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Mike, the end of the year is near! With all the hustle and bustle, it's easy to get sidetracked. After all the lights are strung, the tree is decorated, and the gifts purchased - take a few moments to reflect on what you've accomplished through Rotary this year. Is the progress toward your goals on-track? Do you need to adjust? Remember to write it down - and then go take a nap in front of the fireplace! :) -- Ken Ivey
One of my goals for this Rotary year is for 100% of the clubs in District 6760 to be recognized as STAR CLUBS. You probably recall that I announced the launch of the STAR CLUB Designation Program in the October 11 edition of the BLAST. I want to call it to your attention again as we approach the end of this calendar year.
The Rotary Foundation's goal is for every Rotarian to give $100 every year, and our district will recognize as a STAR CLUB every club whose annual contribution level reaches an average of $100 per member. Many of our clubs have already committed to this level of giving. My goal is for ALL of our clubs to rise to this level of commitment.
Clubs have different creative ideas for making it easy for their members to become sustaining members of EREY (Every Rotarian Every Year). I am sure one of these will be a "fit" for your club:
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Add $25 to each member's quarterly billing statement.
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Add $10 to ten of each member's monthly billing statements.
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Have a fundraiser with the proceeds designated as a donation to The Rotary Foundation.
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Ask members to empty their loose change at the end of each day into a Rotary cup........betcha this will be at least 28 cents per day.....that's all it takes to make up $100 in a year.
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Remind members to include The Rotary Foundation in their end-of-year donations as they try to minimize "donations" to the IRS.
I am sure all of you understand this, but I think it bears repeating: When we donate money to the Annual Fund of The Rotary Foundation, our district receives a direct benefit from the money we donate. For example: half the money we send to the Annual Fund of The Rotary Foundation during this Rotary year will come back to this district during the term of the Governor who will be elected in January. That Governor will be able to designate those funds for programs such as Ambassadorial Scholars, Cultural Scholars, Group Study Exchange Team(s), and District Designated Funds (funds which are available to our clubs for use on local community projects). So, as you see, our donations don't go to Evanston and disappear. Half of them come back to us for use in our district, while the other half goes to the World Fund as part of a permanent endowment.
I hope that ALL of you will make a personal commitment to becoming sustaining members, thus insuring that your club will be a STAR CLUB.
I am depending on you, and I am confident you will Lead the Way.
Slick
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Family of Rotary
Nothing to report at this time.
Editor's note: You can also view or submit Family of Rotary information, prayer requests, etc., in the Rotary Blast! Family of Rotary Forum.
Scouting and Rotary
Historically, Rotary has done much to support Scouting. The Cliff
Dochterman Award is available to recognize those Rotarians that have given much to Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. Cliff Dochterman is a dedicated Scouter and the Past President of Rotary International during 1992-93.
In keeping with the objectives and principles of both Rotary and Scouting to encourage character development, leadership, citizenship and personal growth for youth, this award is presented to a qualified Rotarian who has displayed distinguished service and outstanding dedication to the program of Scouting through:
1) Contributions to the character development, leadership, citizenship and
personal growth of members of the scouting association through programs,
training or organization;
2) Assisting Rotary clubs in forming scouting units;
3) Exemplifying the 4-Way Test;
4) Recruiting and training volunteer scouting leaders; and
5) Strengthening the relationship between Rotary and Scouting.
Work accomplishment, dedication & relationships, rather than a specific
number of years in Scouting or Rotary, are the major criteria for this award.
Specific requirements and application form are available at the web site for
the International Fellowship of Scouting Rotarians at _www.ifsr-net.org_
(http://www.ifsr-net.org) .
The International Fellowship of Scouting Rotarians (IFSR) is one of more
than ninety Rotary Fellowship and Action Groups established to bring together Rotarians with similar interests from around the world. It is made up of Rotarians who are or were, also, Scouters.
Randy Worcester
IFSR Webmaster
Clarksville Sunrise Rotary Club
Foundation Giving Can Mean Tax Relief
Consider Making A Year End Gift!
Are you looking for a great dividend this year? Make a gift of appreciated securities – common stock, bonds or mutual funds – to The Rotary Foundation before year end and send a message of international hope. You may realize significant savings while serving others at the same time. By transferring securities to The Rotary Foundation, you avoid paying capital gains taxes on the appreciated value of your gift!
Good Tax News You Can Use! Good Tax News You Can Use!
Under the new Pension Protection Act, individual donors who are 70 ½ at the time of the gift may donate from $100 to $100,000 this year (
and next) from their Individual Retirement Account directly to The Rotary Foundation without increasing federal gross income for this tax year. It is a great way to become a Paul Harris Society member or make the gift of a lifetime in your lifetime.
Please note that contributions must be outright to the Foundation without any benefit to the donor. IRA gifts cannot be used to fund charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, donor advised funds or the pooled income fund.
The IRA assets must be transferred directly to the Foundation or it is recognized by the IRS as income. Please contact your IRA administrator and the Foundation to assist with the process of transferring the desired percentage or amount of the IRA.
