december 2017 District Bulletin

From the Governor's Desk
happy new year! Welcome to 2018!
I first want to begin by thanking each and every ROTARIAN and friends of Rotary who stepped up to the plate and made Rotary the success it is. During my Official visits to your club I have seen an amooooozing effort to help those in need.  Thank you for a job well done.
 
It is fitting that we start 2018 high lighting Vocational Service. During this holiday season I realized that my family has many young adults reaching college age. As I ask them what choice of occupation they are looking at, all I got was “I don’t know”. What an opportunity we in Rotary have, as business professionals, to share our vision of an occupation with young hungry souls.  These young people are searching so let’s help in that search. Create an internship in your business, go to carrier days at a high school, invite a high school students to spend a day “on the Job training” – all in a real time effort to open there minds to a future. A future that could be right here at HOME. While you are at it, share the “4-way test”, Rotary’s influence on the World like “Polio +” and a need for a moral compass. Yes we can help. Idaho is one of the fastest growing states in our great nation, now let’s help these young future professionals grow with us. 
Vocational Service Month 
During this period, clubs highlight the importance of the business and professional life of each Rotarian. 
 
Terry Jones, '17-'18 D5400 Governor

district giving update and call to action

On December 6, the district sent a check for $7,900 to Annual Fund-SHARE, representing $100 cash donations from Rotarians in 20 clubs.  That “free money” moved the district 4% closer to its goal for the year. In the case of St Anthony Rotary, 12% of the members were matched for 12% of the club’s goal, illustrating that the district match can make a significant difference in your club’s annual giving for the year.
 
Matching dollars come from the proceeds of the cruise raffle held annually, and the district will match the first $100 of anyone’s Paul Harris Fellow – whether it’s the first or a multiple – but someone in your club who has access to your Club Recognition Summary from The Rotary Foundation has to ask for it. 
 
We’re halfway through the Rotary year, yet less than a quarter of our clubs are halfway to meeting their Annual Fund giving goal. Would you believe that ¾ of our clubs have members who are eligible for the match right now? Request your matches before March 1 to get in on the next opportunity. Don’t let your club miss out!  You only have 12 months to request the match for someone once he or she becomes eligible. Instructions for receiving the match are located on the district website under Rotary Foundation in the downloads file.
 

Marianne Barker, 2015-18 District 5400 Rotary Foundation Chair

Boise hosts santa

The Boise Downtown Club had their annual Christmas party for the women and children of the City Light Shelter. The shelter offers a safe haven of hope and love, providing emergency services such as meals, shelter and clothing, as well as education, work-search assistance, mental health counseling, addiction recovery through the New Life Program and children’s programs.
 
About 40 family members from City Light attended and it was a joy to see the moms and especially the kids with giant smiles in spite of their difficult circumstances at this time of year. Rotarian Wendy Shoemaker (Mrs. Clause) and her husband, Fred (Santa) helped make it a wonderful evening as did Maestro Gerry Schroeder on the ivories and song leader Bill Agler. Many other Rotarians participated and a good time was had for all. 
 
The Club continued bringing holiday spirit by participating in their annual Salvation Army Bell Ringing. Members Bill Wooley and Tom Stitzel led a matching donation program along with leading troops of Rotarians ringing bells on street corners downtown. They raised over $9,000, which is now the club record throughout the many decades they’ve been ringing the bells.
 
Ron Gambassi, President, Rotary Club of Boise Downtown

Rotary on the tube

With only a few days notice, members from clubs around southwest Idaho came to Idaho Public Television's rescue to volunteer on the phones, speak on air and help raise money for IdahoPTV's many programs that encourage lifelong learning, connect our communities and enrich the lives of all Idahoans.
 
Laurie Zuckerman, Rotary Club of Boise Downtown
 

You're Invited!

Rotary International President Ian Riseley invites you to the Rotary Presidential Conference on Environmental Sustainability & Peace, Vancouver, BC, Friday to Sunday February 9 – 11, 2018.

