Hello and Happy New Year fellow Rotary Members!

It is great to have a break at this time of year to relax and reinvigorate before returning to Rotary later this month. This time also provides us with an opportunity for reflection. As we look forward to new beginnings and experiences, let’s think outside the box and discover new opportunities to serve through Rotary. We have a full six months to finish this Rotary year strong!

Ask yourself a few questions and reflect on the answers:

• What did you do to make your club vibrant?
• How did your engagement help enhance the experience of your fellow members?
• What can we do collectively to make a difference?

Set intentions on what you want to accomplish as a member of Rotary. The little acts of kindness that you do have a ripple effect on us. Let’s continue to Imagine, act to serve and make an impact.

One of Rotary’s founding principles was to use your vocation – whether as a doctor, lawyer, engineer, or another profession – to do good in the world. January is vocational service month. Rotary emphasizes the importance of bringing together business and professional women and men for the purposes of exchanging ideas, developing relationships and improving communities.

The District Leadership team has planned for new opportunities to learn, celebrate and serve through Rotary. Please register and participate to enjoy “beyond the club” experience.
Mid Year Assembly on January 28th,
Ask Us Anything on February 15th,
Leading with Heart – Celebrate Women in Rotary on February 16th,
Let’s Get Growing on February 24th,
Joint District Conference from May 5-7,
Seminar for Tomorrow’s Leaders from July 13-17.

I have completed 31 club visits to date. See you soon as I finish up the last half of the Rotary year visiting more clubs in person. I am looking forward to meeting many more of you!

My heartfelt gratitude to all District and Club officers who have been working behind the scenes in keeping our Clubs and District vibrant. Let us continue to learn, improve, and do our best as Rotary members, push the envelope, help bring in more like-minded individuals into our District, help our Clubs grow and be more diversified and vibrant.

I am so grateful for this community and for so many of you who have reached out to encourage me to serve as your District Governor this year.

Yours in Rotary,

Kam Chandan

Starting new Rotary clubs increases our ability to improve lives in communities around the world. A new club adviser works with district leaders to develop and support the new club during the process. Other Rotary clubs and members can help the new club succeed by serving as sponsors or mentors.

Reasons to start a club
Both Rotary club members and nonmembers can start clubs. Here are some reasons you might want to.

You’re a Rotary club member, and:

An area in your district doesn’t have its own club.
Your Rotary club can no longer accommodate new members.
Some members need an alternate meeting time.
Some members prefer to meet online, less frequently, or using a different format (explore club meeting options).
You’re not a club member, and:

Your area doesn’t have a club.
The club in your area doesn’t fit your needs.
You want to get involved with your community in a new way.

How to start a club
You’ll first need to contact Rotary leaders in the region, starting with the district governor. They’ll help with the process and guide you through the requirements. If you don’t know who the governor is in your area, email Club and District Support. Before you begin, remember:

A new club must have a minimum of 20 members. If you have a sponsor club, it must have at least 20 members.

Starting a satellite club
Want to start a club but don’t have 20 members? You can start a satellite club with just eight people with the sponsorship of an established club. Satellite clubs meet at different times, have their own bylaws and club culture, and their own club leaders. They function as a short-term transitional step on the way to becoming a full, independent Rotary club. Find information about the process in Starting a Rotary Club.

IMPORTANT: ALL volunteers must register at this link. Stevens Creek Nature Preserve Seedling Planting – TreesCharlotte

If you are unable to attend, consider making a donation at the TreesCharlotte website. Thanks!!

We need 100 Rotary volunteers to help plant seedlings at 9:00 am on January 21st.   

Planting events are great for families and all ages are welcome. To ensure accurate counts and liability forms are signed, we ask that all participants please register separately at https://treescharlotte.org/event/stevens-creek-nature-preserve-seedling-planting/

Events are held rain or shine. Details of the event will be emailed to registered volunteers the week of the event.

