Rotarians, WORLD POLIO DAY gives us a one-day focus: ENDING POLIO.
Our recent birthday celebration of the dedication of PDG Shirley Griffin to ending Polio was a superb success resulting in the ability to vaccinate 75,000 more children against this dreaded disease. We wish all could have celebrated at PDG Shirley’s birthday party, but the importance of saying thanks can not be ignored when the latest report from past RI Director Floyd Lancia shows the latest Polio Case Count has reached forty (40), with 21 from Pakistan and 19 from Afghanistan. That is up from six (6) in 2021, and seven (7) in 2023.
September was another busy, busy month for everyone - - - sport activities, marching bands, and TONS of school stuff for all - - - - as well as WORK and HOME activities.
In September, I visited Carthage, Cedar Creek Lake, Mineola, Leaders in Service, Sulphur Springs and Clarksville Rotary Clubs. I continue to be amazed at the comradery, energy, openness and Rotarian Spirit of our District 5830 Rotary Clubs! All the clubs that I have visited have worked hard to elect club officers, establish 2024-2025 goals, plan fund raising projects, and welcome me with wide open arms! Many thanks to all the visited clubs - - - with 20 visits completed, I am essentially half way through the planned “initial round” of DG visits for 2024-2025.
August was a busy, busy month for everyone - - - last minute vacation time before school starts, busy work activities and many, many Rotary opportunities to serve. A group of thirteen District 5830 Rotarians and friends traveled to on-going mission work in Guatemala to assist with health screens, review potential new projects and celebrate completion of new facilities provided by joint efforts of Domestic and International Rotary Clubs. PDG Carroll and Longview Rotarian Mary Greenwaldt led the group which included two physicians - - - a Dentist (Dr. Carter Hallmark from the Rotary Club of Cedar Creek Lake) and an Orthodontist (Dr. Mike Scott from the Rotary Club of Longview). Many “follow-up” presentations have already been requested by District 5830 Rotary Clubs to hear more about the awesome “service efforts”.
It is time for nominations of emerging leaders from our District for service as District Governor. The new DG Nominee Designate will serve as DG for the 2027-2028 Rotary Year. Our District 5830 needs talented and effective leaders for our District to continue to achieve our goals and grow in service to our communities and the world. I am asking each of you to take a serious look around your Club, your Area Clubs, and the District for potential candidates to nominate for this worthy office. You know what it takes to do this job well. Please consider who you might nominate. Once identified, contact those individuals and gauge their interest in serving. A nomination form and a list of the District Governor’s responsibilities and qualifications we emailed to all the Active District 5830 Rotarians.
A few weeks back Ava and I attended the Cedar Creek Lake Celebrity Waiter Dinner during which a former RotaryExchange Student spoke. He had previously also attended RYLA and was completely connected to Rotary after that first experience and much more so later. He was quite erudite, but from his comments, was not always. Rotary gave him life changing opportunities and redirected his goals.
Happy August! Our Rotary theme for the month of August is Membership & New Club Development. I love that this theme is so early in the Rotary year. One of the best ways to ensure the message and magic of Rotary is carried on for years to come is by welcoming new members to join the cause.
Two wise men are known to have spoken about the importance of having a Vision of the future: “Rotary is not an organization for retrospection. It is rather one whose worth and purpose lie in future activity rather than past performance.” Paul Harris, Founder of Rotary International
“If you don’t know where you are going, chances are you will end up someplace else.” Yogi Berra, American Baseball Professional
Not only did you make a huge impact on lives within your communities through your money, blood, sweat and tears, you made a difference in lives internationally through your generous gifts to The Rotary Foundation, and I can’t thank you enough!
District 5830 Rotarians, you surpassed the $150 per capita goal to The Rotary Foundation Annual Fund in 2023-24, AND you passed the $50 per capita PolioPlus goal toward eradicating polio!
It takes you! Last month DG Jeff Johnson quoted IPDG Karen Maines asking, “are we there yet”?? DG Jeff went on saying we can all agree that we are not “there yet”, but we are so much closer because of the leadership of Rotarians like you! In numbers from your District 5830 Foundation Team here is what that looks like for DG Karen’s 2023-24 Year:
The 2023-2024 Rotary year has begun and we have started our District Governor visits. In July, I visited the South Tyler Rotary Club, Atlanta Area Rotary Club, Jacksonville Rotary Club, and Rotary Club of Longview. To say, “I’m impressed” is just not good enough - - - each of the visited clubs are very unique and vary in size from small to large (by our District numbers). At each of the club visits, the club “board of directors” met with me before the club assemblies and provided updates on goals, accomplishments, fundraising plans, and progress on “club visioning”. I look forward to the remaining 37 visits that have been scheduled for the remaining months of 2024.
Rotary needs to expand it's reach by becoming more visual in our communities. The Texarkana International Rotary Club now has a rolling billboard community service vehicle identifying club projects and our joint four club Rotary Flag Project. We feel our flag business can grow and possibly identify a few like minded service oriented prospective members through Rotary Awareness. We plan to use this vehicle with all club projects and some flag routes, parking it overnight at key locations throughout Bowie and Miller Counties.
Texarkana International Rotary Club Community Service Vehicle
Rotarians, We are launched into a New Rotary Year under new leadership of DG Jeff Johnston and these next few weeks will be a time to Celebrate our Successes under IPDG Karen Maines as well as Commit to continued momentum under DG Jeff.
Your 2024-25 Club Project Grant proposals are in and approved and the closing reports from last year are awaiting Rotary Foundation final review. Thanks go to PDG John Jetter for his dedication to The Rotary Foundation.
DID you see that train? During the 2023-2024 Rotary year, immediate PDG Karen Maines utilized the Rotary International Theme: “Create Hope in the World” to energize and grow the vision of Rotary in District 5830. Last month, Karen asked “are we there yet”?? We can all agree that we aren’t “there yet”, but we are so much closer because of the leadership of Karen, the District 5830 Assistant Governors, District Administrator Shirley Pinnix-Evans, and the many Rotarians of our district. MANY THANKS to Karen and her team!
A deer in the headlights. I’m sure that was exactly the impression I gave at my first couple of club events a year ago, but, I was greeted by so many friendly faces that I quickly began looking forward to every trip. Did you know that every club in our District has its own unique personality? Some of y’all are quirky; some, all business; and most are just going to have fun at everything you do.
First, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude for all the efforts this past year to learn, promote, and become more Rotary Brand Compliant! Clubs have done an amazing job, but we aren’t done yet! I am excited to introduce a new initiative for Rotary District 5830 during Jeff Johnston's year as District Governor - achieving 100% Brand Compliance!
We are at year end. It has been a pleasure serving you, but we have much more to do!
Your CPG Ending Grant Reports are due. (They were due on June 1st.) We still have one or two out so please check and help get these in to Rotary5830@gmail.com today!
New CPG Rotary Grants are also now due. (They were due on June 1st.) If your Club wants to use the Funds they contributed to District Designated Funds (“DDF”) through the Annual Fund now is past the time to fill out the CPG Forms and send them to Rotary5830@gmail.com. To see what you are giving up check https://rotary5830.org/documents/en-ca/ebef4a88-5cee-4336-8ef0-25c59a536751/1/. It’s almost too late and time is running out but check and call if there’s a question.
ARE WE THERE YET??? The universal cry from the back seat youngsters, often just as the journey begins, but we can’t stop until we reach our destination. In the Rotary world, many leaders are asking the same question- “How much farther?”. The good news is, most Rotary leaders I’ve talked to, including myself, have thoroughly enjoyed the journey and are sad that it’s coming to an end soon.
June is designated Rotary Fellowships Month to recognize the importance of international fellowship and goodwill among Rotarians with similar recreational and vocational interests, promote increased participation in fellowships, and increase understanding of this program.
BE A ROTARIAN, EVERY DAY! Promoting Rotary by living by the Four-Way-Test should be simple! Another effective way you can promote Rotary is by wearing your pin to spread awareness about our organization. At the recent District Assembly, I had the opportunity to discuss the importance of finding your favorite Rotary pin and wearing it every day.
We have just finished an incredible District Conference where we heard from two Rotary International Directors, and a Rotary International Past President.
Were you there?
All of us are aware of difficulties that can be encountered in traveling to district events, but it truly is important to support your leaders and their efforts to show Rotary beyond the Weekly Club level.
“CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES--- COME ON!!” Some of our younger members may not remember the chart-topping 1980 song by KOOL AND THE GANG, but I couldn’t get that song out of my head this past weekend at the HOPE IN THE HEARTLAND District Conference in Durant, Oklahoma. It all began Friday night at a Fish Fry dinner/reception/party; continued Saturday morning and afternoon with amazing speakers; we celebrated our Foundation accomplishments Saturday evening; and wrapped up Sunday morning with a Remembrance Ceremony and farewell presentations. Wow!
CONGRATULATIONS PDG JUDY GUTHRIE for receiving the Citation For Meritorious Service Award!
The District-Wide Community Service Project is this weekend!
1. Each participating District 5830 Rotary Club can determine the place and time of service. If you cannot participate this weekend, you may select a different day, as long as photos and reports are submitted by May 16th.
2. Clubs should document their service project through photos, videos, and written reports and post them on social media. Send reports to Tiffanydamskov@yahoo.com by May 16th.
Championship season is upon us. Everywhere I go, someone is talking about the Final Four and the upcoming Championship game. Just to make it to the final 16 teams is apparently a big deal and something those teams should be proud of and celebrate.
Our District 5830 Rotary club teams are in our own “Sweet Sixteen”, and I hope each one is proud of what you’ve accomplished this “season”.
In April Rotary International focuses on the Environment.
Will you make a difference?
Are you a volunteer for your Club’s projects that aid the environment?
Thinking about that Theme for a moment, if you are going to help as a Rotarian making a difference in preserving and improving the Environment, why would you not want to use the Rotary Foundation?
The Rotary Theme for March is Water, Sanitation and Hygiene.
Thinking about that Theme for a moment, if you are going to help as Rotarian making a difference in the lives of others, why would you not want to use the Rotary Foundation?
AAAACHOOO! It must be SPRING! And, if it’s spring, it’s SPRING TRAINING TIME. Right now, Major League Baseball teams all across the country are attending Spring Training. Even the Texas Rangers are hard at work training for the upcoming season.
But “Why?” you say… “Why do the Rangers need to train? They’re the World Champions, right?”
In a world that has become increasingly digitized and virtual, the importance of in-person interactions cannot be overstated. It is crucial to recognize the significance of connecting with our colleagues, friends, and potential new members.
Have you registered for the "Hope in the Heartland" Joint District Conference with Districts 5750, 5770 & 5830 on April 26 - April 28, 2024? Friday night is optional with live music, fish fry, table games, and lots of visiting with old friends and making new friends.
By registering now, it gives the conference committee a better idea of how to plan a successful conference. There is lots of free time for you to explore Durant, Ok.
Hello, February— when we celebrate Valentine’s Day on the 14th and Rotary’s 119th Birthday on the 23rd. February is also Rotary’s Peacebuilding and Conflict Prevention Month. It’s no surprise that Rotarians are some of the best at finding ways to build peace and understanding between people from very different backgrounds, cultures, traditions, and languages. Rotary is a global peacebuilding team!
February is Rotary’s Peace Building and Conflict Resolution Month.
Thinking about that Theme for a moment, the real question is will our presence in Rotary make a difference?R I President Richard L . Evans (1966-67) put it this way. “It sometimes seems that we live as if we wondered when life was going to begin. It isn’t always clear just what we are waiting for but some of us sometimes persist in waiting so long that life just slips by finding us still waiting for something that has been going on all the time. There is no reason to doubt good intentions, but when in the world are we going to begin to live as if we understood that this is it.
Last Month we discussed the importance of intentional giving and completing what we began with a strong finish.
We need your help! The Holidays have passed and we are back to business. What you can do that makes the most difference now is to ask for reports from your Club Foundation Chair and Committee and make certain your President Elect and President Nominee register for and attend Lone Star PETS and/or our 5830 local PETS in Mount Pleasant.
Happy New Year! 2024 is here. A fresh start and endless possibilities. How many of you made resolutions for 2024? Some of my 2024 resolutions are reruns from 2023! I did achieve a few of my 2023 goals, and I realized that those were the ones where I’d gone beyond hoping, and actually made a PLAN. Funny how that works!
It is a pleasure to serve 5830, DG Karen Maines and each of your Clubs.
After 6 months have passed, our focus should now be on what has been accomplished with our CPG grants thus far in this Rotary Year and what has been collected for The Rotary Foundation to ensure a continuing source of funds for Grants 3 years from now.
A Memorial Service was held for Thomas Wayne Arnold December 1, 2023 at the First Methodist Church in Gilmer Texas. PDG Wayne served as 2003-2004 District 5830 Governor.
“It’s the most wonderful time of the year!”… we can expect to hear that holiday song a few times in December. Sometimes, it feels like “the most hectic time of the year”. So many things to do! In addition to all of the things on our personal lists, our Rotary clubs are super busy, as well, with service to our communities through toy drives, food distribution events, bell ringing, gift wrap parties, and dinners for those in need, to name just a few.
As we think of the Holiday Season with November’s cooler weather, please also remember November is Foundation Month!
Our fun with family and friends over the Holidays also needs to consider the good that gifts made to the Rotary Foundation can accomplish. Our active involvement of our time, talent, and treasure through the help of the Rotary Foundation truly changes lives.
Change. It seems to be all around us, especially this time of year. Change of seasons. Change in the weather. Changing leaves. Changing sports champions. The time change.
Change can be scary, or make us uncomfortable. Maybe it’s the uncertainty of change, the not knowing what is to be. Remember the changes after 9/11, or since Covid.
Of course, change is inevitable, and in fact, necessary. We can’t stay unchanged. Imagine always being 6 years old. Forever. Think of the things you’d never experience.
Thank you District 5830 for a fantastic Rotary year and thank you Rotary Club of Athens for planning and hosting our District Conference in Athens. Congratulations to Texarkana International Rotary Club under the leadership of Sil Gomez received the Club of the Year Award. Accepting the award was Club President Melvin Fagan.
DGN Damon Donnell received the Rotarian of the Year Award.
Record number of clubs received the Rotarians Citation Awards, Congratulations to all who received well-deserved awards.
