spread kindness to others, embracing the spirit of togetherness that this season brings. Wishing you a joyful and peaceful holiday filled with warmth and cherished moments!
Chance Riley, a senior at Sioux City West High School, has been selected as the November 2024 Rotary Club Student of the Month. He will be honored during the Rotary Club meeting on Monday, November 11, 12 p.m. at the MidAmerican Energy Community Room.
November is The Rotary Foundation month.One of the missions of The Rotary Foundation is “To Do Good In The World.”I feel very strongly that the Foundation does a great job at "Doing Good In The World!" Where else for a small contribution to The Rotary Foundation each year can you wipe a horrible disease off the face of the Earth, provide clean water to families, reduce the amount of trash that flows into the oceans, work to eliminate cervical cancer in Egypt, educate the poor in Tanzania or provide mobility to those who don’t have access to wheelchairs? These are only a few of the huge projects you help fund each year as Rotarians. YOU are Doing Good In The World!
The 5610 Membership Olympics have begun!!! Is your Club a TOP ATHLETE? Of course it is!
We already know your Club has what it takes to be a champion! This is the simplest competition you'll ever enter, and it's your Club's moment to shine and show off its Olympic spirit.
The Sioux City Rotary Club brought some early holiday cheer to the Boys and Girls Club by hosting a festive service activity! Members gathered to decorate holiday bags with colorful designs and filled them with treats and small surprises for the kids.
Downtown Rotarians had a great time serving alongside each other at Feeding South Dakota this week. Feeding SD serves 66 counties and provided 11.7 million meals to those struggling with food insecurity last year. We enjoyed the opportunity to volunteer and make an impact within our community!
Last week, Luverne, MN Rotary Club proudly celebrated George McDonald's incredible 55-year Rotary anniversary with a golf-themed social! It was a memorable evening honoring George’s remarkable service and dedication to Rotary. Reflecting on his journey, George shared how Rotary has enriched his life through meaningful friendships, impactful networking, and invaluable experiences. His message resonates deeply with all of us: “The more you give, the more you get back.”
The Rotary Club of Custer, South Dakota, proudly donated $1,000 at a school fundraiser hosted by the Rushmore Rotary Club of Rapid City. Adding a bit of humor, one member contributed some leftover Tanzanian currency from a recent trip. This represented one of several stops for our School of St. Jude visitors!
Donning hard hats and protective eyewear, Rotary West members volunteered at a Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sioux Falls work site on Saturday morning, October 5, 2024. The work site was an older home in the Whittier neighborhood that Habitat for Humanity has acquired and is rehabbing.
Exciting News! The Rushmore Rotary Club's Global Grant for the Whiteclay Makerspace is now completed and officially closed! With over $58,000 in support, we’ve equipped native artists with essential tools, supplies, and education to master their craft and launch their own businesses.
On Thursday, October 10th, members of the Wagner Rotary Club teamed up with students from Wagner School to freshen up the Rotary Shelter at Wagner Lake. The group gathered to spread new mulch, revitalizing the area and enhancing its appeal for all visitors.
Sioux Falls Rotary South members came together with the community of Harrisburg at Lake Ole Park to build awareness of polio as this week features World Polio Day. Tuesday, the group held its second annual “A Short Walk to End Polio Now” event to raise funds for the cause to support a polio-free future for everyone in the world.
The Mobridge Rotary just completed its 20th year of Roses for Rotary project. This year, again the club sold 400 dozen roses with one gentleman buying roses for himself and then giving the club a $100 donation saying he wants us to continue doing what we do
The Watertown Rotary Club collected donations from it’s members and also made a donation from the club to finance the 15 beds they were able to build with Sleep in Heavenly Peace.
Several Rotary Youth Leadership Awards Camp attendees joined Rotarians at the District Conference in Rapid City. Rene Sorenson introduced each of them and they shared their personal experiences from the program. They demonstrated the friendships they made on and off stage! Go RYLA!!
Lucy Murray sponsored by Watertown Rotary Club was the winner of this year's 4-Way Test Essay Contest. Lucy provided a great essay to all District Conference attendees and received a standing ovation! Nice Job, Lucy!!
District Governor Bruce Nearhood congratulations the following clubs for earning top Foundation awards for Rotary year 2023-24: Marshall Sunrise, Rapid City Rushmore, Wagner, Centerville, LeMars and Winner. Play video.
DG Bruce Nearhood Announces Foundation Awards for Rotary 2023-24
Do you want to experience more culture and sites in our world? If so, consider the Rotary Fellowship Exchange. In Pat Sutliff's Committee report, Pat tells us more about the benefits and expectations of getting involved in a Fellowship Exchange.
The Motagua River, spanning over 300 miles from Guatemala to Honduras, faces significant pollution challenges, contributing at least 3% of global ocean plastic waste. Recognizing this critical issue, Rotary International joined the "Motagua Basin Alliance" in October 2023. Collaborating with countries, organizations, and partners worldwide, Rotary is dedicated to restoring the river and safeguarding the livelihoods dependent on it.
Clark 2nd and 3rd graders were studying peace, acts of kindness, peace symbols and what peace means to them in preparation for World Day of Peace. Teachers and students joined the Rotary on Sept 19 to dedicate the recently acquired Peace Pole.
This years Roger Kozak Award goes to Jim Mollison of the Pierre-Ft. Pierre Rotary club. The award was presented by the previous winners that were present at the District 5610 Conference. Congratulations Jim, well deserved!
More than 50 people gathered in Memorial Park at the Berlin Wall Exhibit to unveil the Peace Pole, dedicated to peace in Rapid City. The Peace Pole is one of only four erected in the state and the effort was organized by the Rapid City Rushmore Rotary Club and Rapid City Rotary Club.
Rapid City Rushmore hosted an introductory meeting on September 30 for a companion club. It was well attended, and 15 people submitted applications for membership! Thank you to Roger Heacock, Tiffany Gikling and Heidi Bell Gease for heading up this exciting venture!
It’s never been easier to create a flyer or social media graphic to help promote your events! Six new customizable templates for Rotary, Rotaract, and Interact events have been added to the Brand Center.
Our club social was held on Friday, September 13th, at the Levitt in Sioux Falls. We said goodbye to Summer while enjoying an outdoor concert with music from the Colombian sextet Las Guaracheras and socializing with club members and their families.
We are excited to announce the Rotary 2024-25 annual District 5610 Four Way Test Essay Contest. This contest is a great way to spread our Rotary ideals within our communities. The contest involves 6th graders who are asked to write a 200 to 500 word essay on "How can I apply the Rotary Four-Way Test to my life?" You will be amazed and excited at the perspective 6th graders have on our Four-Way Test.
In hopes of promoting peace in the community and the world, Rapid City Rotary clubs will dedicate a Peace Pole in Memorial Park at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5. Peace Poles are upright posts with the message “May Peace Prevail on Earth” written in a different language on each side. The Peace Pole in Memorial Park proclaims that message in English, Lakota, German and Japanese.
Alcohol has destroyed many Native American lives, especially on Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. For too many years, four liquor establishments in Whiteclay, Nebraska, 2 miles from the dry reservation, sold over 4 million cans of beer yearly, to local citizens. Whiteclay had a population of about 12, while Pine Ridge area is estimated to be about 3,300.
We’re excited to announce our new Facebook Business page and Instagram page for Rotary District 5610. These platforms are designed to help build our brand, share the impact of our service, and reach a broader audience. To make this effort successful, we need your help:
More clubs are updating their websites and posting to social media their activities in the community. We need to get the word out about Rotary on Facebook and Instagram. Our current Public Image (PI) Audit Results are out. If you would like to see how you are doing against other clubs in the district, see the data on our district website.
The District 5610 Conference is just 2 weeks away. Join your fellow Rotarians from Northwest Iowa, Southwest Minnesota, Northeast Nebraska and the state of South Dakota the weekend of October 3-6 at the Holiday Inn Rapid City Downtown. If you plan to attend, REGISTER NOW to provide us a solid headcount for food and supplies! There is no charge for Rotarians. Guest registration and meals is $100.
Embark on an exhilarating journey of connection and inspiration at the 2025 Rotary International Convention in Calgary! Engage in riveting discussions, learn from distinguished speakers, and explore enlightening breakout sessions against the backdrop of Calgary's picturesque beauty nestled amid the Canadian Rockies.
DG Bruce Nearhood invited Moh Eid, a Rotary Fellowship Graduate and member of the Rotary Peace Centers Program, to speak to the District Leadership Team on Sept.10th. Review Moh's presentation here.
Moh extended an invitation for Rotarians to join him at the East Center opening in Turkey. He shared his experiences as a Rotary Peace Fellow and discussed the significant growth in applications for the Master's and Certificate programs. He clearly articulated the importance of Rotary members promoting the program and contributing to peace building.
On September 10, Sioux Falls West Rotary members dedicated their morning to engaging with adults with disabilities at DakotAbilities. They toured the Longfellow Center, where Meaningful Day services are offered, supporting 135 individuals with accessible housing and round-the-clock nursing care. Most participants enjoy a variety of activities like art, music, nutrition, gardening, life skills, and fitness.
The Sioux Falls South Rotary Club recently demonstrated its commitment to community service by delivering hygiene bags to five local elementary schools in collaboration with Journey of Hope.
We are at the brink of eradicating Polio virus from the world. This is an initiative started by Rotarians in 1979, and we are committed to continue our support until the goal is reached. Wild Polio is currently reported just in Afghanistan and Pakistan. About 15 cases /yr of wild polio in the past few years. We are vaccinating children throughout the world spending close to a billion dollars each year.
Over the past two weeks, members of the Rushmore Rotary have been hard at work on a bench project in Box Elder, made possible by a recently awarded District grant. This initiative showcases their commitment to community service and enhancing local public spaces. A big shout-out to the Rushmore Rotarians for their dedication and efforts to make a positive impact!
Kudos to Rushmore Rotary: Exemplifying People Of Action
A big round of applause goes to the Northern Black Hills Rotary for their incredible dedication to keeping our community beautiful! Recently, they joined forces with other local volunteers at the Canyon Clean-up and Chamber Ribbon Cutting, rolling up their sleeves to make a real impact. Over the course of about a mile, these hard-working volunteers collected 3.5 large 42-gallon bags of trash and even removed a tire and wheel combo from the area.
The Madison community in South Dakota hosts a six week every Tuesday night festival to recognize fellowship and community. Live bands, multiple food venues, events for young and old, raffles, as well as learning about local service and community organizations, are made available to create excitement for all attendees .
Rapid City Rotary Club sent Rotarian Dr. Ashok Kumar to Uganda this month to provide education to improve health care in remote villages in Uganda. Text Books for the health care workers, medical equipment and supplies were also sent to clinics in five villages
“Each year the Roger L. Kozak Service Above Self Award is awarded to one Rotarian in District 5610. It was conceived in 2016. It is given in recognition of exceptional service to Rotarians in Rotary District 5610. The award honors the memory of Roger L. Kozak, long-time member of the Vermillion Rotary Club, who served as District 5610 Governor, 2009-10. Roger Kozak distinguished himself as an exceptionally dedicated servant leader.”
Maria, with the Jones, her host family, visit the Madison Rotary Club on Monday. She is already going to volleyball practice with school starting this week!!
Colonel Sonya Morrison and members of the 185th Air Refueling Wing were presented with the honorary distinction of the 2024 Keyway Award from the Sioux City Rotary Club.
World Polio Day is quickly approaching on 24 October! If your club hasn’t started planning its World Polio Day event, now is the time to begin. You can visit the World Polio Day Event page for graphics, videos, fundraising ideas, public relations templates, and more.
Sioux City Rotary members volunteered their time and efforts to install the new StoryWalk book "Howard the Dog". Pictured are Dirk, Dave, Shirley, Todd, Kevin, Tammy and local author Cheri Lee with Howard in the front row. Take your friends and family for a walk at Spaulding Park and enjoy the nice weather and the new StoryWalk book.
The first priority in Rotary’s Action Plan is to Increase Our Impact. As I have my club visits, I am impressed by the number of projects that are being done. But at the same time, I feel there is an opportunity to do even more projects.
Does Your Rotary Club Need a Boost? Ask yourself the following questions: Is your Rotary Club seeking more members? Would you like to involve the club in more service projects? Are you looking to diversify your membership base? If you've answered "YES" to any of these questions, it's time you considered the creation of a Service Companion Club.
RYLA Camp 2024 had 12 students attend from five Rotary Clubs in our District: Watertown, Luverne, Sioux Falls, Pierre/Ft. Pierre, and Spearfish. Read on to get a report of what's happening next!
District Membership Strategic Planning · Promote District Membership Committee to Club Membership Chairs, AG, Past Presidents to add 3-4 members · Continue regular emails to Club Presidents, Club Membership Chairs promoting 10 Step Roadmap on District website; Committee review each step to add content, resources, trainings · Create video on 10 Step Membership Roadmap as a promotional tool · Develop Membership Olympics Membership Olympics – Create a District wide Membership Olympics
The Service Project Center, Rotary’s new hub for everything related to service, is now live. It gives you a better way to manage and share information about your service projects. With service networking moving to this new platform, Rotary Showcase has been retired. All Rotary and Rotaract projects that were posted on Rotary Showcase have been migrated to the Service Project Center, which is being released in phases.
Less than a mile from Downtown Sioux Falls, students at Hawthorne Elementary are learning of belonging, mastery, independence, and generosity. The lessons come as a result of the Title I School's Circle of Courage, One-Book-One School Program--a program supported through a donation of books from Downtown Sioux Falls Rotary.
Celebrate Community, an annual joint initiative from the service organizations Kiwanis International, Lions International, Optimist International and Rotary International, will take place the week of September 8-14, 2024. Plan now for your Rotary and Rotaract clubs to build on existing relationships with other like-minded services or develop new ones to impact your communities. What are the needs in your community which can be addressed in this week-long effort?
Your PUBLIC IMAGE TEAM has developed some NEW COOL TOOLS & RESOURCES for CLUBS: Public Image Chair Job Description, PRE-Event Check list, Social Media Guidelines and Media Resources! Click here to view them.
Val Parsley from the Madison Rotary Club invites interested families to learn more about hosting opportunities for our Italian Exchange Student joining us this fall for the entire 2024-25 high school year.
Congratulations Clubs! Thanks to all of you, District 5610 officially had a net increase of 15 members in 2023-2024 Rotary year with 98.91% existing member retention. The last time we increased membership was 2015. District 5610 is the only District in our Zone to have an increase in membership. Congratulations to all.
Our club was one of 1,000 from countries all over the world initially invited to send a message to the moon! In early 2025, a SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket will lift off from Cape Canaveral in Florida carrying the Griffin Moon Lander that will have a chip onboard containing messages of PEACE from Rotary clubs all over the world.
The Rapid City Rushmore and Rapid City Rotary clubs recently installed a Peace Pole in the Rapid City Memorial Park at the site of the Berlin Wall memorial. The Peace Pole project started in 1955 in Japan after World War II. The pole is inscribed on each side, in different languages, with the words “May Peace Prevail on Earth.”
Sangkoo Yun, a member of the Rotary Club of Sae Hanyang, Seoul, Korea, has been selected to become Rotary International President for 2026-27. Meet the president-nominee: https://on.rotary.org/3AlRuWN
On Thursday, August 1st, the Rotary Club of Sioux Falls West partnered with the East Side Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls to help with the Mobile Food Pantry. Club members helped unload trucks of donated food items, sort through them, and display everything. As customers arrived, our team assisted with checking them in, distributing the food items, and carrying out groceries.
Sioux Falls West Partners with the East Side Lutheran Church
Linda Peterson hosted a deck party in July 27 in honor of Bruce Nearhood becoming Governor of Rotary District 5610. Special guests at the event were Past District Governors, who posed for a photo with the current Governor: Doug Lind, Linda Peterson (our hostess), Bruce Nearhood, Nancy Moose, and George Twitero.
District Governor Bruce Nearhood has a simple goal for the District this year: Every Club undertake a new project they have not done before. He envisions clubs to form committees with both old and new members to survey their members about their interests and to identify a suitable project. Additionally, he encourages collaboration with other service clubs, Non-Profits, and potential new members. This approach aims to invigorate rotary activities and boost membership in the district. See his visit schedule.
Matt Buley, Rock Valley Rotary Club, pictured in Uganda with the Wheelchair project, and Mikaela Leners, Rapid Rushmore Rotary Club, "the lady in red" pictured at the Allen Summit educating attendees on Human Trafficking, were recognized in June as "Rotarians of the Quarter" for their outstanding achievements. Congratulations!
In December 2023, members of District 5610 visited an Indian District that plans to send a team here in late September or early October. While their attendance at the District Conference is uncertain, we remain hopeful. Additionally, an East coast district in Italy has expressed interest in an exchange, and we’re actively pursuing that opportunity. Our team is reaching out to several other districts worldwide to explore further possibilities. Contact Pat Sutliff at pmsutliff@gmail.com or 605-593-2896. You can also learn more about the Global Friendship Exchange by going to www.rotary5610.org and searching "friendship exchange".
