June 2005 District Governor's Newsletter

District Governor's Update
Jake Morse, District Governor 2004-05

Little did I know when I accepted the role of DGN at the District Conference in Jonesboro three years ago, what an incredible journey I was beginning. That journey is now coming to an end as I prepare to hand over the reins to DGE Marilyn Hummelstein. It has been a terrific trip I wouldn’t have missed for the world. I’ve learned a lot, made some mistakes, had some successes, and have a much greater appreciation for our District 6150 Rotarians, clubs, our district and Rotary International.

June and I have had opportunities to meet DGs and their spouses from around the world. We’ve visited Australia, New Zealand, Japan and India. In each of those places rotary ties fostered friendships and presented opportunities to experience Rotary projects and observe the influence and impact Rotary has worldwide.

Being DG during the Centennial Celebration of R.I.’s 100^th birthday has afforded unique experiences and I’m grateful for them. R.I. has received unprecedented publicity for both the birthday celebration and our involvement in polio eradication. One hundred years of service and our commitment of money and time to rid the world of polio are both worthy of celebration and present more opportunities for service. And, as usual, you all responded with creative ways to both celebrate and serve.

The Centennial Projects you implemented are terrific: everything from park benches, to gazebos and a universally accessible playground. The 38 communities in our district once again benefit from your commitment of service above self.

Visiting each of your clubs during my official visit was both an eye-opening and humbling experience. Your emphasis on service to your community, our district and R.I. is outstanding and you are to be commended.

I presented the idea of a district wide literacy project and you responded in a big way. Twenty four of our clubs participated in the Dictionary Project, giving out over 8,000 dictionaries to 3^rd graders. Other clubs conducted book drives, read to students, mentored in classrooms and gave books to 1^st graders. Your response was outstanding and this emphasis on literacy will continue next year.

Rotarian Bill Stanley created a base for our centennial bell & opportunities for recognition were made available. All of our clubs & many of our outstanding Rotarians names are engraved on the bell, which will be available for use by clubs.

Our District Conference was a huge success and another chance to recognize many of you and your clubs for outstanding achievements this year.

One of our goals for the year was the chartering of a new club. The Quad Cities of Sharp County officially received its certification May 31 and had their charter event June 27. This young club is going to be a tremendous asset to our district. The clubs of Jonesboro, Jonesboro-University, and Pocahontas deserve a huge thank you for their investment in this endeavor.

Approximately 100 of us from District 6150 traveled by train, plane & car to Chicago to join together for the final birthday bash. We came home rejuvenated and reenergized to begin our 2^nd century of service through Rotary.

Being your DG this year and getting to know you and your clubs has been a privilege and an honor. Thank you for letting me accompany you on part of the journey of service above self.

Rotarians Celebrate Rotary in Chicago
June Morse, Rotary Club of Jonesboro

Over 100 Rotarians and friends from District 6150 joined 42,000 other Rotarians from 161 countries in Chicago for Rotary’s 100^th birthday. We traveled by train (thanks to PDG Ken Stacks), plane and car to “Celebrate Rotary.” And, what a celebration it was…..

Veteran convention goers were pleased that the Centennial Celebration lived up to expectations and first-timers agreed that this was the convention to begin their Rotary International experience.

The greatest celebration in Rotary’s history kicked off with a centennial parade composed of more than 150 entries, including floats, musicians, ethnic groups and - District 6150. Brenda Fasulo led our group of 60+. We were recognizable in blue shirts and straw hats and we were LOUD!

From the opening ceremony where 168 flags representing the 168 Rotary countries were introduced, to the final singing of “Auld Lang Syne”, the sessions were packed with inspiration, information, projects and speakers that reminded us why we are Rotarians - and the tremendous difference R.I. has made in the world. Polio eradication, literacy, clean water and hunger are a few of the issues that have been dramatically impacted by local Rotarians and R.I.

Workshops and symposiums were interspersed with plenary sessions featuring outstanding speakers including Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangari Maathai, Dr. Eric Motley, R.I. President Glenn E. Estess, Sr., Ted Turner and R.I. President-elect Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammar.

One of the highlights of any R.I. Convention is the opportunity to meet new friends, reconnect with old ones and establish relationships that can change lives and communities. Language, culture, geographic, racial and religious differences vanish when Rotarians share ideas and projects and realize that our similarities are much greater than our differences. The shared passion and commitment of Rotarians throughout the world to “Service Above Self” shines through. Connections are made from Rotarian to Rotarian, club to club, district to district and country to country. Friendships flourish and miraculous things occur. Club 99 and their partnership with the Rotary Club of Cluj Napoca, Romania is an excellent example of this.

“Farmers Feed the Children of Romania” was one of a handful of local projects highlighted in a general session. Gary Parish from Club 99 did an outstanding job of explaining the project and the partnerships involved. A video of the project and the team’s visit to Romania was shown.

District ties were strengthened at the annual 6150 international convention dinner at House of Blues. DGE Marilyn Hummelstein organized the group of 100 for an evening of fun and fellowship.

The Heart of American breakfast was an opportunity for our district to join with the other 11 districts in our zone (29) and the 12 districts of zone 30. The 996 attendees (64 from 6150) Celebrated Rotary with R.I. President Glenn E. Estess, Sr. and his spouse, Mary, who are from our zone.

Attending meetings, making new friends, learning about Rotary and getting re-energized are all part of a Rotary Convention. This one was no exception. Our group gained a greater appreciation for Rotary, the Rotary connection throughout the world and the Rotarians of District 6150. We Celebrated Rotary and we re-dedicated ourselves to a new century of “Service Above Self”.