Register now to celebrate with IPDG Carolyn Franks a successful 2022-2023 Rotary Year. Awards will be given to clubs and individuals that have done an outstanding job this year. Click here to registeras soon as possible. Registration will close on October 6, 2023 to allow us time to plan for the event.
As we enjoy cooler fall weather and move into October, please remember October 24 th is World Polio Day! The best plans for celebrating World Polio Day are made well in advance, so now is the time to quickly make or review plans and to let your officers know that all this needs to be considered in late August or early September next year.
Congratulations to Diane Kavanaugh who has been selected as District Governor Nominee Designate. She has been selected to serve during the 2026-2027 Rotary Year.
It is easy to take basic education and literacy for granted, but many are not so fortunate and as with other basic rights we accept as true and assume will always be present, if we do not contribute to and support basic education and literacy, it can disappear. That is one reason our dictionary project is so important to children and the reason for the support many Clubs in our District 5830 show for Club Project Grants placing books in schools and libraries, available to children.
The temperatures may not feel like it, but we are rapidly approaching Fall. Schools have started back, football games have begun, and I’m visiting our District Rotary clubs one-by-one. I want to thank the Rotary Clubs of the Atlanta Area, Jacksonville, Longview, Longview Greggton, Troup, Sulphur Springs, Gilmer, Overton, and Lindale for their warm reception and fellowship. My intention this year as I make the rounds as District Governor is to CELEBRATE our clubs and their many and varied accomplishments. Rotary is Creating Hope in East Texas through these hard-working club members and their partners in their communities. Go, Team, go!
It's hard to believe that only two months have passed since the start of our Rotary year, but we're already witnessing significant progress and positive changes. Our collective efforts have not gone unnoticed, and I am thrilled to share our achievements so far.
One of the major improvements we've noticed is a surge in engagement on social media platforms.
Our goal is to strengthen the capacity of communities to support basic education and literacy, reduce gender disparity in education, and increase adult literacy. We support education for all children and literacy for children and adults.
Congratulations to Diane Kavanaugh, 2020-2021 Past President of the South Tyler Rotary Club, who has been selected by the District 5830 Nominating Committee as District Governor Nominee Designate. She has been selected to serve during the 2026-2027 Rotary Year.
Pursuant to the District’s Bylaws, specifically Article II – District 5830 Committees, the Nomination of Diane Kavanaugh will be held until September 30th to permit any challenges or re-nominations and will thereafter become final at midnight on September 30, 2023.
It’s August, and just about everyone is talking about the HEAT, and with good reason, since it affects everyone. August is also the perfect month to talk about ROTARY, and celebrate our Rotary clubs, our members and the good we do in the community and around the world. In the August heat, we can focus on Rotary Membership and New Club Development.
Our Rotary year is now begun, and Officers are busy working with their respective Rotary Club boards, and Rotarians are engaged in Club Projects.
As each of you guide your clubs this year remember good planning and execution yields great results. That is especially true in Rotary Foundation giving.
We are already one month into the Rotary New Year. I don't think it's an accident that this month's theme is Membership & New Club Development! As Rotarians we should focus on membership early in the year, and often throughout the year. Membership Growth and Retention are what will help drive everything we do!
Last call for DGND applications for DG Nominee Designate who will serve as DG for the 2026-2027 Rotary Year.
Our District 5830 needs talented and effective leaders for our District to continue to achieve our goals and grow in service to our communities and the world. Please contact DA Shirley Pinnix-Evans at rotary5830da@gmail.com for an application and list of District Governor’s responsibilities and qualifications.
It’s great to be back with y’all after a truly superb Rotary International Convention in Melbourne, Australia followed by a unique opportunity to experience the Outback with new as well as old friends traveling with our IFFR (Flying Rotarians) Rotary Fellowship.
Congratulations and WELL DONE to PDG Lee Montgomery. He has served District 5830 well in the position of Membership Chair. I appreciate all he's done and look forward to carrying the torch into the new Rotary year and beyond.
Wow! July 1st is here, and suddenly it’s a new Rotary year. A new beginning. A time to celebrate what our District and clubs have achieved this past year, and to look forward to doing even more to share Rotary within our communities and beyond. Really making a difference!
I’m thrilled to be serving District 5830 as Governor for the next 12 months, and I’m looking forward to visiting the clubs and meeting as many 5830 members as I can.
I am excited to introduce myself as your new Rotary District 5830 Public Image Director. My name is Tiffany Damskov, and I am thrilled to be joining you on this amazing journey of serving our communities through Rotary.
My name is Jacqueline Meadows and I am your new District Youth Exchange Officer. I wanted to challenge each club to build their youth exchange foundation within their club. So, you may ask why? What does it take to get started? Maybe you have done this before. The good news is that we are part of a multidistrict Rotary Youth Exchange Program called South Central Rotary Youth Exchange (SCRYE).
A service to celebrate the life of PDG and Rev. Bill Hedges will be held in the Quitman First United Methodist Church sanctuary on June 19, 2023, beginning at 1:00 p.m. A reception for family and friends will follow in J.O.Y. Hall.
Passing the Torch - PDG Lee Montgomery, June 2018-June 2023 D-5830 Membership Chair
AG Landon Forbes, 2023-2024 D-5830 Membership Chair
Some of our members may have served in the Armed Forces of the United States. To them and all connected to any military service, I want to THANK YOU for YOUR SERVICE, as we recently membered Memorial Day. One of the traditions of many service organizations was the “Hail and Farewell” where new folks were heartily greeted and departing members were bid a fond farewell. As outgoing Membership Chair for the District, I want to say a hearty WELCOME to your new DISTRICT MEMBERSHIP CHAIR LANDON FORBES.
Rotarians, this note comes to you from 30,000 feet as Ava and I head to Melbourne for the Rotary International Convention.
Celebrating life as a Rotarian you truly owe it to yourself to attend one or more R I Conventions to completely immerse yourself in the Rotary Universe.
Besides developing new ideas for service, your presence can inspire others to further embrace the service they can provide with you as a mentor.
Remember the old song “Make new friends and keep the old?” June is Rotary Fellowship Month. What a great way to make new friends from around the world and get your “old” Rotary friends to join you. There are fellowships for just about any interest you can imagine. I personally belong to the International Rotary Fellowship of Musicians and the Rotary Wine Appreciation Fellowship. I know we have members who are part of the International Fellowship of Flying Rotarians. Go to www.rotary.org/fellowships for more information. This would make a great club program!
Our District Training Assembly will be LUCK-Y for incoming club officers and members. Zig Ziglar said that LUCK is LABORING UNDER CORRECT KNOWLEDGE. Well, register now for the DTA so you get the knowledge needed for a successful Rotary Year 2023-24. Sign up for TRACK 3: MEMBERSHIP AND PUBLIC IMAGE.
Rotary believes in developing the next generation of leaders. Our programs help younger leaders build leadership skills, expand education and learn the value of service.
District 5830 Rotarians, it is a pleasure to serve you as your District Foundation Chair.
We are now in the fourth quarter or homestretch for our 2022-23 year and we want to shine! In our District there are currently ten (10) non-giving Clubs. That has reduced our per capita giving to the Foundation Annual Fund to ½ of last year.
The Rotary theme for May is Youth Service. Our district has a long history of empowering youth through Interact, Rotaract, RYLA and Youth Exchange. Our Interact members usually assist with Rotary club projects and get to see adults serving in many ways. The RYLA experience is an amazing weekend of leadership activities. If you have had the pleasure of taking students on Friday and then picking them up on Sunday you immediately see the difference the weekend made.
PDG Bill Hedges (2005-06) has recently been diagnosed with Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer. Bill has been an active Rotarian since 1996. Since retiring as a pastor from the United Methodist Church ministry in 2004, he became a resident of Quitman and member of the Quitman Rotary Club.
Many clubs in D5830 are in the process of choosing their Matching Club Projects for the 2023-2024 Rotary Year. Please consider opportunities to do an International project with your project. You can also do to or more projects with some projects being local and one or more being an International project. There are International projects for as little as $300 all the way up to the $7,000+ range. If your club is interested in doing an International project, or collaborating with other clubs to do one, please contact International Service Chair, PDG Ted Huffhines, and we can discuss options that fit your desires and budget. You may ask, “Why would my club want to an International project?
Congratulations to the Rotary Clubs of Kilgore, Lindale and Longview which recently completed Club Visioning events! One of the common themes was the need to have better engagement of new members by having more formalized NEW MEMBER ORIENTATIONS to better onboard, educate, engage and strengthen retention.
Rotary shares an interest in protecting our common legacy: the environment.
We are committed to supporting activities that strengthen the conservation and protection of natural resources, advance ecological sustainability, and foster harmony between communities and the environment.
Annual PRCA Rodeo to be held April 21 and 22 in Longview, Tx.
The Longview PRCA Rodeo (Rodeo) began as a cooperative effort between a local radio station, KYKX 105.7 and Andrews Rodeo Company. In 1997 the radio station was sold to a new investment group and could no longer produce the rodeo. Sammy Andrews approached the Longview (Greggton) Rotary Club of Longview, Texas, Inc. (Greggton Rotary) to take over the production of the Rodeo.
Rotary International's monthly theme for April is Maternal and Child Health! Every day mothers risk their lives giving birth and millions of children die each year from treatable, preventable causes. At least 7 million children under the age of five die each year due to malnutrition, poor health care, and inadequate sanitation.
Rotary International's monthly theme for April is Environment.
Rotary members are tackling environmental issues the way they always do: coming up with projects, using their connections to change policy and planning for the future.
Enjoy Rotary and have fun! Practicing our 5th prong of the 4-Way Test, March was a wonderful Rotary experience bracketed by Lone Star President Elect Training (PETS) the end of February (23rd-25th) at the DFW Hyatt and the 5830 Local PETS in Mt. Pleasant on March 25th. Between these bookends in March we celebrated International Women’s Day and many clubs revisited the contributions of the first women invited into our fellowship.
When our Rotary team visited Guatemala in October of last year, we went to a small village in the far north of the country. The village is Uaxactun’, (pronounced WASH-AC-TUN’). The people there are hard working and industrious. They have been taught sustainable agricultural methods and are employing those techniques to earn livelihoods through exported products that are grown in the jungle/forest around their village.
As I write this we have completed a most successful District Foundation Banquet and a most successful Lone Star PETS (LSPETS). If you missed either it is truly your loss. The networking at both was incredible, and while they were both different types of events, if you were absent you missed a chance to celebrate your work in Rotary, the successes we have achieved, and the lives we have impacted.
MEMBERSHIP MINUTE PRAYING AND PLANNING…for MEMBERSHIP??? Well, the title might sound a bit out of place, but think about it for a second. Praying takes you to a quiet place…a place to clear out the myriad of daily thoughts—a place to reflect on what matters, what’s important and what you can do about it. Get yourself “right” first and then it’s easier to help others…whether it’s your friend, spouse, children or your Rotary Club. While you’re at it, pray for your club, your members and your club’s health.
I love PETS! I just attended my 9th PETS and came back loving Rotary more. I realized it is like the before and after difference in the students we send to RYLA. They aren’t sure what they are going to be doing or learning when they go and they can’t stop talking about their experience when they get picked up on Sunday. I wish everyone could have that Rotary experience. There are many other Rotary ways to get that feeling such as the Rotary International Convention, Rotary mission trips to another country, serving in our communities with food distribution, wheelchair ramp building and so many others.
January 2023 has truly been a blur as we readied for the Rotary Foundation Banquet. As this goes to press, we have 140 registrants and rising. And reviewing DGND Damon Donnell’s PowerPoint and Video on the Tornado Disaster Relief, and the PowerPoint on Heart 2 Heart, and the Club and Global Grants in Guatemala, all truly underscore a favorite saying by Past RI President John Germ: “What we do is not about the money, it is about the lives we change and the good we do.”
Come celebrate with us February 4th in Longview on what we as Rotarians do locally and globally, changing lives, impacting the unborn, and making our world a more loving, peaceful, and safer place for all.
Why do members love rotary? Ask 2 or 3 at each meeting. Guests would learn why members are in Rotary. Membership and Public Image chairs could get creative and develop other ideas/initiatives!
Here is a great NEW resource to GROW ROTARY! Check out the links!
“Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.” We sing this as we close some of our Rotary meetings. It always makes me feel good, but then I don’t think about it after we leave the meeting. Let’s make this our challenge to ourselves and to our Rotary Clubs. Rotary’s focus for February is peacebuilding.
In response to the November tornado, Idabel Rotary has been awarded a grant for $25,000 as a Disaster Relief Grant from the Rotary Foundation. The grant was administered through District 5830 which covers NE
As we close out 2022 and begin 2023, we are only halfway through our Rotary Year.
It’s easy to become distracted after a great beginning, but your focus and intentionality is needed for a great finish. After all we still have our District Rotary 2 for 1 Match Paul Harris Campaign, Rotary International Assembly that DGE Karen Maines will be attending, our Foundation Banquet, and Lone Star PETS all happening within just over a month.
Registration in open for the D-5830 Foundation Banquet on February 4th . Click here to register and "Read more" for the basic details.
Do football teams play without a goal lines or goal posts? Do they take the field without a game plan? Do they remove the yard lines or send the “chain gang” home? Then why do Rotary clubs try to maintain or grow membership without goals, plans or measure their progress??
“Of all the hundred and one ways in which men can make themselves useful to society, undoubtedly the most available and often the most effective are within the spheres of their own occupations.” Paul Harris in The National Rotarian, January 1912.
This is the month we focus on Vocational Service. This is the contribution of your vocational talents to solving the problems of society and meeting the needs of the community.
December is the month we focus on disease prevention and treatment. Of course, Rotary is most known for our efforts to eradicate polio. Our district is pushing hard to raise more money and awareness by holding World Polio Day events and fundraisers and by becoming members of the PolioPlus Society. If you have not yet made this commitment of $100 a year until the World Health Organization declares this disease eradicated, please consider this now!
District 5830 Rotarians, you have seen PDG Tom DeWitt is Chairing a Paul Harris 2 for 1 Match Points Campaign December 1st – January 29th. There is more about that under his column in this newsletter. If you are considering donations to charity there are several options to consider, and all are under The Rotary Foundation.