With a new year comes a new opportunity to apply for a district grant to support your local community. The deadline for grant applications is quickly approaching and we want to make sure your club has an opportunity to apply for funding this year. As a reminder, everything you need to know about grants can be found here: https://rotary5610.org/sitepage/district-grants To qualify for a district grant you must:
The annual Central States Rotary Youth Exchange Summer Conference took place July 10-14 in Grand Rapids, MI with about 600 participants made up of outbound students, current inbound students, rebound students, parents, and Districts youth exchange leaders. The training and opportunities for rebounds and inbounds to discuss their Youth Exchange experiences with new outbounds are crucial. These interactions provide valuable insights and foster a supportive community within the program.
Are you curious about Youth Exchange? Contact Bill Spindle, william.spindle@sdsmt.edu for more information or go to our district website www.rotry5610.org and find information in the Learning Center.
RYLA Camp 2024 promises an exhilarating experience! Our District is enthusiastically sending 13 students to participate in this transformative event. Congratulations to the
clubs who have students participation!
Watertown: Under the guidance of RYLA Rep Lisa Carrico, a spirited group of 5 students is ready to embark on this adventure.
Luverne: RYLA Rep Karen Willers leads a dynamic duo of 2 students, eager to learn, grow, and connect.
Sioux Falls D/T: Alissa Matt, our dedicated RYLA Rep, is accompanying a single student who’s poised for an unforgettable journey.
Pierre/Ft. Pierre: Larry Lyngstad, the driving force behind RYLA in our district, is mentoring 2 students, fueling their passion for leadership.
Spearfish: Sheri Perry and Kirk Easton, our dynamic RYLA Reps, are guiding a lone student, ready to embrace challenges and forge lasting connections. 🌟🚀
Get ready for an inspiring week of leadership, camaraderie, and personal growth!
Rotary District 5610 DEI Chair, Kara Kimball, ties the importance of Rotary’s mission to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in our daily lives. The video challenges our clubs and its members to embrace differences and use these unique talents in their communities and around the world. Click to play video.
The Vermillion Rotary Club held the 2024 Vermillion Rotary Great Duck Race on June 28th, 2024 . The race featured 900 ducks each sponsored for $5, that go down the slide and through the lazy river at the Prentis Park Aquatics Center.
This event is Presented by the Northern Black Hills Rotary Club and graciously hosted by Crow Peak Brewing Co. Funds raised will benefit Artemis House.
About 60 people gathered during two-day summit in early June on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation to increase awareness about human trafficking and missing indigenous people. It also gave Rotarians an opportunity to interact with students to provide them with tools to become leaders to prevent sex trafficking from happening to them or in their communities.
Register today for the 2024 Rotary District 5610 District Conference at the Holiday Inn Rapid City Downtown on Oct. 3 through Oct. 6. The theme: Celebrate, Elevate and Motivate. Cost is free for Rotarians, (must register in advance); non-Rotarians is $100. Click to Register.
Congratulations to Lucy Murray for winning First Prize in the District 5610 Four Way Test Essay Contest! Read her essay here. The 2nd and 3rd place winners are Alivia Richman sponsored by Rapid City Rushmore Rotary club and Annika Britton sponsored by Spearfish Rotary Club, consecutively.
The Club Home Page refreshed by the District Public Image Team has started for the eights clubs that signed up. The Rotary New Year Checklist for easy steps on how to boost your Club's Public Image! Click here to download. Better yet, check out our Public Image Resources page for logos, templates, tools and resources. Have a question on public image? Email us!
Rotary’s Friendship Exchange offers a unique opportunity for Rotarians and their spouses or friends to engage in international cultural exchange. Unlike many Rotary programs restricted by tax laws, Friendship Exchange allows full participation, fostering global understanding and connections.
Are you looking to stay up-to-date with the latest news, events, and Club stories from around the District? Look no further! Follow us on Facebook and become a part of our vibrant online family. Joining is simple. Just click the "Like" button on our Facebook page. Thank you for your support, and we look forward to seeing you online!
As we approach the end of June, we want to remind all Rotary Clubs of the important deadline to update your membership information. The cutoff date is June 30, 2024. Ensuring your membership details are current is crucial, as Rotary International and District billing will be calculated based on the membership numbers as of July 1, 2024. If you need help, contact District Admin Linda Liddell.
Reminder: Update Your Membership by June 30, 2024!
The District 5610 Rotary Membership Roadmap has been updated! Check the website, for the vast material and tools to help you with your club membership goals.
Thanks for all the clubs who extended their warm welcome when I came over to present the Polio update. So far I have been to nine clubs and scheduled to visit four in the next few months. Would like to visit all the clubs in the District in person to present the Polio update as a program. Please let me know when you have a spot in your club’s program schedule for me to be there.
People seem to love lists. We not only make them to determine what we need to do, buy, make, or plan, we look at lists to discover what’s interesting from different points of view. As this Rotary year comes to a close, I thought I would share my partial list of what I think are amazing and creative aspects of our District 5610 and why serving as District Governor was such a unique experience.
Congratulations to all of our Raffle Winners! Thank you to everyone who participated in the District Raffle. It is time to make sure all the winners have received their Raffle Prizes. Please let Linda at district5610rotary@gmail.com know if you need assistance. Click here to see the list of winners.
Congratulations to all of our Raffle Winners! Thank you to everyone who participated in the District Raffle. By giving to Rotary’s Annual Fund, our District is able to offer clubs District Grants to better support the programs and projects clubs would like to do for their communities. Click here to see the list of winners.
On Saturday, May 18th, the dedicated members of the Rushmore Rotarians enthusiastically gathered to lend a hand in beautifying Rapid City. Their collective effort and community spirit truly made a remarkable difference. Outstanding job, everyone!
In continued support of their mission, the Custer Rotary Club donates $500 again this year to the Indian University of America to be used for the good work with the students at the University.
Mobridge Rotary with the help of the 4H Group worked on upgrading an old project of Rotary. They put down new mulch, and added more plants with the help of A 4H club that loved the project. They were under the direction of Lori Untersher, a master gardner. The sign will be re-done with the Rotary emblem and the plan is to add more plants when the Girl Scouts take their turn.
District Grant Applications are being accepted through July 31, 2024. Still need to getGrant Certified for Rotary 2024-2025! Training and a quiz are required by all clubs applying for District Grants. Click here to access training and quiz. For questions, contact Brad Balaha at rotary5610grants@gmail.com.
PELS this year offered the opportunity to win $500 from the drawing based on attendance and training modules completed for PELS. 36 of our 41 Rotary and Rotaract clubs participated in this drawing. The four (4) winners this year are: Sioux Falls South, Yankton, Centerville, and Brookings. Congratulations to these 4 clubs!
District 5610 Public Image Team is offering all clubs a chance to jumpstart the new year! Listen to the video to see how you can get a free refresh on your Club Runner website. https://youtu.be/9IQhOR_8QZg
Please update your club executives for the new year as soon as possible. To date, we are missing contacts for Secretaries or Administrators, Treasurers, Membership chairs, Foundation chairs, Public Image Chairs, and Service chairs. If you are having difficulty getting into ClubRunner or http://Myrotary.org to get this completed, please ask your Administrator or Secretary for assistance. The District Administrator, Linda, is also available to get this job done! Contact her at district5610Rotary@gmail.com.
We have entered the closeout phase of the District Raffle. Tickets need to be returned to Mike Gibson by close of business May 17th to be included in the drawing. The drawing will be held via a zoom call on May 25th. A zoom link will be sent within the next few days to allow everyone interested to watch it happen!
DG Rich Burns and NDG Mike Gibson thank everyoneon behalf of Rotary International and District 5610 for your willingness and commitment with this year’s District Raffle Event. The District Raffle is our primary fundraiser supporting the Rotary Foundation. Up to fifty percent of the money raised from this effort comes back to the District and supports many of the local community and humanitarian accomplishments our Clubs are known for. The other half supports Foundation efforts worldwide. Without your involvement, none of this would be possible.
D5610 Group Study Exchange Oceti Sakowin/Wiradjuri
Rotary News Release April 11, 2024
Four exchange members and two alternates were selected in early April to participate in the Oceti Sakowin/Wiradjuri Group Study Exchange. This team will be lead by Kibbe Brown of Rapid City Rushmore Rotary. Selectees were:
Chance Weston Oglala Lakota Tribal member from Porcupine.
Nicholas Dion is a Yankton Sioux Tribal member from Wagner.
Dawn Marie Johnson is an enrolled member of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate of Lake Traverse.
Tianna Yellow Hair is Lakota and Northern Cheyenne.
Alternates for the Exchange are Corey Stover of Pine Ridge and Emma LaPlante of Rapid City.
Find out more about these candidates and the Study Exchange Group.
Rushmore Rotary serving lunch to the very best group of teachers and staff at Rapid City Alternative Academy during Teacher Appreciation Week. Roger Heacock, Mike Fuller, Rene Sorenson, Shari West Twitero and Carmen Hansen.
We are excited to announce the winners of the District 5610 4-Way Test Essay Contest: 1st Place - Lucy Murray sponsored by Watertown Rotary Club, she won a certificate, $300 and a Four Way Test Coin,
In a heartwarming gesture of community spirit and dedication to enhancing public spaces, the Mobridge Rotary Club has generously donated a park bench to the South East Play Park in Mobridge. This benevolent act not only adds a practical amenity to the park but also fosters a sense of belonging and togetherness among residents.
In a heartwarming display of community collaboration, Sioux Falls Rotary South recently united forces to lend a helping hand at Greater Goods. This endeavor saw a dedicated team of volunteers embarking on a mission to sort, price, and inventory a substantial delivery of goods destined to support numerous non-profit organizations throughout the local area.
Thank you, Ella Dockendorf, president-elect, and Maggie Pallesen, Meals on Wheels Coordinator, for your wonderful presentation about the new USD/Vermillion Rotaract Club. In less than a year the club has grown to over 40 members who are either USD students or young professionals in the community
For nearly 30 years, the Vermillion Rotary Club has partnered with the Vermillion Medical Center to provide free bicycle helmets to all second grade students in Vermillion. As part of the give-away, students are given the opportunity to learn more about the importance of safety as well as how bicycles are used for a wide range of activities, triathlon, police work and more.
In conjunction with Arbor Day the Sunrise Rotary partnered with the City of Marshall to plant trees along one of the paved trails in Marshall. This activity ties in with the Rotary Focus of protecting the environment.
On April 17, 2024, Yankton Rotary held its 30th Annual Bicycle Helmet Giveaway project. The money raised by Yankton Rotary paid for 260 bicycle helmets which were provided to all area second grade students. A key feature of the program involves having the students attend a bicycle safety assembly including a proper helmet fitting event.
Immunization is a cornerstone of public health, saving millions of lives each year and preventing the spread of infectious diseases, like polio. Rotary International has spent over 40 years making sure children receive life-saving polio vaccines, beginning with our first immunization campaign in the Philippines in 1979.
As a Rotary member, you are a part of this historic legacy, and we need your help to keep our promise to give children around the world a polio-free future.
Here are three things you can do to support our #EndPolio efforts during World Immunization Week 24-30 April:
Marshall Sunrise Rotary donated $500 to the Mustang Food Pantry. The Mustang Food Shelf is organized to provide food supplies to students of Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, MN.
The Art of Hitting the Winning Run - It’s Spring, baseball, and our District Raffle is in full swing! Batting in the top spot with two grand prize offerings is Karl’s Appliance and their Raffle donations of two GE Profile 2-n-1 Washer Dryer systems. We owe a huge “THANK YOU to Karl’s Appliance and their continued support and generous contributions to our annual raffle event. In all, 30 Clubs have donated prizes. Be sure to look over the complete list of raffle prize donations while visiting the District website. Including the two grand prizes from Karl’s Appliance, anyone who steps into the “Batter’s box” and purchases a raffle ticket, has 32 chances of winning something spectacular! We are currently in a slump when it comes to donating to the Annual Fund. Our total donation level has been steadily dropping over the last couple of years.
The Sioux Falls Rotary West club spent a lovely evening with the children and young adults served by LifeScape in Sioux Falls in late March. While the idea is to usually make a real effort to hide the eggs, when working with these kids we decided to make it a bit easier
On April 4, 2024, the Rotary Club of Le Mars held their Annual Banquet and community celebration. A feature of this event was honoring as Paul Harris Fellows, Rotarians and stand out community members who by living Rotary’s 4-Way Test, have made impacts to the communities they serve.
It’s Spring, baseball, and our District Raffle is in full swing! Batting in the top spot with two grand prize offerings is Karl’s Appliance and their Raffle donations of two GE Profile 2-n-1 Washer Dryer systems. You have 32 chances of wining something spectacular! Sell or purchase your tickets NOW! Make sure you provide the stub information back to your club's President, Foundation Chair or Raffle Ticket Contact by May 10th!
Sturgis Rotaract NEEDS SUPPORT!! They need help reaching their $8,000 goal to purchase and install outdoor musical drums in the City Park. You can donate through Venmo. We appreciate your support!!
The Vermillion Rotary Club provides a free, age-appropriate book for all the Kindergarten and Junior Kindergarten students in Vermillion, SD. It is our hope that this small act will help lead to a life filled with reading. Click here to watch the video. The video features amazing photos taken by Lisa Swanson of the children during the book distribution. You'll also get to hear a wonderful reading of Green Eggs and Ham! Thank you to the teachers and staff at Austin Elementary School and St. Agnes Catholic School for your amazing support on this project.
Matt Buley, President of the Rock Valley Rotary Club, recently led a team of Rotarians and Hope Haven staff on their inaugural wheelchair project trip to Uganda. Reflecting on the journey, Matt described the experience of serving alongside Rotary and Hope Haven in Uganda as truly remarkable.
Lily Meunier and Pate Gunderson created and hosted a Kids Trivia on March 17th at Emma's Ice Cream Emporium. They raised money for the Sturgis Rotaract to install some outdoor music instruments in the City Park.
The Sioux Falls South Rotary Club recently rallied together for a cause close to their hearts. With needles clicking and hearts beating in unison, members embarked on a mission to bring comfort to the furry residents of the Sioux Falls Area Humane Society.
On February 29th, The Rotary Club of Rapid City was awarded funding for a Global Grant to provide awareness and education on human trafficking for children and community members living on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. DG RICH BURNS recognized the team effort required to get the job done. A huge thank you to District Rotarians Dr. Ashok Kumar of the Rotary Club of Rapid City and Team Leader; Jennifer Rollins, Sandra White Shield and Tom Katus of the Rotary Club of Rapid City Rushmore.
Through water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programs, Rotary's People of Action mobilize resources, form partnerships, and invest in infrastructure and training that yield long-term change. Over the past several years, Rotary has shifted its focus to also emphasize education, collaboration, and sustainability in WASH.
Our district 5610 is partnering to support a WASH grant to help Guatemala. Learn more about the Rotary International water projects happening in all parts of the world!
And, stay tuned to learn more about this Global Grant that District 5610 is working on!!
It’s well understood within the communities that have Rotary Clubs; “Rotary is the Best Kept Secret in Town." It really shouldn’t be that way. As Rotarians, we benefit our communities and “Create Hope In the World” in so many ways that the achievements made, shouldn’t go unnoticed. The same can be said about individual efforts where a handful of people who have the passion, power, and desire to see a particular project through to the end, prefer to stay in the background.
As a member of Rotary, you will have the opportunity to witness and become involved with Rotary’s commitment to developing the next generation of leaders. Your Rotary District (5610) provides programs to help younger leaders prepare for leadership roles and learn the value of service.
Listed below are four programs that are important to us as Rotarians and initiatives you will no doubt learn more about through activities in your Rotary club:
The Le Mars Rotary Club is very excited to be hosting our annual banquet which will be a fundraiser for End Polio Now. The two pilots that flew around the world last year, Peter Tehan and John Ockenfels, to raise money for polio will be our speakers. I have met them several times and heard them speak in Spencer last fall. It is not only a story about their flight, but an emotional message about polio and Rotary's efforts to End Polio Now.
The event will be Thursday evening April 4, 2024 at the Willow Creek Golf Course in Le Mars. Tickets will be $30 with $10 of that going to End Polio Now. This is a fundraiser and it is hoped that your club may raise additional funds for EPN. The Le Mars club has committed an additional $1,000. To register, contact John Schneider
A giant, player-powered video game that encourages movement is coming to Sioux City's Chris Larsen Park. MOVMNT, a new interactive game by playground equipment provider Burke, will be installed in the spring on the active rec lawn near Floyd Pavilion, according to Recreation Superintendent John Byrnes.
Two Past District Governors met at Whiteclay, NB to review and update the Whiteclay Makerspace grant status, on Wednesday, March 6. Linda Peterson, PDG 2014-15 and Ina Winter, PDG 2020-21, inventoried the grant purchases, and posted signage describing the Rotary grant.
RYLA is Here! Don't Miss Out!!! Applications are being accepted through March 31, 2024!!!!! GreatPlainsRYLA.org is the place you want to go to register and apply! Clubs - have you gone to the website, registered and completed your Club Commitment Form? And viewed the Time Line for deadline dates?
Check out the LEARNING CENTER at My Rotary for courses on Public Image, Membership, Club Leadership, Professional Development , Service and more! This is a great resource to get training on #Rotary! Most classes are 15-30 minutes. Requires a My Rotary account. Visit - https://my.rotary.org/en/
We are thrilled to announce the launch of our brand-new Facebook page! In our ongoing efforts to build up our public image, we have expanded our social media presence to a Facebook Page. We invite you to join us on this journey as we take our online community to new heights. Visit our page - https://www.facebook.com/district5610/ - Hit like and follow! We need your support to build our fan base.
