2022-23 Rotary Peace Fellowship Applications Now Being Accepted

Master’s degree programs
As a global network that strives to build a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change, Rotary values diversity and celebrates the contributions of people of all backgrounds, regardless of their age, ethnicity, race, color, abilities, religion, socioeconomic status, culture, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
Rotary will cultivate a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture in which people from underrepresented groups have greater opportunities to participate as members and leaders.
A Very Considerate and Thoughtful Gift for a Past District GovernorIt is an old tradition for the Incoming District Governor to give recognition in form of a gift to the Outgoing District Governor at the Change of the Guard, usually held in June. This year was, like most other events, a little different. The recognition was handed to PDG Steen Sanderhoff by DG Craig Burnett at his official Club visit to Racine Founders. What a beautiful canoe paddle with the inscription “Thank you for guiding Rotary International District 6270 as District Governor – 2019-2020” and the Rotary and “Rotary Connects the World” logos. (Quite an art to engrave this message in a wood paddle!)
So, some might ask…Why a canoe paddle to a big city boy like Steen? Boy Scouts with my son, Alan, and later with my daughter, Anne, taught me to love and appreciate canoeing in the wilderness. Each year for the last 20 years, I have enjoyed crisscrossing The Boundary Waters Canoe Area- a wilderness area in Northern Minnesota- with my kids, the Scouts, and later old Scout leaders when the kids went off the college. What an amazing opportunity to bond with each other and connect with wilderness at its best. Besides, Janice and I love to canoe the local waterways each summer.
Although “My Rotary Paddle” belongs on a wall, I have promised Craig to dip the paddle in the waters of BWCA and move my canoe forward – just like we all move the mission of Rotary ahead.
Many clubs in Rotary District 6270 have suspended their regular meetings and service opportunities, or switched to online meetings, due to recommendations of public health officials over concerns about spreading COVID-19. Please go to the website of any club you intend to visit to confirm their current meeting schedule as it may not be updated on the calendar of this website. If you are a Rotarian whose club meeting has been cancelled, this is a great time to take advantage of training opportunities in the Learning Center at rotary.org. Login to your My Rotary account, then click on Learning & Reference and get started. Be well!
Global Grant Scholar Establishes Belfast Rotaract Club
Ciara McHugh was the District 6270 Global Grant Scholar for 2018-2019. She is approaching her third year of a Ph.D. research program, focusing on "how to ameliorate strained relationships between police and minority communities, specifically through visual technologies, and the ways in which gender paradigms can help overcome barriers between the two groups." Recently, Ciara was instrumental in establishing a new Rotaract Club at her school, Queen’s University Belfast. To read more about her adventures, read her blog, Leaps & Bounds.
Clearly, the RI Global Grant Scholarship program, the Interact clubs, and Rotary clubs throughout the world are having an impact in these days of COVID-19 (and beyond). Congratulations, Ciara, on your continued involvement in Rotary! Keep on keeping on!
Following is her report:
Early in the year, a group came together with the intention of creating a Rotaract chapter in Belfast, Northern Ireland. We were from a variety of disciplines, a range of countries, and each were introduced to Rotary in different ways. After a number of late-night brainstorming sessions at QUB's [Queen’s University Belfast’s] cafe (pre-lockdown, of course), we allocated board positions and made plans to get a Queen's University Belfast Rotaract Club off the ground.
Theo, a Belfast native and active Interactor, was chosen as president; Veja, who is from Slovakia, volunteered her experiences from her Scottish Rotaract days as Outreach chair; Anna, a Global Grant scholar from Wisconsin, became secretary; and I volunteered as treasurer.
Over the last few months, we've had to adjust our approaches and strategies to adapt to pandemic conditions. But, with ongoing support from the Belfast Rotary Club, our bi-weekly Zoom calls are full of the same energy and enthusiasm as those first brainstorming sessions. I'm pleased to say that our members have kept busy: with social distanced volunteering at Age-NI, donating energy bars to frontline and hospital workers, engaging with local racial-justice organizations, and organizing an online charity quiz to raise money for local pandemic efforts.
I'm honored to be a part of such an encouraging and engaged group of Rotaractors, and I look forward to expanding our outreach in the years to come.
(By Ryan Hyland) 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.”
More than $18 million in Foundation global grant funding has been allocated to environment-related projects over the past five years. Creating a distinct area of focus to support the environment will give Rotary members even more ways to bring about positive change in the world and increase our impact.
RI President Mark Maloney says that during his travels around the world as a Rotary senior leader he encountered many Rotary members and Rotaractors who advocated for the environment to be an area of focus.
“I believe strongly that our Rotary Foundation programs now have a valuable added dimension to our efforts,” says, Maloney.
Foundation Trustee Chair Gary C.K. Huang says that with the global population reaching near eight billion, protecting the environment is increasingly important.
“It is time for us to use our collective resources to invest in a smart and efficient way to protecting our environment,” says Huang. “We are qualified to take this initiative because we are a global group of problem solvers with diversified talents.”
Nancy personifies what the Service Above Self award is all about. She is extremely dedicated to Rotary, and particularly to The Rotary Foundation, where she works diligently to identify prospective donors. As one member/donor put it, “She may be little, but Nancy can pick you up and shake you until every last nickel falls out of your pockets. And… she does it with a smile.”
She is generous with her time, talents, & knowledge; her calendar is always full of Rotary meetings, events, & projects. Nancy never expects from others what she herself does not give, often many times over. What many aren’t aware of is her accomplishments behind the scenes- advocating & promoting support of people, ideas, & projects; quietly inspiring others to give money for causes; identifying people’s talents/capabilities & getting them involved in areas where they can make an impact. It is work with many hours of organizing, directing & being on one’s feet, the results of which many take for granted.
Nancy, on behalf of Rotary International, your fellow Rotarians, and the countless people whose lives are better because of you, CONGRATULATIONS!
Thank you for everything you are doing for yourselves, your families, and your community during the current coronavirus pandemic. It has been heartwarming to see the activities of so many clubs in our district - providing personal protective equipment, hearty meals, food for food pantries, support for first responders and health care workers, and many other generous projects.
As a district we were delighted to be able to offer supplemental district grants to clubs, and those were made possible by your previous generous contributions to the Rotary Foundation. Under normal circumstances, when we contribute to our Foundation we never know exactly when and where the funds will be used. We only know that Rotarians will see a need and will find a way to take care of it.
But the current situation is not ‘normal’. We are fighting a worldwide pandemic, and the need is urgent and specific. Luckily Rotary had an established Disaster Response Fund and was prepared to allocate $1 million to COVID-19 projects. Districts applied for grants for their local communities, but the needs quickly surpassed the available resources. Rotary increased the amount to $3 million, but the need is still there. Our district is one of those whose grant request is waiting in the queue until more money becomes available. We don’t know, if, or when, it will be funded.
Please consider a personal contribution to the Rotary Disaster Response Fund.
Finally, stay safe and healthy, and THANK YOU for everything you do - it is appreciated!
Enhance your Rotary experience at the Western Great Lakes Virtual District Conference. It’s free. It’s fun. And it’s for every Rotarian in Districts 6270 and 6220.
Join us May 1-6. Learn more about the conference.