Andrea and I wanted to take a few moments to thank Henry Moy, Vickie Smith, and Stephen Ratcliff with the Museum of the Red River along with the members of Idabel Rotary Club for all their work making the conference run smoothly. A special “Thanks” goes to the 2021-2022 District 5830 Conference Committee for assistance in planning the event. The museum is a hidden gem and I encourage you to visit it if you have not toured the museum. It was very disappointing to us that COVID hit our family and we were not able to attend but we left it in good hands with the Event Committee and District Leadership Team.
“Rotary International District 5830 values the unique differences among our leaders and membership and we have a commitment to promoting a welcoming and inclusive culture within the clubs across our district. We believe that our shared commitment to service in an inclusive environment fosters collegiality, advances our central mission, and reinforces the principles conveyed in the 4-Way Test.”
November is the month we focus on The Rotary Foundation. Our foundation has continually received Charity Navigator’s Four-Star rating, which is its highest rating. Since Arch Klump came up with the idea in 1917 of setting up an endowment that began with a $26.50 donation. It has grown to more than $1.5 billion with a goal of assets and commitments for future gifts to total $2.025 billion by 2025.
It is a pleasure to serve 5830, DG Carolyn Franks and each of your Clubs.
Coming into this position after all (or most of all) the Final Reports from last year’s District Grant Projects were received from 5830 Clubs required our team to scramble a bit as some reports were not signed, a few had information left off the final reports, and some had unused funds not yet returned to the District.
Rotary International members and our foundation work to strengthen local entrepreneurs and community leaders, particularly women, in impoverished communities.
We provide training and access to well-paying jobs and financial management institutions.
How recently have you thought about positive outcomes with money you go personally invested?
How about with money you invested with The Rotary Foundation?
We were all asked to join Rotary, but has anyone asked you to give to The Rotary Foundation? If not, please consider this your call to action.
Many of us are accustomed to the terms time, talent, and treasure, and they reinforce and summarize the intentional acts required to support what we love and that in which we believe.
Greetings from Chattanooga, Tennessee, and the Zones 30 & 31 Governor training and Zone Institute!!!
What an exciting event to learn, update and revisit Rotary friends!!
One of the guests was our District’s Membership coordinator at Rotary International, Haris Sofradzija. He shared some updates on your club using Rotary Membership Leads.
When any person interested in learning more about Rotary goes to Rotary.org and fills in an inquiry, they become a Rotary Lead. The lead, including their profile, is sent to the District to dissemination to the club officers, assistant governors and district leadership, so we can reach out to the person to give them more information about the club and, most importantly, come visit.
“As no individual who shirks his community service can lay justifiable claim to being a well-rounded citizen, so no Rotary club of today which is indifferent to the welfare of the city in which it is established measures up to the stature of full-grown Rotary clubs.” A quote from Paul Harris in the November 1915 Rotarian. October is Economic and Community Development. Wouldn’t Paul Harris be amazed at the scope of Rotary’s involvement now focused on this area?
As I travel to my club visits, I am delighted by the club activities focused not only locally but in communities all over the world. Even the smallest clubs are making a big difference. Thank you!
Inbound Rotary Youth Exchange students arrived on August 9th and 10th and will be here for the entire school year. They are both being hosted by the Cedar Creek Lake Rotary Club and attending Mabank High School. They will be attending the District Conference in Idabel, OK on October 8th and the SCRYE Winter Conference in Tulsa, OK January 27th thru 29th. Cecile and Giorgio will also participate our RYLA program.
Two thoughts: First: A word about GROWTH: Think about the Rotary theme for September and ask potential members to visit your club that are involved in literacy and basic education. In many of our District towns, the school district is the major employer. How many teachers, aides, librarians. Sunday school teachers and parents would be excited to support the causes of literacy and education? IMAGINE the potential candidates for membership!!
Second: A word about RETENTION: There is no need to improve on what our RI President Jennifer Jones says, so read or reread her wisdom here: Putting members first
Come to the 2021-2022 District 5830 Conference and have fun, celebrate your successful Rotary Year, plus Explore the Museum of the Red River. Click here to learn more.
Our keynote speaker is Enrique Garcia, a Heart2Heart Advocate from Guadalajara, Mexico.
You do not want to miss all that Idabel, Okahoma has to offer plus visit with old friends and make new Rotary friends. Click Here to Register
All, our district conference is fast approaching. Highlights include a wine and cheese social on Friday evening and then a pick and choose slate of events on Saturday morning followed by our typical luncheon at noon. Our planned time to adjourn is Saturday at 2:15.
As the excitement of our new Rotary Year builds and we make plans to attend the Zone Conference in Chattanooga in late September and the 5830 District Conference at the Museum of the Red River in October, it’s time to also renew our commitments to support the service we do through The Rotary Foundation.
Our available funding for Club Project Grants this year is $53,637. That’s up from $49,214 last year and it is all due to our generous and can do attitude in supporting The Rotary Foundation and its programs. Tom DeWitt is fond of reminding all of us that the path to ensure the availability of these funds is the Paul Harris Society and all of us can join for less than $3 per day.
Congratulations to Damon Donnell, Past President of the Athens Rotary Club who has been selected by the District 5830 Nominating Committee as District Governor Nominee Designate. He has been selected to serve during the 2025-2026 Rotary Year.
Damon joined the Rotary Club of Athens, Texas, in March 2013 by the nomination of late 173rd District Judge, Hon. Jack Holland. Damon is the immediate past 94th president of the Athens Rotary Club and most recently serves as the District 5830 Disaster Recovery Planning Chairman.
For everyone, everywhere, literacy is, along with education in general, a basic human right.” This quote from Kofi Annan speaks to Rotary International’s September theme of basic education and literacy. I am very proud of District 5830’s participation in education and literacy. Every one of our clubs in some way work with their local schools in the 3rd grade dictionary donations, scholarships, backpack giveaways and many other donations to our children. Our district also joins with other districts and Rotary International to improve conditions in our global communities so children there can have a safe and sanitary place to learn.
More than 775 million people over the age of 15 are illiterate. That’s 17 percent of the world’s adult population.
Our goal is to strengthen the capacity of communities to support basic education and literacy, reduce gender disparity in education, and increase adult literacy. We support education for all children and literacy for children and adults.
“Leadership is not about titles, positions, or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another.” John C Maxwell
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” John Quincy Adams
It’s been said many times that Rotarians are leaders, and I believe it. As leaders, let’s recognize August as Rotary Membership month and lead others to Rotary so they can dream more, learn more, do more and become more!
We in Rotary District 5830 are Blessed in having many unsung heroes who when asked, step into needed leadership positions and quietly perform the service required. Many times, that occurs without fanfare and, sometimes, sadly without thanks and praise.
Ingrid Self is such a leader! When asked by PDG Ted Huffhines to assist on the District Foundation Committee, she quietly and expertly stepped into the role and served as a grant writer and sometimes grant creator for our District Rotary Foundation Grants.
August is Membership and New Club Development Month, a time for Rotary leaders to focus on the most important part of our organization, our members. We need to attract new members, engage them and retain them.
Attract: Think about visiting new businesses, new neighbors and friends. You have to ask! Create a welcoming culture for all to know they are valued.
Engage: Ask them what committees or projects interest them.
Retain: Remember that if you want responsible Rotarians, you give them responsibilities!
Angela and I recently had the opportunity to travel to Kenya for a two week trip that combined multiple service opportunities with also touring with local Rotarians to identify potential projects. These projects are wide ranging in size, but each one will be extremely impactful in the lives of some very needy families. The people we met were very warm and friendly. They were grateful for our coming to visit and talk about the needs they have. Kenya is about half the size of Texas, but has roughly twice as many people.
In the second year impacted by COVID, District 5830 posted a POSITIVE growth!! Out of 17 districts in our Zone 31, we were one of six districts to post a gain. Congratulations and thanks to all the clubs making the commitment to GROW!
5830 Rotarians, we have just finished our Rotary 2021-2022 year! In Hollywood terms it’s almost a wrap! But how it turns out now is completely up to you and your superb generosity!! As club members we are viewed on many levels: the involvement we have serving others in our communities, the nation, and the world; the legacy of service we leave to others; and the ability we have to communicate to others and act as agents of change carrying on our ideals through the Object of Rotary and our Core Values; and, The Rotary Foundation is our ever present partner helping fund the good we do.
Welcome to a new Rotary year! July is New Leadership Month and we have a lot to celebrate in our clubs and our district. I know a lot of Rotarians are keeping their leadership positions, but let’s welcome our new leaders and thank those who have served and those who are still serving. There is so much knowledge in our leadership and I am truly thankful for it!
June is designated Rotary Fellowships Month to recognize the importance of international fellowship and goodwill among Rotarians with similar recreational and vocational interests, promote increased participation in fellowships, and increase understanding of this program.
Matching Points Campaign Update - It is not too late to double your money!
As of May 26th the totals for the matching points campaign are over 21K for the Annual Fund and 15K for Polio Plus. The opportunity will continue thru June 30, but for donations to be included in the year end report for each club and the district we suggest that all donations be processed by 6/15.
Rotary June Theme is Fellowships Paul Harris once wrote, “The foundation upon which Rotary is built is friendship, on no less firm foundation could it have stood.” As I write this, Andrea and I just came back from Memphis, TN where I attended Zone training to be a regional Rotary leader. We made new friends and created new relationships which we both look forward to enjoying and using to do the good work of Rotary. While in Memphis, I made the comment to our group that Rotary is all about relationships at every level of our organization – with these relationships we make things happen to better our world.
As you are now well aware, Zones 30 & 31 are in a middle of a fundraising campaign for Our Rotary Foundation that will impact immediate needs and longer term needs worldwide. Rotarians will long be remembered for the good we are doing and your personal donation will determine the amount of good we can do.
The best example of addressing immediate needs is the outpouring of donations for the Ukraine refugees. The Disaster Relief Fund has received over $10.4 million for this purpose. Every district in our two zones has participated.
When I think of youth services in Rotary, the first thing that comes to mind are the many wonderful experiences my wife, our children and I have experienced by hosting two foreign exchange students. One was a young man from Brazil that lived with us for a year about 25 years ago. Our children were still at home and Fred became a brother to them. A few years ago, he came back to Texas to officiate at our daughter’s wedding here. He had become an ordained Baptist minister while living in Brazil.
Rotarians have always taken a sincere interest in helping to prepare the next generation – with programs and projects that help with health and education and lead the way to world peace and understanding. Beyond this fact, young people are also the future of our organization if we choose for Rotary to survive and thrive beyond our lifetime.
Are you taking advantage of the Member Engagement Initative? Congratulations to Carthage Rotary Club and Pittsburg Rotary Club for holding a social event for new members, guest, and existing members.
District 5830 will give $100 to the first 15 clubs that can forward receipts and a short description of a CLUB ENGAGEMENT activity they hold from APRIL 1 THROUGH JUNE 30, 2022!!
Our Rotary theme for April is maternal and child health. Sadly, saving mothers and children has become disturbingly important due to recent events in Ukraine. Current estimates put the number of Ukrainians who have left their country due to the war at 4 million people, with half of them being children. The United Nations estimates that 6.5 million people have been displaced within Ukraine and The International Organization for Migration estimates that more than 12 million people in Ukraine are stranded in areas under attack or cannot leave due to security risks. These numbers total more than 22 million people in a country with a population of over 41 million people. Many Ukrainian cities lie in ruins due to bombing. Another very disturbing fact is that there were 200,000 Ukrainian children scheduled to receive the polio vaccine and those vaccinations were halted due to this war.
During the 2022 D-5830 Foundation Banquet, IPDG Jack Welge presents PDG Ted Huffhines the District Governor of the Year Award.
District 5830 is blessed to have extraordinary caring and supportive leadership from the club level through the Past District Governors and Governors Line.
DG Mike Goom recognized one of our outstanding leaders in District 5830 and presented PDG Lee Montgomery with the Rotary Foundation Citation for Meritorious Service.
Many of our district leaders, our presidents-elect, presidents-nominee and Rangers just returned from Lone Star PETS where we enjoyed fellowship, training, and renewed inspiration to continue to do the good works of Rotary. PDG Ted Huffhines commented to me that PETS is his favorite event in Rotary, seeing our eager new leaders share new ideas to keep our clubs vibrant while making new friends. I find his statement to be so true. I still enjoy friends I made at my first PETS more than 20 years ago. This was our first live PETS in two years and it was GREAT. I encourage all of you to become president of your club so that you may have the chance to enjoy this extraordinary Rotary event where you can grow personally, make new friends and reacquaint with old friends.
When people have access to clean water and sanitation, waterborne diseases decrease, children stay healthier and attend school more regularly, and mother can spend less time carrying water and more time helping their families.
Through water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programs, Rotary's people of action mobilize resources, form partnerships, and invest in infrastructure and training that yield long-term change. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
The 2022 Foundation Banquet will be an in-person event held on the eighth floor of the ETBU Marshall Grand in downtown Marshall, Texas. This fabulous location is the new meeting space of the host Marshall Rotary Club and offers amazing views of the area as the highest location in Harrison County. This event will celebrate the amazing generosity and impact of donors from our District, both individually and our clubs. We will have the chance to hear from “American Health Hero,” Dr. Bert Hirschhorn, who is a recognized expert in treating cholera and providing oral rehydration therapy.
February is the month of Valentines...the month of hearts, flowers, chocolates and LOVE!! Rotarians also show their LOVE of their community by providing many needed service projects.
Lone Star PETS, at the end of February, is really about LOVING your community and your Rotary club. Sure, PETS prepares PE's to lead their clubs and deepen their understanding of Rotary, but it is much more.
Conflict resolution is not necessarily about the answers that you receive but the questions that you ask. Before resolution of any problem can be had, one has to fully understand the issues that are creating the conflict. The starting point in conflict resolution is to understand your antagonist’s position and to clearly inform your antagonist of what your issues are. Analyzing this context of the four-way test reveals the following.
It’s SOOOO easy to GROW your club….just set a GOAL and encourage each member to introduce one guest to Rotary—per month or per quarter—you WILL grow!!!
What is your club’s WHY?
Normal attrition: Rotary statistics show that every club loses about 10% of its membership each year due to job changes, illness, relocations, death, disinterest or lack of a role in the club…and list goes on.
More hands/less work: Make it easier for your present members to perform service projects and fund rasisers.