This International Women's Day, March 8, 2024 let's come together to celebrate the incredible strength, resilience, and achievements of women worldwide! We invite all Rotarian women to participate in our special campaign by sharing a photo of themselves proudly wearing their Rotary shirts. Let's showcase the power and unity of women within the Rotary family!
Over 60 Rotarians have registered for PELS so far! Now it is time to do some pre-course work at the Learning Center and enter your club goals into Club Central. Click here to register, find access to the Learning Center and Club Central as well as See the agenda.
Next Steps for PELS (President-Elect Learning Seminar)
February has been a busy month! We do not want anyone to miss out on the new District Website page intended for clubs and members to get information and support quickly. Our goal is to provide you resources that help promote your club's community awareness and membership growth. Below are some sections announced in February.
We are excited to announce that our District website has been revamped with a robust navigation that is user friendly, easy to navigate and locate tools and resources quickly. On the Events tab - see District Calendar and Upcoming District Events, Membership Tab - see Membership Club Resources & Membership Roadmap, Foundation Tab see:
Rotary International (RI) is focused on Promoting Peace in the month of February. Today, over 70 million people are displaced as a result of conflict, violence, persecution, and human rights violations. Half of them are children. We refuse to accept conflict as a way of life. Rotary projects provide training that fosters understanding and provides communities with the skills to resolve conflicts. Is your club involved in building peace? Share with us your story!
Just in case you missed the announcement earlier this month, Pam Blankenzee is our newest member to the District 5610 Team as webmaster. In addition to updating our website and continuing to keep it updated, Pam has a wealth of knowledge on best practices to help clubs achieve visibility goals in their communities and throughout the region which in turn promotes Rotary and increases membership opportunities.
She is a Paul Harris Fellow +8 and is also the Assistant Editor for the Scouting Rotarian Newsletter. In addition to supporting our District 5610, Pam is the Webmaster/Social Media Director for District 5870 Central Texas, District 5810 North Texas, and District 5840 South Central Texas.
A $250 grant from Rotary District 5610 turned into more than $1,500 worth of food for Brookings area families this holiday season. The grants were offered to clubs throughout the district specifically to address food insecurity efforts in local communities.
The visit last fall to Whiteclay Makerspace near Pine Ridge by the Widajuri Indigenous exchange team from Australia formed a unique kind of synergy. Both the Makerspace and the exchange team are funded by Rotary grants. The global grant for Whiteclay Makerspace was started in 2020, to purchase equipment and supplies and provide financial support for education in finance and artistic skills.
Members of the Pierre/Fort Pierre Rotary Club helped Feeding South Dakota distribute food to recipients during a beautiful snowfall in Pierre on Wednesday, Valentine's Day. The weather impacted the number of people who came to receive food, and "playing in the snow" for two hours created wet gloves and cold feet, the event was considered a success. Thanks to those Rotarians who gave of their time and spirit to make it so.
You're invited to attend the Trivia Night at the Sturgis Brewing Company on February 24, 6PM to 9PM hosted by the Sturgis Rotaract Club. Fundraiser to support the City Park Outdoor music equipment project. Prizes to win.
Gear up for action for Club Membership! Two dynamic webinars have just wrapped up, unleashing powerful strategies to supercharge your club's membership game. Head over to our district website, https://rotary5610.org, pronto, and catch the replay! Check out the Rotary Membership Roadmap.
While the Membership Chairs and Presidents in your clubs have been on the front lines of recruitment, the call to action now echoes for every member. Rotary's greatness deserves a spotlight, and we need YOU to spread the word far and wide. There are eager community members waiting to join our ranks - all we have to do is extend the invitation!
We are thrilled to announce the launch of our newest addition to the District website - Public Image Resources page! This page includes links to the Rotary Brand Center, Rotary Image and Video Library, the Rotary People of Action Campaign, Logos and more. View here.
This training is a must for President -Elects and other club officers, however is open to ALL Rotarians! The agenda and more information will be posted on the website under training at https://rotary5610.org. This is a hybrid 6-hour training offered online or in locations throughout the district. If you are interested in attending the training in person to build camaraderie with other Rotarians, check with your AG as to the location. Attendees will have several opportunities to win $500 for their clubs. Great training and the possibility of winning prizes....Come and enjoy a Saturday with Rotary friends!
Mark Your Calendars for PELS Training - April 27th
In November, over a hundred years ago, the grade was completed on the Nebraska side of the Missouri River to what later would become the “Meridian Bridge Project” and the founding of the Yankton Rotary Club. A Sand Pump used to complete the grade was being moved to the Dakota side of the River before ice flows had gotten significant enough to shut the entire job site down for the winter. The temporary hundred yard pontoon bridge used for river crossings during the summer was removed and the river left open to allow for “slush ice” movements downstream.
If a person needed to cross to Yankton from the Nebraska side, they went all the way to Sioux City. It was said to be “too dangerous” to make a river crossing at Yankton as winter started to approach. By 1924, the Meridian Bridge was completed and the community benefited greatly from those Rotarians who listened to their local community, met the challenge to “Create Hope”, and accomplished a pretty phenomenal achievement.
It’s that time again to determine your club's officers for the next Rotary year which begins July 1, 2024. Enter the information on the district website
The District Assistant (Area) Governors play an important role in getting information out to the clubs and bringing updates to the District Team. Take a moment and reflect on your AG. Please send the name of your AG and a brief statement about the value they bring to your club to district5610Rotary@gmail.com. A surprise may be coming your way if you respond WITHIN 2 DAYS to this request! We hope we have peaked your interest!
Rotary International President-elect Stephanie Urchick revealed the 2024-2025 presidential theme, The Magic of Rotary, at International Assembly.
"We are not going to end polio or bring peace to the world by waving a wand. It's up to you. You create the magic with every project completed, every dollar donated, and every new member."
Mark your calendar for Tuesday, 30 January when Rotary Club Central updates will go live! Rotary International is updating Rotary Club Central with a streamlined user interface that’ll improve your user experience, including:
• Updating the homepage to take you to the Club Goals page, since goal setting is the primary purpose of the tool. • Reorganizing the navigation so it’s easier to use. • Clarifying terminology to improve readability and alignment with our Action Plan.
Rotary Club Central helps clubs set and report goals, as well as retrieve information and reports for club, district, and global levels.
Our thanks to Jen Albig McKay for providing this quick primer on some of the most common uses for Clubrunner by Rotary clubs. In this video she discusses how to log into your Clubrunner account, how to input new member information, how to send emails, how to record attendance and how to input club officers. Click on the image below to watch this 20-minute training video. You can also view it on the Rotary District 5610 YouTube channel.
Bruce Nearhood will serve as District 5610's Governor for the 2024-25 Rotary year. He produced this quick video with two important messages for 5610 Rotarians.
A brief update on Food 4 the Holidays District Grant
All 18 clubs in District 5610 that submitted an application were funded at the $250 level or above depending on their minimum amount requested. The district used $5,850 to funds these grants. Congratulations to all the Clubs who submitted the application. A special thank-you to Brad Blaha for developing an easy to use application form for this grant!
Due to the success of this grant, the Finance Committee is reviewing the possibility of another District Designated Grant for the spring of 2024. Keep tuned!
We recently got home from our second visit with our daughter and her husband who now live in Maryland. They are still transitioning from the wilderness of Bethel, Alaska to the 24/7 human rat race of Washington, DC. Because none of us have ever seen it, we decided to check out the National Christmas Tree.
I wasn’t sure what to expect but after taking in the whole display, I feel it’s a remarkable reflection of the United States of America. Along with its lights and giant wrapped packages are smaller individual trees representing all 50 states and US territories. For me, this was an amazing “bucket list” experience.
The National Christmas Tree is fantastic on its own but so are the State and Territory Trees. Each individual State tree consists of decorations created by a particular entity within that State. For example, Tri-Valley High School of Colton provided the ornaments on the South Dakota State Tree. Each State’s Tree ornaments had to relate to a particular theme and the Try-Valley Students chose “The Natural Beauty of South Dakota”. Seeing this really made me very happy.
As divided as things in this Country seem to be, we can still come together to create, enjoy, and admire something where everyone is included. We hope during this holiday season you have the chance to include everyone, create hope where ever you are, and enjoy the world around us. It’s pretty terrific!
Take Care, God Bless, and may 2024 be a year of optimism and wonderful possibilities.
Roberta Sanches de Souza Camergo, is one of the Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) students in District 5610 during the 2023-24 school year. She is a guest of the Vermillion Rotary Club. Earlier this fall she did a wonderful presentation to the Vermillion Club that you can view by clicking on the image below. The presentation introduces her host club members to her home nation of Brazil. If your club would be interested in learning more about how they can sponsor a student to study abroad and/or host a RYE student, feel free to email Bill Spindle at william.spindle@sdsmt.edu. If you would like to read the Vermillion Plain Talk article about her visit and presentation you can CLICK HERE to read it on their website or choose the [Read More]link below.
I am excited to announce the Rotary 2023-24 annual District 5610 Four Way Test Essay Contest. This contest is a great way to spread our Rotary ideals within our communities. The contest involves 6th graders who are asked to write a 200 to 500 word essay on "How can I apply the Rotary Four-Way Test to my life?" You will be amazed and excited at the perspective 6th graders have on our Four-Way Test.
You need to find a 6th grade teacher or group of teachers who are willing to participate in this great project. I have found that it is usually easier to approach teachers rather than the administrators as they have so many other issues on their minds.
District 5610 Governor, Rich Burns, announces a special pop up mini-grant program in support of community projects that provide food for the holidays. Check the image below for grant requirements. The one-page application is filled out in a Google form and can be found here: https://forms.gle/LTXWovLUaXy7jcFC9
World Polio Day is on October 24, and Rotary International President Gordon McInally has a message for all Rotarians. Working with partners, Rotary has reduced wild polio cases to just a few this year, but even one is too many. Now is the time to help finally end the threat of Polio from the Earth.
Carmen Hansen of the Rushmore Rotary Club was presented the “Roger Kozak Service Above Self Award” at the 2023 District Conference in Yankton. Started in 2016, the Kozak award is the top honor given to a Rotarian in District 5610 and is given in recognition of exceptional service to Rotarians in Rotary District 5610.
In making the presentation, John Schneider, Immediate Past District Governor, noted that, “this year’s recipient, like most of those who have been honored in the past, probably doesn’t think they deserve this award. This person believes in ‘Service Above Self’ and is a living, walking, breathing example of it.”
Hansen was recognized for her service both in the community and in Rotary District 5610.
Roger Kozak, District 5610 Governor in 2009-2010, strongly believed in the importance of local and international service in Rotary. Each year since 2016 the "Roger Kozak Service Above Self Award" is given to a District Rotarian who exemplifies that service. In the short video below we hear Roger discuss the importance of service. This video was recorded only one or two years before his passing. To watch the video simply click on the image below. To read more about Roger Kozak and past recipients CLICK HERE.
World Polio Day is a day to remind us about our commitment to eradicate Polio.
What is our commitment: In 1978 Rotary chose, as its primary project, a hope to eradicate Polio from this world. We then realized that we cannot do this alone. We started to look for partners and formed an alliance with several nations and organizations with the same vision. In 1988 that alliance formed the” Global Initiative to Eradicate Polio”, where all partners would consolidate their funds and the initiative then will design and implement a program to eradicate Polio from the world. Our Rotary agreed to pledge $50 million each year. Gates foundation joined the Global Initiative later and agreed to match our Rotary Polio Plus Funds 2:1.
What have we achieved: Of the three Polio strains we have already eradicated Type 2 and 3. Type 1 is still active in three countries, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Mozambique. Intense work is being done in these countries to reach our final goal. We have got the commitment from Taliban to help in this effort.
During the recent District 5610 Conference, 24 Rotarians participated in the Polio Walk. Chair of the District's Polio Plus Committee, Ashok Kumar, noted that this first-time event succeeded in both bringing some early morning fun for the participants as well as raising awareness of Rotary's efforts to eradicate polio from the Earth. The walk on the Meridian pedestrian bridge in Yankton allowed the participants to share Rotary's mission with the community and provided a wonderful view of the sunrise over the Missouri River.
At the 2023 District 5610 Conference, DG Rich Burns introduced the new Rotarians of Distinction. The Rotarians of Distinction Award is presented to individuals who through service to their Rotary club and community have distinguished themselves, even among all Rotarians who strive to place service above self. The recipients have traveled different paths in their Rotary service, but those paths have all resulted in a record of service that identifies them as ROTARIANS OF DISTINCTION.
Why Should I Come to the District Conference in Yankton?
What a great question! The short answer is ● To get inspired. ● To do things you wouldn’t normally do. ● To celebrate the accomplishments “Imagine Rotary” is all about.
At the District Conference you will hear from Rotary International presenters how we have and will “Create Hope in the World.”
You will participate in ways your Club and community cannot only “imagine” but implement ideas to create hope.
And together, we will have the opportunity to spend time and reconnect with positive forces who think and believe in a common vision. I can’t “Image” a better place or time to get inspired! See "D5610 2023 Conference Agenda" in the News/Downloads section for a full conference agenda
Please make your Lodging reservation as soon as possible. Call one of them and confirm your reservation, referencing your attendance to the Rotary District Conference. See "D5610 2023 Conference Lodging" in the News/Downloads section for a list of Yankton lodging.
The District Conference is free for all Rotarians to attend, but we do need advanced registrations to help with planning. Please REGISTER HERE or use the District Conference tab at the top of the page.
We are looking forward to seeing all of you in Yankton!
It is time to update club goals for 2023-24. If you are new in the President's role, start by going to the Rotary Club Central Link found on your home page. If more information is needed, please go to Goal Setting.
Rotary Fellowships are international groups that share a common passion. Being part of a fellowship is a fun way to make friends around the world, explore a hobby or profession, and enhance your Rotary experience.
How do I join a fellowship?
Membership in a fellowship is open to any interested individual. You can contact a fellowship directly by using the links below.
Rotary believes in developing the next generation of leaders. Our programs help younger leaders build leadership skills, expand education and learn the value of service.
Interact clubs
Interact clubs bring together young people ages 12-18 to develop leadership skills and learn about the world through service projects and activities. Learn more ›
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards
RYLA is a leadership development program for young people who want to learn new skills, build their confidence, and have fun. Events range from one-day seminars to weeklong camps. Learn more ›
Rotary Youth Exchange
Rotary Youth Exchange builds peace one young person at a time. Students learn a new language, discover another culture, and truly become global citizens. Exchanges for students ages 15-19 are sponsored by Rotary clubs in more than 100 countries. Learn more ›
New Generations Service Exchange
New Generations Service Exchange is a short-term, customizable program for university students and professionals up to age 30. Participants can design exchanges that combine their professional goals with a humanitarian project. Learn more ›
How can you get involved?
All of our youth programs are connected to a Rotary club. To get involved, contact the Rotary club in your area.
Grand Prize: Beko 4 piece kitchen package: (Refrigerator, Range, Dishwasher and Over the Range Microhood). Up to a $6,000 retail value. Sponsored by Karl’s TV & Appliance & Gregory Rotary.
Club
Prize
Brookings
Canby
$100
Canton
Centerville
$100 Visa card
Cherokee
Clark
Custer
Gettysburg
Gregory
Grand Prize: Beko 4 piece kitchen package: (Refrigerator, Range, Dishwasher and Over the Range Microhood). Up to a $6,000 retail value. Sponsored by Karl’s TV & Appliance & Gregory Rotary.
Hot Springs
Le Mars
40 inch TV
Luverne
Madison
Case of Wine from Moose Winery
Mapleton
Gift basket at $85
Marshall
Unique beers Brau Brothers and $100 gift certificate. Value $175.
Marshall Sunrise
Mitchell
Mobridge
Pierre-Fort Pierre
$500 Gift Certificate
Rapid City
a weekend at the Black Hills Terry Peak Lodge condo, accommodations available, compliments of Dr Ashok Kumar, Rapid City Rotary
Rapid City Rushmore
Plant Stand/Step Stool/Chair
Rock Valley
$100 gift certificate to Copper Rose Apparel
Sioux Falls Downtown
$500 Visa gift card
Sioux Falls North
Sioux Falls South
$100 Walmart gift card
Sioux Falls West
$150 voucher for DTSF shopping and gift basket items
Notice is hereby given that the annual District 5610 District Assembly will convene on Saturday, April 29, 2023 at 10:30 AM CT. Please see email sent to you on March 27th for the agenda, minutes from the September 24, 2022 business meeting, the proposed budget for RY 2023-2024, and Proposed District dues per Rotarian for RY 2023-2024.
Please note that all questions regarding the proposed budget should be emailed to District Governor Elect Rich Burns at dg2023rotary.richb@gmail.com and Nicole Rawden at rawdenconsulting@gmail.com, in writing, at least one week before the District Assembly, to be held April 29, 2023. Thank you for all you do as Rotarians! You're greatly appreciated!
