DG REG'S MESSAGE

Two of the major commitments of my year are now behind me, namely the official club visits which were completed on Thursday, November 2nd and the annual District Conference.  The visits were an incredible experience for Loretta and I.  We were blown away by the amount of good being done by each club in their community and around the world. We were accorded the finest hospitality at every visit and will treasure the memories made. And I must share with you how impressed we were by the wonderful Rotarians we met in every club!   Thank you ‘Best of Friends’ District! 
 
I was blessed with amazing support from my official aide and spouse Loretta, who accompanied me on all but three of our visits.  Her assistance was invaluable and I don’t have words to describe the effort she put in.  From organizing each visit and the materials required, to lugging the equipment, taking notes, assisting with the thank you emails, and to the critiques of my performance after each visit to improve my presentations and meetings with the boards.  I am so grateful for her sacrifices of her own interests to provide the Service Above Self!
 
The District Conference was a resounding success.  We began with a wonderful get together with Past District Governors and spouses on Thursday evening.  We want to more frequently involve these experienced and dedicated Rotarians to take advantage of their counsel in the days and years ahead.  The annual meeting and luncheon on Friday was so well attended that extra chairs and tables had to be brought in.  Thank you to all that attended.  For a look at the event, check out the photo link on the upper right hand corner of this newsletter.
 
Pictured left: "hairs' DG Reg speaking at the annual business meeting".  Thanks to my good friend, PDG Ralph, who while sharing his Rotary moment, couldn't wait to point out that while we share the same initials "RM", we do not share the same pate.  He thought to even us up and presented me with a head of hair.
The speakers for the plenary sessions and breakouts were also well received and despite the fact that Rob Raylman, CEO of Gift of Life was unable to attend because of his mother’s sudden health issue, the session was excellent thanks to chair Valerie Bailey-Phillips and the District Gift of Life committee.
 
We were indeed fortunate to have PDG Lucinda General of Phoenix, Arizona as our RI President’s Representative.  Not only was she an excellent speaker but she and husband Wayne mixed really well with all Rotarians and guests.  She left us with two interesting challenges - she will provide a Paul Harris Fellowship to the first club to have 100% enrollment in Rotary Direct monthly giving to the Foundation.  And she will provide a second Paul Harris to the first District club to enroll 10 Rotarians new to TRF Rotary Direct.  Please report these to me as soon as your club achieves either of these goals. It’s a great opportunity to have an extra Paul Harris Fellowship to recognize a worthy individual from your club.
 
Pictured right is DG Reg enjoying the conference with RI President's Rep Lucinda "Lu" General (left) and Conference Co-Chair Sherri Kerr (right).
 
Also, pictured left is our very own Wonder Woman - District Executive Secretary Pene Hutton.
 
As always, there were a few things we could have done differently or done better. There’s a lot to be said for our current conference format, and it’s served us well these past few years. But it’s time to change things up so we can continue to provide a worthwhile and meaningful conference experience for our Rotarians.  DGE Melisa Schrock and her team have some great plans for a one-day conference next year. More details to follow! 
 
We also had an amazing time connecting with our YE students.  Pictured right is Mike Taylor with the them at the conference.
I must also comment on the Zone Institute held in Hartford, CT the week prior to our conference. It was time well spent with other District Leaders learning more about our specific areas of Rotary involvement and exchanging ideas with classmates, Zone leaders and speakers.  The main message was that Rotary is at a crossroads in much of the western world and while we’re growing in the far East and Africa, North America is shrinking.  An example of this is the loss of two districts in North America and our zone requiring the addition of clubs from Michigan to retain the necessary size.
 
We only need to take a look inward at our own clubs and districts to understand why this is happening.  Over the last decade we have gone from 90 clubs to our current 67 and our membership numbers have dwindled from 3600 to less than 2200.  We must make changes as doing things the same old way only continues to get us the same old results. I challenge each Rotarian and each club to think about this issue, discuss it, get outside support from the District, Zone and Rotary International to change our outcomes.  I’m here to help!  Let’s Make a Difference!