Has your PE and PN registered for Lone Star PETS leadership training February 24, 2022 -February 28, 2022 at the Hyatt Regency DFW Airport, 2334 North International Parkway, Dallas, TX?
REGISTER NOW at www.lonestarpets.org and hotel rooms in the discounted room block are filling fast.
Vocational is defined as relating to a vocation, an occupation, or employment. Whereas, service is defined as the action of helping or doing work for someone. For most of us, we spend our adult lives focused on attaining success (however we personally define success) in the employment, profession, or vocation we engage in. Whereas, in Rotary when it comes to vocational service, our focus is on: 1) adherence to and promotion of the highest ethical standards in all occupations, including fair treatment of employers, employees, associates, competitors, and the public; 2) the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations, not just those that Rotarians engage in; and 3) using our vocational talents to solve the problems of society and meeting the needs of our communities. So, we as individuals tend to focus on our inner goals whereas in Rotary, we focus more on outer goals which will do good works in the world. In Rotary, we use our expertise, our experience, and knowledge to improve the lives of those not as fortunate as us.
Wine and cheese!…Rotary and Fun!…Perfect Pairings!!
As we approach the end of year holidays many clubs will have special programs of music, entertainment and other socials. Invite friends, family members and co-workers to enjoy the FUN and fellowship of Rotary. Hey, it’s a “perfect pairing”!!
Congratulations to our 24 clubs that have had POSITIVE GROWTH so far this year!! Your district has grown from 1447 members on July 1st to 1500 members at the end of November. A birdie told me today that Pittsburg add 4 new members today!
To say we are living in turbulent times would be the understatement of the year, perhaps decade, century? How much of this turbulence is the result of misinformation that is directed towards all of us, seeking to divide us? And what we need now more than ever are institutions upon which we can depend. Our institution of Rotary is now 106-years old and so many of the clubs that I have had the privilege to visit here in District 5830 are now over 75-years old which tells me that our Rotary institutions are VERY DEPENDABLE. I submit we owe our success to our ability to join together, tune out misinformation, enjoy one another’s company, and address problems in our communities and world, such as disease prevention and treatment.
Disease prevention and treatment is one of the Rotary Foundation Areas of Focus. And for good reason. The health and vitality of a person, a family and a community can be seriously impaired by what in many cases is a preventable disease. Disease prevention is really a keystone to progress in other areas as well because of the interplay with other areas of focus like Water and Sanitation and Maternal & Child Health.
Club membership is CLIMBING in 2021!!! Thanks to numerous clubs having new members join, District 5830 is in the LEAD for Zones 30 and 31 attendance growth. Rotary International shows D5830 growing by 56. According to our numbers, the new member count should be 61, so RI will be catching up with our numbers shortly. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!
Would you like to ENERGIZE your club and find the FORCE to attract new members? Suggest you contact Sam Scroggins, our Visioning coordinator.
District 5830 is ramping up its efforts to conduct Rotary Visioning Events for every District Club within the next year. DG Mike Groom has made this one of his prime objectives. To date in 2021, four Visioning Events have been completed. To increase the pace, more trained Facilitators are needed. To help fulfill this need, a Zoom training session on Visioning Facilitation, led by the RI Zone 30/31 Visioning Coordinator, Glen Vanderford, has been scheduled for December 6, 2021. All Assistant District Governors have been invited to participate in the session. An invitation has also been extended as a refresher program for those already trained as a District Visioning Facilitator.
November always celebrates The Rotary Foundation in the Rotary International World. World Polio Day has just passed, and Rotarians are able to focus on the good they can do through The Rotary Foundation (TRF). TRF is the engine which drives all the good we do. Whether it is giving dictionaries to local third graders, buying bicycles for children for Christmas, supporting your local food bank, or a host of other local projects, Rotarians make a huge difference in their local communities. TRF also allows us to do significant work internationally. In 2020-21, over 2,000 Global Grants valued at $130M were completed around the world. Your support of TRF helped provide clean water, medical care, economic development, education, and promoted peace in places around the globe.
In 1919, the year the Marshall RC was officially chartered, they began meeting downtown atop the Hotel Marshall when it was constructed in 1929. This was the hub of the vibrant city located just a block from the Harrison County Courthouse. In the late 1960’s the hotel closed and the club was forced to meet in various locations around town. After four decades, the vacant and dilapidated hotel was donated to East Texas Baptist University. ETBU quickly began a Capital campaign and raised funds to renovate the building. It now is called the Marshall Grand and is home to the ETBU College of Nursing which is ranked Number One in the State of Texas.
Pictured: Marshall Rotary Club President Hannah Luce.
Save the Date! LoneStar PETs’ leadership team is planning for an in person training February 24, 2022 through February 27, 2022 at the Hyatt Regency DFW Airport, 2334 North International Parkway, Dallas, Tx.
Registration is open at www.lonestarpets.org and hotel rooms in the discounted room block are filling fast. Pre-training began early September so if your club has not elected your President Elect, please do so as soon as possible. The Pre-training will get your President Elect and President Nominee prepared for the fast tract training in February 2022.
Rotary’s monthly theme for November is the Rotary Foundation. I will share some outstanding facts about our Foundation. It is now over 100 years old and since it’s formation, the Foundation has spent more than $4 billion on life-changing sustainable projects. It is one of a select group of charities that merits Charity Navigator’s Four-Star rating. Arch Klump, in 1917, proposed setting up an endowment for the purpose of doing good in the world. His idea, and an initial contribution of $26.50 set in motion a powerful force that has transformed millions of lives around the globe. You see, when we give to the Foundation, we give hope to our world – not only abroad but at home as well.
"If we can conquer space, we can conquer childhood hunger." Buzz Aldrin
"We can all make a difference in the lives of others in need, because it is the most simple of gestures that make the most significant of differences." Miya Yamanouchi
Our virtual 5830 District Conference held October 16th was an opportunity to learn, grow, and experience the joy 5830 Rotarians have given to others this past 2020-2021 Rotary Year. Go to District 5830 Website's (YouTube Link) or click here to discover an enjoyable 2 1/2 hours of learning, and find out about our new initiatives in Guatemala and Mexico. If you missed Past Rotary International Director, Floyd Lancia's presentation on Eradication of Polio you will want to view the 24 minute video. Celebrate with us as we announced Cedar Creek Lake Rotary Club as Club of Year and Past Atlanta Area Rotary Club President, Fern Porter as Rotarian of the 2020-2021 year; and learn about the difference each and everyone of you made as Rotarians with your prayers, your presence, your gifts, and your action this pandemic year.
FALL IS HERE! DON’T LET MEMBERS DROP LIKE LEAVES!!
Our District membership numbers are up!! RI reports are pending, so I will give you numbers later.Why do members often leave Rotary? A BIG reason is lack of involvement…they don’t feel a sense of purpose. Does your club have an ENGAGEMENT plan?? Hand in hand with getting a new member is getting them involved quickly. Are they assigned to a Service Project? A Fund Raiser? How about being a greeter for a month to get to meet other members? Attend a board meeting?
October in Rotary is Community Economic Development month. When I think of community economic development, I reminisce about growing up in Houston, Texas in the 1960’s and 70’s. What a vibrant town and economic juggernaut it was (and still is, I might add). I firmly believe Houston owed its economic success and vibrancy to several things. The first is Houston’s leaders didn’t get in your way in pursuing opportunities.
Congratulations to Jeff Johnston, Past President of the South Tyler Rotary Club who has been selected by the District 5830 Nominating Committee as District Governor Nominee Designate. He has been selected to serve during the 2024-2025 Rotary Year.
Pursuant to the District’s Bylaws, specifically Article II – District 5830 Committees, the Nomination of Jeff Johnston was held until September 30th to permit any challenges or re-nominations. No challenges or re-nominations have been received so the nomination was final at midnight on September 30, 2021.
Our 5830 District Conference on October 16th is a chance to learn, grow, and experience the joy you have given to others this past year. Click Here Now to Sign Up and send in your $25 and kick back for an enjoyable ½ day of learning and interaction with friends. Find out about our new initiatives in Guatemala and Mexico. Celebrate with us as we announce the Club and Rotarian of the 2020-2021 Year. And, learn about the difference you (each and everyone of you) have made with your prayers, presence, gifts and action this pandemic year.
IPDG Jack Welge, District Conference Chair
Register Now for District 5830 VIRTUAL District Conference
The Rotary Clubs of Winnsboro and Henderson led the way for the first two months in member growth! Winnsboro grew by 75%, adding 6 new members. Henderson grew by 64% adding 14 new members from their club’s membership growth plan mentioned last month. Other new members are in the pipeline. As a District, 18 clubs have had growth since July 1!!! Many held steady. Only about 10 clubs saw slight decreases. Overall the District grew from 1,447 to 1,482.
September is basic education and literacy month in Rotary. Following are some interesting statistics retrieved from Wikipedia. The world literacy rate for all males is 90% whereas for females the rate is 82.7%. Developed nations have an overall rate of 99.2%, with south and west Asia having 70.2% and sub-Saharan Africa at 64.0%. These statistics are dated 2016 but we can see that, in keeping with President Shekhar’s emphasis on improving the lives of girls and women, we need to increase access to education for females worldwide, especially in Africa.
Are you a Business or Professional leader in your community, seeking to make a difference in the world around you?
Rotarians are passionate people driven by the ideal of service. As a part of Rotary, you get to network with and give back to communities around the globe. District 5830 is made up of 41 clubs and approximately 1400 members across NE Texas, SE Oklahoma, and SW Arkansas.
South Tyler President, Beth Blaisdell said, “Our club visioning workshop helped us collaborate as a team to define our direction and goals for the next several years. The visioning team of 15 reported to our club members at our weekly meeting, sharing our vision results. The enthusiasm and commitment from our club has South Tyler Rotary on a very positive path for community service.”
According to District 5830 Visioning Chair, Sam Scoggins, there are three measures of success for club's that complete a Vision. (Click on read more for details)
Shirley Griffin, a Polio Survivor and a Past District Governor of Rotary International District 5830 and member of the Rotary Club of Longview, Texas, was awarded the prestigious International Service Award for a Polio-Free World by Rotary International Directongvir Suzi Howe at the Rotary Club of Loew meeting on August 17th. Her award was one of three in the entire world.
The Mateka Children’s Home Water Well is known as Arron’s Well, in Memoriam of Rotarian and former President Aaron Lemmon of Athens, TX and President Elect of Prosper, TX. Aaron passed away in January. Aaron and Damon Donnell, at the time, PE of Athens Rotary discussed partnering in late 2020 to form an international service project to drill water wells in Kenya as one of Rotary core focus areas: Clean Water and Sanitation.
Message from DG Mike Groom and Chair of the District 5830 Nominating Committee, IPDG Jack Welge
Congratulations to Jeff Johnston, Past President of the South Tyler Rotary Club who has been selected by the District 5830 Nominating Committee as District Governor Nominee Designate. He has been selected to serve during the 2024-2025 Rotary Year.
Pursuant to the District’s Bylaws, specifically Article II – District 5830 Committees, the Nomination of Jeff Johnston will be held until September 30th to permit any challenges or re-nominations and will thereafter become final at midnight on September 30, 2021.
After having officially visited nine of our clubs in the month of July, my faith, not only in Rotary but also humankind, has been revitalized. There are so many good, good people in this organization who I have had the pleasure to meet and so many more that I look forward to meeting.
Click below "Read More" for DG Mike's complete newsletter.
Henderson Rotary Club is excited to welcome 11 new members! They are expecting to induct 3 more new members in the next few weeks. That’s a 50% + increase in membership! Ask PDG & Membership Chair Lee Montgomery for details. (d5830leem1617@gmail.com)
Congratulations, Jacksonville Rotary Club for being the first club for District 5830 to attain 100 percent participation in the Paul Harris Fellow ("PHF") Contest. Tom Trimble, President of Jacksonville Rotary Club presented a check to DG Mike during his official visit on July 21st.
The Visioning Process has been widely implemented throughout Rotary to help individual clubs to establish long range plans that are in line with Rotary International’s global strategic priorities: “Increase our Impact, Expand Our Reach, Enhance Participant Engagement, and Increase Our Ability to Adapt”.
District Governor Groom, who is himself a trained and experienced Facilitator, is encouraging all District 5830 Clubs to conduct a Visioning Event over the coming year. To do so, please contact the District 5830 Visioning Chair, Sam Scroggins, via email at scroggins789@gmail.com.
PDG Tom DeWitt receives "The Rotary Foundation Citation for Meritorious Service Award."
The Citation for Meritorious Service recognizes individual Rotarians who have demonstrated outstanding, continuing active service to The Rotary Foundation for more than one year. Examples are:
•Service on Foundation committees at the club, district, or international level
• Participation in Foundation grants or programs
•Support of Ambassadorial Scholars, Rotary Peace Fellows, Group Study Exchange teams, or vocational training teams. (Financial contributions, however notable, are not relevant considerations.)
Club members Shalonda Adams and PDG Carroll Greenwaldt were the 2021 Unity Honors award recipients. The Unity Honors award is given by the Longview Unity and Diversity Committee and is a lifetime achievement award that recognizes the humanitarian efforts of those who are working at the forefront of diversity and equality in our community. The late Jimmy Isaac who was also a member of the Rotary Club of Longview was honored for his membership in and work with the Unity and Diversity Committee.
Congratulation Shalonda Adams and PDG Carroll Greenwaldt
July is new leadership month and as we kick off our new Rotary year, I am mindful of all the wonderful leaders we have and have had here. IPDG Jack Welge and his team had a miraculous year, they carried us through the nightmare of COVID-19 by adapting to earth-shattering events and changing and finding new ways to keep us participating and involved. We cannot thank them enough. Another wonderful leader, PDG Robert J. Thompson from District 6170, inspired us on Saturday at our annual District Officer Installation to UNITE TOGETHER, whosoever and wherever, so that we can serve to better lives. (Pictures taken at the event can be found on the District 5830 Photo Album .)
Our theme for the new year given to us by Rotary International President Shekhar Mehta is “Serve to Change Lives”. What an appropriate theme for this moment in time – it gives us inspiration and hope as we carry our Rotary banner forward.