Presidents Elect, Presidents Nominee, Assistant Governors, Leadership Team, and Guests please join us for an inspirational couple of days. Join us starting Thursday evening April 27th for a dinner and a great chance to meet you fellow class of Presidents. Friday, April 28th will be a full day of inspirational speakers, breakout sessions, panelist discussions, wonderful food, and networking. Saturday, April 29th we will conclude at noon after our District Assembly and Raffle drawing. A full schedule of events will be emailed to PEs, PNs, AGs, and Leadership Team soon.
Location: Highland Conference Center Mitchell, South Dakota
Please book your hotel stay separately by contacting either of the two hotels connected to the conference center. Please tell them you are with the Rotary District 5610 PETS Conference to receive the Rotary rate. Link to Hotel Accommodations: Comfort Inn & Suites and Hampton Inn
RYLA stands for Rotary Youth Leadership Award. A RYLA participant is selected by his or her local Rotary Club to attend a camp designed to build character, leadership, personal development and good citizenship. The “Award” part of RYLA is the actual scholarship the Rotary Club provides so that a participant may attend camp free of charge. Past participants have had life-changing experiences by attending RYLA Camp, and YOU could be one of these people.
Please see the following bullet points about RYLA:
*It is a week long camp, July 9-13, 2023, held now at Maranatha Camp, Maxwell, NE
*District 5610 started RYLA in 2016 and we partnered with District 5630, who started their RYLA program in 1991. As District 5610 only has a handful of RYLA awardees who go to RYLA each summer, this partnership has proven very successful and a win-win for the students and for District 5610.
*Each District 5610 Club who sends a RYLA student(s) will be reimbursed 50% of the RYLA cost by District 5610. The cost for each student this year is $450.
*Each Club is responsible for transportation for the student to RYLA (see the website for more information).
*RYLA is open for application to sophomores and juniors who exhibit leadership or potential leadership abilities.
*I have personally spoken to past RYLA students who all said they came away from RYLA with new, life-long friendships and a solid understanding and appreciation of Rotary. Each has said they will continue in some way with Rotary be it Interact, Rotaract, or joining a Rotary Club (after college). Some have returned as RYLA camp counselors ~ and one is now the RYLA Camp co-chair!!! One RYLA student even got her parent to rejoin Rotary!
*As Rotarians, we MUST encourage sophomores and juniors we know to apply/attend RYLA as they are the future of Rotary!!
*Another important take away I learned from past RYLA attendees was they were each personally asked by a Rotarian to consider RYLA and to fill out and application.
*Thank you ALL for your help in seeking out those potential sophomore or junior applications you know or have connections with, and to come along side school counselors in your area to assist them in locating these future leaders! Camp preparations are underway and it's going to be a FANTASTIC camp experience again this year!
Should you have any questions or comments, please reach out to District 5610 RYLA co-chair Rene Sorenson
Rotary Youth Leadership Award Camper Applications Deadline Extended to April 15th
My year as District Governor is rapidly coming to an end. It has been a wonderful experience and as was predicted, probably the best year of my life. The last week of May was spent in Melbourne, Australia at the Rotary International Convention. PDG Ed Jacobson, said in his club visit that every Rotarian should attend a District Conference every 5 years. I now say that every Rotarian should attend an International Convention sometime in their life. I found that after meeting members from all over the world, Rotarians are the same all over the world, all being friendly and all wanting to live life with “Service Above Self”. The general sessions are full of inspiring speakers telling great stories of the great work that Rotary does or the great things that Rotary has done to change their own life. There are also dozens of breakout sessions covering all aspects of Rotary. And do not forget the opportunities of sightseeing and exploring the region.
June’s Rotary theme is “Rotary Fellowships”. Rotarians that share a passion, join in a fellowship on an international basis. It is a great way to make friends around the world and share and explore your passion with other Rotarians of the world. A list of fellowships is available on the Rotary website or Google Rotary Fellowship. I have joined the Railroad fellowship and am interested in the Motorcycling and Flying fellowships.
Speaking of fellowship, I have been looking forward to talking about fellowship in my final article. When Rotarians are surveyed about why they join or stay in Rotary, they say that is because of fellowship. In my 38 years of membership, it has certainly been the highlight. Of course, there is the fellowship in our local club, the weekly meetings and working together with service projects and fundraisers. There is another level of fellowship if you attend PETS or the District Conference and become involved on the district level. I have gained many friends across the district from Iowa, Minnesota, and across South Dakota. As district governor, I also have great friends across our Zone and a few around the world.
As I sign off, I want to thank all Rotarians for the respect and cooperation that you have given me throughout the year. When Rich Burns takes over in a couple weeks, I am sure you will treat him the same. And now, the first lady of 5610, my wife and aid Carol would like to add a message.
I have written this message a million times in my head over the past year! However, there are not enough words to describe the rich experiences we have had as John served as District 5610 Governor. From our first club visit to Mapleton, IA to our last in Sioux City, IA we were warmly welcomed and you listened intently to the message and goals John shared. Thank you all for your kindness. Thank you for all you do in your community in the name of Rotary. Most of us take our Rotary membership for granted but in many parts of the world having membership in Rotary is one of the highest goals a person might wish to achieve. I like to say that someone thought enough of you to invite you to join Rotary, so can you find someone you want to see have a Rotary story of their own? Invite them to a meeting soon! Just “Imagine” how Rotary could impact District 5610 with that kind of membership growth! Best wishes to Rich and Kelly Burns on their upcoming year!
Yours in Rotary,
John & Carol Schneider
June Message from District Governor John Schneider
Wow, what a great President Elect Training Seminar we had last month!! Kudos to DGE Rich Burns for organizing the event and thanks for all the District Leaders who were presenters and facilitators. Some portions were recorded and will be available for viewing. The District Assembly was held and I am excited to announce that Dan Cox of Sioux City Rotary Club was duly elected to be the District Governor in 2025-26. Nancy Moose was elected to represent our district on the Council on Legislation and Linda Peterson was named an alternate. The budget was tabled for further discussion and analysis, but the district dues will be raised $5 next fiscal year and another $5 in 2024-25. Look for an announcement of a future District Assembly on ZOOM to be held sometime in late June.
May is Youth Services Month. Our district is involved with the Rotary Youth Exchange and RYLA. I am happy to say that our district will be hosting 3 international students next school year and 8 high school students will be attending the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards Camp at Maxwell, Nebraska this summer. We also are involved with the 4 Way Essay Test contest. As I made me club visits, I learned of several popular youth service activities. Many clubs provide scholarships, student of the month recognition, high scholastic recognition and a few host Interact Clubs. Last month I traveled to Marshall, MN to say “a few words” at their meeting when their student Rotarians ran the meeting. I gave a key note address to the Le Mars Rotary Club at their senior recognition noon lunch.
Please be working on my goals of membership and giving to The Rotary Foundation. I know my goal of 10% membership growth is ambitious, but it gets us thinking about it. The clubs that remain active today have shown modest growth this year, so I am optimistic. The raffle brought in over $53,000 for The Foundation, so that is working towards my $250,000 goal. Please turn in your raffle sales money soon so that it will be included this year. Let’s finish the year out strong!!
You should have received an email from me reporting Nicole Rawden’s resignation as of June 30th. She has done a wonderful job as District Administrator and will be greatly missed. She has been indispensable to the past six District Governors and Leadership teams. I met Nicole 5 ½ years ago at the District Conference in Le Mars where she interviewed for the position. I knew she was right for the job even though I was not part of the selection process. Keep an eye out for more information about the selection process later this month.
Happy spring! Three things are top of mind today. First, of course, is PETS or the Spring Leadership Conference. It is April 27-29. Please encourage your President Elect to attend. DGE Rich Burns has put together a great program. Also, beware that the Annul District Assembly will be Saturday morning of PETS to elect the DG for 2025-26, Council on Legislation Representatives and 3 District Nominating Committee Members and approve the district budget and dues. Clubs are entitled to have a delegate for every 25 members. Your President and President Elect has received all this information and some is available on the District Website. The raffle drawing will also be held. Encourage your members to purchase tickets!
Second is RYLA or Rotary Youth Leadership Awards Camp at Camp Maranatha, Maxwell, NE. Our RYLA Chairperson, Rene Sorenson, has done a great job of sending out information on this. Information is also available on the district website. The deadline has been extended through April 15!
Third, we are looking for 3 clubs to host Foreign Exchange Students next school year. RYE Chairman Patrick Morrison and incoming chairman Bill Spindle are the resource for this topic.
This month’s Rotary theme is Maternal and Child Health. I did a little research and found that our district partnered on a Global Grant project in 2019 to serve indigenous pregnant women in North Dakota. We have recently authorized a Global Grant partnership with a club in Uganda to provide wheelchairs and other medical devices for people with disabilities and purchase a new ultrasound machine and train staff to enhance pre-natal care. Our clubs have also done district grants projects within this area of focus. Examples are Sioux Falls West with their Children’s Inn project, Le Mars with their Then Just Feed One packing event and Luverne with their bike helmet distribution.
Please continue to work on your membership growth and retention and Foundation giving; two of my major goals for this year. I’m looking forward to seeing many of you at PETS!
Yours in Rotary!
John Schneider DG 5610
April Message from District Governor John Schneider
As spring approaches we have some very important Rotary Programs coming up. First, PETS or the Spring Leadership Conference is April 27-29. DGE Rich Burns and his committee have been working hard to put together a great program. It involves not only education but also networking and fellowship. Please encourage your president elect to attend and also the president nominee (sergeant at arms) are welcome. In any case, please send someone from your club and I hope that your club would help with the expense of mileage and lodging. In my club visits, I could see a difference between clubs that attend PETS and those who do not. It was very telling when a club asked “What is the Foundation and who is Paul Harris?” Second, applications for RYLA are due by the end of this month. It is a wonderful opportunity and experience for high school students to engage in leadership development in a camp setting. Third, we are looking for at least one more club to host a foreign exchange student. You can find information about all of these programs on the District website or contact me and I will point you in the right direction.
The Rotary theme for March is Water and Sanitation. Water and Sanitation is the cornerstone area of focus. Without that we will not have Disease Prevention, Child and Maternal Health, Economic Development, Education, Peace and Conflict Resolution or an improved Environment. I’m very proud of my home club of Le Mars as water has been a focus of several international projects. Several years ago we were the lead club for a Global Grant water project in Honduras and supported several other non-Rotary projects there. Our members have also assembled Chlorine Production Units to purify water in the third world and most recently supported a Global Grant water project in Tanzania.
Happy Spring and I look forward to seeing some of you in our travels later this month as we plan to attend the gala for the Children’s Home Society in Rapid City and possibly visit clubs as part of the trip.
Yours in Rotary!!
John Schneider DG 5610
March Message from District Governor John Schneider
I know most of us are tired of the cold and snowy winter most of us are having. Forty plus years ago, I have to admit that winter was my favorite season because I loved snowmobiling and downhill skiing. That was a long time ago and seems like a different life time!
We are well into the second half of the Rotary year and we need to be thinking about accomplishing our Rotary goals. Virtually every club I visited expressed concern about membership. Last week our Membership Chairman, Carmen Hansen, invited all the club membership chairs and presidents to a membership ZOOM. It was not well attended! It makes us wonder how seriously clubs really take membership. I think part of it is we don’t take the time to read emails from District Leadership. I know we all suffer from email fatigue, but we are here to help clubs in growing and to prosper. Carmen offers great information and advice about membership and has access to many resources from the Zone level and Rotary International. I have recordings of a recent great three-part ZOOM presentation about membership growth and retention that Carmen or I would be happy to share.
Moving forward DGE Rich Burn’s mind is on the upcoming PETS (President Elects Training Conference). He is putting together a great program for PE’s and he also welcomes President Elect Nominees to attend. The first step to plan PETS is to ask clubs to have their presidents for next year elected as soon as possible so that they may be informed and inspired to attend. As of now, about 13 clubs need to let us know who their PE’s are. I have emailed all those clubs and we will be following up with phone calls.
This month is Rotary “Peace and Conflict Prevention/Resolution” Month. February includes the first day that a Rotary meeting was held, February 23, 1905. It is now designated as the “World Understanding and Peace Day”. Rotary International supports Peace Centers around the world and provides Rotary Peace Fellow scholarships to attend. The mission of these centers is to “empower, educate, and increase the capacity of peace builders through rigorous academic training, practice and global networking opportunities”. These fellowships develop the skills needed to act as “leaders and catalysts for peace and conflict resolutions both in their communities and around the globe”.
Yours in Rotary!!
John Schneider DG 5610
February Message from District Governor John Schneider
The nominating committee has selected PDG Nancy Moose to serve as the next District 5610 Council on Legislation Representative. The COL Alternate Representative selected is PDG Linda Peterson.
Council on Legislation Representative and Alternative Representative Selected
Watertown Rotarian Wendy Fransen and her husband Ken helped decorate the Rotary float for the 2023 Rose Parade, along with Rotarians from across the US, Canada, England, Mexico and many local Interactors. Rotary started in 1905 when carousels became popular, creating a perfect fit for the Rose Parade theme "Turning the Corner." The volunteers' combined efforts paid off as the Rotary float won the Princess Award. The Rotary float is an annual project for several districts (5280, 5300, 5320, 5330 and 6450), and having volunteers help with decorating was essential to stay within this year's $100,000 budget.
Wendy said, "Having attended 23 Rotary International conventions and participating in various service projects, our work on the Rotary float is at the top of my list for a project requiring hard work and resulting in immense pride!!"
I hope you all had a joyous Christmas and Holiday Season. We have had a great time with our children and their families this past week. The couple days before Christmas were pretty brutal, however, fighting the extreme cold and wind to move snow to get the feed trucks in. I hope the worst weather is over, but some areas are experiencing some large snowfalls as I write this.
January is Vocational Service Month. In my 38 years of being a Rotarian, I’ve been a little confused as to what vocational service means in Rotary. I found an article on-line that explains it quite well. The concept of vocational service is rooted in the Second Objective in the Object of Rotary which calls on Rotarians to “encourage and foster”:
High ethical standards in business and professionalism
The recognition of the worthiness of all occupations
The dignifying of each Rotarian’s occupation as an opportunity to serve society
As a Rotarian consider these suggestions to put the above ideals into action.
Talk about your vocation in your club and take time to learn about fellow members’ vocations.
Use your professional skills to serve a community.
Practice your profession with integrity and inspire other to behave ethically through your own words and actions.
Help a young person achieve his or her career aspirations.
Guide and encourage others in their professional development.
As I recall my membership in Rotary, I see that our club members have done a good job with most if not all of these points. Some of the most interesting programs that we have had is members or guests talking about their business or profession.
As we begin the second half of the Rotary year, I want to remind you of my District Rotary goals of 10% membership growth and $250,000 in donations to The Rotary Foundation. I will bring these up several times before the end of the year. When Carol and I have confidence in winter weather travel, we will hit the road again to visit clubs and present banners recognizing outstanding donations to The Rotary Foundation.
Finally, I want to strongly encourage clubs to hold their officer elections ASAP. We need to know who the President Elects are and encourage them to attend PETS in Mitchell April 27-29. DGE Rich Burns has great plans to provide a fun, educational and inspirational experience for all who attend.
John Schneider
DG 5610
January Message from District Governor John Schneider
Rotary started with the vision of one man — Paul Harris. The Chicago attorney formed the Rotary Club of Chicago on 23 February 1905, so professionals with diverse backgrounds could exchange ideas and form meaningful, lifelong friendships. Over time, Rotary’s reach and vision gradually extended to humanitarian service. Members have a long track record of addressing challenges in their communities and around the world.
"Whatever Rotary may mean to us, to the world it will be known by the results it achieves."
Paul Harris Rotary founder
Our ongoing commitment
That commitment endures today through an organization that remains truly international. Only 16 years after being founded, Rotary had clubs on six continents. Our members now span the globe, working to solve some of our world’s most challenging problems. We’re not afraid to dream big and set bold goals. We began our fight against polio in 1979 with a project to immunize 6 million children in the Philippines. Today, polio remains endemic in only two countries — down from 125 in 1988.
The Rotary Foundation transforms your gifts into service projects that change lives both close to home and around the world. Since it was founded more than 100 years ago, the Foundation has spent more than $4 billion on life-changing, sustainable projects. With your help, we can make lives better in your community and around the world.
Our mission
The Rotary Foundation helps Rotary members to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace by improving health, providing quality education, improving the environment, and alleviating poverty.
What impact can one donation have?
For as little as 60 cents, a child can be protected from polio.
$50 can provide clean water to help fight waterborne illness.
$500 can launch an antibullying campaign and create a safe environment for children.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year fellow Rotarians!
Carol and I have had a wonderful start to the holiday season revisiting Rotary Clubs over the past three weeks. We attended the Brookings Rotary “Hope and Healing” fundraiser for Ukrainian Relief where $50,000 was raised. Later, we attended a social with the Luverne Rotary Club where they presented several Paul Harris Fellows and became a 100% Paul Harris Club. This week we visited the Black Hills and attended the Rushmore Rotary meeting. Northern Black Hills - Spearfish Rotary Club invited us to their Christmas party where 5 of 6 new members were inducted. Then Rapid City Rotary Club had a fun Christmas Party were longtime Rotarian Dr. Reuben Bareis was presented with his Paul Harris plus 7 pin. All examples of the great fellowship among Rotarians and the generosity they have toward their fellow man.
