Governor Ade Onayemi Shares D6450 Goals for 2022/23
Rotary Club of Naperville After Dark presents a “Totally Rad ‘80’s Trivia Night”, October 27th
RYLA “Live” returns October 7th-9th!
Rotary Club of Chicago Southeast presents a Cultural and Service Visit to Sierra Leone and Ghana, Africa, October 30th-November 12th
Fellow Rotarians, welcome to the New Rotary Year! Congratulations to all the club presidents and officers for 2022-2023.
The theme for this year is Imagine Rotary. RI President Jones - imagines a Rotary where members act to make their dreams become reality and they make the most of their club experiences. She urges members to engage more with each other and use these connections to build partnerships that change the world.
President Jones explained the significance of the graphics.
The theme graphic was designed by an Australian indigenous artist to link with the 2023 Rotary Convention in Melbourne. The circle denotes our connection to one another. The dots around the circle represent our people. Each of the dots also represents the seven Areas of Focus. Together, the circle and dots portray a navigation star, our guiding light. The solid green line signifies a digging stick (used when doing hard work), the tools of the People of Action getting things done.
Purple, Green, and White colors celebrate DEI – Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. They represent the freedom to express ourselves differently but with a special connection. Individually each color has a meaning.
Purple: Polio Green: The Environment White: Peace Together, they represent Empowerment and Newness. These colors are utilized for the women's movement, allowing us to grow our female membership.
2022-2023 RI Initiative: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
In her message, RI President Jennifer Jones states, "In Rotary, we celebrate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)." She notes that "DEI is not just a recommended practice. It is necessary to Rotary's success in providing meaningful leadership, networking, and service opportunities today and in the future." With an intentional focus on DEI, we can celebrate each person's contributions, advance equity, and create an inclusive culture where everyone knows they are valued.
Rotary International's Strategic Plan – The Action Plan As we start the year, we ask clubs to review and incorporate Rotary International's strategic plan, known as The Rotary Action Plan, when shaping club priorities and goals. The four fundamental objectives of the ACTION PLAN are as follows.
Increase our impact.
Expand our reach.
Enhance participant engagement (improve the involvement of participants).
Increase our ability to adapt.
The plan "builds on our past success and sets the future direction to ensure that we continue to grow, unite people and make a lasting impact." Clubs' goals should be aligned accordingly. This is an opportunity to engage your members in discussion and visioning.
The Action Plan framework will guide our work with onboarding Rotaract, engaging our youth and the next generation, showcasing Rotary and DEI.
Onboarding Rotaract
On July 1, we welcome the expansion of Rotary membership to include Rotaract clubs. Rotaract's elevated status was approved by Rotary's Council on Legislation in 2019 as part of an ongoing effort to make Rotary more appealing and welcoming to young professionals. The district board took the initiative to establish a director position for Rotaract last year. Additionally, Rotaractors will be included in all aspects and activities of the district.
Engaging youth and the next generation
The future of Rotary lies in our clubs, where we must adapt to the changing reality of the present. Our challenge as an organization is to bring on the next generation of Rotarians. We must share the gift of membership with those who share our values. We must intentionally include Interactors and their families in service projects and Rotary activities. All clubs should seek opportunities to collaborate on projects with a Rotaract club. Clubs should include Interactors, faculty advisors, and families in their activities. Rotary youth programs include Interact, Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE), Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA), New Generations Service Exchange, Rotary Peace Fellowships, and Rotary Community Corps. Rotary has invested heavily in these programs for many years. Yet, we don't retain an appreciative number of alumni from these programs as Rotarians. It is incumbent on every Rotary club to find an avenue to engage the next generation.
Rotary showcase
Club presidents have set goals and priorities for the year that we expect them to share with members. During the President-Elect Training Seminar (PETS), presidents-elect were tasked with working to achieve The Rotary Citation.
This award recognizes the challenging work that clubs do throughout the year. Clubs should select at least thirteen of the twenty-five available goals to apply toward citation achievement.
We must grow more to do more. In other parts of the world, Rotary is growing but not so much in the United States. Despite the array of initiatives, global grants, and community service, we struggle with membership in our district. We can change the trend and grow membership by telling our compelling stories and showcasing our projects. The theme for our 2023 District Conference will be 'A Showcase of Rotary.'
On May 6, 2023, each Rotary, Rotaract, Interact, and Earlyact club, along with invited partners, will highlight their activities in an exposition format.
District DEI Survey
In February 2022, the District DEI Committee was tasked to develop an initiative to start collecting demographic information from members to better help measure our clubs' diversity. With the approval of the district board, the committee's Survey Task Force worked with Justice Informed, a professional group, to create a survey. Every member of our district will be asked to participate in completing the survey that will serve as a baseline. Since the survey is being conducted by an independent organization, we are assured of complete confidentiality. I strongly urge you and your club members to complete the survey promptly. Thank you.
I look forward to a year of fun and Rotary service, as we all Imagine Rotary. A Rotary that is intentional in embracing justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) well beyond the next century. In the words of Paul Harris, our founder, 'If Rotary is to realize its proper destiny, it must be evolutionary at all times, revolutionary on occasions.
Ade
Rotary Club of Naperville After Dark Totally Rad ‘80’s Trivia Night, October 27th Join the Rotary Club of Naperville After Dark on October 27th, 6:00 - 9:00 pm at the Naperville VFW, 908 Jackson Avenue for a “Totally Rad ‘80’s Trivia Night” benefiting the DuPage PADS and the Hesed House. Single registration, $35; 8-person team registration, $225.
For more information contact Kristy Sullivan, (630) 579-3827, or Mary Morrisey, (630) 221-1755.
RYLA to return to “live” meeting this fall, October 7th-9th RYLA is going back “in person” this Rotary year! Get ready to nominate students to attend our District 6450 RYLA October 7th-9th at the Holiday Home Camp in Williams Bay, WI. The RYLA team has decided to make this a soft start as we come further out of COVID, so we plan to limit participation to 50 students and are shortening the weekend to Friday-Sunday. The cost will be $335/student. Keep an eye out for the RYLA application which will be posted on the district website in the next few days. We’re also looking for 1 or 2 weekend chaperones. If you’ve always wanted to get involved in RYLA, now is your chance.
Rotary Club of Chicago Southeast Cultural and Service Visit, October 30th-November 12th Join the Rotary Club of Chicago Southeast October 30th through November 12, 2022 for a Cultural and Service visit to the African countries of Sierra Leone and Ghana.
During this trip the D6450 group will attend the opening of a Rotary library in Sierra Leone, as a Rotary clinic in Ghana. The itinerary and details of the trip are available below.
Registration and deposits on travel are due shortly! For more information, contact Osei David Andrews-Hutchinson, PDG, at dg6450osei@gmail.com.
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