Febuary 15th, 2023 – Ask Us Anything (AUA) Zoom call is open to all Rotary members to ask any question to the D7680 leadership team. Submit questions (anonymous) ahead of time for the leadership team to review –  https://tinyurl.com/7680askusanything. The team will be prepared to go through the list of questions and answer them on the Zoom call.

What is Negative Peace?
Negative Peace can be thought of as being the absence of something bad, rather than the presence of something good.
Negative Peace is to an emergency room visit as Positive Peace is to a well-baby check-up.
Negative Peace is the absence of war, or fear of violence. It is used as the definition of peace to create the Global Peace Index —the world’s leading measure of national peacefulness.

Causes for lack of Peace:
• Internal conflicts and oppressive governments creating an environment that engenders violence and unrest.
• Extreme poverty resulting in poor health, sickness, malnutrition, and disease.
• Injustice and inequality causing frustration and lack of trust in institutions.
• Pervasive hopelessness that things will not get better in the future causing civil strife.
• Limited access to clean water, adequate food, shelter, sanitation, and economic opportunity resulting in a lack of self-esteem.

Ways to Celebrate Peace Throughout the Year
Meditate and make peace with oneself.
Speak honestly and openly with purpose.
Read stories about peace to a gathering of neighbors, friends, or colleagues.
Make peace flags to distribute. Spread a message of peace all year long.
Reach out to an estranged friend or family member.
Make peace windmills and “plant” them in a garden.
Encourage friendly environments at church, workplace, neighborhood, or community.
Make space for everyone to have a say.
Reduce bullying, misogyny, genocide, hate journalism, political deception, cultural misunderstanding, social and ecological injustice.
Learn the barriers to effective communication and how to diffuse them such as: interrupting, dominating the discussion, criticizing, judging, teasing, and using overly emotional language.
Promote self-esteem, dignity for yourself, and respect for the feelings and rights of others in all conversation using Peace Language.

The local municipality in the target community will provide free physical space for a local “peace center” where trained facilitators will work with community leaders and others on discussions which will promote reconciliation and forgiveness between previously warring factions. In addition, the facility will house a vocational training center for women who have participated in the reconciliation process to learn new skills which they can use to earn a living. The global grant will cover the salaries of trained staff and fund the purchase of sewing machines, computers, furniture and other materials.

The project provides an opportunity for our district to participate in a purposeful and meaningful manner to enable Rotarians in Nepal to institutionalize the principles of positive peace to build good relations between neighbors and provide income-generating skills to change lives for the better.

District 7680 is supporting this worthy project with District Designated Funds and invites contributions from clubs and individual Rotarians who want to help. If you wish to support the project or have questions, please contact District Peace Committee Co-Chair Firoz Peera at fpeera@carolina.rr.com.

Each spring, our graduating Fellows from the Duke-UNC Rotary Peace Center host Rotarians, faculty, staff, students, and local participants as they present their research on a wide range of issues affecting peace around the world.

Mark your calendars for our 20th Annual Rotary Peace Center Conference, to be held on Saturday, April 1, 2023. The conference is organized by the Duke-UNC Rotary Peace Center.

Chapel Hill, NC (pre-registration required, go to Duke / UNC-CH Peace Center for details & tickets closer to event). The conference has been live-streamed the past 3 years, with a hybrid event offered (limited in-person attendance) in 2022.

New to Rotary or want to know more – This is for you! You are part of a group whose impact reaches around the world through local community service by our 1.4 million members in 200+ countries. Join us for “Rotary 101” a virtual tour of Rotary and Rotarians that will inspire you to engage even more in the Rotary community. Wednesday August 24 was the kickoff for ROTARY 101, an online program designed for new and potential members of Rotary. There are the events scheduled in the next two months.

January, 3rd at 6:00pm

Here’s the link: Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81801636156?pwd=d2sraXFqdWRlSTVtL2ltQ0dIT1dPZz09 Meeting ID: 818 0163 6156 Passcode: 539445

Questions: Contact Marcia Scheideman (mscheideman.ms@gmail.com) or Lorena Prince (garzalster@gmail.com) for any questions you might have. Looking forward to seeing you virtually!