Other IRA Options to Consider
This is a great time to ensure that valid beneficiary designations are on file for your IRA. If you have not already notified the Foundation that it is a beneficiary of your IRA, then you could become a Rotary Foundation Benefactor or Bequest Society member today!
District Membership, Attendance & Foundation Giving -- Email your club's statistics to the District Secretary !! NEW EMAIL ADDRESS !! ( rotary6760@gmail.com ),
!! or FAX to 615-893-7447
Next club reports due on December 10, 2006.
To view instructions for using RI software to submit reports, click here.
District 6760 October Foundation Giving Report -Download here
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PDG John Butler is featured in a Rotary Foundation Giving publication which you can download here. Great idea!
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DG Frazer is blogging his club visit (with a little help from Freda Sue)
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Several upcoming opportunities for club recognition were discussed in the last issue. Deadlines and descriptions can be found here.
Editor's Corner 
One of the great gifts of Rotary is the opportunity to participate in the Youth Exchange Program. The banner across the District Web page for Youth Exchange proclaims:
Creating Experiences of a Lifetime
That it does! Kim and I are hosting Bermet, a sweet young lady from Kyrgyzstan. She turned 17 yesterday, and we celebrated the occasion with the typical gifts, cake & ice cream. Well, I say typical - we gave her a MP3 player. Bermet informed us that momentous occasions in her homeland are celebrated with gifts of livestock. I offered her a chicken, which she politely declined.
We sit at the dinner table, and talk about the day's events - how things are going at school, and how different things are here than they are at home. And there are a lot of things that are different. Kyrgyzstan is literally on the other side of the world. Muslims dominate the country's religious makeup, with Russian Orthodox another 20%. A former Soviet republic, Kyrgyzstan is a "young" country. Really young. About Bermet's age, although their goes back much farther than ours. Still, with all the differences - we're pretty much the same. Bermet's parents both work, her Mom's an accountant and Dad drives a taxi. Kids go to school, they have homework, and do chores. And that's the point, isn't it? That we realize that for all of our differences - we're all the same. :)
Learn more about Kyrgyzstan here. If you'd like to know more about Youth Exchange in our District 6760, contact:
Tommy Martin
District 6760 Youth Exchange Officer
121 Scenic Drive
Clifton, TN 38425
home - night 931-676-3408
work - day 877-656-3311
tmartin@pbbanking.com
- Club Projects - NOTE: Submit your Club's project information and photos to Ken Ivey for publication.
Murfreesboro Noon Club's Annual Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser is slated for Saturday, December 16, 2006. It's always a lot of fun - come and join us!
PET Project Adopted
Why I Am A Rotarian
NOVEMBER 21st 2006
My observation is that membership growth is easy. The difficultly is retaining members. I decided to list some of the reasons that I have stayed in Rotary for 18 years. Here is my short list.
- Fellowship was my original motivation. I wanted to belong to something and associate with people other than just those in my church and professional associations. This is still a big deal for me.
- Without Rotary, I could not ever get to meet, and in many cases become friends with, this many quality people.
- I like being involved in service programs. Alone, I could never have the kind of impact that we have as a “body of Rotarians”.
- I find a quiet satisfaction in lighting up someone else’s life, in being part of building a park, funding a medical clinic, providing clean bedding for orphans in an orphanage in Mexico, or helping reforest thousands of acres with trees.
- It is a rush to attend the District Conference and Rotary International’s Convention. I know Rotarians all over the world.
- By volunteering and staying involved I keep up my interest in Rotary and in life.
- Rotary volunteer opportunities have helped me grow in personal skills such as public speaking; and leadership.
- Rotary gives me a sense of purpose and greater meaning to my life.
Some fail to understand my last statement. A man named Ernst Becker wrote a book back in the 70’s. His thoughts parallel my thoughts on part of what Rotary gives back to me. To paraphrase him:
Men and Women want to know that their life has somehow counted, if not for themselves, then at least in a larger scheme of things, that their life has left a trace; a trace that has meaning. And in order for anything once alive to have meaning, its effects must remain alive in eternity in some way.
Rotary is one of my vehicles for me to “leave a trace”. My life will “somehow have counted” and will continue to count for generations to come through Rotary. I like that, it has an appealing ring.
George M. Yeiter
Past District Governor 2003-04 District 5890
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Breaking News
Rotary Club assembles meals for families
Billings Gazette - MT, USA
... But Ford's approach to mass production seemed to be at play Friday morning as two dozen members of the Downtown Billings Rotary Club assembled hundreds of ...
For more headlines, visit "This just in" news at the Rotary Blast website. top
The next issue of the Rotary Blast goes out Wednesday December 20, 2006 - The deadline for inclusion in this issue is Friday, December 15, 2006 at 6:00 pm. Please send your material to Ken Ivey. If you are sending large files, please verify receipt! Your email provider may limit the size of files you can
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