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District 6440 Clubs Bring More than Warmth to Local Children in Need
District 6440 Clubs Bring More than Warmth to Local Children in Need
District 6440 Rotary Clubs continue their longstanding partnership with Operation Warm to bring warmth, confidence and hope to local children living in need. This year, 19 clubs have either already ordered new Operation Warm winter coats for children in their communities, plan to over the coming weeks, or are supporting other local Operation Warm programs.
 
District 6440 first began working with Operation Warm in 2009, after several club President Elects met the organization at the Land of Lincoln PETS conference. Then President Elect Rich Lalley, of the Rotary Club of Winnetka-Northfield, was looking for a signature project for his year as President, and Operation Warm fit the bill perfectly.
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Fall Training Seminar: Surviving/Thriving in our New Virtual World
Fall is definitely here, which means it's time for our Fall Training.   That's particularly important, since the pandemic pretty well eliminated our spring session.
 
We will focus on issues that all clubs face, issues which are made even more challenging this year as we navigate our new virtual/hybrid world:  
  • How do we maintain and increase member engagement?
  • Do our service projects still work, and how can we tell?
  • How can we hold successful fundraisers and expand our reach?
  • How can we successfully manage the changes that it will take to survive and thrive?
Please join us for insights, ideas, and tools on how to face these challenges in today's environment.
 
Training will take place in 2 two-hour Zoom sessions:  
Thursday, October 22  4-6 pm 
Thursday, October 29, 4-6 pm
 
Each session will be different, so please register today for both sessions by clicking the links below. Course materials and zoom links will be sent prior to each session.
 
Contact Linda Borton for more information!
Mary Bak Selected to be 2023-24 District Governor
Mary Bak Selected to be 2023-24 District Governor
The District 6440 Nominating Committee has selected Mary Bak to be District Governor for the 2023-2024 Rotary year.  A member of the Rotary Club of Glenview Sunrise, she currently serves the District as Grants Committee Chair.  Mary is a past District Secretary, Assistant Governor, and Club President, has been a member of the District Visioning Team, and is a Paul Harris Fellow.
 
The Nominating Committee also selected PDG Julie Clark of the Rotary Club of Schaumburg-Hoffman Estates to be Vice-Governor for the 2021-2022 Rotary year.  
 
Congratulations to Mary and Julie and thank you for your commitment to Rotary and our District! 
 
 
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AFRICAN REGION CERTIFIED WILD POLIO-FREE!
A Message from Rotary International President Holger Knaack. 
(click image to view video message)
 
It our pleasure to announce to you that the African region has just been certified wild poliovirus-free.

Rotary members have played an invaluable role in the effort to rid the African region of wild polio. We should be proud of all the hard work that we’ve done to eliminate the wild poliovirus throughout Africa and in nearly every country in the world. 
 
This progress is the result of a decades-long effort across the 47 countries of the African region. It has involved millions of health workers traveling by foot, boat, bike and bus, innovative strategies to vaccinate children amid conflict and insecurity, and a huge disease surveillance network to test cases of paralysis and check sewage for the virus. 

 
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Jennifer Jones Nominated for 2022-23 Rotary International President
Jennifer Jones Nominated for 2022-23 Rotary International President

Jennifer E. Jones, a member of the Rotary Club of Windsor-Roseland, Ontario, Canada, has been nominated to become Rotary International’s president for 2022-23, a groundbreaking selection that will make her the first woman to hold that office in the organization’s 115-year history.

Jones will officially become president-nominee on 1 October if no other candidates challenge her.

Jones says she sees Rotary’s Action Plan as a catalyst for increasing Rotary’s impact. 

“As we reflect upon our new strategic priorities, we could have never envisioned that our ability to adapt would become our North Star during what is inarguably the most profound time in recent history,” Jones said in her vision statement. “Silver linings rise out of the most challenging circumstances. Using metric-driven goals, I will harness this historic landscape to innovate, educate, and communicate opportunities that reflect today’s reality.”

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DG Lyle Staab Thoughts to Start the Year
Hours before becoming District Governor, Lyle Staab shared his thoughts on how Rotary Opens Opportunities in the time of COVID-19.  It's fourteen minutes or information and inspiration.  
 
Narayan Murarka Awarded The Rotary Foundation's Distinguished Service Award
Narayan Murarka Awarded The Rotary Foundation's Distinguished Service Award
Presentation of The Rotary Foundation Distinguished Service Award to Narayan Murarka
by PDG Bruce Baumberger, July 2, 2020

It is my pleasure to announce that Narayan Murarka, has been selected by The Rotary Foundation Trustees to receive the Distinguished Service Award. Having worked with Narayan for many years, I was honored to have the opportunity to nominate him for this prestigious award.