We are pleased to announce the creation of a new “cause-based” Rotary Club coming soon to support The CART Fund and Alzheimer’s research.

What is a cause-based club? It is simply a Rotary club that focuses on one particular cause. The programs & speakers are all about the cause, and the club’s service projects are all about that cause too. For example, a cause-based club could focus on serving veterans or ending human trafficking, or perhaps even helping find a cause, treatment or prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease.

In the coming months, we will be actively reaching out to former Rotarians who have left traditional clubs but may be interested in rejoining a different format. We will also be seeking referrals of individuals who may have a specific interest in Alzheimer’s Disease but are not currently a Rotarian.

If you are interested in helping create this new club, or if you have suggestions of prospective members in your community, please let us know by sending an email to cartfundnews@gmail.com. This club will have no geographic boundaries, and will also offer “affiliate memberships” to those who are already members of other Rotary Clubs. It is NOT an initiative designed to take Rotarians away from their current clubs.

Greetings to our fellow Rotarians! Here are some of the activities and projects our group has been working on lately:

• We now have roughly 28 DEI Club Ambassadors that will be invited to their first meeting to be held in January 2023. Thank you to those who have raised their hand and we invite others to do so if you’re interested.
• We are excited to announce that the majority of the members of our District DEI Team will be participating in training for Facilitators of Brave Conversations and looking forward to sharing this with interested clubs.
• If you are interested in being part of the DE&I Committee, please email co-chairs Rina Arline at rcarline07@yahoo.com or Chris Arline at carline30@gmail.com.

Kam is doing his official club visits and has been posting photos and commentary on his Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/kamleshchandan. Go take a look. Great Photos! We have added a few below, but on his FB page, it is club by club.

This year, the Gastonia Rotary Club continued a long-standing tradition of helping needy families provide a happy holiday celebration for their children. Working with the Social Worker and Principal of our adopted partner school, H. H. Beam Elementary in south Gastonia, our club was given the names and wishes of the children of 15 families, which included almost 70 students aged from a few months to 18 years old. Thanks to our District Grant, this is nearly double the families served last year. Club members divided up the names and shopped, wrapped, and distributed the gifts at a special Saturday event at the school. Each child got warm clothes, special toys, books, and even a stocking stuffed with treats. Parents were also given grocery gift cards, candy, and popcorn as a special treat for the entire family. In addition, the club’s officers and club volunteers devoted their December Board meeting to preparing and filling over 500 treat bags for every child in the school! Led by Club President Patti Black, this service project leaves a warm holiday feeling in every Club member’s heart and will hopefully continue for many years to come! Santa’s helper is our club’s Assistant Secretary / PR chair Patrick Larkin, and Club President Patti Black is shown with him. The large gifts hold all the treat bags for the students in each classroom

The Rotary Clubs of Area 5 have been busy this holiday season, with service, merriment, and FUN! Ringing bells for the Salvation Army, participating in parades, providing holiday gifts and goodies for needy families and warm coats for students, singing carols, playing “Dirty Santa,” sorting food items for Crisis Assistance Ministry, and so much more…our Gaston County Rotarians have been hard at work AND play this holiday season!

1) Music provided by Gastonia Club members and special guests at the Club’s annual Holiday Social at the Gastonia Conference Center
2) Gastonia Evening Club members rolling up their sleeves at the Crisis Assistance Ministry food pantry
3) Belmont Rotary Club riding in style at the Belmont Christmas Parade and enjoying their holiday party
4) Gastonia East President Jenna Jourdet sharing the club’s progress on their yearly goals and reflecting on the meaning behind the holidays (note: Wine in the picture is being collected for the club’s Wine Raffle fundraiser for Polio Plus, coming up next month!) Also, picture of the club’s check presentation for the United Way of Gaston County