Marianne Barker and Laurie Zuckerman from D5400 will be in attendance and would love to have some more of us!

What is an e-Club?

I attended my first Rotary e-club meeting with a club called Global Trekkers using ZOOM video conferencing software. The 17 club members in attendance joined from all over the world: Uzbekistan, Australia, Korea, Colorado, Hawaii, Brazil, India and me, from Idaho. Several joined from North Carolina, where the club is based. They have great fellowship and take time each week to visit with each other for a few minutes before the meeting starts. They perform service projects together and raise money for Polio Plus  - all live and online. 
 
Our speaker joined in from Denver, Colorado. The recipient of a Rotary Peace Scholarship, he spoke about the Peace Program and his goals. It was a motivating meeting and I never had to leave my office. In the future I will do all my makeup meetings with this club! Here's a snippet of my experience.
 
An e-club has the advantage of being able to draw from a global base of members so they have lots of diversity. E-clubs also appeal to young professionals who often can’t get away during the day for a club meeting. Global Trekkers Club meets every Wednesday at 7:00 pm New York time but for me that was 4:00pm and for the two club members in Australia it was 11:00am! It was fascinating to say the least.   Everyone shared a ‘happy buck’ announcement and all happy buck contributions go to Polio Plus - paid on-line at Rotary.org - how simple is that? 
 
E-clubs have other advantages too. By definition these clubs are small, tight-knit, clubs due to bandwidth. You can only display a maximum of 24 live member images on a typical computer screen so most e-clubs tend to cap out somewhere between 30 and 40 members. E-clubs can provide a way for family members and friends who are spread out across the world to get together once a week in a Rotary meeting and join in service projects together. Dues are very low because there is no meal cost. And don’t worry if its dinner time or breakfast time where you are, you can eat while you watch the program.  Meetings are also recorded so you can also watch the meeting later if you are tied up during the regular club meeting time. And if you had an especially great meeting and you want to share it with someone, just send them the link!  Does it get any better than this?
 
If you are interested in visiting an e-club or in starting an e-club, my advice is don’t hesitate to give it a try!  It’s a great idea and you’ll be amazed how fun it is to join with fellow Rotarians each week whether they are across the street or across the globe.  Give an E-club a try!
 
Rich Kirkham, District Governor Nominee, rich@richkirkham.com 

lobsterfest success

 
The Boise Sunrise, Southwest, Downtown and Metro Rotary Clubs have made a donation to the Hope House at their December 12th breakfast meeting for $100,000. This was part of the proceeds of their annual Lobsterfest fundraiser, which was held on September 9, 2017. 
 
The proceeds will fund the non-profit's Idaho Power bill for over one year. The Hope House is located in the old  Job Corps Campus of 26 buildings which are all electric. Power usage represents one-ninth of its expenses and is the hardest cost to find funding for. The Hope House is an orphanage located in Marsing Idaho that deals with kids who mainly fail adaptations and need to be removed from their adopted families. 
 
Sunrise's annual Christmas breakfast was attended by most of the Hope House kids, their staff and many Rotarians and guests. Per tradition, the Rotarians and kids sang “Twelve Days of Christmas” which was followed by a performance by the Hope House Choir. A joyous time was had by all. 
 
The event was televised on Channel 7 in Boise:
 
 
Great work on getting the Rotary name out, everyone!
 
Karl Klokke, President, Sunrise Rotary

tree project update

The following clubs have tree coordinators:

Blue Lakes, Buhl, Twin Falls, Twin Falls-After Hours, Gooding, Hailey, Ketchum-Sun Valley, Idaho Falls, Boise, Boise Metro, Boise Sunrise, Emmett, Caldwell, McCall-Payette Lakes, and Meridian

The following clubs have tree projects:

Blue Lakes, Twin Falls, Gooding, Idaho Falls, Boise Southwest, Boise Sunrise, Emmett, Meridian, Baker City

If your club is not listed, please email Laurie Zuckerman.

