May is Youth Service Month. Rotary believes in developing the next generation of leaders. The District programs help younger leaders build leadership skills, expand education, and learn the value of service.
This is a great time to recap some of the youth activities. We just finished the Richard D. King Speech Contest. If you missed the finalist presentation, you missed out on some very inspiring speeches. Fortunately, they were recorded and are available here.
I want to thank District Youth Service Chair Chris Miller, Margarethe Pfeffer (Los Altos Sunset) and Kamal Della (Dublin) for doing such a great job putting together our first ever virtual speech contest.
We are also in final preparation for our virtual RYLA training. Starting June 16th, the campers will be starting their weeklong event to help develop their leadership skills and build community.
There have been several Interact Clubs chartered this year and they managed to get most of their events done virtually including a wonderful Fall Leadership Conference. Unfortunately, Youth Exchange was not possible this year and in 2021-22. But we will keep that program active until we can begin it again.
And this year we updated the Youth Protection program. Even though we are not meeting in person, youth protection is still very important. Every Rotarian should take the youth protection awareness training. If you want more information about Youth Protection, it is on our website - https://rotarydistrict5170.org/sitepage/youth-protection-1.
The latest reports on Foundation Giving show District 5170 is ranked #8 in the world in Total Giving. We are on pace to beat our best year in giving to the Annual Fund. With all that has been going on this past year, our Rotarians are still giving unbelievable support to the Foundation. Don’t forget about the Every Rotarian Every Year contest drawing in June. Your club could earn $2,500 in DDF. If you have not already given, I encourage you to do so. Thanks for all the support!!
As of April 14, the last update, there have been only two wild polio cases reported this year. That is great news, but we must continue the fight until polio is completely eradicated.
The District Training Assembly will finish up on May 6th. If you missed the session on Zoom and Hybrid meetings you missed some excellent information. Some practical advice on getting started, equipment and lessons learned from Nile (Fremont) Rotary as they moved to hybrid meetings.
I know there is a lot of concern about live vs Zoom vs hybrid meetings. It is a difficult subject to address. For one thing, in this district alone, there are four different health departments to deal with. Although, they have similar guidelines and restrictions about in person meetings they are all a little different. Also, the regulations are very fluid. As new information is learned, as more people are vaccinated and as the state prepares to “open up” on June 15th, the rules change almost daily. And, if there is another uptick in COVID cases, things may quickly become more restricted.
As you all know, India is experiencing a huge surge in COVID-19 cases. This has resulted in overwhelming the country’s hospitals and led to thousands of people dying. India has also experienced a massive shortage of oxygen, and the administration is struggling to vaccinate people amid this surge.
Let us do our bit to help India through this unprecedented crisis.
Multiple clubs in our District have initiated efforts. Here, we are sharing information to enable you to choose your method of contribution. Also included are links to make your tax deductible contributions.
The District recently held the the annual Richard D. King Youth Speech Contest and is pleased to announce the -- First place, $1000 prize winner Mehreen Rosmon, a sophomore at Washington High School, in Fremont. She was sponsored by the Rotary Club of Niles Fremont!
May is a blooming month – District 5170 Rotary Clubs are not winding down; rather, our Clubs are blooming along with the growing Spring season. Here are a few recommendations for Spring actions:
Proud reflections - This is the time to reflect and be proud of the many service projects your Club has championed through COVID-19. Do you know the contributions your Club has made to support family and children and help the needy during COVID-19? Revisit and find out all the service projects your Club has contributed and be proud of being part of a Rotary Club that continues to give back to the community during such challenging time!
Rotarians, are you looking for new vocational service ideas to end your year strong, or to start your next Rotary Year with? Consider these three, easy-to-implement ideas.
Thank you to all clubs who have entered their GOALS into Rotary Club Center/Goals. It’s now time to enter in your achievements in the same place where you entered your goals. The first three goals will be automatically noted by Rotary International. They are Total Giving to the Annual Fund, Total Giving to Polio Plus, and Total New Members. The other goal achievements must be entered by the clubs to receive the Rotary Citation. The goals can still be changed and added to until June 30, 2021.
South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya presented their projects on April 17th. The presenters were PDG Nicholas Phillips, Rotary Club of Eshowe, District 9370, Nigeria District 9141 and Kenya District 9212. Projects are between $1,500- $3,000. They are eager to collaborate with us and clubs can contact me or Sangita Seshadri for contact information.
As most of you know, this is the time of year for our annual Polio Plus drive.
While the fight to get to the end remains difficult, we have good news so far this year. As you will see from the graphic below, we seem to finally be making real progress in the last two endemic countries.
Emily Vokach-Brodsky is a Bay Area native. In 2017 she graduated from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), where she majored in Behavioral Decision Science and International Relations, and minored in Hispanic Studies. As an undergraduate, Emily learned about cognitive biases, heuristics and the ways in which human decision making deviates from rationality. She also discovered how to use these insights to promote healthy choices and support vulnerable populations. Emily’s research contributions have leveraged behavioral science to inform HIV prevention policies in Kenya and South Africa, and advance maternal health interventions in the United States.
The Rotary Club of Niles (Fremont) recently held their “ Spring Fling”, a virtual fundraising event on March 20, 2021 and as a result, the club raised $63,000.
The proceeds raised will benefit three Fremont Unified School District Elementary Schools -- Azevada, Harvey Green, and Oliveira. The funds will be used to purchase new laptops for their students.