Union West Rotary continues to live out “Service Above Self” and create a positive ripple effect in Indian Trail and all of Union County!
In the last six months, the small but mighty club of 20 members has been intentional on helping the entire community. Union West wrapped started in the summer with the finalization and opening of an ADA all-inclusive shelter at Crooked Creek Park that the club and district help support with a district grant. Continuing with students, Union West played an active and pivitol role in the Back 2 School Bash that provided 1,000+ students a brand new backpack, pair of shoes, school supplies, eye exam and a free lunch. They continue to help students and will soon award nine local PTA organizations a total of $80,000 in supplies! Union West also recently delivered $15,000 worth of durable medical equipment (wheel chairs, walkers, canes, shower chairs and more) to Council on Aging. Members also supported Holiday Heroes by cooking and selling hot dogs at a recent Halloween event to raise $2,700; Union West Rotary also provided $15,000 worth of toys to Holiday Heroes- a collective between Union West Rotary, Union County Sherriff Office, Stallings, Baker and Hemby Bridge Fire Department.

Union West remains active nearly every week! Packing food with Food for Families, collecting 1,000 boxes of brownie mix for Thanksgiving meals, ringing the bell for Salvation Army, ensuring that the July 4th parade in Indian Trail is judged and the Christmas parade is lined up correctly.

Union West Rotary continues to welcome new members and grow the next generation of Rotarians! This year, a new Interact Club was formed at Metrolina Christian Academy; Union West currently sponsors two Interact Clubs.

In the next six months, Union West Rotary looks to grow membership, double scholarships that they have provided in the past, construct a ramp for Council on Aging, purchase another $15,000 worth of medical supplies for Council on Aging, distribute $80,000 worth of supplies to PTA organizations, provide 100 car seats to Union County Safe Kids and debut a brand new fundraising basketball game!

Union West Rotary is excited to host the Harlem Wizards! Similar to the Harlem Globetrotters, the Wizards bring a night full of fun, games and antics, but they play against local celebrities! One star of the team that will face the Harlem Wizards is our very own DG Kam! Be sure to come and watch Kam get dunked on and purchase a ticket at: https://pretix.eu/harlemwizards/indiantrail.

Union West Rotary understands that it is important that each member step up and live out Rotary’s “Service Above Self” motto and spread that into the community! It is an honor to be part of Union West Rotary and the larger ROTARY collective!

The Rotary Club of Sorocaba-Manchester in Brazil hosted a joint club Zoom meeting with Charlotte North Rotary Club on December 7, 2022. Sorocaba is a city located near Sao Paulo, the financial capital of Brazil, a city of 700,000 people. 13 Rotarians from the Charlotte-area participated, including DG Kam Chandan and Linda Rakvic, co-chair of District Community Service. DG Kam Chandan addressed the clubs and gave a warm greeting from Rotarians in Charlotte. President Bramante of Brazil emphasized that the focus of their club (or DNA as he stated) is education and healthcare. President Marcia Vinci of Charlotte North spoke about our service projects in the Charlotte area, including planting 2000+ trees, bringing opera to a Title I school and recognizing First Responders for their service. Soren Gautam, our Rotary Exchange student from Charlotte, gave a detailed presentation on Charlotte. Amazingly Soren spoke fluently in Portuguese, given that he has only been there for 4 months, which is a true testament to the value of a Rotary’s exchange program! President Bramante also presented gifts to two students from Sorocaba who will receive a full scholarship to study abroad during the coming year. President Bramante expressed hope to cooperate on a joint service project during the coming year and to meet again via Zoom. Click here for the short video of presentation.

The Top of the Lake Rotary Club held its big fundraiser, a Port-A-Pit barbecue sale, Dec. 1 at Williamson’s Chapel United Methodist Church, with the proceeds going to benefit Rotary Club efforts in the community and around the world. Twenty-seven of the club’s members were able to help with the event volunteering their time doing what was needed including cooking, packaging and delivering. Brett Sawyer, Club President noted that some of them gathered at the church around 6:30 a.m. in preparation for the day.

