District 6910 Governor Message - February 2017

The month of February has just flown by, and I share with you my message for February on this last day of February in just the nick of time to call it my February message. One of the things I've enjoyed most in this journey as your District Governor is seeing all the good that our clubs are doing right here in District 6910. I have several issues of this 'Rotations' newsletter queued up within the next few weeks that will let you see firsthand how our District 6910 Rotarians have been changing lives, serving humanity. I hope you'll consider subscribing, by email, to this newsletter so that you won't miss a single story.

As you know, our Centennial celebration of The Rotary Foundation peaks in Atlanta this June when we welcome the world to Atlanta. Please take advantage of how easy it is to get to Atlanta and enjoy all this International Convention has to offer. My life was forever changed when I walked into the first Rotary International Convention I ever attended in 2011, in New Orleans, hearing Bill Gates speak to thousands of Rotarians from all over the world as to how we were 'this close' to ending polio. It let me see that I really was part of an organization that could change the world. It's not too late to get registered. I hope you will today.

Speaking of polio, the world saw 74 cases of the wild polio virus in 2015. In 2016, there were 37. To date this year in 2017, we have seen three. We could have very well seen the last case of polio. What a celebration that will be when we have rid the world of this dreaded disease. Thank you for your continued support of The Rotary Foundation, and in particular to our PolioPlus fund, where our contributions are still matched by the Gates Foundation 2 to 1. Our district has seen record giving to the PolioPlus fund of The Rotary Foundation in this 2016-17 year. I thank you for your continued generous giving to The Rotary Foundation.

One of the goals that the three Georgia governors set prior to taking office was to work to see that each of Georgia's three district's clubs achieved 100% Paul Harris Fellow Clubs in entirety. If you are not yet a Paul Harris Fellow, and you are interested in becoming one, please contact me directly and I can help. A Rotarian achieves 'Paul Harris Fellow' by donating $1000 outright to The Rotary Foundation or by receiving recognition points from another Rotarian to total 1000, combining the dollars actually given and recognition points. Our goal is to welcome the world to Atlanta, Georgia with a 100% Paul Harris Fellow state. To date, 43 of our 73 clubs have achieved 100% Paul Harris Fellow Club with several others very close. Congratulations to these clubs on this outstanding achievement!

With 122 days remaining in my term as district governor, there is still so much to do. We will celebrate our clubs' achievements at District Assembly on Saturday, May 13. Also, we will do the ceremonial change of governors that day, inducting District Governor Elect David "Coop" Cooper. I hope to see you there, if not sooner.

Yours in Rotary,

Kim Waters
District Governor
770.540.3788

Rotary District 6910 Governor Message - Oct 2016

What are you and your club doing to celebrate World Polio Day?  Rotary International and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will be joining together for the 4th Annual World Polio Day event on Monday, 24 October. More than 50,000 viewers around the world will join together in viewing the live stream event. We will be joined by celebrities and experts to share our progress on the road to polio eradication. If you haven't yet made a plan, consider joining up together in a club member's home to watch the live streaming event at endpolio.org. Share the live-stream and educate your social media network about the campaign to #endpolio.

Spearheading the most successful global health partnership in history with the launch of PolioPlus in 1985, we have nearly eradicated polio, one of the world's most feared diseases, from the face of the earth. Polio remains endemic in only three countries: Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria. For up-to-date statistics on polio, updated weekly, visit PolioEradication.org. Committed to supporting PolioPlus, our Rotary District 6910 recently made a contribution of $38,450 from our Rotary Foundation District Designated Fund to PolioPlus. Based on funding requirements to continue this campaign of eradicating polio through 2019, a funding gap of $1.24 billion exists. Therefore, it is vital we continue to support this campaign. Many clubs have fundraisers specifically designated for PolioPlus. Not only does this raise needed funds, it raises awareness of our PolioPlus fund and lets our communities know that we as Rotarians are a vital part of the EndPolio campaign.

Rotary Club of Gwinnett Mosaic is a 25 member club committed to EndPolio.
Their bowling fundraiser "Bowlio" raised a total of $14,511 for Polio Plus.  

We have not seen a case of polio in India since 2011, yet the government still holds National Immunization Days (NID) twice a year as it is still important, especially in high risk areas, that children continue to receive immunizations. The goal is that each child under five receive two drops of oral vaccine. The scale of this is extraordinary with more than 172 million children vaccinators who visit more than 209 million homes in every city, town and village across the country. Since becoming involved in Rotary, I have always wanted to be involved in NID. In February, David and I will have the opportunity to visit India as part of a team of Rotarians participating in this NID. If you are interested in going as a part of this team, please email me, to let me know. The tentative departure date is 29 Jan 2017 returning 8 Feb 2017.