“HOW TO DOUBLE YOUR CLUB IN 60 MINUTES OR LESS” is the title of Henderson’s PE David Higgs’ pamphlet. My take: How a 20 member club added 20+ members in one fell swoop.
At the District Assembly, PE David was inspired to grow his club and took that opportunity to rope in co-conspirators PDG John Henson and PDG Carroll Greenwaldt. They planned and printed invitations for members to hand out to a special meeting, with the luncheon paid by the club. Their officer installation on June 17th was their special meeting, but you can use any meeting for this invitation. The goal was for each member to invite at least 5 guests that would make good members.
The Rotary Foundation’s recognition of PDG John Jetter with the The Rotary Foundation Distinguished Service Award comes after PDG John's years of work on Club, District, Zone and International Projects. Time is always inadequate to appropriately thank a Rotarian with a heart for service.
Briefly the award recognizes those who have demonstrated exemplary service to the Rotary Foundation and have received the Citation for Meritorious Service at least 4 years prior.
On R I Awards requiring 11 areas of achievement, John is in the rarefied air of having achieved more than that required and more than the proposal for the award would allow.
Pictured left to right: IPDG Jack Welge, PDG John Jetter, and Freida Jetter
Mike Groom was born in Austin, Texas and was raised in Houston, Texas. He is both a practicing certified public accountant (38 years) and lawyer (32 years). Mike currently resides in Mabank, Texas with his wife of 33 years, Andrea Myntti-Groom. Mike and Andrea have a son and daughter and two grandsons, all of whom they cherish deeply.
Mike has served as President of the Rotary Club of Cedar Creek Lake twice and in his second term, the Rotary Club of Cedar Creek Lake was awarded the Bill Campbell Award as the most outstanding club in District 5830. Mike joined the Rotary International in 1988 He joined Rotary Club of Cedar Creek Lake in 1997 and has served in virtually every role in his club. Mike is a RI Foundation Major Donor, member of the Paul Harris Society and a Rotary Foundation Benefactor. Mike believes in community service and has served as a director in the North Houston Greenspoint Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club of Cedar Creek Lake, Cedar Creek Non-Profit Housing, Inc. (Genesis Center), Henderson County HELP Center, the Henderson County Library and as a Trustee of the Presbyterian Hospital of Kaufman. He has also served as an officer and committee member for a number of community organizations.
Mike and Andrea enjoy travelling, salt-water fishing, hunting in the Texas hill country, ranching and rooting for the Texas Longhorns.
Mike Groom was born in Austin, Texas and was raised in Houston, Texas. He is both a practicing certified public accountant (38 years) and lawyer (32 years). Mike currently resides in Mabank, Texas with his wife of 33 years, Andrea Myntti-Groom. Mike and Andrea have a son and daughter and two grandsons, all of whom they cherish deeply.
Mike has served as President of the Rotary Club of Cedar Creek Lake twice and in his second term, the Rotary Club of Cedar Creek Lake was awarded the Bill Campbell Award as the most outstanding club in District 5830. Mike joined the Rotary International in 1988. He joined Rotary Club of Cedar Creek Lake in 1997 and has served in virtually every role in his club. Mike is a RI Foundation Major Donor, member of the Paul Harris Society and a Rotary Foundation Benefactor. Mike believes in community service and has served as a director in the North Houston Greenspoint Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club of Cedar Creek Lake, Cedar Creek Non-Profit Housing, Inc. (Genesis Center), Henderson County HELP Center, the Henderson County Library and as a Trustee of the Presbyterian Hospital of Kaufman. He has also served as an officer and committee member for a number of community organizations.
Mike enjoys travelling, salt-water fishing, hunting in the Texas hill country, ranching and rooting for the Texas Longhorns.
Introducing 2021-2022 District Governor Mike and Andrea Groom
Pictures are worth a thousand words! Lake Charles, Louisiana still needs help recovering from devastating floods. More rain fell in Lake Charles, Louisiana, on Monday than during the two damaging hurricanes last year.
According to Kenneth Larry Agee, Rotary District 6200 Disaster Committee Chair, the biggest need currently is volunteers to help gut houses. "It is slow going with 4 or 5 people instead of 20 to 30." After cleanup, many homeowners will be needing supplies to help rebuild as many did not have flood insurance. A few of the neighborhoods have been there for 50 years, are not in a flood zone, and never flooded before so a lot of expense is coming out of pocket.
Needed are skilled tradesmen like drywallers, and carpenters willing to donate time. Needed also are donations.
All our 43 clubs in Rotary District 5830 will be saying “Hail and Farewell” as they honor outgoing club presidents and incoming presidents this month. It is our ROTARY NEW YEAR’S!!
So, here are a couple of tips to for the Incoming Presidents and Membership Chairs.
"You can't go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending." C. S. Lewis
Famous author C. S. Lewis’ gave great advice! Thanks to our incredible 5830 membership and Leadership Team, we finished strong!
We gave service to those in need through COVID Food Neediness Grants from The Rotary Foundation secured for us by IPDG Jim Finstrom and PDG Ted Huffhines; we gathered safely to pack and deliver food through Food Banks helped along by PDG Carroll Greenwaldt; we participated in both District and Global Grants and our Clubs continued service projects in their communities. When our Clubs were unable to meet in person, we conducted virtual meetings with many thanks to P.I. Dir. Sarah Fox and our dedicated group of Assistant Governors. Ava and I enjoyed visiting with all of you whenever and wherever we met.
District 5830 has had a very productive Matching Points Campaign with over $50,000 towards the Annual Fund and $20,000 given towards Polio Plus over the past two months. We have extended the campaign through June 20th. This will allow any Rotarians who wish to make a yearend donation the chance to do so and receive matching points. We are still working towards exceeding $100 per capita, so every donation counts. I encourage every Rotarian and every club to dig deep and be generous as you support the Annual Fund AND Polio Plus! Your donations allow your club to do local projects through our Club Project Grants. They also allow our District to support Global Grants in worthwhile projects around the globe. This is what makes Rotary International the Number One service organization in the world!
Congratulations to the winners of the Rotary District 5830 Four-Way Test Speech Contest that was held in Mt. Pleasant, TX on April 10, 2021. This year's theme was: How does Rotary Open Opportunities with the Rotary 4-Way Test? The top three presenters were awarded $1,000, $750, and $500, respectively. A big "Thank You" goes to Amy Hinton, District 5830 4-Way Test Contest Chairman, for organizing the event. We also appreciate Mt. Pleasant Rotary Club for sponsoring this event for the last few years. Additional "Thanks" goes to Judd Marshall, Bobby Rice, and Larry Cannaday, members of Mt. Pleasant Rotary Club who assisted on the day of the event.
Pictured from left to right: DG Jack Welge; Ethan Jones, Longview High School, First Place; Kace Murphy, Kilgore High School, Second Place; and Taryn Thurman, Mt. Pleasant High School, Third Place.
Keri Perot Vance, President of Carthage Rotary Club wants to brag on her club a bit! "As my year as president winds down, I just can’t believe all the fun we have had!" On 4/9/21 some of our members helped unload an 11,000 pound food truck to give to local community members in need.
On April 24, 2021, they helped orchestrate "Tunes & Tails" a Crawfish Boil and Live Music outside The Esquire Theater. The purpose of that event was to help save Carthage “local arts”.
Our District Training Assembly was held May 1st at First United Methodist Church in Longview, Texas. Our 68 attendees were enthusiastic and attentive. DGE Mike Groom expresses his sincere thanks to all of our attendees and our volunteers who made this a very successful event. The roundtable discussion and breakouts were engaging, as shown by the questions posed by Rotarians in attendance.
Pictured left to right: DG Jack Welge, DGN Carolyn Franks, PDG Judy Guthrie, PDG Lee Montgomery, IPDG Jim Finstrom, PDG Carroll Greenwaldt, and DGE Mike Groom
April showers bring May flowers--COVID closedowns bring Rotary renewals!
More clubs are opening in-person attendance. Thank goodness!
Rotarians, please have your RYLA campers and PARENTS come to a Rotary meeting soon. DGND Karen Maines, an 14-year RYLA leader, reported to the District Training Assembly on the recently completed VIRTUAL RYLA (Part 1).
The campers met online and had a great time. By all accounts, they are pumped and can't wait for the live experience this fall. So, NOW is the time to strike while the enthusiasm is high. The parents should be invited to join Rotary!!! Consider having your club pay their first semi-annual dues (giving them 6 months free (trial) membership!) so they can learn what Rotary is all about and especially how we support youth programs like the one their child is enjoying.
Congratulations to PDG Carroll Greenwaldt for receiving the Service Above Self Award!
DG Jack Welge presented the award at D5830's Training Conference on May 1, 2021. Rotary's highest honor recognizes Rotarians who demonstrate Rotary's motto, Service Above Self, by volunteering their time and talents to help others. The award is internationally competitive and is granted to no more than 150 Rotarians worldwide each year.
Pictured: Mary Greenwaldt, PDG Carroll Greenwaldt and DG Jack Welge
Pictured are Rotary District 5830 Council of Governors (PDGs) that were able to attend the District 5830 Training Assembly and the COGs Semi-Annual meeting.
Back Row: PDG Lee Montgomery, PDG Carroll Greenwaldt, PDG Ted Huffhines, PDG John Henson, IPDG Jim Finstrom & PDG Phil Bandel.
Front Row: PDG Judy Guthrie, PDG Shirley Griffin, PDG John Jetter, and PDG Tom DeWitt
Pictured are PDG, DG and GLine that attended the Council of Governor meeting on May 1, 2021.
Back Row: PDG Lee Montgomery, DGND Karen Maines, PDG Ted Huffhines, PDG John Henson, IPDG Jim Finstrom, PDG Phil Bandel
Middle Row: PDG Carroll Greenwaldt, PDG Judy Guthrie, PDG Shirley Griffin, PDG John Jetter, PDG Tom DeWitt, DGN Carolyn Franks
Front Row: DG Jack Welge and DGE Mike Groom
The Governor’ s Advisory Committee, also known in R.I. as the Council of Governors, is made up of all active past R.I. officers in the district. The committee meets as often as determined by the Governor, with the suggestion that there be at least two formal meetings in the year. The Council of Governors serve as advisors.
Past District Governors, District Governor and GLine
On April 15, 2021, Jack Welge, District Governor of Rotary District 5830, inducted two new members of the Clarksville Rotary Club. Rotarian Rob Rowley sponsored new member, Talisha Alsup, who is the Administrator of Clarksville Nursing Center. Rotarian and club president, Mickey Allen sponsored new member, Catana Yarnell, who is the Director of The Hub Community Center. Shown in the photo are from left: Rob Rowley, Talisha Alsup, Rotary District Governor Jack Welge, Catana Yarnell and Mickey Allen.
On April 15, 2021, Jack Welge, District Governor of Rotary District 5830, presented Paul Harris Fellow plus pins to members of the Clarksville Rotary Club who attained an additional recognition level of giving to The Rotary Foundation in 2021. The recognition, named after the founder of Rotary International, recognizes Rotarians for their contributions to The Rotary Foundation. Shown in the photo from left are Paul Hines, Paul Allen, District Governor Jack Welge, Nancy Brem and James Vaughan, Jr. Not shown in photo is Alan Hale.
Clarksville Rotary Club's Celebration Makes the Local News
This is a Special Invitation from Tyler Rotary Club for their Centennial Celebration June 5, 2021! Register from the following link: https://forms.gle/untCMox6Ka5fHiEZ8
The Rotary Club of Tyler - Centennial Celebration RSVP
5830 Rotarians: we are two months away from our new Rotary year! In Hollywood terms, it’s almost a wrap! But, how it turns out now is completely up to you. As Club members, we are viewed on many levels: the involvement we have serving others in our communities, the nation, and the world; the legacy of service we leave to others; and the ability we have to communicate to others and act as agents of change carrying on our ideals through the Object of Rotary and our Core Values.
You have all impressed me and our District Team by the work done through your Clubs in each of your communities, but it is now urgent that you record your service and the goals you have achieved in Rotary Club Central. If you do not, it is as though it never happened.
Remember President Holger Knaack’s goal was to have all clubs be Citation Clubs. Most, if not all, 5830 Clubs should now qualify.
The last two months of the Rotary year are always jammed with activity. District Training Assemblies, District Conferences, Club Fundraisers, New Governor Installations, and just as importantly, sending in your Club and Personal Donations to The Rotary Foundation before June 30th! Every year, your District Foundation team works diligently to remind Club Presidents and Club Foundation Chairs to make their donations. This is the time for Clubs to make sure each member donates so the Club will be an EREY Club - Every Rotarian, Every Year. This is a distinction that receives recognition from TRF and is a worthy goal for every club. It requires a $25 or more donation to the Annual Fund from each member. The longtime goal for all Rotary Clubs is to be a Sustaining Club: $100 per capita. We have a large number of Clubs who accomplish this goal every year. Many clubs have done this for many years.
District 5830 Rotary Clubs are doing great work in their communities. Click Here to go to the Rotary International District 5830 Facebook Page to see what is happening in our district!
District Happenings (Link to District Facebook Page)
May your club be blessed with Showers of New and Renewed Members in April!
It looks like more folks are able to get the various Covid19 vaccines and we will soon be getting back to “normal”, or truly a “NEW normal”. Be ready to capitalize on the OPPORTUNITY to REOPEN your Rotary club.
Not sure how to make that happen??—get Membership MOTIVATION by doing a QUICK CHECK of www.rotary.org, then MyRotary, Learning & Reference Tab/Learn by Topic, then Membership. Read more for the 3 EASY steps that you’ll LOVE!
Full Steam Ahead! We are just a little over 75 days from the end of our 20-21 Rotary Year and from all appearances we are headed for a strong finish. Take a minute and congratulate yourself and the Rotarians next to you for continuing forward in friendship, fellowship, and service against a pandemic and significant adversity. You’ve earned more than congratulations.
And now we have just what we need in time to truly make a great contribution, vaccines and States open for business. You can sense the mood change! The Sporting Clays Fundraiser by Texarkana Sunrise last Friday was fun, well attended and raised plenty of money for reinvestment in the Texarkana and Nash communities. Its success is followed by the District 4 -way Speech Contest in Mt. Pleasant, Bullard’s 1st Annual Sporting Clay’s Event, Longview-Greggton’s PRCA Rodeo, South Tyler’s Reed Franklin Spaghetti Supper, and our District PolioPlus “Fun” Raiser on May 22nd at Rowdy Ranch in Gilmer. Come out, have fun, support Rotary, the Foundation, PolioPlus, and your communities. See you there!