As I tell you about Narayan’s accomplishments, you will understand why he is one of the forty-two recipients of the award this year. Upon joining Rotary in 2000, Narayan became an immediate participant in humanitarian projects, locally and globally. When Future Vision, our current Rotary grant model launched in 2011, he mastered its intricacies and initiated his first WASH-related global grant in Guatemala benefiting over 20,000 children in over 60 schools.
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How & When to Resume In-Person Meetings
How & When to Resume In-Person Meetings
As Illinois moves into Stage 4 of reopening, Rotary Clubs are asking how and when they should resume in-person meetings. Our Rotary Zone has prepared a comprehensive guide for club boards to use as they work through this process.
 
The guide identifies challenges, action steps to consider, a leadership discussion guide, how to create a decision tree, how to create a communications plan, and provides additional useful resources. You access the comprehensive guide by clicking here. 
Congratulations Vibrant Rotary Clubs!
Congratulations to these 20 Rotary Clubs for their outstanding performance this past year! And special recognition to the 12 clubs honored with Distinction. Let's give a round of applause to the Club Presidents, their leadership teams and members for being People of Action being Vibrant Rotary Clubs!  
 
Rotary Peace Fellow Alumni Available to Speak at Your Club Meetings 
Rotary Peace Fellow Alumni Available to Speak at Your Club Meetings

Looking for interesting speakers for your club meetings? Why not feature one of The Rotary Foundation's premier programs by having a Peace Fellow Alum make a presentation? 

These are tremendous people doing great work to build peace in the world. Many are currently working on COVID-19 Relief programs and many others work in creating more social justice in our world. 

The Rotary Peace Fellow Alumni Association has created a database of alumni willing to provide interactive talks, webinars and lead virtual town hall discussions for your members.

  • You can learn about the data base on how to request speakers here.
  • View profiles of all alumni in the database here.
  • View a listing of alumni working on social justice here.
  • View a listing of alumni working on COVID-19 here.  
To request a Peace Fellow Alumni to speak at your club, complete and submit the form found here. 
Rotary Statement Against Racism
District 6440 Rotarians--please know that Rotary has reiterated its no tolerance for racism policy.
 
We are committed to our guiding principles as stated in the Four Way Test-
 
Of the things we think, say or do: Is it the TRUTH ? Is it FAIR to all concerned? Will it Build Good Will and better friendships? Is it Beneficial to all concerned?
 
At this challenging, time let us remember our Core Values: Service, Fellowship, Diversity, Integrity and Leadership. Now, more than ever, the world needs Rotary to lead the way.
 
-A Message from Rotary International-
Rotary and Toastmasters now working together
Rotary and Toastmasters now working together
Rotary and Toastmasters working together creating opportunities for professional growth of both Rotary and Toastmaster members
 
RI President Mark Maloney recently released this announcement about the partnership between Rotary International and Toastmasters. This is a wonderful opportunity for our members and members of Toastmasters clubs. While we are very early into our relationship, our members are encouraged to learn about Toastmasters, visit their clubs, invite Toastmaster members to our meetings as visitors and speakers, and seek synergies where our clubs working together can make an impact for members and the community.
 
From RI President Mark Maloney:
 
I am excited to share some good news: Rotary International and Toastmasters International are working together to provide our members with even more opportunities for personal and professional growth.

Toastmasters International is a global nonprofit organization with more than 16,800 clubs in 143 countries. Its members attend club meetings where they give speeches, evaluate the speeches of others, and perform other club duties, with the goal of ultimately becoming more confident speakers, communicators, and leaders. Our organizations are complementary in many ways, but we are each unique in what we offer our members.
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New Virtual Meeting Training Resource Page 
New Virtual Meeting Training Resource Page
The District Virtual Meeting Committee has published a new Virtual Meeting Training Resources page.  New resources include Rotary branded virtual backgrounds, a keyboard shortcuts cheat sheet for PC and Mac,, and a link to a Harvard Business Review article on keys to running great virtual meetings. You can also find our Guide Using Zoom presentation. Other resources will be added as they are identified. 
 
While we are staying at home, why not visit other Rotary club virtual meetings. Here's a listing of when clubs are meeting and who to contact to get the Zoom link for their meetings.   
New District 6440 Charitable Fund Now Available
Posted by Gov. Rick Rivkin on Aug 08, 2016
New District 6440 Charitable Fund Now Available
The Rotary District 6440 Charitable Fund Inc. has been established to accept donations to fund charitable and educational activities developed and sponsored by Rotary District 6440, the individual Rotary Clubs in Rotary District 6440, and The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International. These include community service projects and international service projects generally in the following areas of focus.
 
•             Prevention and resolution of conflicts and the promotion of peace
•             Prevention and treatment of disease
•             Clean water and sanitation
•             Maternal and child health
•             Basic education and literacy
•             Economic and community development