I would like to express a heartfelt thank you to all the District 6910 Rotarians who so generously support our Rotary Foundation. The good work we do in our communities and around the world is only limited by the amount we give to The Rotary Foundation, which allows us to 'do good in the world.'

In celebration of our Rotary Foundation's Centennial, more and more clubs in Rotary District 6910 are achieving 100% Paul Harris Fellow Clubs. If your club is not there yet and you'd like ideas on how to accomplish this outstanding achievement, please contact our Rotary District Foundation Chair, Bill St. Clair. I would like to thank Bill St. Clair, our District Rotary Foundation Chair for helping clubs all around the district achieve this, the donors and the clubs who have achieved 100% Paul Harris Fellow Club. Thank you for your support of our Rotary Foundation. Congratulations to these clubs:

We will celebrate 100 years of The Rotary Foundation in Atlanta at The Rotary International Convention, kicking it off with a Million Dollar Dinner on 9 June. I hope to see you there. Contact Rich Panyik for more information on the Million Dollar Dinner (you don't have to give a million dollars to be invited, but we'd love it if you did). Volunteer opportunities are now open at the convention website. I hope you'll get registered for the convention and also as a volunteer as we hope to show a record number of Rotarians what southern hospitality is all about.

Polio eradication is our #1 external goal. With membership our #1 internal goal, here's an membership update:  We are the number one district in Georgia year to date in membership growth with 23 new members as of 30 September. But this means we are behind if we are to accomplish our goal of at least net 200 member growth by 30 June. I hope you'll be thinking about who you can bring into Rotary this year. Thank you for all you do to keep our organization relevant and a vital part of our communities and the world, Rotary Serving Humanity.

Kim Waters

Rotary District 6910 Governor

770.540.3788

District 6910 Governor Message - September 2016

With two-thirds of our 73 clubs in Rotary District 6910 visited now, I have learned that almost every club has a literacy project directed at youth, from providing books to pre-school aged children to buying books for elementary school libraries. In Rotary, our focus for September is Basic Education and Literacy.

Insufficient vocabulary, comprehension and literacy skills as children have lasting negative effects as adults.  Therefore, it is vital that we continue these efforts directed at young children in developing literacy. What I see less of, and hope you'll consider, are projects addressing adults in our communities who lack a general equivalency diploma (GED) or high school diploma. It is estimated that unemployment amongst those with less than a high school diploma in Georgia is 15%. Illiteracy is one of the root causes of poverty, homelessness, and crime.

Worldwide, our Rotary Foundation supports education as one of Rotary's six areas of focus.  In 2015-16, the Foundation awarded 146 global grants totaling $8.3 million to support basic education and literacy projects worldwide. If literacy is a passion of yours or someone in your club, please join and help spread the word about the Literacy Rotary Action Group.  

If you have an idea for any project and need clubs to partner with your club, whether it's a District 6910 project or a global grant project, bring your ideas to District Conference on October 7-9, 2016.  Our first ever fall district conference will give you an opportunity to showcase your project idea in the House of Friendship. Contact Doug Bolton for more information.  In addition to ideas for projects, clubs will also be displaying their Centennial projects.

Speaking of District Conference, I hope to see you there. Even if you've never been to a conference, consider booking yourself a room and registering for the conference. This conference is not just about Rotary, but about personal growth and professional development as well. Speakers on our lineup will include Brandon Williams, a US Air Force pilot who speaks for a company called Afterburner, devoted to developing leadership skills and high performance sales teams; Ronda Rich, an entertaining best-selling southern author and columnist; Rodney Bullard, an engaging speaker who grew up in Atlanta's inner city of Cabbagetown, and is now Vice-President of Community Affairs for Chick-Fil-A plus many more speakers. I promise you'll leave motivated and inspired, with new friends from around the district. I'm looking forward to seeing you there.

In celebration of our Rotary Foundation's Centennial, Clubs in our District 6910 continue to make progress toward our district's goal of being a 100% Paul Harris Fellow Club district by the end of 2016-17 year. Help me congratulate all clubs who have achieved that outstanding milestone, especially the newest clubs, Rotary Clubs of Dahlonega Sunrise, Etowah-Cartersville, and Hall County.

As our Rotary International President John Germ says in his September message, "It was the Foundation that turned Rotary from an organization of local clubs into an international force for good with the power to change the world." Let's continue to focus on our Foundation this year, all year long, with the ultimate goal of increased giving in celebration of our Centennial.

Thank you for all you do in making your club vibrant and relevant in your community. The clubs in Rotary District 6910 are truly Rotary Serving Humanity. 

Yours in Rotary,

Kim Waters

District 6910 Governor

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District 6910 Governor Message - July 2016
District 6910 Governor Message - August 2016