Our Rotary Club lost a great member this week in Past President George Hutcheon Paul Harris Fellow. George was a founding member of our club some 40 years ago now. We will miss George a lot and we all send our condolences and best wishes to Freda Hutcheon and all the many members of George’s family. More details on George’s life will be posted next week. In the mean time here is a photo of one of the last times George attended one of our meetings, it was our 40th Birthday Party in May this year.
God speed George and thank you for your company and friendship.
George Hutcheon and Ian Durham Cutting the 40th Birthday Cake.
We are going back to Africa again in late November come join us on an adventure of a life time. We are going to climb the Mountains of the Moon to raise funds for the AIDS orphans of Africa. Here is a taste of the safari and some of the animals that we will see. Come join us!
Register now for the 2012 RI Convention in Bangkok, Thailand, 6-9 May, and enjoy an unforgettable experience in the Land of a Thousand Smiles! Enjoy Thai hospitality. Make friends with fellow Rotarians from around the world. Take in spectacular sights. Taste delicious Thai cuisine. Experience a vibrant culture. Renew your commitment to Service Above Self. And have fun in a world class city.
To attend the convention and experience the fellowship of Rotary at an International level, follow these steps.
Step 1: Consider options before registering
Decide if you’ll register with a group or as an individual. You can register yourself and up to four guests online , but if you have a group of six or more, you’ll need to submit a paper registration form .
Check the preliminary schedule and decide the preconvention activities and RI-ticket events you wish to attend. RI-ticket events include three luncheons open to all convention registrants. Before you register, you may also want to check pricing and find information on visa requirements.
Step 2: Register and reserve your room.
Register for the convention and RI-ticketed events .
Register for host-ticketed events . Local Rotarians on the Host Organization Committee (HOC) have arranged several cultural excursions and host hospitality events to help visiting Rotarians enjoy their stay in Bangkok. Continue your convention experience by taking a host-sponsored tour before or after the convention. Register online or download the interactive host event form .
Reserve your hotel room through Experient. Reservations are taken on a first-come, first-served basis, so please book early to secure your preferred hotel. Download the group housing form for a block of 15 rooms or more. Please submit requests by 2 September for the best availability. Full prepayment is due on 2 December. If you are not booking online, return your completed reservation form to Experient by 17:00 Central Daylight Time 6 April 2012 .You may also want to explore alternative housing opportunities
Step 3: Make travel arrangements after registering.
Discounts are available on select airlines for Rotarians traveling to Bangkok for the 2012 convention. Learn more .
New to RI conventions? Read information for first time convention attendees .
Interact is Rotary International’s service club for young people ages 12 to 18. Interact clubs are sponsored by individual Rotary clubs, which provide support and guidance, but [Interact clubs] are self-governing and self-supporting.
Each year, Interact clubs complete at least two community service projects, one of which furthers international understanding and goodwill. Through these efforts, Interactors develop a network of friendships with local and overseas clubs and learn the importance of
Developing leadership skills and personal integrity
Demonstrating helpfulness and respect for others
Understanding the value of individual responsibility and hard work
Advancing international understanding and goodwill
Rotaract clubs for men and women aged 18-30 foster leadership and responsible citizenship, encourage high ethical standards in business and promote international understanding and peace.
Under the guidance of a Rotarian advisor, Rotaract clubs conduct formal meetings, usually every two weeks, which feature speakers, tours of local businesses, cultural activities, discussions, and visits to other clubs. Each year, Rotaract clubs conduct at least one service project in each of three areas of service: vocational, community and international. In addition to their service agenda, Rotaract clubs also focus on professional development, organizing career-related programs to assist members and peers outside the club in making informed career choices.
RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) programs consist mainly of presentations, activities, and workshops. These three components are supplemented by group work, which can enhance presentations and facilitate team building.
Though each RYLA event is tailored to participants’ ages and interests, … a core curriculum should reflect community issues and be presented in a manner consistent with local customs … [and] cover the following topics:
Fundamentals of leadership
Ethics of positive leadership
Importance of communication skills in effective leadership
Problem solving and conflict management
What Rotary is and what it does for the community
Building self-confidence and self-esteem
Elements of community and global citizenship
Rotary Youth Exchange students… spend up to a year living with host families and attending school in a different country. …[Students] learn a new way of living, a great deal about [themselves], and maybe even a new language. [Students are] ambassadors, teaching people … about [their] country, culture, and ideas.
For over 75 years, students and host families have broadened their horizons through Rotary Youth Exchange. More than 80 countries and over 8,000 students each year participate in the program, which is administered at the regional level by Rotary districts and at the local level by Rotary clubs.
Rotarians and their partners have formed the “the world’s largest nonviolent army” to fight polio. Help End Polio Now by signing a petition at End of Polio, or give online at Contribute.
The Rotary Club of New York will commemorate the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks with a remembrance ceremony on 12 September, honoring the victims as well as the first responders who heroically spent days afterward looking for survivors.
The tribute luncheon at 11:30 a.m. at the Harvard Club will feature speeches by a New York firefighter, individuals who lost loved ones, and a representative of New York Downtown Hospital, which received a new ambulance funded by club contributions in the aftermath of the attacks.
It also will include readings of condolence and support letters from Rotarians worldwide, a screening of two tribute videos, and a harp and piano rendition of “Amazing Grace.”
In the video below, members of the Rotary Club of New York recall how the club took action after the attacks on the World Trade Center ten years ago.
Every year, thousands of talented and dedicated young people, ages 12-30, have an incredible experience in a New Generations program.
As Rotaractors and Interactors, they serve in communities at home and abroad. Through Rotary Youth Exchange, they explore new cultures. And as Rotary Youth Leadership Awards participants, they learn skills that will help them succeed as future community leaders.
New Generations is Rotary’s fifth Avenue of Service.
