Tag Archives: United States

How to get a free website for your Rotary club

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Mitty Change at the International Assembly

Mitty Chang unveils the free website offer to Rotary Leaders at Rotary’s annual training event in San Diego in January.

By Jermaine Ee, Rotary Club of Los Angeles

Mitty Chang and I, founders of Candeavor, met in the lobby of a budget hotel in Sydney, Australia, while attending the International Rotary Youth Leadership Awards at the 2014 Rotary Convention.

 Although we were both from California, we came from very different backgrounds. Mitty is from the technology center of the world, Silicon Valley, while I am from the media & entertainment center of the world, Los Angeles. And while Mitty has over a decade of experience in the Rotary family (he is a member of the Rotary E-Club of Silicon Valley), I was just a newbie. Continue reading →

What young professionals are looking for in Rotary

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Rotary members who attended the Young Professional Summit 26-27 September.

Rotary members who attended the Young Professionals Summit 26-27 September.

By Chris Davidson, Rotary Club of Newport News, Virginia

I attended the first-ever Rotary Young Professionals Summit held in Chicago on 26-27 September, which gathered 30 Rotarians under the age of 40 to discuss how Rotary can better attract and engage young professionals.

The summit was a huge success and thoroughly captured the essence of what Millennials and members of Generation Y are looking for — mentorship, friendship, opportunities, and fun. One of my Rotary mentors, past RI Vice President Anne L. Matthews, who I had worked with on district membership projects, had encouraged me to apply.

Joining Rotary as a 32-year-old young professional was a life-changing event. Continue reading →

Art provides a universal language of peace

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Hands of Peace students during their visit to California.

Hands of Peace students during their visit to California.

By Kelly Mellos, fine artist and member of the Rotary Club of Encinitas Coastal, California, USA

“People don’t get along because they fear each other. People fear each other because they don’t know each other. They don’t know each other because they have not properly communicated with each other.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.

These words deeply resonated with me when the director of Hands of Peace came to speak to my club, explaining his dream of launching a grassroots peace project in our area, an expansion after 10 years in Chicago. Two years later, after our club’s initial alignment with Hands of Peace, the program is off the ground! Countless hours went into raising funds, recruiting volunteers and host families, and creating a three-week program, based on our mission of building peacemaking and leadership skills through the power of dialogue and personal relationships. Continue reading →

How do you invite someone to join Rotary? Just ask

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Bill Wittich and a cup of his favorite brew.

Bill Wittich with a cup of his favorite brew.

By Bill Wittich, past president of the Rotary Club of Laguna Sunrise, Elk Grove, California, USA

Those who know me call me the Starbucks Guy! That is because I spend way too much time and money in my local Starbucks. But the truth is Starbucks is my best location for attracting new Rotary members.

Let me give you an example of a recent Sunday. My wife, Ann, and I are both Rotarians and we enjoy our tall Skinny Mochas. So sitting there we watched a young woman arrive with her computer and she was dressed for business. Both of us asked the question, “Is she a possibility for Rotary?” Continue reading →

Little Free Libraries cropping up all over

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A Little Free Library in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA.

A Little Free Library in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA.

By Harriet “Pepi” Noble, a member of the Rotary Club of Mechanicville, New York, USA

I grew up living on a country road in a small town in upstate New York. There were no other children nearby so my friends all lived in books. I helped Mary find the key to the garden, rode Black Beauty, sailed on the Hispaniola and solved mysteries with Nancy and so many more. I was never lonely, never bored. Continue reading →