The Rotary Club of Quad Cities of Sharp County Chartered
Gene Wing, President, Rotary Club of Jonesboro

The Rotary Club of Quad Cities of Sharp County had its Charter Inauguration Monday June 27, 2005 with twenty-one Charter Members being inducted. The Rotary Club of Jonesboro, the Rotary Club of Jonesboro-University, and the Rotary Club of Pocahontas sponsored this Club.

Master of Ceremony PDG Ken Stacks opened the meeting with the ringing of the District Centennial Bell and introduced the packed room of guests and visiting Rotarians. DG Jake presented the Club Charter # 69438 and performed the induction of the Charter Members. DGE Marilyn Hummelstein performed the induction of the Charter Officers. The three sponsoring Club Presidents, Gene Wing, Jay Clevenger, and Greg Cash presented Charter Name Badges, Charter Lapel pins, and Officer Pins to the members. A Club bell, a Four Way Test Banner and a Club Banner were presented to the club. There was a special presentation from Joe Dillard, a representative of Congressman Marion Barry’s Office. He presented to the club an American Flag that has flown at the United States Capitol and a certificate of authenticity. PDG Ken presented an Arkansas Flag given by Governor Huckabee. The last presentation was a special one from the contributing clubs in the District. It was a check for $3,000 to get this club started financially. What a great ceremony this was to Celebrate Rotary one more time. President Linda Hall made closing remarks and rang their club bell to adjourn the meeting.

Charter Members

Ronnie Brogdon Sandy Carpenter Win Churchman Raymond L. Maynard

William Clark Bob D. Evins Kay West Forrest Marty Sellars

Dawana Goings Marc Goings Linda M. Hall Ron Rhodes

Paul E Hall Fred Holzhauer Richard C. Huff Steve Thompson

Joel M. King Kim King Mark R. Johnson Fran J. West

Virginia Schmidt

Officers

President – Linda M. Hall Secretary – Kay Forrest

President Elect/VP – Bill Clark Treasurer – Dawana Goings

2005/2006 Board of Directors – Bob Evins & Kim King

2005/2007 Board of Directors – Sandy Carpenter & Richard Huff

District 6150 GSE Team Returns to Arkansas
Frank Winfrey, Rotary Club of Batesville

As mentioned in last month’s newsletter, the GSE team from 6150 arrived in Oslo about twelve hours later than scheduled, but we received a warm welcome by the Norwegians of District 2260. On our first full day (Sunday, May 22nd) we visited the Maritime Museum at Bygdo and had a relaxing dinner and evening with our host families in Lillestrom. On subsequent days we had “lessons” concerning Norwegian history, geography, economics, trade, and government, and visited the IFE research reactor and the earthquake center, NORSTAR, at Kjeller.

After four days in Lillestrom the team moved to the Nittedal area where we visited a social welfare center, the city hall, and a local jazz club. While hosted by the Nittedal Rotary Club we learned about the ship brokerage business at Faernley A.S. in Oslo, visited the provocative modern art gallery Astrup-Faernley, and toured an ice cream factory. On one day we toured the Kistefoss Industrial Museum and Art Gallery, the Hadeland Glassworks, a Viking exhibition created by a farmer and local historian, and visited the “Sister Churches.”

The members of the Oppegard Rotary Club focused on Norwegian history with visits to the Vikingship museum, the folk museum, the home of polar explorer Roald Amundsen and the fortress at Oscarsborg. The team then experienced a trip to Bergen on the west coast of Norway (almost twelve hours each way by car). On our Saturday afternoon in Bergen we had a sunny ferry trip to the island home of composer Ole Bull where we attended a violin and piano concert.

The next week we were hosted by the Rakkestad Rotary Club in the beautiful farming area about an hour south of Oslo. We visited the fortress of Fredrikstad and toured the modern paper-mill in Halden. Other highlights included visiting a “high school,” the town hall, a pottery, and a boat trip to an island for a picnic of shrimp. While in Rakkestad we visited a special joint meeting of six Norwegian Rotary clubs and four Swedish Rotary clubs celebrating the opening of a new bridge between the two countries.

The Kolbotn Rotary club sponsored our rest weekend at the resort village of Sponvika on the coast. The Strommen Rotary club provided us with fascinating tours of the Strommen shopping mall, the WWI-WWII air museum, the Norwegian Parliament, NRK (Norwegian Broadcasting), and the Resistance Museum.

Team leader Frank returned to Arkansas directly after the exchange, while the team members stayed a few extra days to discover other parts of Europe. Team members Erin and Gavin went to Ireland, Rebecca went to Barcelona, and Ed went to Helsinki. Everyone on the team thanks District 6150 for sending us, and District 2260 for hosting us, and The Rotary Foundation for creating GSE!

Centennial Year Capped Off with Park Dedication

Rotarians were challenged to celebrate Rotary’s centennial with service projects that would make an impact throughout the next century. The three Jonesboro Rotary Clubs fulfilled that challenge with the grand opening and dedication of a $500,000 universally accessible playground at Craighead Forest Park.

The playground was the dream of local Rotarians who partnered with individuals, other organizations, city, county and state agencies to bring the dream to fruition. Ribbons were cut, cake was eaten and children began playing on equipment that is a dream come true for families of physically challenged children throughout northeast Arkansas. Congratulations to the Jonesboro clubs for Celebrating Rotary by putting “Service Above Self”.