Consider joining other clubs who are planting trees in the following parks/reserves for $5/club member. The district will provide a planting date and your members simply show up.  One volunteer plants about 10 seedlings/hour, so you should only need 1 volunteer for 10-20 club members.

 
Please see The Gift That Grows, Rotary 5400's tree newsletter. (Thank you Michela Swarthout!)

Looking for the perfect gift? Consider donating a tree seedling in someone's honor.  Your $5 gift is tax deductible, and the seedling will be planted in on of the parks or reserves listed above!

The object of rotary: remembering first principles

One of the best exercises organizations can engage in is a review of their purpose. What are we trying to accomplish as a business, school, or corporation? It could be something as simple as “make a profit.” Generally, that objective will not be enough to sustain growth in the organization. It will take something more, something that will cause people to want to invest their time and talents and make it flourish. 

If you look on “my.rotary.org” one of the first subjects you’ll run into is “Guiding Principles.” It’s an interesting read. It contains such topics as “The Object of Rotary,” “The Four-Way Test,” and “Avenues of Service.” When reviewing these topic headings, you might be inclined to say, “Oh yeah, I know that,” and move on to something else.  

There is power in reviewing first principles, the basics, the building blocks that define an organization. Give it a try! Then, look at your club and see if you can make those foundations more secure. Here are some questions you might want to consider from the “Object of Rotary.”

What is our club doing to:

  1. Help club members become aware of and involved in service opportunities?
  2. Recognize the value of all useful occupations?
  3. Celebrate service rendered by Club members?
  4. Establish world-wide connections that will use service to promote international understanding, goodwill and peace? 

If you want to take your club to “the next level,” don’t just read the questions, evaluate where you stand and make adjustments. You’ll discover that aligning your club with First Principles will always result in greater success.

Robert Lee, District 5400 Trainer

what's your new years resolution?

For many, it will have something to do with personal health.  The focus may be on diet & exercise but often overlooked is the environment in which one lives.  If I may suggest another resolution, consider the care of trees on your property. 

The benefits of trees are almost incalculable.  They increase property value, lower energy costs, & combat pollution.  They also affect your state of mind.  Many studies show that people who live & work among trees often feel less stressed, more focused, & are generally happier.  This has been true in my life having grown up in “The City of Trees.”  When I was a kid enjoying summer vacations, I’d often ride my bike along the Boise Greenbelt to Julia Davis Park & play in the shade.  Even as an adult, when I’m having a tough time or feeling down, I return to the park & enjoy those large trees.  There’s something about them that settles my mind & gives me perspective. 

If I’ve convinced you to add “care for trees” to your list of resolutions, pruning is a great place to start…and winter is an ideal time for it.  Trees are dormant, as are pests & diseases.  Pruning in the winter limits their ability to spread & potentially infect your tree.  Since limbs are bare, it’s easier to identify which branches to remove & where to cut.  Cleanup is easier too, as you’re not dealing with leaves.  A well-pruned tree usually won’t need trimmed again for 1-3 seasons depending on the species.

For large trees, I recommend calling an experienced tree service company that employs Certified Arborists.  For small to medium trees, here is a resource from the International Society of Arboriculture.

Be sure to bundle up & wear your protective gear!

Kevin Allen, Rotary Club of Boise

continuing rotary's rose tradition

While watching the 1978 Pasadena Rose Parade on Television, Jack Gilbert, who was President of the Wilshire Rotary Club, in Los Angeles, California had an idea. Rotary would be celebrating its 75th Anniversary in 1980, and Jack believed that by entering a float in the 1980 New Year’s Day Rose Parade, Rotary could communicate its message, “Service Above Self” to millions of people worldwide.

Jack shared his vision with other Rotarians, who supported the idea. Seven Governors in Southern California agreed to underwrite the cost of the float and make up any shortfall not covered by Club contributions. Fortunately, the Clubs contributed $35,000 which covered the full cost of the original float.

This first Tournament of Roses experience lead to the formation of the Rotary Rose Parade Float Committee which now receives contributions each year from approximately 8 Rotary Districts and an additional 700 Individual Rotary Clubs to fund the float. The Committee has entered a float every year since 1980.

