I do not know about you, but this has seemed like a long winter. But spring will come and it will feel all the more satisfying when it does. The Rotary year is almost over, and in just a couple of months, we will be turning over the reins of our clubs to the next group of leaders. I have truly enjoyed my year as district governor, although I am the first to admit that I am a bit tired at this point. I want to take this opportunity to thank a lot of people and ask for two more favors of the Rotarians of District 6650.

 

I want to start by thanking our District Assistant, Lauri Coy, who we share with the Rotary Club of Canton. Thank you Canton. Without Lauri’s help, I am not sure I would have survived my DG year. And I know many of you have learned just how capable Lauri is at solving problems for you and your club. I want to thank all of the 2017-2018 presidents. You have done a great job with your clubs, and you have been very supportive of me. You have earned that past-president pin that you will get in a few short weeks. I want to thank the assistant governors who provided the one-on-one support to clubs that no district governor could ever provide. I have been blessed to be a part of a group of past and upcoming district governors who have provided insight, support, and help whenever I have needed it. Finally, I want to thank all of you—the Rotarians of District 6650—who have inspired me with your passion, generosity, enthusiasm, and Can-Do-Spirit. I am proud to be a Rotarian, and I am proud of my fellow Rotarians.

 

The first favor that I want to ask is to encourage all of you to join me at the District Conference. We are trying something different this year by having the conference during the week instead of over the weekend. It will be May 10 and 11 (Thursday evening through Friday afternoon). You should be home for supper on Friday, and you can register separately for Thursday evening and Friday if you cannot be there for the entire conference. We have put together a great conference that is fast-paced, informative, and inspiring, and we have done our best to keep the costs down. You can register online at www.rotarydistrict6650.org or by calling the district office (330-452-2882). We encourage you to register by Monday, May 7 because we need to give the hotel our meal counts on that day. We will be celebrating Rotary and the Magic of Rotary, and there is a lot to celebrate. I hope to see you there in May.

 

My second favor that I want to ask is to have everyone in the district to continue their support of the Rotary Foundation. We can all be proud of our Foundation. It has the highest possible rating from Charity Navigator because our overhead is extremely low and we achieve so much with the money we donate. To date, our district has donated just under $100,000 to the Annual Fund and a total of nearly $300,000 to all funds. Half of the donations to the Annual Fund come back to the district in three years to support our local projects. I give as generously as I can to the Rotary Foundation because I know the money will be well spent and will make a difference in the world. I encourage you to do the same.