District 5830 started their two-month long Matching Points Campaign on April 1st. This is a wonderful opportunity for every Rotarian to gain additional Paul Harris Fellow recognition. I strongly encourage everyone to take part and make a donation of $100 or more! If you have questions about why this is important, please take a look at all the good that is done by Rotarians locally and abroad through The Rotary Foundation.
Your generous support helped fund over $300 M in grants during 2019-2020. These grants provide for literacy and education, build local economies, fight disease, save mothers and children, promote peace, and provide clean water. Most of the time these grants help people you and I will never meet, but they also provide coats and shoes for local school children, build parks, provide food to the food insecure, send kids to RYLA, and provide college scholarships in communities across our district. Please be generous in your support for the Annual Fund and Polio Plus. You are making a difference!
“Attention: Club Leaders – this year’s district training assembly is scheduled for Saturday, May 1 at First United Methodist Church in Longview, Texas located at 400 North Fredonia ( Fredonia at Whaley Street). It will begin at 8:30 AM and conclude at 2:30 p.m. This will be a LIVE EVENT and all attendees will be requested to take necessary safety precautions including distancing and wearing face masks. Club presidents, secretaries, treasurers, foundation chairs, membership chairs, public image chairs, international service chairs, and Rotaract/Interact chairs are encouraged to attend. Grant certification training will be covered, too and club presidents and foundation chairs are encourage to begin work on their club project grant applications now so that they can be reviewed and completed at this assembly. Cost is $25 which includes lunch. Your district training team looks forward to seeing you there.”
Take just a minute and ask yourself why you joined Rotary? Most of us come back with “I was asked”. But why did you respond? Or why did you pursue asking about Rotary until you were proposed for membership? What makes you and all Rotarians so different and driven to perform service?
The reason this is so important relates to membership and the sustainability of our organization. If we can not describe why we are here, we are also at a loss to tell others why they should join. And it goes further. If we can not explain why we joined and what makes us who we are, we may also be much less likely to stay, and to support The Rotary Foundation, which is the chief engine driving the global work we perform.
District 5830 was NUMBER ONE in Per Capita Giving and in Polio Plus Giving for 2019-2020! This District and our Rotarians have stepped up and generously supported our Foundation and its programs even during the challenges of the pandemic. This has helped maintain a strong trend that has been in place for several years, and WE NEED IT TO CONTINUE!
District Foundation team will be holding a Matching Points Campaign from April 1st through June 1st
John F. Germ, a member of the Rotary Club of Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA, and past chair of the International PolioPlus Committee, was President of RI in 2016-17.
For Rotary to thrive, Germ says, members must face current and future challenges and opportunities with "passion, enthusiasm, perseverance, and above all, integrity."
"I envision Rotary boldly and creatively engaging the success of polio eradication, membership and identity issues, strengthening clubs, work with youth – our future lifeblood, and the creation of critical, strategic partnerships," says Germ. "The 2016-17 Rotary Year was a tremendous opportunity for Rotary International and the Foundation partnership, unified and thriving, on all levels, via the six areas of focus."
Germ says no one should ever have to ask, "What is Rotary?"
This is the title of one of the best pamphlets that Rotary has produced in recent times. It’s short, to the point and packed with great ideas!
Soon, President Elects will be in the first virtual Lone Star PETS and will discuss how their club can be a VIBRANT CLUB. Among many characteristics of a vibrant club, MEMBERSHIP GROWTH is probably the BEST indicator of VIBRANCY.
Are your club members “sold” on Rotary? Do members not only accept but BELIEVE in Rotary’s ability to open new opportunities by networking/connecting with other individuals, clubs and districts for doing service? Do they support The Rotary Foundation? Are the members SOLD on YOUR CLUB as THE place for fellowship, meeting community leaders, and growing personally and professionally?
Celebrate ROTARY on the 23rd—Rotary’s 116th Birthday! A view from Zones 30 and 31: As you know, District 5830 is part of Zone 31. Our monthly membership report shows 71.43% of our clubs have a membership goal in MyRotary. Check your stats, and add your clubs membership goals. Goals can INSPIRE and FOCUS your activities. We started the Rotary year with 1,536 members and are now at 1,468, a 4.43% drop. We have a 33% female membership and almost a 9% “under 40” membership. Of note is the retention stat: we went from 92% to 88.7%. Now is a good time to review club ENGAGEMENT guidelines to make sure members feel connected, have service roles, and feel valued. Does EACH member have a significant role in the club?
Pine Tree High School Interact Club sponsors Tiffany Caldemeyer and Susan Curtis want their students to learn how it feels to help others without expecting anything in return.
Message from Rotary District 5830 International Convention Chair, PDG John Henson
I am sure that all of you have heard by now that the 2021 Taipei Convention has been changed to a Virtual Convention due to the ongoing challenge with the Covid-19 situation.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION. “RI will refund Convention Registrations and Hotel Deposits will be returned, so relax and wait for the news.”
The 2022 convention will be held---HOUSTON, TEXAS!
Due to the constraints of COVID-19, our RYLA camp has been postponed and adjusted to a hybrid format for 2021. Campers will attend a virtual session on April 24 where they will meet their teams, hear from engaging speakers, participate in various activities, and getting started on their RYLA journey. During the weekend of Sept 18-19, students will attend a 1-day session in person at Clements Scout Ranch where they will get to meet their teammates face-to-face and enjoy many of the traditional aspects of camp, including low- and high-ropes elements.
If you would like to join the RYLA staff, please apply online (even if you already did earlier this year) at ryla5830.com/staff.
Questions can be directed to our operations team at info@ryla5830.com.
Message from District 5830 RI Convention Chair, PDG John Henson
It gives me some sadness to report out Taipei Convention will now be virtual. For those of you who looked forward to journeying with Rotary to explore the world and opportunities for Friendship, Fellowship, and Service in the warm hospitality of Taipei, to experience the diverse cultures represented there as Rotarians worldwide gathered, we will need to wait a bit. Next year is the Houston R. I. Convention, and it is followed by Melbourne, Australia.
In preparing for this month, and the new year, and the rest of our 2020-21 Rotary Year, I was drawn back to PRIP Richard Evans remarks from the Niece Rotary Convention: "It sometimes seems that we live as if we wondered when life was going to begin. It isn’t always clear just what we are waiting for but some of us sometimes persist in waiting so long that life just slips by finding us still waiting for something that has been going on all the time. There is no reason to doubt good intentions, but when in the world are we going to begin to live as if we understood that this is it. This is life. This is our time, our day, our generation, our one chance to do something for someone else. …What in the world are we waiting for?"
"This is all we've got." PRIP Richard L Evans (1966-67) Speech to RI Convention in Nice, France.
The message is still accurate, on point, and sums up our current condition.
Time for 2021 Resolutions, and from where I perch, my observations and thoughts turn to engagement, retention and flexible meetings. We have lost a number of good Rotarians since July 1, however some clubs have gained membership. Clubs holding onto and growing members are still in service to their community and giving members a purpose for staying with Rotary. If members feel they are wanted, needed and have a purpose, they will stay connected.
District Governor Welge has made it a priority for all clubs in District 5830 to complete the Visioning process and establish long range plans in keeping with Rotary International’s (RI’s) Strategic Priorities and Objectives:
Increase our Impact
Expand Our Reach
Enhance Participant Engagement
Increase Our Ability to Adapt
RI and DG Welge are not asking Club’s to do something that they have not done themselves: RI’s Vision Statement reads “Together we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.” The District’s Vision is “District 5830 Leaders promote the Core Values of Service, Fellowship, Diversity, Integrity, and Leadership, resulting in Rotary Clubs that are Growing, Vibrant and Engaged; filled with Rotarians passionate about Service.”
It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of PDG James "Jim" Fitzgerald.
Jim was born on Monday, October 12, 1936 in Stamford, TX to Ennis and Mary (Lawrence) Fitzgerald. From an early age he was fascinated and loved working with machinery and tools. By the age of 8, he spent his free time learning the skills of carpentry alongside his father. At Abilene High School (in Abilene, TX), he was active in Track & Field and shop. But it was the sassy personality of a certain young red head, by the name of Georganna Lee, that caught his eye and captured his heart. The couple spent many 'dates' riding his Triumph Trophy motorcycle along the open roads of Abilene.
On November 24, 1954 Jim and his High School sweetheart, Georganna Lee were married. It was a quintessentially warm and sunny Texas day. Together, they raised three wonderful children: David, Kenneth, and Melody. Life was busy with a young family to support. During the day, while Georganna managed the children and the household, Jim was busy at Bell Helicopter fabricating parts. The evenings were filled with night school at the University of Texas at Arlington. In 1968 he received his BA degree.
For the 12th consecutive year, The Rotary Foundation has received the highest rating — four stars — from Charity Navigator, an independent evaluator of charities in the U.S.
The Foundation earned the recognition for demonstrating both strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency. Only one percent of the organizations Charity Navigator evaluates have received 12 consecutive 4-star evaluations.
"Attaining a 4-star rating verifies that The Rotary Foundation exceeds industry standards and outperforms most charities in your area of work", says Michael Thatcher, president and chief executive officer of Charity Navigator. "This exceptional designation sets the Foundation apart from its peers and demonstrates to the public its trustworthiness."
The rating reflects Charity Navigator's assessment of how the Foundation uses donations, sustains its programs and services, and practices good governance and openness.
Pittsburg Rotary Club presented a $1,000.00 check to the Rotary Polio Plus Campaign in support or World Polo Day. Each club member wrote a $25.00 check to show their support.
The Tyler Rotary Clubs are preparing for their Annual Christmas Parade on December 5, 2020.
As we dodge around COVID-19 with PPEs and full social distancing, it’s important to not forget meaningful family and Club traditions surrounding Christmas, most especially increasing joy in those around you.
This is a time to remember angel tree giving, Coats for Kids (even if you missed the original drive before Thanksgiving), bicycle assembly, and gifts from clubs, charitable organizations, or just anonymously from you. One of the most meaningful Christmas gifts Ava and I gave were the 2 bicycles we purchased for some of her students back when she was working for Longview ISD. The kids' moms were really surprised, and we swore them to secrecy, but I can only imagine the joy when Christmas morning arrived.
Lone Star PETS was hosted online for 2021. Many D5830 leaders were in attendance, but if you missed out, you can watch key sessions with the links below.
How does Rotary Open Opportunities with the 4-Way Test?
Rotary District 5830 Four - Way Test Speech Contest will be held Saturday, April 10, 2021 at Mt. Pleasant Independent School District, 2230 North Edwards, Mt. Pleasant, Tx. A big " Thank You" goes out to Amy Hinton with Mt. Pleasant Rotary Club for chairing the event again this year.
The topic of Membership at the virtual District Conference October 31st created some lively discussions among the participants. Next are some of the chat comments that give us all some great ideas.
Membership Types and Dues Structures
Attracting RYLA Parents as Members
Flexible Meeting Types
Read more to see how clubs are currently attracting new and diverse membership.
I want to thank everyone who participated in and attended the District 5830 Conference. If you missed it, you missed some good presentations. Virtual reality is a challenge, but we can use it to grow Rotary and develop as Rotarians. Please let us know your thoughts so that we can integrate them into future virtual programs.
- IPDG Jim Finstrom
A special thank you to our conference speakers. Read More to see those speakers and our award winners!
Ava and I have now completed our first visit to all but 11 Clubs in our District. What we found is uplifting and echoed recently in the Awards Ceremony presided over by IPDG Jim Finstrom at our District Conference.
We are an Action District!
When presented with the problems occasioned by COVID-19 restrictions, our clubs saw opportunities, continuing to meet and perform service. While our Clubs were idled, most met virtually through Zoom, continued their fundraisers such as Flag Programs, and held service projects, all with appropriate safeguards.
Congratulations to Karen Maines, Past President of the Longview-Greggton Rotary Club who has been selected by the District 5830 Nominating Committee as District Governor Nominee Designate. She has been selected to serve during the 2023-24 Rotary Year.
Pursuant to the District’s Bylaws, specifically Article II – District 5830 Committees, the Nomination of Karen Maines was held until September 30th to permit any challenges or re-nominations. No challenges or re-nominations have been received so the Nomination was final at midnight on September 30, 2020.
Ours is the opportunity to empower Rotarians to change our world.
Remember that October is Economic and Community Development Month, October 5 -11 is Rotary Alumni Reconnect Week, and October 24th is World Polio Day. That’s a lot for one month, but it underscores what we can do to change lives when we come together in friendship, fellowship, and service.
Ava and I have now seen over half of our District clubs. We are grateful for the opportunity to share our vision of Rotary, a combination of old and new, where we continue to honor traditions such as perfect attendance yet embrace E-Clubs and Satellite Clubs and other new club models coming together to open opportunities.
After much thought and discussion it has been decided to change the conference agenda so that all participants have the opportunity to participate in all the sessions.
The majority change is to not to offer breakout sessions. Please pre register at your earliest convenience if you have not already registered.
(Click Here to Register) No fee for the Conference; however, a contribution of $25.00 or more will be appreciated.
Deadline to register for the District Conference is Wednesday, October 28, 2020.
Keynote Speaker - Eradicating Polio - Rotary International Director Floyd Lancia
John Oakley Childs of Tyler went to be with his savior on August 18, 2020 in the comfort of his home surrounded by his family. A memorial service was held Thursday, August 20, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. in the Green Acres Baptist Church Chapel, with Dr. David Dykes, Rev. Warren Culwell, and Rev. Woody Woodward officiating. A private burial took place prior to the service at Rose Hill Cemetery.
As in past years, we encourage you to include members from your District at the EMERGING ROTARY LEADERS SEMINAR. This year this event will be virtual providing a no cost option for those Rotarians considering serving as Governor in the future. Even though there is limited space, please invite up to ten (10) Rotarians from your district.
The Emerging Rotary Leaders Seminar is designed to provide potential leaders in Rotary with a forum to learn about leadership at the district level and beyond and to consider their options for future service including information on serving as District Governor. ERL Seminar participants will gain insights from some of the most effective leaders in Rotary International in an interactive, engaging format that includes networking, idea sharing, Q & A and mentoring with Past District Governors from across Zones 30 and 31.