Brett, said the money raised from the event, “generally goes into our general fund” noting that a percentage would go to the Rotary International and then they would have some for different expenses that they have throughout the year, such as the shoeboxes they did recently that go to children all over the world, making sure they have Christmas presents.

“So it is just earmarked in the general fund for different expenses that we have throughout the year,” he shared. Read more in Mooresville Tribune.

Ringing the bell for Salvation Army with The Charlotte Dilworth South End Rotary Club

Membership Action Plan (MAP)

“Bite-Sized” webinars, every month on the second Monday at 6 pm ET

Become an Irresistible Club – Jan 16th at 6 pm

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86851107986?pwd=bmdrbUR5TTREQ3plZ1pacmhSOTBPQT09

The target audience is club leaders, Presidents, Assistant Governors, Presidents-Elect, Membership Chairs, and anyone else who has an interest in the long-term viability and vitality of their Rotary club. All District leaders are also encouraged to attend.

The MAP Page on the Zone website has past recordings, registration links for upcoming events, and a library of membership collateral: RIZones33-34.org/membership-action-plan

What is the MAP?

It’s a unified, multi-year membership growth initiative spanning Rotary Zones 33 and 34 — 1,700 clubs and 66,000 Rotarians from Pennsylvania to Florida, then extending through the Caribbean to the coast of South America.

In search of a strategy to mitigate membership decline and get our clubs on a path of consistent, moderate growth, RI Director Jeremy Hurst launched a task force in January of 2022.

This group of District and Zone leaders has developed a set of “Bite-Sized”? webinars (1 hour or less), delivered once a month, that are 100% actionable by the clubs. No concepts. No theory. No figuring out how. Everything is there. Strategies that are GUARANTEED to work (they’ve worked for hundreds of clubs), together with recipes, templates, slides, videos, worksheets and scripts. There’s also an awards program that will recognize both clubs and districts for their participation and achievements.

How can YOU help?

Embrace, publicize and promote participation of all your club leaders in these monthly events. Yes, they are being recorded, and, yes, all the material presented is downloadable from the MAP Page on the Zone Website: RIZones33-34.org/membership-action-plan.

The Rotary Foundation Cadre of Technical Advisers is a group of Rotary members who volunteer to provide technical expertise and advice to other members who are planning and carrying out Rotary grant projects around the world. We often hear Rotary members, including some leaders, aren’t familiar with the Cadre and don’t know how to ask these advisers for support to ensure that their projects meet Foundation requirements and achieve their goals. This may be because traditionally, the Cadre’s work was only to evaluate Rotary-funded projects. Cadre members collected data and documentation by reviewing grant applications, visiting project sites, and conducting grant audits for The Rotary Foundation.

The clubs and districts involved in these projects developed strong relationships with their Cadre advisers, who could have been seen as critical inspectors but in practice helped improve the quality of projects. So, these grant sponsors recognize the importance of Cadre advisers.

Now, the Cadre not only evaluates projects for the Foundation but has also evolved into a more holistic project-planning resource for Rotary members. The Cadre has more than 500 technical advisers and technical coordinators that lead them in eight groups: one for each area of focus, plus financial auditing. The technical advisers have also been arranged recently into seven geographic teams, each led by a regional organizer. These teams are made up of the advisers who are closest to and most accessible to Rotary regional and district leaders. We hope this will lead to more collaboration between regional and district leaders and Cadre advisers. Contact your Cadre leaders to get connected with an adviser today.

Being able to articulate and share your stories with others is a valuable skill in any setting. For Rotary and Rotaract members, it’s also a powerful way to tell others about Rotary. Through our alliance with Toastmasters International, members can visit a local Toastmasters club to hone their skills and receive feedback from others in a safe setting. Check out these storytelling techniques from our partner, and take our Inspirational speech course in the Learning Center.

Inviting all clubs across the District to hold an End Polio fundraising Tea Party during February to celebrate Rotary’s birthday.

