DG Vance's March Message

DG’S MESSAGE FOR March 2013

Rotary celebrates Literacy during the month of March. In District 7020, we also celebrate March as Emphases Month, where we can highlight some of our many service projects that focus on clean water, literacy, and health and hunger.

Clubs throughout the ten islands of our district donate to clean water projects, assist with feeding programs in schools and shelters, host health clinics and the list continues. What makes me especially proud of our district, though, are the hands-on, time consuming projects that we invest in as Rotarians. So many clubs have taken to visiting schools to read to students on either a bi-monthly or monthly basis or some have homework assistance programs. These projects get Rotarians even more involved in the community. I see this as I visit the various clubs. As we walk into a Rotary adopted or sponsored school, the children rush to us, knowing Rotarians by names, excited about yet another visit. It is just one of the many times when I am proud to be a Rotarian.

I would love to be able to give you exact numbers and statistics of how many literacy and water projects and feeding programs clubs in District 7020 organize each year. I know that it is substantial. Unfortunately, we have never been good at keeping track of what every club does every year. We need to improve on this aspect of our Rotary projects. We need to keep numbers to show the world how amazing Rotary truly is. All we need to do is go to Member Access at www.Rotary.org and click on Rotary Club Central. Here Presidents and Club leaders can take a few minutes to list what their clubs have been doing for the year. Think about it! If each of our 34,000 clubs in over 200 countries listed all that we do each year as Rotarians, wouldn’t that tell the world how truly important Rotary is - how important it is for someone with the same ideals to become a Rotarian?

Please go now to visit Rotary Club Central. Encourage your President and Club Leaders to enter in the information about your club and its service projects.

And while we are telling the world about our amazing work, let us not be afraid to celebrate what we have done. The deadline for the Zone Public Image Citation has been set for the 15^th March and the District Literacy Award deadline was extended to March 17^th.  Please also encourage your Club President to apply for the RI Presidential Citation (Deadline is March 31^st) , the District Governor’s Award for Excellence (Deadline is April 15^th), and the Rotaract and Interact Club Presidential Citation (Deadline March 31^st).  Let us also not forget that the final Club of the Month submission is due on April 5^th.

Rotarians work hard juggling work demands, Rotary Service and home demands. And we celebrate harder too. Fellowship is inherent in the first object of Rotary. So if you have not registered yet for the PETS, District Assembly & District Conference 2013 in the British Virgin Islands, please go and do so right away. The BVI is excited to welcome Rotarians to Nature’s Little Secret. Please go to www.rotary7020conference.com and register now. I promise you, you will Experience the Passion of Rotary like never before in the BVI.