The event will be held in two (2) sessions on Friday, September 25, 2020 from 2pm till 4pm and Saturday, September 26, 2020 from 9am till 11 am Central Standard Time. Please email Megan Law megan@okrotary.com to register. After registering you will receive the Zoom login for both sessions a few days before the event.
Rotary International District 5830. which encompasses Northeast Texas and Southeast Oklahoma, awarded a $17,000 disaster grant on August 12, 2020 to the East Texas Food Bank and $3,500.00 to Harvest Regional Food Bank on August 19, 2020. In addition to the donation, area Rotarians from the District volunteered to package meal kits for use in After School Snack Programs. Thank you to all the Rotarians who joined the fight against hunger!
Although Membership Growth is a year round part of Rotary, I hope each club also took time during August Membership Month to celebrate the current members. It's never too late, so think about having members offer Vocational Talks to give new members new insights, celebrate Rotary anniversaries, member birthdays, plan a club social, take a club survey to learn what existing members would like the club to do.
Thanks to you, Rotary members have been making a difference at a time when communities need our help more than ever. We know that donors like you are people of action, and your support is changing lives where it’s needed most.
Please " Save the Date" of Saturday, October 31, 2020 and sign up when you receive an email letting you know that the zoom registration is opened.
You will be asked to pre-register and select two breakout sessions you will attend. There will be no fee to attend, but I do request that you make a donation to the Foundation and/or Polio Plus of at least $25.00 or more. Please let Shirley know how much you contributed so we can publish the total donation made. Bring a snack to enjoy as you participate in the conference. You will have plenty of time after the conference for Halloween.
Congratulations to Karen Maines, Past President of the Longview-Greggton Rotary Club who has been selected by the District 5830 Nominating Committee as District Governor Nominee Designate. She has been selected to serve during the 2023-24 Rotary Year.
Karen is the 2020-21 Rotary Alumni Chair of District 5830 and serves on the RYLA Board of Directors. Karen also serves on the Arts! Longview Executive Committee and is Secretary of the Board of Directors. She is a member of the Longview Executive Committee of 100 Women Who Care, and on the City of Longview Walk of Honor Committee, as well as the City of Longview Police Training Advisory Committee.
August has been a momentum-filled month, perfect for a Rotary, People of Action news release.
First, we received news of the selection of Jennifer Jones of the Rotary Club of Windsor-Roseland, Ontario, Canada, as the first woman selected for the Presidency of Rotary International. She will serve during the Rotary Year 2022-23.
Next, the Nominating Committee of District 5830, chaired by IPDG Jim Finstrom, selected Karen Maines of the Rotary Club of Longview-Greggton as the DGN Designate, to serve as District Governor during Rotary Year 2023-24.
Each club in District 5830 has been faced with challenges during COVID-19. Our approach to staying connected with each other as well in the communities we serve has shifted. Flexibility, along with trying new techniques, will enhance our chances of success. The following are avenues to achieve our goal of staying connected and portraying District 5830 as “The Action District”.
Have you tried Zoom,YouTube,Facebook? For assistance with setting up these platforms please contact Sarah Fox at District5830pr@gmail.com.
Visioning 2.0 is expected to be rolled out in the fall of 2020.
It is hoped that every Rotary Club in the world has the same objective: to become a vibrant organization that engages all its members, conducts meaningful projects, attracts new members, and is willing to try new ideas. Click on "Read More" to learn how Visioning can benefit your club and updates on the current District 5830 Visioning Program.
The President of clubs that are interested in participating in the Visioning 2.0 Pilot should contact the District Visioning Chair, Sam Scroggins, at scroggins@peoplescom.net. Rotarians interested in serving as Visioning 2.0 Facilitators should also contact Sam or their club’s Assistant Governor.
District 5830 Foundation Chair Ted Huffhines, IPDG Jim Finstrom, and DG Jack Welge are excited to announce the recent approval of the $25,000 Food Security Grant. Huffhines and Finstrom made application for the grant in late April. Notification of approval was received in mid July as more funds became available to The Rotary Foundation.
We wanted to share some basic advice regarding managing a hybrid meeting, based on the experience of the Upper Arlington Rotary Club, which has been conducting hybrid meetings since June 2nd and has given us permission to share this with you. The following are some tips they shared for using videoconferencing in a hybrid Rotary Club meeting:
August is Membership Month, which means it’s time to celebrate your Rotary club, your members, and the good you do in your community and around the world.
An updated My Rotary that’s faster, easier to navigate, and accessible on your mobile devices launches later this month. What can you expect from this improved site? Quite a bit.
Marshall Rotary Club President, Jerry Pye welcomes DG Jack Welge to Marshall Rotary Club. July 30, 2020 was DG Jack's 1st Official Visit during his 2020-2021 Rotary Year. Please contact DA Shirley at rotary5830da@gmail.com if your club has not scheduled DG Jack visit.
"It sometimes seems that we live as if we wondered when life was going to begin."
"It isn’t always clear just what we are waiting for but some of us sometimes persist in waiting so long that life just slips by finding us still waiting for something that has been going on all the time."
"There is no reason to doubt good intentions, but when in the world are we going to begin to live as if we understood that this is it. This is life. This is our time, our day, our generation, our one chance to do something for someone else. This is the life in which the work of this life is to be done. This is it. Whether we are thrilled or disappointed, busy or bored, givers or takers, this is life. Its all we’ve got and it’s passing. What in the world are we waiting for?" "This is all we've got." PRIP Richard L Evans (1966-67) Speech to RI Convention in Nice as related by PRIP Rick King.
If you are viewing this District 5830 Website using any device other than a computer, you will need to scroll past the stories to see other important information. Click on READ MORE to view each article in its entirety. Click the YouTube icon to view recorded training sessions. Click the Facebook icon to see District Facebook posts.
Tips on viewing information on the District Website
A big Rotary thank you to all outgoing club officers for their service in 2019-2020. We are excited to see the enthusiasm of the incoming presidents and officers. Make it a great Rotary year! Keep reading for requested action!
It is that time of year when we look for nominations for emerging leaders in our District to be nominated to serve as District Governor. The new DG Designee will serve as DG for the 2023-2024 Rotary year.
The interviews for the DG Designee will be held on August 15, 2020 in Longview. The deadline to submit an application is August 2, 2020.
IPDG Jim Finstrom welcomes District 5830 Rotarians to the 2020-2021 Installation of District Officers and awarded certificates of appreciation to the District Leadership Team.
PDG Pamela Stewart installed DG Jack Welge as the 2020-2021 District 5830 Governor.
There were approximately 80 Rotarians that attended the event with masks and social distancing.
Please go to the District Photo Album to review the all the pictures taken at the event.
A Big "Thank You" goes out to PDG and Foundation Chair Ted Huffhines who inducted 2020-2021 Texarkana Sunrise Rotary Club Officers on June 23, 2020 at Silver Star Smokehouse. Landon Forbes is Sunrise Rotary Club President.
Sarah is a native Texan, born in Victoria. Her family relocated to Cedar Park, Texas where she graduated as the Alpha Class of Vista Ridge High School. Sarah received her BA in Business from The University of North Texas, and continued her education with Western Governor’s University to complete her MBA in Healthcare Management.
Robert Nelson Secretary, Dub Hirst Membership, Chris Russell Treasurer, Christy Turner President, Damon Donnell President Elect, Anthony Chiles Vocational, Jason Smith Club Service, Charlie Tidmore Event. and not pictured is Jami Ivey Foundation.
On June 25, 2020, the Tyler Sunrise Rotary Club (TSR) held it's end of the year gala and celebration at one of your members residences.
Thanks to PDG and Membership Chair Lee Montgomery for Installing the Club Officer. Greg LaMay was installed as the 2020-2021 Tyler Sunrise Rotary Club President.
In Rotary, July is a time of new beginnings, a time to reconnect with each other across distances and differences and to respond to change, a time to show Rotary Opens Opportunities.
From PDG and RI Convention Promotion John Henson, "I hope you have or will register for the Taipei Convention next year. From what I have read, the city of Taipei is a great place to visit, going to be a great convention."
PDG Judy Guthrie installed Gary George as President of Pittsburg Rotary Club. Gary is shown with outgoing President, Kay Green. Kay presented Woody and Karen Ray and Ian and Wibke Griffin with Paul Harris Fellows.
Pittsburg Rotary installation of officers on June 24.
The District 5830 matching Points Campaign, which ran from May1st through June 15th, was a smashing success! DG Jim Finstrom and District Foundation Chair Ted Huffhines are extremely proud and grateful for the hundreds of very generous Rotarians in the district who took advantage of the MPC and gave to The Rotary Foundation.
Pictured: Angela and PDG and Foundation Chair Ted Huffhines
We are now entering the final 15 days of the Paul Harris Points Match Challenge and the last thirty days of this troubled Rotary Year. The month of May saw us generate $30,000 in donations to The Rotary Foundation from our individual members and clubs in District 5830.
REMEMBER; every dollar ($100 or more) you give to TRF, during the campaign, either to the Annual Fund (where District Project Grant Funds come from) or Polio Plus (to be matched by the Gates Foundation) will be matched accelerating your completion of your Paul Harris Fellowship or an advancement of it.
And those of you whose gifts have to date been less than $100 still have time to make an additional contribution to qualify for the match. We can do this together!
Canton Rotary Club President, Sandra Plaster led her Club on Memorial Day by putting out American Flags in honor of the men and women who died while serving in the U. S. military. Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971.
PDG Shirley Griffin remembers the tears streaming down her mother’s face in 1951 as she rubbed the legs of Griffin and her older brother, trying to ease the pain brought on by polio.
“The pain was unbelievable — you’ll remember that pain,” said Griffin, who was 9 at the time. “My mother really didn’t know whether she would have two children or not because it was such a bad virus.”
Years later, fighting polio is still a part of Griffin’s life as she works tirelessly to help eradicate the virus. Griffin, a member of the Longview Rotary Club, also is a past district governor.
What a beautiful afternoon it was on Thursday, May 28, 2020! The Rotary Club of Kilgore was able to drive to the home of Gordon Reed and surprise him with being named the Rotarian of the Year 2019-2020. Gordon has 35 years perfect attendance in Rotary and loves Rotary. He was also presented with his Paul Harris +7 pin which shows his commitment to the Rotary Foundation and the good that Rotary does worldwide. He was presented certificates, posters and signs, helium filled balloons, flowers, and a chocolate cake and cookies, and had his family to help with the celebration. We want to thank the Rotary Club of Henderson for being represented also. Gordon would makeup missed meetings at the Henderson club. This was such a wonderful afternoon celebrating one of our faithful members. Congratulations, Gordon Reed!! Your Rotary club loves you.
Oaklawn Rotary Club purchased lunch from a locally owner restaurant Julie's Deli and had it delivered to Hospice of Texarkana to show appreciate for their work in the community during the Covid-19 crisis. This is an on going effort by the club to support local non-profiles and local restaurants.
Texarkana Oaklawn Rotarians at Work in the Community
Congratulations to Longview’s Rotary Clubs, participating with the National Guard, Longview Police Department and East Texas Food Bank, through whom 1525 families were served!
Ava Welge from Longview Rotary Club is pictured with the National Guard volunteers.
I thank each one of you for what service you have provided to and through your Rotary Clubs this past Rotary year. Internationally, we have reduced the Polio numbers and are gaining. Please donate liberally to PolioPlus, and take advantage of matching Paul Harris points until June 15th. The end of that disease is in sight. Stay in touch with each other, and renew friendship in a responsible manner, with social distancing and masks in mind. Be safe in all your endeavors. Take advantage of the online training, and participate in the International Convention online as instructions come to us. Having been to several International Conventions, I assure you that your participation will be a blessing to you. I look forward to becoming a PDG and will be glad to attempt to assist any of you with your goals this coming year, if you will contact me. We are going forward with excellent leadership, and I can attest to the work that Jack Welge and the DG line are accomplishing. We will succeed wonderfully if we keep our Service Above Self and govern our conduct and decisions by the Four-Way Test. Finally, let us keep each other in our prayers. God bless.
President Elects are encouraged to honor their club’s work with a Rotary Presidental Citation. Further, President Elects are reminded to have their 5 member Membership Committee appointed and Membership goals entered into Rotary Club Central. Beginning 1 July, it will be easier than ever for Rotary clubs to set and report goals for the Rotary Citation.
In 2020-21, you’ll be able to go into Rotary Club Central and choose goals that are relevant to your club. You’ll need to achieve at least 13 goals out of 25 to receive the citation. While a few of the goals are data-generated, such as membership numbers and Rotary Foundation giving, most of them you can report by marking “Achieved” in Rotary Club Central.
Greetings! We are encouraging all of our Rotarians here in the community to help spread the word about the 2020 Census and making sure that everyone takes the time to self-respond as soon as possible to save the Census walkers from coming to your door. Below is a link to a handy brochure to share with your respective clubs, organizations and groups. We would appreciate it if you would help to spread the word. Thanks for your efforts! https://2020census.gov/content/dam/2020census/materials/partners/2020-01/Fact_Sheet_for_Civic_Organizations.pdf Let’s make it count!
Message from District 5830 Leadership - 2020 Census
Rotary Fellowships are international groups that share a common passion. Being part of a fellowship is a fun way to make friends around the world, explore a hobby or profession, and enhance your Rotary experience.
How do I join a fellowship?
Fellowships are open to Rotarians, family members, and program participants and alumni. You can contact a fellowship directly by using the links below.
We are all returning to business as usual, checking on our friends and fellow Rotarians at club meetings and events, and emerging from battling a pandemic as we approach the end of our Rotary Year in June.
Due to the continuing threat of COVID-19, many plans are still on hold, many events have been postponed or canceled, and even our Rotary International Board has voted to meet only through virtual (phone and online) meetings through December. Rotary executive’s travel has been discouraged, canceled, or severely restricted.
That brings us to the question of how we celebrate being Rotarians in fellowship and service and how we keep our Clubs and District moving forward, continuing to make an impact in our communities and in the world.
Many thanks to all who made our 5830 District Training Assembly Zoom Seminars this past month possible.