This year's Rotary Float will be featured in the 129th Tournament of Roses in Pasadena, CA on January 1st. 

The Rotary Float theme this year is "Planting Seeds of Service". 

Enjoy a firkin beer with the Boise downtown club
5 pm February 8th at the Boise Basque Center
Boise's Firkin Frolic Beerfest is back for another round, and it's bigger and better than ever before! Enjoy a firkin beer with your Rotary friends from the Boise downtown club, 5 pm February 8th at the Boise Basque Center. Early bird tickets at www.boisefirkinfrolic.com until Jan 20th. Tickets also available at the door. The event has grown to 10 confirmed local breweries  pouring some LIMITED, ONE-OF-A-KIND firkins along with several other fantastic brews! The 3rd annual evening of fun raises funds for local and global Rotary projects.
 
A firkin is a "Real Ale" that hasn't been cold filtered, pasteurized, carbonated, or screwed up by any other source. You will be drinking a free range, cage free beer, just like those back in the first days of beer drinking. So a firkin is a time machine to take you back when beer was actually beer and a Firkin Frolic is a great place to enjoy that real beer with real friends.
 
These beers can not be found anywhere else - they are custom created just for you and served only at the Firkin Frolic.
 

5 reasons to come to toronto for the rotary international convention

One new wild polio case Reported This Week

What is that Polio Eradication Picture? It's a picture of Edouard Norgho, Project Director of the AMPO Association in Ouagadougou, Burkino Faso. As we reach the Magic Number of Zero new Polio cases, we must not forget the thousands of children and adults who have been paralyzed by Polio and Post Polio Syndrome. The AMPO Association makes long lasting wheelchairs for many paralyzed by Polio and other diseases. For more info., see the www.sahel.org site. $250 pays for a custom wheelchair for a child with a disability in Burkino Faso. Today, we start over on the count of weeks since the report of the most recent Wild Polio case.

SYRIA & DRC  - Four new cases of circulating vaccine-derived Poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) were reported in the past week in Syria (the last case reported on 9/20/17) Bringing the total number of cases for Syria to 74.  No new cases were reported in DRC, leaving their total at 10.

Do You Know?  the Ten Interventions Bringing Afghanistan Closer To Ending Polio? - # 8 is - Reaching Nomadic Groups - Not all of the population of Afghanistan has a stable homeland.  Many follow seasonal jobs or livestock across large areas of the country.  Wherever they are, the children must not be missed in vaccination campaigns.

"When one door closes, another one opens;  but we so often look so long and regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us." - Alexander Graham Bell, inventor and Teacher of the Deaf

The Final Three Endemic Countries:

Pakistan: One new Polio cases reported this week.  Six cases reported in 2017 -the most recent from the Sindh province with an onset of paralysis on 11/09/17.  Twenty Polio cases were reported in 2016.  Two new Environmental Samples reported this week (in the Balochistan province), Bringing the total number WPV1 of positive samples in 2017 to 104.  The next round of sub-national immunization days are planned for the second half of December 2017.
 
Afghanistan: No new Polio cases reported this week.  Eleven cases reported in 2017 - the most recent from the Muhmand - Dara district, Nangahar province with the onset of paralysis on 11/05/17.  Sub-National immunization days are scheduled for mid-December.  Thirteen Polio cases were reported in 2016.  Two new Polio-positive Environmental Samples (from Nangahar) were collected this week.
 
Nigeria: No new Polio cases reported this week.   Four Polio cases reported in 2016 - with no cases reported in 2015 or 2017.  The most recent case was reported on 8/2016 in Borno State.  Nigeria has once again gone over one year without a Wild Polio case after previously going two years before an undetected outbreak of four cases was reported on 8/20/16.

Terry Ziegler, Rotary District 5890 Polio Eradication Chair & Zone 21B/27 PHS Coordinator
Rotary News
 
 
 
 
 
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