 - Title:What a year - thank you!
- You have made massive impacts in your communities and worldwide.
Below is a summary of all the things you have accomplished this year. I couldn't be more proud of you and our District! (more...)
What a year - thank you! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to lead our District and for each and every one of you working hard throughout this year to serve to change lives!
You have made massive impacts in your communities and worldwide.
Below is a summary of all the things you have accomplished this year. I couldn’t be more proud of you and our District!
FOUR MAIN GOALS: grow membership, provide 1 million meals to our communities, showcase our clubs through Rotary Days of Service, and participate in Youth and Peace in Action (YPA).
- Membership: Net gain of 16 members
- Hunger Initiative: Provided over 2.4 million meals
- Days of Service: Monthly themes
- YPA: 20 organizations registered
Additionally, YPA certified 30 new Newton Peacebuilders. And, Roanoke Valley Governor’s School will be featured by YPA in their case study catalogues for year two of the program.
Communication
We created this weekly communication method to ensure a consistent message was shared across our District once per week. This also eliminated numerous emails going out from different people and cluttering inboxes (which was direct feedback from you)!
The Rotary Foundation
It was a record breaking year! You have donated over $1.1 million to The Rotary Foundation this year through donations to the Annual Fund-Share, PolioPlus, Disaster Fund, and other programs. This is a huge accomplishment and one that should be celebrated by everyone in our District!
Foundation Celebration
We held our Foundation Celebration on November 5. Rotarians came to Bristol dressed in their finest “Diamonds & Denim” to celebrate our commitment to The Rotary Foundation. At this year’s event, a raffle took place to raise money for End Polio Now with items provided by several PDGs. The raffle raised almost $4,000 for PolioPlus.
RYLA
On December 4, we held the first ever multi-location RYLA event across our District! Over 100 students registered for the events that were held in Greeneville, Tennessee and across Virginia in Front Royal, Wirtz, and Blacksburg. The day held a combination of in-person speakers and activities and virtual speakers. The keynote speaker was Dr. Adolph Brown who delivered a Master Class to the students on human behavior.
District Conference
This year’s District Conference was full of exciting changes and opportunities to give back and had 532 Rotarians, partners, and guests registered. At our Lip Sync Battle Polio Fundraiser, you raised over $50,000 for PolioPlus. The Silent Auction raised over $15,000, and 32,000 meals were packed at the Rise Against Hunger event. Throughout the weekend, over 40 club and individual awards were presented and more than 30 other recognitions were given out. We heard motivating speakers with topics such as Extreme Ownership; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Polio; Youth Programs; Growing Membership; and much more. We left the conference feeling excited and reengaged in Rotary!
Disaster Relief for Ukraine
March 3 through April 30, you raised $298,233 for Ukraine. Through your generous donations, you are supplying water, food, medicine, shelter, and clothing to those in Ukraine who need it the most.
CART
Through your giving, we were able to donate $22,409.65 to Coins for Alzheimer’s Research Trust (CART) which is almost double what we donated last year.
Grants
You all also helped fund five Global Grant projects this year. The total District Designated Funds provided to the funded grants was $38,500. These projects are in Ghana, Haiti, Columbia, and India. The total funding of these five projects is approximately $900,000 to support the water, hygiene, sanitation, and disease prevention and treatment areas of focus. Numerous clubs applied for our District Grants with 14 individual club and 4 collaborative grants being awarded for a total of over $65,000.
Other Projects
You’ve supported the Wheelchair Project, Disaster Response in Kentucky, ShelterBox, and disaster relief in Haiti. You’ve promoted Rotary with the use of $65,000 through the $500 membership mini grants and supported your communities through the $500 service project mini grants.
What. A. Year. Thank you. I can’t explain my gratitude and appreciation for your support, encouragement, and service.
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