December is Disease Prevention and Treatment month. This is a major focus of humanitarian efforts in Rotary. Consider our longtime efforts through Polio Plus to eradicate polio from the earth. Many of our Global Grant projects are related to safe, clean water projects that enhance the health and life expectancy in third world countries.
As I end the first half of my District Governor term, I want to reiterate my goals for the District. First, at my club visits I spoke about my goal of a developing a program to help our clubs to grow membership. With consultation and advice from other district leaders, I believe that we will be soon putting together a program to assist clubs in strategic planning to help clubs determine where they are and where they want to be and then a plan to get there. Hopefully, this will contribute toward my goal of increasing membership by 10%. I have been encouraged by several clubs with recent great membership gains and enthusiasm in the rebirth and formation of Rotaract clubs. My second goal is that our district contribute $200,000 to The Rotary Foundation. Please consider signing up through My Rotary to make scheduled gifts. It’s nearly painless to give online automatically. $8.34 per month or $100 per year will make you a Rotary Foundation Sustaining Member. $83.34 per month will make you a Paul Harris Fellow.
Finally, I wish you and your Rotary Club a Merry Christmas and a joyous and prosperous New Year.
John Schneider DG 5610
December Message from District Governor John Schneider
Congratulations to Mary DeVany of the Rotary Club of Sioux Falls South, who has been presented Rotarian of the Quarter by District Governor John Schneider for her dedication as a Rotarian and as an Assistant Governor to Rotary District 5610. She has been a resource person for several clubs.
She helped establish a regular schedule of monthly events for her club during her second term as President of Sioux Falls South which included 1 social and 1 service event and 2-3 regular presentations by speakers. Several of their speakers were from outside Sioux Falls and presented remotely, including a Rotary International Director from our Zone. This schedule has been a great recruiting tool for new members to the Sioux Falls South club. She is a constant reminder that new members are not only good for our clubs, but good for the new member and our communities. She had led the outreach of the Sioux Falls South club to Harrisburg, SD for potential new members. Her organization and presentation skills are key.
Mary and her family also hosted a Rotary Youth Exchange student-Awan for six months. Mary and her husband-Rex have one son. She is a graduate of Leadership South Dakota, member of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, sings in the choir and is a champion for Lutheran Outdoors. She has been a member of the Lennox Band for over 25 years and plays in the USD Alumni Band.
Mary’s professional career for over 30 years has centered around telehealth. She is the Associate Director at gpTrac for the University of Minnesota as a TeleHealth Enthusiast and Rural Health Advocate helping people visualize how they might use telehealth. Her educational background includes a Master of Science degree in Organizational Leadership from the University of South Dakota and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mass Communications/PR-Advertising at USD as well.
The District Governor Award for Rotarian of the Quarter is a Rotarian who has gone above and beyond and has proven to be extraordinary in her service above self. This award honors one individual each quarter who has exhibited these attributes. Congratulations Mary!
Congratulations to Steve Sikorski of the Downtown Sioux Falls Rotary Club, who was awarded the 2022-23 Roger Kozak Service Above Self Award at the District 5610 celebration conference in Sioux City on the evening of September 23rd. It was presented to him by Rotary Past International Vice President and Rotary Foundation Trustee Greg Podd.
Steve Sikorski is a dedicated Rotarian, dedicated to Rotary, his community and the world. He is very active in his local Rotary club, Sioux Falls Downtown, and has served as president. In our district he was District Governor in 2015 - 16 and has remained active since that time serving as the District Treasurer for many years. One of Steve’s special loves is working with Hope Haven and Rotary to help deliver wheelchairs around the world especially to Romania where he has worked on special projects and has built many bridges of friendship. Speaking of friendship he has participated in and encouraged others to participate in Rotary Friendship Exchanges, helping to spread Rotary ideals around the world. Steve has also worked very hard supporting his college fraternity SAE and is very active in his church. Through his involvement with Master Gardeners he is working with “Ground Works” introducing S. D. Ag in the Classroom so children can learn where their food comes from. He has built over 150 raised garden beds for schools, daycares and churches. Steve is truly a #Service Above Self” Rotarian.
Roger Kozak
Service Above Self Award
“In recognition of exceptional service to Rotarians in Rotary District 5610. This award honors the memory of Roger L. Kozak, long-time member of the Vermillion Rotary Club, who served as District Governor, 2009-10, and who distinguished himself as an exceptional servant leader.” Click here to learn more about Roger Kozak and his Service Above Self.
Past Kozak Award Winners:
2016-17 - Larry Lyngstad, Pierre-Fort Pierre 2017-18 - George Twitero, Rapid City Rushmore 2018-19 - Pat Sutliff, Rapid City Rushmore 2019-20 - Chuck Lindemann, Marshall 2020-21 - No Award (Covid Pandemic) 2021-22 - Dr. Willis Sutliff, Rapid City Rushmore
Good afternoon, Club Presidents and Grant Officers,
District 5610 has funds available in its FY 2023 District Designated Fund account for clubs to use on projects. This is a "Call for Proposals" from clubs to apply for these funds for projects to benefit their communities.
A few notes:
Please use the attached grant application form.
The district requires a 1-to-1 local club financial match. For example, if you have a $2,000 project, the club should provide $1,000 and request $1,000 from the district.
The deadline for these grant proposals is Friday, September 30 with funds being disbursed to clubs shortly thereafter. Those clubs who submitted grant applications in May during the last fiscal year that were not funded will have those applications roll over into this grant round. Projects must be completed within 24 months of receipt of funds.
As with all Rotary grants, these proposals must be for projects that have not yet started. You will be required to submit receipts validating your expenditure of funds, and the hands-on involvement of local Rotarians is required. Projects must involve more than just “passing a check” to an organization. Please email me if you have questions.
You are invited to attend the "Better Rotarians - Better Communities" session at the District 5610 Annual Meeting September 23rd to learn more about how clubs have utilized grant funds to create successful projects.
Application can be found under News/Downloads section on the right hand column of the district website homepage.
Nominations are being accepted for the following District 5610 position:
District 5610 Governor Nominee to serve as District Governor during the Rotary year of July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026.
Qualifications are to have served as a club president for a full term (per Rotary International bylaws), be a member in good standing in a club within the district, and to have been a Rotary club member for seven years before taking office. The successful candidate is expected to fulfill the training expectations and be willing to fulfill the duties and responsibilities of the governor.
Nominations or expressions of personal interest should be forwarded no later than September 30th, 2022 to:
A case of polio paralysis has been reported in an adult in a suburban county of New York. This is more evidence that polio is only a plane ride away and that clusters of people who are unvaccinated are at risk of dying or having a life of paralysis if children or adults do not get the CDC recommended vaccinations. There is sewage testing proof that the vaccine derived polio virus is still circulating in Orange and Rockland counties in NY and polio immunization rates there are only 60 %. These are also counties close to NY City so further cases are very likely. Covid is also a factor as children's immunizations have lagged across the US. But what has really happened is there is a large number of people across the entire US who refuse immunizations for religious reasons and other non-scientific reasons. It is now apparent that where there are groups of non-immunized adults and children, polio is a real possibility. This is ANYWHERE in the US, including SD, MN, IA and NB. The United Kingdom has not had a paralysis case but sewage tests in London show they have a similar problem as does Israel. The take home message is to educate everyone you know that polio is not conquered even in the US and anti-vaxxers are playing with fire. Their result may be death or life long paralysis in a loved one.
Worldwide the drive to eliminate polio is steady but not great. The wild virus exists in only Afghanistan and Pakistan, but Pakistan's numbers are up to 7 as opposed to 4 for the entire year in 2021. There are a number of countries in Africa where circulating, vaccine-caused polio is a major problem. This includes Nigeria, Yeman and D R Congo. The new type 2 vaccine that has been developed should help, but many African countries are at war or having problems administering vaccines. I am still optimistic that polio can be eliminated from the world but it is extremely tough. Please continue to support Polio Plus and see that Rotary gets the promised Gates Foundation match of $2 for each $1 we donate to Polio Plus. OUR DISTRICT HAS STEPPED UP FOR POLIO PLUS IN SUCH A WONDERFUL WAY. Thanks to all of you. If you could summarize this for your fellow members and the need to give, I would appreciate it so much.
1. Rotary was the first to promise a polio free world.
2. We have given $2.2 billion to never have another polio victim.
3. Our effort has kept 2 million children from gruesome, terrible deaths.
4. Rotarians have kept over 20 million people from a life of paralysis.
5. Yet polio is still only a plane ride away.
6. Rotarians will not stop until this scourge of humanity is stamped out forever.
August is Membership and New Club Development Month. One of RI President Jennifer Jones' initiatives is to focus on the comfort and care of our members, and Membership Month is the perfect time to make sure that your club provides a welcoming experience. Members are more likely to stay if we listen to them and understand what they want out of Rotary. Here are a few ideas for helping people feel valued and involved:
"Imagine One's Dream" a limited edition print, signed and dated by Darren Jones, a Chicago artist and brother to Jennifer Jones, will be auctioned at the 2022 District Rotary Conference in Sioux City. The auction will be at the Friday evening banquet and the profit will be designated for the Polio Plus fund.
The "Imagine One's Dream" original painting was a combination of acrylic paints, industrial staples, shredded studio paperwork, plaster and beach sand painted on wooden panel. For this piece, Jones used beach sand from their family cottage in Ontario, and paper he shredded and used from the Rotary website to include the "Objects of Rotary and the Four Way Test." After the textures were layered and dry Jones said he began the colour process by literally applying paint to his hands and then onto the panel. The colour pallette was inspired by the colours of Rotary and the Presidential theme. "The gradient shading is also done on purpose to create a more landscape emotion, representing the horizon we all walk towards!!" states Jones.
The numbered print includes a signed Certificate of Authenticity and is valued at $800. It has been beautifully framed in brushed silver as suggested by the artist. It would be a beautiful addition to a home or office to reflect the importance Rotary plays in the lives of people around the world.
"Imagine One's Dream" a limited edition print, signed and dated by Darren Jones, a Chicago artist and brother to Jennifer Jones, will be auctioned at the 2022 District Rotary Conference in Sioux City
Wow! What a wonderful start to the Rotary year. As you read this I will have completed all of my
club visits. Carol and I have had a great experience meeting Rotarians and visiting the service projects all over the District. So many of our clubs are instrumental in improving the quality of life in their communities. Rotarians are very kind, welcoming and complimentary people.
I’m biased, but I am so proud of the District Conference that was held last month. We had great speakers and breakout sessions. I’m sure all who attended went home energized and educated about Rotary. Thanks to PDG Steve Harrington and his committee for putting it all together! Thanks also to the Plymouth County Pork Producers for grilling us such tasty pork Chops. Congratulations also go out to the 10 Rotarians of Distinction, Roger Kozak Award winner Steve Sikorski and Rotarian of the Quarter Mary DeVany! Congratulations to the clubs who received certificates for Membership Growth, Foundation Giving and Polio Plus Giving.
Monday October 24th is World Polio Day. I hope your club has some kind of a plan to celebrate the great progress Rotary has made over the past 35 years in our attempt to eradicate Polio. Also, I hope our clubs have some kind of fundraising project for Polio Plus. Here are some ideas; (https://www.endpolio.org/world-polio-day). If you haven’t already, read District Polio Plus Chairman Willis Sutliff’s article about Polio.
October is also Community Economic and Development Month. The District Grants Committee recently reviewed the District Grant applications. We reviewed outstanding projects that relate to this month’s theme. As I said earlier, Rotarians make a great impact on their communities. Please make sure you give Rotary credit by using appropriate signage to inform the community of your work. The Rotary Wheel speaks volumes! Public Image Chairman, Kay Norton, would be happy to help you with that. Make sure you watch the photo slideshow on the district website or click the Imagine Rotary logo below to see photos of the great work Rotarians do.
I’m looking forward to the rest of the Rotary year to work on my goals of Membership, Foundation Giving and Ending Human Trafficking Global Grants. Every Rotary Club with very few exceptions has brought up the concern of building membership. District DG Line and the Membership Committee will be working on a plan to help clubs with that challenge. When your club receives information about our plans, please take advantage of our help.
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!
Don Norton enjoys transforming communities and improving people’s lives through Rotary. He has just completed his second term as President of the Rotary Club of Brookings, South Dakota, where he is a multiple Paul Harris Fellow. He serves as the Grants Chair in District 5610. He has been a Rotarian for 26 years.
Don also helps build the leadership capacity of communities across the state as CEO of the South Dakota Agricultural and Rural Leadership Program (SDARL), focusing on developing the skills, knowledge, and character of leaders through training seminars.
Don’s background is 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.
Prior to joining SDARL, Don directed the leadership programming and served as CEO of the Illinois Agricultural Leadership Program. He has led leadership classes to China, India, Japan, Panama, Germany, Poland, Ireland, Scotland, and held leadership seminar meetings in Russia and Ukraine.
Don and his wife, Kay (the District 5610 Public Image Chair), have two grown sons. They enjoy singing special programs at retirement and nursing homes, and carry on a Brookings tradition with the Hopeful Spirit Chorale, a group that lifts up the spirts of the homebound and those in hospice.
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.
The District Governor Award for Rotarian of the Quarter was presented to Tahiry Razafimanjato he is a Rotarian who has gone above and beyond and has proven to be extraordinary in his service above self. This was a new award in Rotary Year 2021-22 that served to honor one individual each quarter who has exhibited these attributes. Congratulations Tahiry!
Rotary International President Jennifer Jones imagines a Rotary where members act to make their dreams become reality and make the most of their club experiences. During her year, Jones will focus on four presidential initiatives that Imagine Rotary: advancing our commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI); creating a welcoming club experience; empowering girls; and expanding our reach.
Imagine: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
Diversity is one of Rotary's longstanding core values and greatest strengths. Jones knows there is more to be done to ensure that Rotary's culture exemplifies our values of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Rotary, with input and guidance from the DEI Task Force, has strengthened our commitment to DEI, resulting in a greater focus on celebrating every individual's contributions, advancing equity, and creating a more welcoming and inclusive culture.
President Jennifer Jones encourages each of us to do our part to ensure Rotary is a welcoming and inclusive community by:
Learning more about DEI in Rotary, including understanding definitions and how to celebrate and respect our differences.
Determining why DEI matters to our club and community and how using DEI principles can help our club grow and become stronger.
Raising awareness of DEI, including creating a DEI committee in your club that reflects the demographics of your community.
Taking action on DEI in our club and community for instance educating yourself about underrepresented groups in your community in order to become a more knowledgeable and effective advocate for DEI.
Learn more and take action by reading the DEI presidential brochure. Find additional resources on our DEI web page. Watch what Jones hopes to accomplish with DEI (download).
Imagine a welcoming club experience: Comfort and Care
Rotary has an important role to play to ensure that the club environment and experience is welcoming, inclusive, and enjoyable for all members and participants. Surveys show that comfort and care is the single greatest driver of satisfaction and our most powerful tool for retention. This begins with listening to and understanding what members and participants want out of their Rotary involvement. We often speak of the importance of "exit interviews" to better understand why former members leave. But why wait for them to leave? Jones urges club leaders to incorporate "entrance interviews" as well to understand the needs and expectations of new members at the outset. And of course, be sure to regularly survey all existing members, to ensure they have an opportunity to share thoughts about their membership experience.
Watch Jones talk about her Comfort and Care initiative (download)
Empowering Girls
Jones will continue past RI President Shekhar Mehta’s Girls Empowerment initiative, recognizing that empowered girls become empowered women. Share your Girls Empowerment projects on Showcase.
Imagine Impact: Expanding Rotary's reach media tours
Imagine Expanding Rotary's Reach Throughout the year, Jones will visit eight service projects that represent each of Rotary's areas of focus and polio eradication. The tour will provide examples of how Rotary can make a measurable difference, while introducing Rotary to new audiences and potential partners and influencers.
The Rotary Clubs of Sioux City and Le Mars will welcome members from 40 clubs from Iowa and South Dakota at its District Conference featuring Navy Seal Boyd Renner as a keynote speaker Sept. 23-24 at Stoney Creek Hotel and Conference Center in Sioux City, IA.
Renner will speak Sept. 23 at 7:30 p.m. A limited number of tickets will be available to the public.
Renner served for more than 23 years with the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, also known as SEAL Team Six SEAL Team Six has been known as the U.S. Navy's premier hostage rescue and counter-terrorism unit. He also served with SEAL Team Two for four years and held every enlisted rank from Seaman Recruit to Master Chief Petty Officer before he became a Chief Warrant Officer in 2010.
After 9/11, he completed 10 tours in Afghanistan and 2 tours in Iraq and was deployed in Albania, Sarajevo and to the Arabian Peninsula.
Besides the Navy & Marine Corps Life Saving Medal, Renner’s many awards include the Bronze Star Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Navy & Marine Corps Commendation Medal and the Army Commendation Medal -- all for valorous actions.
While in the Navy, Boyd earned a business degree from Saint Leo University and a master's degree in project management from Penn State University.
Today Boyd is a recognized keynote speaker and a co-founder of Endeavor Life Sciences, a company that has patented a way to safely add DNA to a new or existing tattoo and jewelry. He is currently the Chief Operations Officer at FINAO Coastal Group in Virginia Beach Virginia.