Our training journey began with Allyson Barnes of the New Orleans Mid-City Rotary and NOLA Rotaract on April 4th with her presentation on Rotaract and Rotary Partnerships, and Karen Maines, President of Longview-Greggton Rotary, and Gai Bennett, President of the Rotary Club of Longview on Increasing Membership and Having Fun in Rotary the Easy Way.
We then covered Opportunities for Service Through The Rotary Foundation and Heart To Heart with PDG Ted Huffhines;
Rotarians, WORLD POLIO DAY gives us a one-day focus: ENDING POLIO.
Happy August! Our Rotary theme for the month of August is Membership & New Club Development. I love that this theme is so early in the Rotary year. One of the best ways to ensure the message and magic of Rotary is carried on for years to come is by welcoming new members to join the cause.
Maternal and Child Health Care is recognized as one of Rotary’s Seven Areas of Focus.
A deer in the headlights. I’m sure that was exactly the impression I gave at my first couple of club events a year ago, but, I was greeted by so many friendly faces that I quickly began looking forward to every trip. Did you know that every club in our District has its own unique personality? Some of y’all are quirky; some, all business; and most are just going to have fun at everything you do.
A Memorial Service was held for Thomas Wayne Arnold December 1, 2023 at the First Methodist Church in Gilmer Texas. PDG Wayne served as 2003-2004 District 5830 Governor. 
Congratulations to Diane Kavanaugh who has been selected as District Governor Nominee Designate. She has been selected to serve during the 2026-2027 Rotary Year.
Rotary believes in developing the next generation of leaders. Our programs help younger leaders build leadership skills, expand education and learn the value of service.
PDG Bill Hedges (2005-06) has recently been diagnosed with Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer. Bill has been an active Rotarian since 1996. Since retiring as a pastor from the United Methodist Church ministry in 2004, he became a resident of Quitman and member of the Quitman Rotary Club. 
Many clubs in D5830 are in the process of choosing their Matching Club Projects for the 2023-2024 Rotary Year. Please consider opportunities to do an International project with your project. You can also do to or more projects with some projects being local and one or more being an International project. There are International projects for as little as $300 all the way up to the $7,000+ range. If your club is interested in doing an International project, or collaborating with other clubs to do one, please contact International Service Chair, PDG Ted Huffhines, and we can discuss options that fit your desires and budget. You may ask, “Why would my club want to an International project? 
Annual PRCA Rodeo to be held April 21 and 22 in Longview, Tx. 
Rotary International's monthly theme for April is Maternal and Child Health! Every day mothers risk their lives giving birth and millions of children die each year from treatable, preventable causes. At least 7 million children under the age of five die each year due to malnutrition, poor health care, and inadequate sanitation.
When our Rotary team visited Guatemala in October of last year, we went to a small village in the far north of the country. The village is Uaxactun’, (pronounced WASH-AC-TUN’). The people there are hard working and industrious. They have been taught sustainable agricultural methods and are employing those techniques to earn livelihoods through exported products that are grown in the jungle/forest around their village. 
Disease results in misery, pain, and poverty for millions of people worldwide. That’s why treating and preventing disease is so important to us. 
Our keynote speaker is Enrique Garcia, a Heart2Heart Advocate from Guadalajara, Mexico. 
As you are now well aware, Zones 30 & 31 are in a middle of a fundraising campaign for Our Rotary Foundation that will impact immediate needs and longer term needs worldwide. Rotarians will long be remembered for the good we are doing and your personal donation will determine the amount of good we can do.
The 2022 Foundation Banquet will be an in-person event held on the eighth floor of the ETBU Marshall Grand in downtown Marshall, Texas. This fabulous location is the new meeting space of the host Marshall Rotary Club and offers amazing views of the area as the highest location in Harrison County. This event will celebrate the amazing generosity and impact of donors from our District, both individually and our clubs. We will have the chance to hear from “American Health Hero,” Dr. Bert Hirschhorn, who is a recognized expert in treating cholera and providing oral rehydration therapy. 
Has your PE and PN registered for Lone Star PETS leadership training February 24, 2022 -February 28, 2022 at the Hyatt Regency DFW Airport, 2334 North International Parkway, Dallas, TX?
November always celebrates The Rotary Foundation in the Rotary International World. World Polio Day has just passed, and Rotarians are able to focus on the good they can do through The Rotary Foundation (TRF). TRF is the engine which drives all the good we do. Whether it is giving dictionaries to local third graders, buying bicycles for children for Christmas, supporting your local food bank, or a host of other local projects, Rotarians make a huge difference in their local communities. TRF also allows us to do significant work internationally. In 2020-21, over 2,000 Global Grants valued at $130M were completed around the world. Your support of TRF helped provide clean water, medical care, economic development, education, and promoted peace in places around the globe. 
In 1919, the year the Marshall RC was officially chartered, they began meeting downtown atop the Hotel Marshall when it was constructed in 1929. This was the hub of the vibrant city located just a block from the Harrison County Courthouse. In the late 1960’s the hotel closed and the club was forced to meet in various locations around town. After four decades, the vacant and dilapidated hotel was donated to East Texas Baptist University. ETBU quickly began a Capital campaign and raised funds to renovate the building. It now is called the Marshall Grand and is home to the ETBU College of Nursing which is ranked Number One in the State of Texas. 
Congratulations to Jeff Johnston, Past President of the South Tyler Rotary Club who has been selected by the District 5830 Nominating Committee as District Governor Nominee Designate. He has been selected to serve during the 2024-2025 Rotary Year.
The Visioning Process has been widely implemented throughout Rotary to help individual clubs to establish long range plans that are in line with Rotary International’s global strategic priorities: “Increase our Impact, Expand Our Reach, Enhance Participant Engagement, and Increase Our Ability to Adapt”.
PDG Tom DeWitt receives "The Rotary Foundation Citation for Meritorious Service Award." 
Club members Shalonda Adams and PDG Carroll Greenwaldt were the 2021 Unity Honors award recipients. The Unity Honors award is given by the Longview Unity and Diversity Committee and is a lifetime achievement award that recognizes the humanitarian efforts of those who are working at the forefront of diversity and equality in our community. The late Jimmy Isaac who was also a member of the Rotary Club of Longview was honored for his membership in and work with the Unity and Diversity Committee.
The Rotary Foundation’s recognition of PDG John Jetter with the The Rotary Foundation Distinguished Service Award comes after PDG John's years of work on Club, District, Zone and International Projects. Time is always inadequate to appropriately thank a Rotarian with a heart for service.
Mike Groom was born in Austin, Texas and was raised in Houston, Texas. He is both a practicing certified public accountant (38 years) and lawyer (32 years). Mike currently resides in Mabank, Texas with his wife of 33 years, Andrea Myntti-Groom. Mike and Andrea have a son and daughter and two grandsons, all of whom they cherish deeply.
According to Kenneth Larry Agee, Rotary District 6200 Disaster Committee Chair, the biggest need currently is volunteers to help gut houses. "It is slow going with 4 or 5 people instead of 20 to 30." After cleanup, many homeowners will be needing supplies to help rebuild as many did not have flood insurance. A few of the neighborhoods have been there for 50 years, are not in a flood zone, and never flooded before so a lot of expense is coming out of pocket. 
District 5830 has had a very productive Matching Points Campaign with over $50,000 towards the Annual Fund and $20,000 given towards Polio Plus over the past two months. We have extended the campaign through June 20th. This will allow any Rotarians who wish to make a yearend donation the chance to do so and receive matching points. We are still working towards exceeding $100 per capita, so every donation counts. I encourage every Rotarian and every club to dig deep and be generous as you support the Annual Fund AND Polio Plus! Your donations allow your club to do local projects through our Club Project Grants. They also allow our District to support Global Grants in worthwhile projects around the globe. This is what makes Rotary International the Number One service organization in the world!
Keri Perot Vance, President of Carthage Rotary Club wants to brag on her club a bit! "As my year as president winds down, I just can’t believe all the fun we have had!" On 4/9/21 some of our members helped unload an 11,000 pound food truck to give to local community members in need.
Congratulations to PDG Carroll Greenwaldt for receiving the Service Above Self Award!
Pictured are Rotary District 5830 Council of Governors (PDGs) that were able to attend the District 5830 Training Assembly and the COGs Semi-Annual meeting. 
Pictured are PDG, DG and GLine that attended the Council of Governor meeting on May 1, 2021.
On April 15, 2021, Jack Welge, District Governor of Rotary District 5830, inducted two new members of the Clarksville Rotary Club. Rotarian Rob Rowley sponsored new member, Talisha Alsup, who is the Administrator of Clarksville Nursing Center. Rotarian and club president, Mickey Allen sponsored new member, Catana Yarnell, who is the Director of The Hub
On April 15, 2021, Jack Welge, District Governor of Rotary District 5830, presented Paul Harris Fellow plus pins to members of the Clarksville Rotary Club who attained an additional recognition level of giving to The Rotary Foundation in 2021. The recognition, named after the founder of Rotary International, recognizes Rotarians for their contributions to The Rotary Foundation. Shown in the photo from left are Paul Hines, Paul Allen, District Governor Jack Welge, Nancy Brem and James Vaughan, Jr. Not shown in photo is Alan Hale.
District 5830 started their two-month long Matching Points Campaign on April 1st. This is a wonderful opportunity for every Rotarian to gain additional Paul Harris Fellow recognition. I strongly encourage everyone to take part and make a donation of $100 or more! If you have questions about why this is important, please take a look at all the good that is done by Rotarians locally and abroad through The Rotary Foundation. 
Pine Tree High School Interact Club sponsors Tiffany Caldemeyer and Susan Curtis want their students to learn how it feels to help others without expecting anything in return.
Due to the constraints of COVID-19, our RYLA camp has been postponed and adjusted to a hybrid format for 2021. Campers will attend a virtual session on April 24 where they will meet their teams, hear from engaging speakers, participate in various activities, and getting started on their RYLA journey. During the weekend of Sept 18-19, students will attend a 1-day session in person at Clements Scout Ranch where they will get to meet their teammates face-to-face and enjoy many of the traditional aspects of camp, including low- and high-ropes elements.
District Governor Welge has made it a priority for all clubs in District 5830 to complete the Visioning process and establish long range plans in keeping with Rotary International’s (RI’s) Strategic Priorities and Objectives:
It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of PDG James "Jim" Fitzgerald.
I want to thank everyone who participated in and attended the District 5830 Conference. If you missed it, you missed some good presentations. Virtual reality is a challenge, but we can use it to grow Rotary and develop as Rotarians. Please let us know your thoughts so that we can integrate them into future virtual programs. 
Congratulations to Karen Maines, Past President of the Longview-Greggton Rotary Club who has been selected by the District 5830 Nominating Committee as District Governor Nominee Designate. She has been selected to serve during the 2023-24 Rotary Year.
Ours is the opportunity to empower Rotarians to change our world.
John Oakley Childs of Tyler went to be with his savior on August 18, 2020 in the comfort of his home surrounded by his family. A memorial service was held Thursday, August 20, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. in the Green Acres Baptist Church Chapel, with Dr. David Dykes, Rev. Warren Culwell, and Rev. Woody Woodward officiating. A private burial took place prior to the service at Rose Hill Cemetery.
Each club in District 5830 has been faced with challenges during COVID-19. Our approach to staying connected with each other as well in the communities we serve has shifted. Flexibility, along with trying new techniques, will enhance our chances of success. The following are avenues to achieve our goal of staying connected and portraying District 5830 as “The Action District”.
IPDG Jim Finstrom welcomes District 5830 Rotarians to the 2020-2021 Installation of District Officers and awarded certificates of appreciation to the District Leadership Team. 
PDG Pamela Stewart installed DG Jack Welge as the 2020-2021 District 5830 Governor. 
A Big "Thank You" goes out to PDG and Foundation Chair Ted Huffhines who inducted 2020-2021 Texarkana Sunrise Rotary Club Officers on June 23, 2020 at Silver Star Smokehouse. Landon Forbes is Sunrise Rotary Club President.
I have a great suggestion, ATTEND THE ROTARY INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION IN TAIPEI, TAIWAN!!!!!!!
Robert Nelson Secretary, Dub Hirst Membership, Chris Russell Treasurer, Christy Turner President, Damon Donnell President Elect, Anthony Chiles Vocational, Jason Smith Club Service, Charlie Tidmore Event. and not pictured is Jami Ivey Foundation.
On June 25, 2020, the Tyler Sunrise Rotary Club (TSR) held it's end of the year gala and celebration at one of your members residences.
PDG Judy Guthrie installed Gary George as President of Pittsburg Rotary Club. Gary is shown with outgoing President, Kay Green. Kay presented Woody and Karen Ray and Ian and Wibke Griffin with Paul Harris Fellows.
We are now entering the final 15 days of the Paul Harris Points Match Challenge and the last thirty days of this troubled Rotary Year. The month of May saw us generate $30,000 in donations to The Rotary Foundation from our individual members and clubs in District 5830.
Canton Rotary Club President, Sandra Plaster led her Club on Memorial Day by putting out American Flags in honor of the men and women who died while serving in the U. S. military. Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971.
Longview polio survivor works tirelessly to help eradicate disease: 
What a beautiful afternoon it was on Thursday, May 28, 2020! The Rotary Club of Kilgore was able to drive to the home of Gordon Reed and surprise him with being named the Rotarian of the Year 2019-2020. Gordon has 35 years perfect attendance in Rotary and loves Rotary. He was also presented with his Paul Harris +7 pin which shows his commitment to the Rotary Foundation and the good that Rotary does worldwide. He was presented certificates, posters and signs, helium filled balloons, flowers, and a chocolate cake and cookies, and had his family to help with the celebration. We want to thank the Rotary Club of Henderson for being represented also. Gordon would makeup missed meetings at the Henderson club. This was such a wonderful afternoon celebrating one of our faithful members. Congratulations, Gordon Reed!! Your Rotary club loves you.
Oaklawn Rotary Club purchased lunch from a locally owner restaurant Julie's Deli and had it delivered to Hospice of Texarkana to show appreciate for their work in the community during the Covid-19 crisis. This is an on going effort by the club to support local non-profiles and local restaurants. 
Congratulations to Longview’s Rotary Clubs, participating with the National Guard, Longview Police Department and East Texas Food Bank, through whom 1525 families were served!