Some ideas to help with contributions to the Rotary Foundation Polio Fund:

• Partner with a local bakery / donut shop / café and ask them to give a profit percentage on that date whilst you promote their business locally.
• Designate a regular club meeting as the Tea Party – skip the ordinary meal, ask your members to bring a share plate and donate the meal cost to help End Polio.
• Organise a wonderful cake and sell raffle tickets or guess the weight of the cake.
• Ask for a $10 minimum donation per member and give the cake to the highest contributor or have the cake as a lucky door prize.
• Come up with ideas to amaze but please donate as the children are counting on us!

Don’t just have a tea party: tell everyone about it! Take photos of your party, post them on your club’s Facebook page.

Here are seven reasons you’ll want to attend the 2023 Rotary International Convention in Melbourne.

1. You’ll (re)connect with the Rotary family.

The last Rotary International Convention, in Houston, was proof there’s nothing like connecting face to face. But for many Rotary members in the Asia-Pacific region, where COVID-19 restrictions complicated travel plans, Melbourne will be their first in-person convention in four years. With five districts (representing more than 250 Rotary and Rotaract clubs) across the state of Victoria hosting the event, it’s sure to be a big reunion.

2. You’ll explore the world — all in one place.

The convention is the best way to appreciate Rotary’s global scale and reach, says Rebecca Fry, founding chair of RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) Oceania and charter president of the Rotary Club of Social Impact Network, New South Wales. “The House of Friendship is a true festival of Rotary, showcasing our organization’s fellowships, action groups, and community projects from around the world.”

3. You’ll discover cities within a city.

The coastal metropolis is known as the Australian capital of culture, food, sports, architecture, and theater. It’s also a shopping mecca.

Mary Barry, chair of the Host Organization Committee, proudly notes Melbourne’s regular recognition as one of the world’s most livable cities. It is a family friendly place where visitors will feel instantly welcomed and at ease. “The city looks after its tourists with excellent public transport to unique attractions,” says Roslyn Teirney, an assistant Rotary public image coordinator for Zone 8 and a member of the Rotary Club of North Hobart, Tasmania.

4. You’ll be inspired.

Rotary conventions are all about an exchange of ideas. And each year’s gathering brings you big name speakers to inspire, connect, and spur solutions to the world’s toughest challenges. Just look at the list of some past speakers: Bill Gates, Justin Trudeau, Mikhail Gorbachev, and Princess Anne of the United Kingdom. “While still early to announce 2023 program highlights, be assured only outstanding international speakers will take part,” says HOC Chair Barry.

5. You’ll get your kangaroo fix.

Experience quintessential Australia with a visit to the Melbourne Zoo for a close-up and safe encounter with some of the world’s most unusual, cute, and dangerous species — kangaroos, koalas, snakes, spiders, crocodiles, wombats, and platypuses. Just 13 miles northeast of Melbourne’s central business district, the Gresswell Forest nature reserve provides spectacular sightings of eastern gray kangaroos, says Jennifer Scott, a past district governor and member of the Rotary Club of Central Blue Mountains.

Need more cuteness? Head to Phillip Island, 75 miles southeast of Melbourne, and check out the largest colony of little penguins in the world.

6. You’ll feel energized.

Looking for a place to hang out with all your new Rotary friends once the day is over? Melbourne has endless options. Laura Telford, chair of the Rotaract Australia multidistrict information organization and member of the Rotaract Club of Canberra, describes Melbourne as another of the famous cities that “never sleep.”

“Visitors will enjoy jumping on one of more than 475 trams that cover 250 kilometers [155 miles] of track to take you to every corner of this exciting city.”

7. You’ll want to see more of Australia.

While the distance can be a challenge in traveling to Melbourne, visitors may fly in to Sydney, Brisbane, Darwin, or Perth to make the most of a unique travel opportunity by seeing other parts of Australia. “The Great Barrier Reef, Uluru and the Red Centre, our tropical north, and the rugged coast of Western Australia all present memorable sightseeing experiences,” Scott says.