In addition to the address by Renner the Rotary conference will feature meetings on the Rotary mission of service and ideas and new initiatives for district clubs.
Rotary International projects fight polio and disease, provide clean water and sanitation, support mothers and children, promote literacy and economic development and protect the environment.
Navy Seal to Address District Rotary Conference September 23
On July 1, John Schneider assumed the volunteer post of Rotary International District Governor for 2022-23. As Governor, he serves as a guide and resource along with his district leadership team for the clubs in District 5610 encompassing all of South Dakota, northwestern Iowa, and southwestern Minnesota. John will serve through June 30, 2023. Attached is a link to incoming District Governor John Schneider's club visit schedule. As incoming Presidents for 2022-23 please review the schedule and please confirm the scheduled date, time, and location with District Governor 2022-23 John Schneider at 1-712-540-4250 or by email at jsswine@midlands.net.
“In life’s journey, a bend in the road is not the end of the road, unless you refuse to make the turn”. In 2018, Penny and I decided that I should embark on this “journey” of serving as this District’s 2021-2022 District Governor. I can honestly say that it was not without a certain degree of concern and trepidation (what am I getting myself into??) that I jumped into the commitment. It’s definitely been a ride, and one I will always look back on with (mostly) fond memories. I need to use that well-worn and somewhat trite phrase that “it seems like only yesterday” …because its so very true! There were certainly moments when I doubted my sanity (and so did my wife), but luckily, there has always been my amazing team of committed, kind and forgiving Rotarian leaders to support me, pick me up when I was down, gently correcting me when I started down the wrong path, and always, always cheering me on when things were going as planned and even when they weren’t.
My wife, Penny, has been my constant supporter, editor, strategist, tech advisor and head cheerleader throughout the past three years, and I will always be grateful for her support, her love, and the occasional “nudge” when I needed it!
Nicole Rawden has been there for me always and has such an amazing talent to remind me of things before I even know I’ve forgotten them, to pull out information that I could spend a week searching for in minutes, and to always be there, even late nights and early mornings, to help me do my job better than I could ever hope to do it myself.
We have an amazing “DG Track”. IPDG Dan has been a wealth of information and advice when I was facing difficult decisions, and DGE John has become a close friend, always there to laugh together and sometimes have those uncomfortable talks about difficult decisions. I’m confident that John will be an excellent DG and further advance our District in positive ways! DGN Rich and DGND Bruce are both in the midst of DG training, and I feel both possess the right stuff to be great DG’s.
Our Leadership team for the past year is one of the main reasons for the successes we’ve enjoyed as a district this year! We’ve grown, we’ve established broader and well-structured committees, we’ve developed new long-standing programs that will continue on for many years and we’ve definitely gotten the train back on the tracks after two long years of COVID pain. I’m so grateful for all the work, much of which has gone unseen by most, that District Chairs and their committees have performed. I could write a long essay on all the wonderful successes I’ve seen this year that have been performed with little fanfare, just because “it was the right thing to do”!
The other main reason for the successes our district has enjoyed this year is YOU! You are the club member that shows up to meetings, volunteers to chair projects, comes up with new innovative ideas, brings that friend or neighbor who becomes a great member, and who gives freely of his or her time and talents and treasures to make our District and our organization stronger! Never hesitate to take the next step… to chair the committee, to serve on the Board of Directors, to be an Assistant Governor, or to serve in a district leadership committee. Our success is due to people that our willing to take the next step. I know that I will never regret my decisions to do so!
Which brings me back to my opening quote…although I don’t know where I might land in my next Rotary adventure, I do know that this is definitely just a “bend in the road” and not “the end of the road”. I ask that as you thoughtfully consider the next step in your Rotary journey, and that you think and move forward boldly. I can promise that you won’t regret it! Thank you all for allowing me to serve as your District Governor. It’s been my honor and my privilege and given me many forever memories.
The Trail of Governors Foundation wishes to thank the Rotary Clubs of District 5610 who generously supported the Sponsorship of the statue of former Governor and long time Rotarian, Dennis Daugaard, whose statue was added to the Trail in 2019. All Rotarians are invited to attend the unveiling of the statues of the final three of the 31 former governors who will join the Trail at 10:00AM on Friday, June 17, 2022 in the rotunda of the State Capitol.
The Club Donors are as follows: Sioux Falls Downtown, Pierre-Ft. Pierre, Mitchell, Mobridge, Winner, Centerville, and Hot Springs.
Also, received were individual contributions from Rotary members and Rotary friends in Sioux Falls, Pierre, Hot Springs, Rapid City, Salem, Spearfish, Wagner, Winner, Vermillion, Yankton and Dell Rapids. All donors are recognized on the Foundation website: www.trailofgovernors.com and as a Sponsor, Rotary District 5610 is included on the bronze plaque that accompanies Governor Daugaard's statue.
The drive to eliminate polio from the world forever seems like a rollercoaster ride with emotional highs and lows. This continued last year but with a high in the real progress made in Afghanistan and Pakistan and lows in Israel having a circulating vaccine paralysis case and Malawi having a wild polio case. Overall however we showed excellent progress by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.* Afghanistan cases dropped from 141 cases in 2020 to 4 cases in 2021. Pakistan has dropped to only 1 case in 2021. And it occurred in Jan. 2021 so Pakistan has been without a polio case for 14 months. Covid caused a hold in giving vaccinations for a few months so we were pleasantly surprised to see the drop in cases in Afghanistan and Pakistan. They probably occurred due to a decrease in travel.
A Plane Ride Away
You likely saw on line or on the news that a case of wild virus polio occurred in Africa in Malawi. The genetic tests of the virus showed the origin of the virus was from Pakistan. This demonstrated the importation by international travel. The case has been surrounded by an emergency vaccination task force. It has encircled the case and is giving vaccination in concentric circles around the case until no more virus is detected in sewage and no cases in children. Africa still is considered polio free as the case is contained. This case graphically illustrates that “polio is just a plane ride away” from all of us. Another case of vaccine derived polio paralysis in Israel shows that a pocket of anti-vaxxers can put a large community at risk of polio. The case occurred in a group of Israelis who for religious reasons avoided vaccines. Groups like this could derail Rotary’s long and expensive effort to eliminate polio from the world. So please, please vaccinate your children and educate your family members to see their children are all vaccinated. Other favorable facts show that circulating virus polio cases decreased from 959 in 2020 to 38 cases in 2021.
Vaccinator Deaths in Afghanistan
Sadly the polio elimination drive saw the brutal killing of 9 more workers in Afghanistan. I personally got to meet some of the brave Afghan women vaccinators two years ago and saw how strong and committed they are to getting rid of the scourge of polio. And they all were well aware that they could be giving the ultimate sacrifice. Please tell your clubs about them and their bravery. I hope there can be money raised in their name by our clubs and district so we can be sure their lives have not been given in vane. I also hope you can talk to your members about the fact that groups of unvaccinated children could bring polio back to the United States and ruin the effort to eliminate polio from the world for good. We must continue vaccinating every child in the US.
*Global Polio Eradication Initiative members are; Rotary International, the Gates Foundation,UN WHO and UNICEF and US CDC.
The District Governor Award for Rotarian of the Quarter is presented to Jennifer Rollins she is a Rotarian who has gone above and beyond and has proven to be extraordinary in her service above self. This is a new award this Rotary year that will serve to honor one individual each quarter who has exhibited these attributes. Congratulations Jennifer!
Jennifer Rollins is a retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel having served 22 years in active duty as a B-1 Bomber aviator. She was stationed throughout the U.S. as well as Europe and Africa and deployed a total of 10 times. She now devotes her time to multiple volunteer passions. Having grown up near the mountains in Utah, Jennifer has a passion for downhill ski racing and recently served on the U.S. Ski Association Master’s Division Board of Directors. Furthermore, she interviews and evaluates candidates as a College Rep for the U.S. Air Force Academy. But her ultimate community passion is Rotary and became a member of Rushmore Rotary in 2013. Along with involvement on various club committees, she also attended a service project mission to Guatemala and two Friendship Exchanges. Jennifer is in her second year serving as the chairperson for the District Global Grant/Vocational Training Team subcommittee, with special focus on project initiatives to address human trafficking. In 2021, she graduated from Leadership South Dakota and looks forward to putting her collective experience into action as President of Rushmore Rotary 2022-2023.
During the recent District Assembly for District 5610, Rotarian Bruce Nearhood was elected to the position of District Governor Nominee (DGN) for the 2022-23 Rotary year. The following year, 2023-24, Bruce will serve as the District Governor Elect (DGE) and he will serve as the District Governor (DG) in 2024-25.
Bruce, a member of the Rapid City Rushmore Club since 1987, has served as Club President, and also has held club leadership roles as Foundation Chair and Membership Chair, successfully launching effective growth and retention campaigns for his club and personally sponsoring eight new members. As a proven District leader, Bruce served as 5610 Foundation Chair from 2011-15 and was most recently co-chair of the 2021-22 District Conference. He also was a facilitator for the Rotary Leadership Institutes from 2010-19.
Bruce’s service through Rotary has extended far beyond the boundaries of our District. He has participated in five Rotary-sponsored humanitarian trips, four to Haiti and one to Guatemala. He and his wife were part of Friendship Exchanges to Italy and Japan. A passionate supporter of The Rotary Foundation, Bruce is a member of the Paul Harris Society, is a major donor, and a Level 5 Bequest Society member. Bruce has continued to expand his well-rounded knowledge of Rotary International by attending three Rotary International Conventions.
Bruce Nearhood will serve as District Governor for Rotary Year 2024-25
-Part of a Quarter Million Dollar Multi-District Effort; Other Donations Also Being Rushed to War-Torn Country
Rotary International is noted for its global healthcare response, especially as a major sponsor of polio eradication, clean water sources, and more. And now District 5610, which includes all Rotary clubs in South Dakota as well as portions of Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska, will send $25,000 toward emergency supplies to healthcare workers in Ukraine to assist with the urgent need in that war-torn country.
District 5610 was awarded $25,000 in disaster relief funding from The Rotary Foundation to provide "Shipping of Emergency and Healthcare Supplies for front-line emergency workers, hospitals, clinics, and physicians in Ukraine." The district is one of 10 working together on a joint project to support the Ukrainian Medical Association of North America (UMANA). This multi-district Disaster Grant will provide $250,000 toward airlifting pallets of supplies into Ukraine.
Crews are assembling medical supplies (tourniquets, gauze with blood clotting powder, etc), survival food supplies and emergency aid in a warehouse in Illinois, with 330 pallets already assembled. But this isn’t the only Rotarian response to the Ukrainian crisis.
“District 5610 Rotarians also have already contributed more than $20,000 to Ukrainian support through Hope Haven, an international ministry that provides wheelchairs to those in need,” said District 5610 Governor Doug Lind. And, noted District 5610 Foundation Chair Dan Little, the district also is working on a streamlined District grant of at least $10,000 to the Rotary Club of Barlad, Romania for humanitarian relief for Ukrainian refugees.
“This will bring current and anticipated District 5610 contributions to Ukrainian aid to more than $55,000,” said Little.
Any contributions to the Rotary Foundation Disaster Fund prior to April 30, 2022 will all be allocated to Ukrainian Aid. Rotarians may donate through their MyRotary account online, designating “Ukrainian Disaster Fund,” and others may give by logging in to https://my.rotary.org/en/donate and choosing “Disaster Response Fund.”
“Many people are watching the news and wondering, ‘What can I do to help?’ and feeling helpless,” said Little. “Making a donation to this effort is one way to make a direct difference in the life of someone who is suffering.” Added District Governor Lind, “The respected reputation of Rotary International and its Foundation for being able to penetrate boundaries and provide global assistance makes this donation opportunity a very good choice for anyone wishing to help.”
The drive to eliminate polio from the world forever seems like a rollercoaster ride with emotional highs and lows. This continued last year but with a high in the real progress made in Afghanistan and Pakistan and lows in Israel having a circulating vaccine paralysis case and Malawi having a wild polio case. Overall however we showed excellent progress by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.* Afghanistan cases dropped from 141 cases in 2020 to 4 cases in 2021. Pakistan has dropped to only 1 case in 2021. And it occurred in Jan. 2021 so Pakistan has been without a polio case for 14 months. Covid caused a hold in giving vaccinations for a few months so we were pleasantly surprised to see the drop in cases in Afghanistan and Pakistan. They probably occurred due to a decrease in travel.
A Plane Ride Away
You likely saw on line or on the news that a case of wild virus polio occurred in Africa in Malawi. The genetic tests of the virus showed the origin of the virus was from Pakistan. This demonstrated the importation by international travel. The case has been surrounded by an emergency vaccination task force. It has encircled the case and is giving vaccination in concentric circles around the case until no more virus is detected in sewage and no cases in children. Africa still is considered polio free as the case is contained. This case graphically illustrates that “polio is just a plane ride away” from all of us. Another case of vaccine derived polio paralysis in Israel shows that a pocket of anti-vaxxers can put a large community at risk of polio. The case occurred in a group of Israelis who for religious reasons avoided vaccines. Groups like this could derail Rotary’s long and expensive effort to eliminate polio from the world. So please, please vaccinate your children and educate your family members to see their children are all vaccinated. Other favorable facts show that circulating virus polio cases decreased from 959 in 2020 to 38 cases in 2021.
Vaccinator Deaths in Afghanistan
Sadly the polio elimination drive saw the brutal killing of 9 more workers in Afghanistan. I personally got to meet some of the brave Afghan women vaccinators two years ago and saw how strong and committed they are to getting rid of the scourge of polio. And they all were well aware that they could be giving the ultimate sacrifice. Please tell your clubs about them and their bravery. I hope there can be money raised in their name by our clubs and district so we can be sure their lives have not been given in vane. I also hope you can talk to your members about the fact that groups of unvaccinated children could bring polio back to the United States and ruin the effort to eliminate polio from the world for good. We must continue vaccinating every child in the US.
*Global Polio Eradication Initiative members are; Rotary International, the Gates Foundation,UN WHO and UNICEF and US CDC.
PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE FOR DISTRICT 5610 PETS/DISTRICT ASSEMBLY
April 7-8-9, 2022 Highland Conference Center, Mitchell, SD
2022-23 DISTRICT 5610 PETS and DISTRICT ASSEMBLY
“CELEBRATING SERVICE ABOVE SELF”
You'll enjoy hands-on, interactive training on topics that will help you have a very successful year as a Rotary Club leader. And don't forget the fellowship, food, and opportunity to network with friends old and new. SPECIAL SESSION FOR ASSISTANT GOVERNORS! Nothing boring about this PETS - we're planning to have fun while we prepare for next year - and having you there will make it even better!
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Thursday, April 7: 5:30 p.m. - Social hour and informal supper, THE DEPOT
Friday, April 8: 9:00 a.m. – PETS SESSION I GOAL: Obtain preliminary skills needed to effectively lead a Rotary Club in District 5610 Welcome from DGE John Schneider and interactive sessions helping incoming Club Presidents prepare for their year of leadership
9:00 a.m. – A.G. SESSION GOAL: Strengthen AG role to benefit Clubs and District Discussion of the responsibilities of A.G.s and strategies for great relationships with Clubs in your area (A.G.s are asked to attend PETS sessions after completion of this A.G. session)
12:00 p.m. – LUNCH. Colors presented by the Mitchell V.F.W. And you’ll be INSPIRED by our VERY SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER – V.J. Smith
1:30 p.m. – PETS SESSION II GOAL: Learn how to use specific processes to streamline successful Club procedure “Practice with Parliamentary Procedure,” discussion on “How to Empower Your Club’s Secretary and Treasurer,” and “Tips on Writing Successful Rotary Grants”
3:00 p.m. – PETS SESSION III GOAL: Learn about the Rotary Trilogy and how these teams build synergy and success District leaders will discuss “Membership Strategies to Strengthen your Club,” “Using Public Image to Tell Your Story,” and “Growing your Club’s Foundation Impact” 5:30 p.m. – SOCIAL HOUR, followed by 6:30 p.m. DINNER. A fun evening of fellowship and laughter!
Saturday, April 9: 9:00 a.m. – PETS SESSION IV GOAL: Review resources and encourage effective leadership We’ll share resources available to help ensure your success, and then introduce a District 5610 panel of extraordinary Rotarians who will discuss “Leadership in Times of Change.”
11:00 a.m. – DISTRICT ASSEMBLY
12:00 p.m. – ADJOURN TO SERVICE ABOVE SELF
(NOTE: Subject to change and details to be announced. Scheduled times will be allowed for breaks and networking.)
Hotel room blocks are available at The Hampton Inn Mitchell 605-995-1575 and Comfort Inn & Suites 605-990-2400. When booking your hotel be sure to mention Rotary 5610.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security plays a large role in the fight against human trafficking with efforts called the Blue Campaign. January 11 has been designated Human Trafficking Awareness Day and Rushmore Rotarians wore blue at our meeting to raise awareness of human trafficking. Visit the following website to learn more as well as other ways to participate. https://www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign/wearblueday
On November 1, 1921, Rotary International signed the Charter which established the Yankton Rotary Club. Exactly one-hundred years and one day later, the Rotary Club of Yankton celebrated it’s centennial anniversary with a gala event. The Event was held at the River’s Edge Restaurant in “Old Town” Yankton. Attending the Gala were approximately seventy people including past Yankton Rotarians, current and future Club Rotarians, and Rotarians representing Clubs from Centerville, Le Mars, Rapid City Rushmore, Vermillion, and Wagner. During the ceremony, recognitions were given to sixteen Paul Harris Honorees, and to active members with over fifty years of “Service Above Self”. Yankton Rotarians recognized for their fifty-plus years of membership were Mike Healy, Jim Nyberg, and Ken Jones. For the Gala, Current Yankton Rotary Club President Rich Burns served as Master of Ceremonies, with presentations given by Jim Nyberg, Daniel Flahie, Mike Healy, Keith Kube, Ken Jones, Rotary’s District 5610 Governor Doug Lind, and past South Dakota Lieutenant Governor Matt Michels. It was a wonderful event, a great way to spend an evening with friends, and an awesome way to start another one-hundred years of “Service Above Self”.
The Rotary Foundation transforms your gifts into service projects that change lives both close to home and around the world.
Since it was founded more than 100 years ago, the Foundation has spent more than $4 billion on life-changing, sustainable projects.
With your help, we can make lives better in your community and around the world.
Our mission
The Rotary Foundation helps Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace by improving health, providing quality education, improving the environment, and alleviating poverty.
Help us in recognizing, congratulating, and thanking the following clubs of District 5610 for their giving to The Rotary Foundation in RY 2020-2021.
TRF Giving Banner Award: Marshall Sunrise, Centerville, Gregory, and Brookings
EREY Banner Award: Marshall Sunrise, Centerville, Gregory, and Brookings
Rotary District 5610 congratulates Marshall Sunrise on the 2020-2021 Annual Fund per Capita Award for achieving the highest annual fund per capita of $4,217.01 in giving, Rapid City Rushmore for $379.07 per capita in giving, and Sioux Falls North for $262.22 per capita in giving.
Polio Plus Awards: 1. Marshall Sunrise 2. Minneota 3. Marshall Noon 4. Rapid City Rushmore 5. Hot Springs 6. Rock Valley 7. Sioux Falls South. Marshall Sunrise gave $1,920 per member.
WHAT TYPES OF ROTARY FOUNDATION RECOGNITION EXIST FOR CLUBS?
100 Percent Paul Harris Fellow Club: Rotary Clubs in which 100 percent of all dues paying members are Paul Harris Fellows receive special recognition from the Rotary Foundation. Qualifying Rotary Clubs receive a special club recognition banner and join an elite group of clubs. Once a club reaches 100 percent PHF status, the District Governor or Rotary Foundation chair must request the recognition from The Rotary Foundation. This recognition is a one-time-only award, but the intent is that the club will maintain its membership at the 100% Paul Harris Fellow level.
100 Percent Foundation Giving Club Banner: This banner is awarded to clubs that achieve an average of $100 in per capita giving and 100 percent participation, with every dues paying member contributing at least $25 to any or all of the following during the Rotary year: Annual Fund, Polio Plus Fund, approved global grants, or Endowment Fund.
100 Percent Every Rotarian Every Year Club Banner: Rotary clubs must achieve a minimum Annual Fund contribution of $100 per capita during the Rotary year, and every dues paying member must personally contribute at least $25 to the Annual Fund during the year.
The Trustees of The Rotary Foundation also present club recognition banners each year to the three Rotary Clubs in each District with the highest per capita in Annual Fund Giving. 100% Paul Harris Society Club Banner: This recognition is awarded to clubs in which every dues-paying member has contributed a minimum of $1,000 to the Annual Fund, the Polio Plus Fund, or an approved global grant during the Rotary year.
Will your club be recognized by The Rotary Foundation this year?
Rotary District 5610 Clubs Recognized for 2020-2021 Giving
GRAND OPENING RECAP SUNDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2021 Over 50 people attended on a beautiful fall day, full of fellowship, tours and interaction! Food, snacks and refreshments were served all day. Artists sold hand-crafted items under the new canopy entrance. During the afternoon presentation, we awarded 4 toolboxes to artists present. PDG Ina Winter awarded Rotary Foundation Paul Harris Fellow to Jon Ruybalid, owner of the Makerspace project. Rotary Foundation Coordinator for our zones, Art Zeitler and Carol were on hand to inspect the grant process. The star quilt raffle earned $925 for the artists at the Makerspace. Nadine awarded the quilt to Braniff Smith, businessman from Hot Springs, SD and he was in the audience! He was thrilled. Watch the NewsCenter1 interview: https://www.newscenter1.tv/whiteclaywelcomes-makerspace-and-newfound-hope-for-local-artists/ To Read more click here: Whiteclay Global Grant News Release #6
Whiteclay Arts Makerspace Rotary Global Grant Project News Report for District 5610 - November 2021
Dr. Willis C. Sutliff was awarded the 2021-22 Roger Kozak Service Above Self Award at the District 5610 celebration conference in Deadwood on the evening of October 15. It was presented to him by Rotary Past International Vice President Greg Podd, PDG Ed Jacobson, and the four former winners of the award.
Sutliff has served District 5610 and it's Rotarians for over ten years as District 5610 Polio Plus Chair. During this time he has given interesting and informative presentations at District Conferences, changing content as it suits the occasion. He is passionate about Polio eradication and enthusiastic about raising funds to defeat the disease.
Willis is a member and past president of Rapid City Rushmore Rotary Club. He is very active in the club on the International Projects Committee and has worked hard to encourage Global Grants and Local Grants. He is currently serving on the District's the End Human Trafficking Committee.
He and his wife, PDG Pat Suliff have hosted many Youth Exchange Students through the years, attended several Rotary International Conferences and traveled on and hosted several Rotary Friendship Exchanges. He and Pat are TRF major donors.
Willis is a retired Pediatrician who practiced for 40 some years in Rapid City and helped start Black Hills Pediatrics. As part of the local hospital board he helped the hospital move forward and add new services. He has a degree from UC Berkeley in Public Health, spent 3 years in the Army in Germany and has served on American Academy of Pediatrics Committees.
Over the years, Willis has been active in his local community through his church and Habitat for Humanity. He is currently on the Starting Strong Board and the YFS Board where he will serve as president in 2022-23. He also serves on several YFS committees.
Willis and Pat have 5 children and 10 grandchildren.
Past Kozak Award Winners:
2016-17 - Larry Lyngstad, Pierre-Fort Pierre 2017-18 - George Twitero, Rapid City Rushmore 2018-19 - Pat Sutliff, Rapid City Rushmore 2019-20 - Chuck Lindemann, Marshall 2020-21 - No Award (Covid Pandemic) 2021-22 - Dr. Willis Sutliff, Rapid City Rushmore
2021-2022 Roger Kozak Service Above Self Award Presented to Dr. Willis C. Sutliff
The first District Governor Award for Rotarian of the Quarter is presented to Kay Norton she is a Rotarian who has gone above and beyond and has proven to be extraordinary in her service above self. This is a new award that will serve to honor one individual each quarter who has exhibited these attributes. Congratulations Kay!
Kay Norton has been a Rotarian since 1990, first joining the Macomb (IL) Rotary Club. In 2005 she became a charter member of a second club in that community, the Macomb Centennial Morning Rotary Club. She served that club as president from 2008-09, and also served as the Public Relations Chair for District 6460. Now a member of the Brookings Rotary Club, where she is the Public Image Chair, Kay is the District 5610 Trainer and Interim Public Image Chair. She is a Paul Harris Fellow.
Kay worked in the advertising and public relations arena for several decades, having owned a successful marketing agency for 22 years. She recently retired from 13 years as a college and university English teacher. She is a business communications consultant and facilitator for several organizations, and serves as the Board of Directors President for the Brookings Area Habitat for Humanity affiliate.
She and her husband, Don, the current president of the Brookings Club and District 5610 Grants Subcommittee Chair, have been married for 43 years and are the parents of two sons, Don and Christopher. They have been singing together for more than 45 years, and perform frequently for area organizations and residents of senior facilities.
District Governor Award for Rotarian of the Quarter Presented to Kay Norton
The Rotarians of Distinction Award is presented to individuals who through service to their Rotary club and community have distinguished themselves, even among all Rotarians who strive to place service above self. The recipients have traveled different paths in their Rotary service, but those paths have all resulted in a record of service that identifies them as ROTARIANS OF DISTINCTION. 2021 Recipients: Verl Scheibe, Herb McClellan Jr., Nancy Moose, Matt Pedersen, Casey Berndt, Brad Preheim, Mary DeVany, Bruce Young, and Bruce Kalin. Click on the image above for photos.
Don Norton is the immediate past-president of the Rotary Club of Brookings, South Dakota, where he is a multiple Paul Harris Fellow. He served as the lead on several of the “pop-up” grants in District 5610 during 2020 and 2021. He has been a Rotarian for 26 years. Don is the CEO of the South Dakota Agricultural and Rural Leadership Program (SDARL), where his role includes fundraising and overseeing the curriculum development for the 18-month flagship leadership development program that builds the skills, knowledge, and character of leaders. SDARL also offers seminars to alumni of the program and other entities through the SDARL Learning Network. Don’s background is 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. Prior to joining SDARL, Don directed the leadership programming and served as CEO of the Illinois Agricultural Leadership Program. He has led leadership classes to China, India, Japan, Panama, Germany, Poland, Ireland, Scotland, and held leadership seminar meetings in Russia and Ukraine. Don and his wife, Kay, have two grown sons.
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.
Happy May Day, 5610 Rotarians! I hope today’s newsletter finds you all happy and healthy, and working hard to “FINISH STRONG” in this Rotary year! Having just returned from a difficult trip to say goodbye to Penny’s stepdad, who passed away recently, I was once again reminded of the importance of living every day in an optimistic, joyful and productive way. My father-in-law lived his life fully and completely, travelling the world, living a joyful and productive life, and dedicating much of his time to helping others above and beyond his regular responsibilities.
Our world of social media and non-stop “breaking news” makes it easy to fall into the trap of focusing on all the things wrong with our world, instead of seeing the countless blessings we have to be grateful for! ROTARY is one way, if not the best way to respond and show gratitude for all we are given; our way of “paying it forward”. Most of you already know our well-kept Rotary “secret” – the more we do for others, and the more we give, the better we feel and the more we receive!
As we get closer and closer to the finish line for this Rotary year, take a moment to step back and count your blessings, review your Rotary Goals for the year, and give it your best effort to successfully complete your goals. There’s still six weeks to go – plenty of time to bring that friend or business associate to their first Rotary meeting or project and help them become a new Rotary member.
June will be here in just a few weeks, and with it will come the first “live, in-person” Rotary International Convention in three years! Penny and I, along with thirteen other District Rotarians, are looking forward to hearing tons of great speakers, reconnecting with Rotary friends from around the world, and learning lots of new things about on-going and upcoming Rotary projects in other countries, and making lots of new friends! It’s still not too late, if you have a last-minute change of plans or happen to be an impulsive person, to attend this memorable event! Also in June, I will have the honor of passing my Governor’s pin on to incoming Governor John Schneider, at his home club in LeMars, IA. I look forward to helping John in the next several months as he assumes the responsibility of this amazing job!
Thanks everyone for your continued efforts to help our District become better, stronger and more vital than ever!
Does your club have a plan to celebrate World Polio Day on October 24? What will you do to highlight this important day - a watch party, a speaker at your weekly meeting, or an informational booth in the community? Watch your email for ideas on how you and your club can help celebrate World Polio Day 2021 and resources that will help to make the celebration a reality.
As important as it is to plan your club's event, it is also important to try to promote the event among your club members and the local community. We want everyone to understand Rotary’s commitment to end polio and that we are so close to eradicating polio from our planet. Please plan something to help celebrate the day and share that with us.
Twenty Clubs from District 5610 that submit the best proposals and register for World Polio Day will each win 10 Foundation Raffle tickets (a $100 value), to share with their Club members.
The Foundation Raffle is held each spring at PETS this year in April in Mitchell SD. You DO NOT have to be present to win.
TAKE ACTION ERADICATE A DISEASE FOREVER"
Since Rotary first took on the elimination of polio 36 years ago we have saved 17 million people from a life of paralysis. We have decreased the number of children having endemic (wild) virus polio paralysis per year from 385,000 children to only 2 children this year. There was 1 case each in Pakistan and in Afghanistan. There is still a problem with the vaccine derived polio paralysis in many African countries where routine vaccines have not been given, (usually because of war). Our progress could certainly be delayed in Afghanistan. But this year the incidence of cases of vaccine derived polio paralysis has also been cut by two thirds. In addition we now have a new vaccine for derived polio paralysis that should continue to cut these cases drastically. Finally I see "light at the end of the tunnel" and I believe polio will soon be eradicated from the world forever.
I congratulate every member, Club and our wonderful District for donating almost a half million dollars to this effort and making eradication imminent. This year, District 5610 gave $55 per member to Polio Plus, a new high. You kept going when the going got awfully tough and failure seemed more than likely. I also thank Rotary International and our great partners; the UN, the US CDC and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for doing an unbelievable job and not giving up years ago.
So I want every Rotarian and Club to broadcast it to everyone in the world that Rotary has set a new precedent in the history of the world. We will soon end polio and the millions of deaths and the millions of lives ruined with awful, life long unbelievable pain and suffering. We are going to "ERADICATE A DISEASE (POLIO) FOREVER.
THANKS TO EVERY ROTARIAN AND ROTORACTER IN OUR DISTRICT FOR WONDERFUL WORK.
Willis Sutliff, District District 5610 Polio Plus Chairperson
If you have ever wanted to experience firsthand an exciting Rotary International Grant project, then this may be the opportunity for you! Pending final approval, we are hoping to travel to Ismail, Ukraine the end of this October! We will join the Rotary clubs from Barlad, Romania and Bucharest, Romania in meeting our Ismail Rotary hosts in Ukraine. Then we will outfit local disabled individuals with a personalized wheelchair, up to 400 wheelchairs.
We will be working with eight hospitals in and around Ismail to deliver the wheelchairs. We plan on having two teams with staggered but overlapping travel dates. The first team will complete half the distribution, and finish with a few days of touring. The second team will join team one half way through the distributions, tour with the first group, and then finish the distributions before returning home. We will also interact socially with Rotarians from Romania and Ukraine, including some festive parties of celebration. Total commitment for either group is nine days.
We request volunteers to round out our teams. Specifically physical therapists, occupational therapists, nurses, record keepers, photographers, social networkers, and general laborers who can also handle some light tool adjustments. As part of this grant, training opportunities from us for in-country hospital staff in offered. So, those comfortable training are also welcome. Total cost including flights, lodging, food, and transportation will be less than $1,800/person.
If you are interested in joining our team, or need more information to make a decision, please contact by email Mark Siemonsma or Steve Sikorski. Depending on Covid travel restrictions, we hope the first team can depart around October 23, 2021. Should travel restrictions become a greater issue, we may have to push this trip to 2022. Please let us know if you remain interested if the trip is delayed.
As a footnote, a similar grant has been approved for a trip to the Philippines in March 2022. If you are interested in learning more about that project, please contact Mark Siemonsma.
Seeking Volunteers for a Trip to Ukraine next month as part of a Wheelchair Distribution Project
After a two year of hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Rotary Youth Exchange is poised for a comeback in Rotary Year 2022-2023. While that may still seem far away, there are several important deadlines for students in District 5610 looking to participate in a future exchange.
Outbound Students
District 5610 will being accepting club nominations of potential outbound students for the 2021-2022 Rotary Year starting September 1. Students must be 16 to 18 ½ at the time of departure (typically August 15 or thereabouts) and in good academic standing at their school. Clubs should interview students and make recommendations to the district by the middle of October, after which the district will interview students and select finalists. Students will then submit a complete application by December 1 to Central States Rotary Youth Exchange for placement.
District 5610 is committed to host at least three inbound students in 2022-2023. If your club is interested in hosting a student, please send me an email at Patrick.Morrison@usd.edu. I can provide information on responsibilities, expected club costs, and the like. For those of you who remember the headache of the past trainings and paper forms, you will be happy to know that our transition to Central States Rotary Youth Exchange multidistrict has made this process much easier – and digital. As a reminder, it is not a requirement to send a student to host a student, so all clubs are eligible to host.
Call for Volunteers
Lastly, we are looking for Rotarians interested in joining the 5610 RYE team. If you have any Rotarians interested in helping out, please let myself or Doug Lind know.
Sincerely,
Patrick Morrison | Chair, District 5610 | Rotary Youth Exchange
“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire” – Attributed to W.B. Yeats
Rotary Youth Exchange Update and Application Deadline
Rotary International General Secretary and Chief Executive Officer
Rotary’s general secretary and executive team oversee a staff of more than 800, who serve Rotary members from our world headquarters in Evanston, Illinois, USA, and seven international offices. The general secretary is a member of the Rotary International Board of Directors and The Rotary Foundation Board of Trustees. John Hewko has served as Rotary International’s general secretary and chief executive officer since 2011. A charter member of the Rotary Club of Kyiv, Ukraine, Hewko lives out Rotary’s mission, whether inside or outside the office. He’s immunized children against polio in India, represented Rotary at the World Economic Forum, and bicycled 104 miles (167 km) with Rotary members in Arizona, USA, to help raise over $50 million for polio eradication. "It’s an honor to go the extra mile in serving this great organization. I see Rotary as the original social network formed to exchange ideas and resources so we can transform lives. We’re a bold NGO that believed it could end a disease, and we’ve stuck to the cause for over three decades. That thought inspires me every morning.".
Kenneth C. Howell
Regional Rotary Foundation Coordinator, Zone 27
Ken is a fourth-generation Idahoan, raised on the family farm in Wilder, Idaho. Ken attended the College of Idaho, and the University of Idaho College of Law, earning his law degree in 1984. Upon graduation from law school, Ken joined the firm of Hawley Troxell Ennis & Hawley, LLP. He currently is co-chair of the firm’s banking practice group, and his practice is focused on banking and finance law, real estate law and governmental regulation of the financial services industry. Ken has served on the boards of Idaho Public Television, the Downtown Boise Association, the Arid Club and as a trustee of his alma mater, the College of Idaho. During his tenure of service on each these boards, Ken served as President or Chairman. Ken has served as a trustee at the College of Idaho for 20 years. He has also served as a board member for the Idaho State Board of Veterinary Medicine, the Boise Philharmonic, the Ada County Humane Society and Feed the Gap, Inc. He joined the Rotary Club of Boise (Downtown club) in 2002. He served as President of his club in 2008. In 2012, he was honored with the club’s “Rotarian of the Year” award. From 2011 to 2014, he served as chair of the Annual Program Fund committee for the District. He has served on the board of directors of the Greater Boise Rotary Foundation, and as its chairman in 2012. He is an instructor in the District Leadership Academy and is a Bob Gibb fellow in the Greater Boise Rotary Foundation. Ken is a Major Donor, Paul Harris Fellow, and a member of the Bequest Society and the Paul Harris Society. After service as District 5400 Governor in 2015-2016, Ken has held several Zone-level appointments as GETS/GNTS trainer at Zone Institutes, End Polio Now Zone Coordinator and currently serves as the Zone 27 Regional Rotary Foundation Coordinator. Ken is a woodworker, PADI Divemaster, amateur electronics technician and inveterate tinkerer. Ken is married to Bernadine Marconi, and they live in Boise with their large garden, a house in a perpetual state of remodel, and four very fortunate cats.
Lisa Herring
PDG Rotary District 5840
Lisa Herring previously served as the Rotary Public Image Coordinator for Zone 21b and part of 27, which covers all of Texas and Oklahoma. In this role, Lisa was responsible for working with District Governors, Club Presidents, Rotarians and the staff of Rotary International to help promote the image and brand of Rotary throughout the area. Lisa has been a professional in public relations for over 15 years with tremendous experience in institutional rebranding. Lisa’s Rotary journey began as a member of the Interact Club at Tivy High School in Kerrville, Texas. Lisa served as president of the Rotary Club of Junction Texas in 2006-2007, a position both her father and husband have also held. Lisa has spent over twelve years serving on the District Youth Exchange Committee, and served as the 2010 Group Study Exchange Team leader between South Texas and Metro Manila, Philippines. As the first woman to lead a Group Study Exchange (GSE) team to Metro Manila, Lisa’s passion for Rotary was reenergized with the intense level of service provided by Filipino Rotarians. Lisa was able to see firsthand how impactful Rotary and the Rotary Foundation can be in the lives of everyone and was told by numerous elected officials that the Philippines and the world needed more Rotarians to help address the ills of the world. Lisa served as District Governor for Rotary District 5840 during the 2012-2013 Rotary Year. Aside from her Rotary career, Lisa is an accomplished facilitator and trainer with over a decade of engagement and involvement leadership within the university educational structure, as well as expertise in fundraising, development of donors and volunteer management. Lisa has served as RI Presidents Representative, Zone 21b-27 Governor’s Nominee Trainer, District 5840 Public Relations Chair, a Rotary Leadership Institute Facilitator, Lone Star Presidents-Elects Seminar Trainer and continues to share her passion for Rotary daily. Lisa and her husband Alan have 3 children: Rebecca, Samuel and Elizabeth. Both Rebecca and Samuel participated in the Rotary Youth Exchange program and the Herring family has hosted over a dozen Youth Exchange students to date. One of Lisa’s greatest passions is helping children with disabilities.
Greg E. Podd, C.P.A., P.F.S.
Rotary International Vice President 2015 - 2016
Rotary International Director 2014 – 2016
Greg is a C.P.A. (Certified Public Accountant) and a P.F.S. (Personal Financial Specialist) having operated his own practice since June 1979. During his professional tenure, he has written four professional continuing education courses and has been a keynote speaker at five national conferences. Greg has taught many courses as a guest professor at Arizona State University in the Master of Taxation program and has made presentations to over 20,000 Certified Public Accountants and Chartered Accountants from the United States and foreign countries. He was also the President and owner of a very large metal fabrication firm for the telecommunication industry and an international healthcare software development firm. Greg became a Rotarian in May 1982 and is a member of the Evergreen Rotary Club. He served a six-year term as a member of the Rotary International Investment Committee and a three-year term as the Regional Rotary Foundation Coordinator for Zone 27. He also served a three-year term as a member of the Rotary International Finance Committee and as a Regional Rotary International Membership Coordinator where he chaired the Rotary International Presidential Membership Conference in Phoenix, Arizona – January 2009. Greg also chaired the Zone 21b & 27 Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico – September 2010. He has also served as a Rotary International Training Leader at the International Assembly in San Diego – January 2010 and 2011 (where Pam and Greg served as the Hospitality Host) and as a Rotary Foundation Future Vision Training Leader – January 2013. Greg and Pam also served as the Assistant Chief Sergeant at Arms at the International Assembly – January 2012. Greg has also served as a Rotary Foundation Major Gifts Advisor where he established his District’s Million Dollar Dinner raising over $3,100,000 for the Rotary Foundation in one night. He was the Group Study Exchange Leader to District 3790 – Philippines in February 2006. Greg has served as the President’s Representative for Rotary International for many years and was his District’s representative to the Rotary International Council on Legislation – 2007. Greg is an International Rotary Leadership Institute Vice-Chair of America West and established the “Rocky Mountain Division” and the “Lone Star Division” training seminar for all Rotarians in the western part of the United States. During the Rotary year 2014 – 2015, in addition to his duties as a Rotary International Director, Greg chaired the Rotary Audit Committee, the Rotary Board Council on Legislation Advisory Committee, and the Service Above Self Award Selection Committee. He also served as a member of the Rotary Board Programs Committee, Council and Board Committee and Rotary International District Governor / Director Allocation Committee. Greg and Pam also served as the Rotary International Director – Elect trainers for the Rotary year ending 2015 and 2016. During the Rotary year 2015 – 2016, Greg served as the Vice President of Rotary International and a member of the Executive Committee, Strategic Planning Committee, Council and Board Committee and the Workgroup to examine Rotary’s current International Convention model. During the Rotary year 2016 – 2017 he served as a member of the Rotary International Election Review Committee, the Rotary International Board Governance Committee, and the Vice Chair of the Rotary International Operations Review Committee. In 2017 – 2020 he is serving as the Assistant Moderator and Moderator for the Regional Leader Training Institute and the Vice Chair of the Rotary International Operations Review Committee. Greg is the recipient of the “Service Above Self Award” and The Rotary Foundation Citation for Meritorious Service Award. Greg and his wife Pam have been married for 45 years, and have three beautiful children; Kyle (Jessi), Melanie (Matt) and Bryan and four very special grandchildren; Carter, Madison, Payton and Vivian. All members of the family are Paul Harris Fellows with Greg and Pam being Multi Paul Harris Fellows, Paul Harris Society Members, Rotary Foundation Sustaining Member, Bequest Society Members, and Major Donors. In addition, Greg and Pam are both Arch C. Klumph Society Members.
Peace Scholars Muyatwa Sitali and Jeanette Kroes
Muyatwa Sitali is a development policy and advocacy specialist who has worked for UNICEF, World Bank, Oxfam and Jubilee Zambia in multiple sectors and countries including Liberia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, United States and Zambia. Currently he works for UNICEF hosted Secretariat of the Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) Partnership where he is involved in initiatives for mobilizing and engaging partners in almost 70 countries. Sitali has more than 12 years of experience and is interested in development finance, multi-stakeholder partnerships, peace and development, and the connections between humanitarian and development programming. He has a Master of International Development Policy from Duke University, a graduate certificate in Peace and Conflict Resolution from the University of North Carolina and a Bachelor of Science, Forestry from the Copperbelt University.
Jeanette Kroes is a Senior Criminal Intelligence Analyst for INTERPOL (the International Criminal Police Organization) based in Lyon, France. She grew up in Rapid City, South Dakota and obtained her Bachelor's Degree from St. Olaf College (Northfield, MN) with a triple major in Economics, French and Religion. Thanks to the generous support of Rotary District 5610, Jeanette was a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar (University Al Cadi Ayyad, Marrakech, Morocco 2000-2001) and a Rotary Peace Fellow (Political Sciences Institute, Paris, France 2003-2005). In 2006, Jeanette began working at the Office of the INTERPOL Special Representative to the United Nations (New York, NY) establishing partnerships and programs for crime prevention and criminal justice in areas such as trafficking in human beings, crimes against children, and illicit arms trafficking. She has been working as a Criminal Intelligence Analyst at INTERPOL's Headquarters in Lyon since 2010 supporting law enforcement authorities across the globe to prevent and combat transnational organized crimes and terrorism by identifying fugitives, criminal networks, and emerging crime trends and threats.
District Conference: Line-up begins of Guest Speakers
Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your District Governor for the past year! It has been a year of challenges, success, and growth as we pursue our goal of serving others. A year of COVID-19 restrictions may have limited travel and personal interaction, but we have discovered creative solutions of staying connected electronically through Zoom and hybrid meetings. These changes have offered opportunities to share speakers and topics with other Rotarians around the world without leaving the comfort of our home or office!
A special thank you to the organizers and participants of our 2nd Virtual District Conference! Through the collaboration and commitment of many District Rotarians, we were able to present an information packed District Conference with special emphasis on our goal of Ending Human Trafficking. It will be great to resume an “in person” District Conference in Deadwood this October!
The past year has certainly validated our theme of “Rotary Opens Opportunities”! It has been exciting to see clubs grow and retain membership by offering meetings, training, and activities through online methods that have increased participation of Rotarians of all ages. Thanks to the increased efforts of our Membership and Public Image teams and the guidance of Nicole, our District Administrator, we have continued to attract new members that share our ideals of Service Above Self!
The Foundation and Global Grants Committees have developed a strong foundation for a new District focus on Ending Human Trafficking. Stay tuned for more information on how we can support this effort on a District level! We also awarded a record number of high impact District matching grants, as well as as District grants to support Technology and Infrastructure! We have also continued our support to eradicate Polio through contributions to End Polio Now. Thank you to all Rotarians that so unselfishly support the Rotary Foundation and the many projects that are possible through TRF funding.
Rotary 2020-21 has been a growth year! Like a rubber band that has been stretched, we will never to be able to go back to “how we always did things before”. Enjoy the excitement of the new normal as we not only gather again for in person meetings, but we also continue to implement the new tools that we have discovered to engage Rotarians worldwide in our quest of Service Above Self! District leadership has focused on expanding collaboration to provide a more cohesive leadership team to address the needs of the District. District Governor Elect Doug Lind is well prepared and excited to continue with many of the strategies that have been initiated over the past year.
Truly, Rotary Opens Opportunities! Thanks again for the opportunity to serve District 5610 as your District Governor.
Yours in Rotary,
Dan
District 5610 Message from District Governor Dan Little
Hope Haven is a cooperating organization to a Global Grant led by District 3860 in Tagbilaran, Philippines, whereas District 5610 is the international partner. The project is aimed at promoting disease prevention and treatment through improvement in the Philippines healthcare system, specifically providing clinical treatment and rehabilitation for persons with physical disabilities. A working trip to the area of Bohol, Philippines is planned for early March 2022 and Hope Haven is calling on volunteers.
In Bohol, Philippines individuals with disabilities are often confined to their home, cut off from communities, school, job opportunities, and rely heavily rely on a caretaker. Wheelchair recipients gain mobility, find socialization, education, workforce opportunities, and ultimately reach a sustainable change in their lives and contribution to their communities. The purpose of this project is to create the sustainable and ongoing continuum of care for needs based-individuals through cooperative efforts of the Rotary clubs of Sioux Falls West, Tagbilaran, Hope Haven International, and the Bohol Federation of People with Disabilities. The projects goal is to provide 200 adults and children with wheelchairs and other needed mobility accessories through wellness fairs held in the area of Bohol. Because each person is individually fitted to a mobility device to fit his or her needs, local healthcare staff will receive education on wheelchair usages, training in proper wheelchair fitting, and training in follow- up services for their patients. Reliable and health-focused assistance from healthcare providers and patient caretakers leads to less pain, increased ability to heal, and less injuries due to improper wheelchair seating.
Ideally, the travel team we are trying to fill will consist of wheelchairs construction specialists, medical personnel, accounting personnel, photographers, and general lifting/tool assistants. However, this is just the beginning, most importantly we wish for your great Rotary work ethic and attitude. If you are interested in learning more or would like to become part of the volunteer team please contact Mark Siemonsma, CRFE Director of Development, 712-470-0298 or 712-476-312 or www.hopehaven.org. Also, your District Global Grant/VTT Subcommittee chairperson, Jennifer Rollins can help!
District 5610 Partners with District 3860 on a Global Grant Promoting Disease Prevention and Treatment
We wish all Rotarians, their family and friends a wonderful Memorial Day. A special thank you to the members of our Rotary family who have served or are currently serving the nation.
Help Rotary raise awareness for polio eradication and the importance of vaccines during World Immunization Week, 24-30 April. Show your commitment by sharing some of these sample posts on social media. Here are a few of the reasons why it is important to remind everyone of the importance of vaccines, and they are ready for social media posting. You can get more ideas for social media posts, as well as videos and images by going to the helpful resource page on the Rotary International site or simply Download the World Immunization Week Toolkit.
Because vaccines work, Rotary and partners have reduced polio cases by 99.9% worldwide since 1988. EndPolioNow won't stop until we end the disease for good. #VaccinesWork endpol.io/c2tr
The systems created to deliver polio vaccines to the hardest-to-reach areas of the world are helping #EndPolio workers find #COVID19 cases, trace contacts & provide info on how to slow the spread of the virus. #VaccinesWork endpol.io/c2tr
#VaccinesWork & are the best investments we can make in human health & potential. Thanks to the polio vaccine, the world’s seen a 99.9% reduction in polio cases since 1988. @Rotary #EndPolio EndPolio.org
Help Raise Awarness During World Innoculation Week
Please mark your calendars. District 5610 Assembly to be held virtually Tuesday, May 4, 2021 from 4:00 - 5:30 PM CT. All members are welcome to attend a Zoom link will be emailed the morning of May 4th.
Rotary Fellowships are international groups that share a common passion. Being part of a fellowship is a fun way to make friends around the world, explore a hobby or profession, and enhance your Rotary experience.
How do I join a fellowship?
Membership in a fellowship is open to any interested individual. You can contact a fellowship directly by using the links below.
Click on the image below or the following link https://www.ncpets.org/resources to direct you to all the valuable resources from the recently held 2021 NC PETS such as all the session recordings, handouts, Rotary International support resources, round table discussion notes, and pre-show videos.
2021 NC PETS Post Event Resources and Recorded Sessions
Camp is no cost to the camper. The cost of $400 per camper is to be shared 50% by District 5610 and the other 50% by the local sponsoring Rotary Club.
See video on the excitement from past campers:
What is RYLA?
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) is an intensive leadership experience sponsored by Rotary International and organized by Rotary clubs and districts where young people can develop leadership skills while having fun and making connections.
RYLA emphasizes leadership, citizenship, and personal growth, and aims to:
· Demonstrate Rotary’s respect and concern for youth.
· Provide an effective training experience for selected youth and potential leaders.
· Encourage leadership of youth by youth.
· Publicly recognize young people who are rendering service to their communities.
Great Plains RYLA, sponsored by District 5630 and District 5610, serves youth who are high school sophomores and juniors.
RYLA consists of an all-expense paid five-day conference which brings together this special group of young men and women. Activities, including problem solving games, a challenge course, group discussions and team-building activities, help participants build confidence and leadership skills; becoming the leader they were meant to become! Additional information on RYLA can be found at https://greatplainsryla.org/.
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.
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.
NCPETS Registration is now open - Virtual Event March 12th-20th
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 Coun
Early registration ends 15 December! Register now to save and secure your top hotel choice and tickets to exclusive events. 
https://www.rotary5610.org/PhotoAlbums/district-conference-2023
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.
Dr. Willis C. Sutliff was awarded the 2021-22 Roger Kozak Service Above Self
The first District Governor Award for Rotarian of the Quarter is presented to Kay Norton she is a Rotarian who has gone above and beyond and has proven to be extraordinary in her service above self. This is a new award that will serve to honor one individual each quarter who has exhibited these attributes. Congratulations Kay!
District 5610 Rotarians,
