May is the celebration month for the District 5230 Rotarians. Right before we celebrate the 2011-2012 Rotary year on May 17-20 at the Tachi Palace in Lemoore with the Rotarians from 57 clubs in our District; the 2012 Rotary International (RI) Convention will take place in in Bangkok, Thailand, 6-9 May, and attendees will enjoy an unforgettable experience “in the Land of a Thousand Smiles! They will enjoy Thai hospitality. Make friends with fellow Rotarians from around the world. Take in spectacular sights. Taste delicious Thai cuisine. Experience a vibrant culture. Renew their commitment to Service Above Self. And have fun in a world class city!..”

Participating in an RI Convention, you’ll gain a broader appreciation of Rotary’s global impact and strengthen your commitment to service. And seeing a convention may move your invited guests to become Rotarians too. 

Here are some other great reasons to attend the RI convention: 

• Service projects. Find out how fellow Rotarians developed their service projects by visiting club and district project booths. You can also partner with other Rotarians in an international project or exchange.
• The Rotary Foundation. Learn more about PolioPlus and other Foundation programs during plenary sessions and workshops that show how Rotarians take humanitarian action and promote peace and understanding throughout the world.
• Development of future club leaders. Expand your network of international contacts by getting to know Rotary leaders and members from your own district, and become more involved in district plans.
• Club administration. Attend a special workshop for incoming presidents and the Presidents-Elect Luncheon, where you can meet and exchange ideas with fellow leaders.
• Family fun. With so much to do around the event, you and your family can plan a memorable vacation around the convention.

 Wishing all the fellow Rotarians a Happy International Convention month, and remind you that as the RI President Kalyan Banerjee said: “Rotary is and always has been an organization based on its clubs. The purpose of Rotary International is not to direct its clubs, but to connect, inform, and support them. Where and how each club, and each Rotarian, chooses to serve, is ultimately the decision of each one alone. So follow your own ambition and your own vision. Open your eyes to the challenges in our world, and use the strength you have through Rotary to find ways to overcome them. Every one of us has so much potential, and can achieve so much, when we Reach Within to Embrace Humanity.”

The Rotarian — May 2012 

In the food-obsessed cultures of today, where scoring reservations to top restaurants has become a cutthroat sport and amateur food bloggers treat eating like a part-time job, your Rotary club’s pancake breakfast faces unprecedented competition. But there’s also no better time to spice up your food fundraiser or launch a new one. Learn how from Rotary club food festival organizers.

Annapolis Rotary Crab Feast

Blue crabs, a point of local gastronomic pride and the state crustacean, highlight this three-hour, all-you-can-eat feast, where about 3,000 people each consume an average of 13 crabs pulled from the Chesapeake Bay. The event, held in early August at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, is billed as “the world’s largest crab feast.” Dinner includes steamed blue crabs (whose scientific name translates to “savory beautiful swimmer”), along with crab soup, corn, ribs, and hot dogs. The club boosts profits by selling Crab Feast Mania , a book of recipes contributed by Rotarians and friends. Randy Goff, the event’s 2011 chair, credits its success to a hands-on commitment from every club member and an emotional investment from local residents. “Eating crabs here is ingrained in the culture,” Goff explains. “There’s a sense of ownership in the community about this event.” With crab conservation in mind, the club encourages attendees to “take all you want, but eat all you take.”

Money raised in 2011: US$83,000
Crabs consumed: 40,000
Years running: 67 


Charities include: Rebuilding Together, Anne Arundel County CASA Inc. Sponsor: Rotary Club of Annapolis, Md., USA 
Secret ingredient: Strong vendor relationships. Seafood distributors donate raffle prizes, and a local barbecue restaurant provides pulled pork, hamburger, and other meats. Vendors also handle food prep, ensuring that the tens of thousands of crabs are properly steamed. 



Steamed spiced crabs 


¼ cup finely chopped ginger
1 small garlic bulb, peeled and finely chopped
¾ tablespoon mustard seeds
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
1½ teaspoons red pepper flakes, crushed
5 bay leaves, crushed
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
2 onions, finely chopped
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup dry white wine
12 blue crabs, live 



Combine ginger, garlic, mustard seeds, allspice, red pepper, bay leaves, fennel seeds, and onions in a bowl. Set a steamer in a tall stock pot and pour in vinegar, wine, and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil and then remove pot from heat. Put 3 crabs in steamer and scatter ¼ of spice mixture over them. Layer remaining crabs on top, using 3 crabs and ¼ of spice mixture for each layer. Cover the steamer tightly and set on high heat. Steam crabs for 20 minutes, starting when steam first escapes the pot. Then turn off the heat and let the pot stand, still covered, while steam subsides (about 3 minutes). Serve crabs hot. 
Reprinted from Crab Feast Mania: A Cookbook for Crab Lovers, by the Rotary Club of Annapolis, Md., USA. Recipe donated by Mimi Jones.

Lincolnshire Sausage Festival

The Lincolnshire sausage, a regional specialty characterized by coarse-ground pork seasoned with sage, salt, and pepper, takes center stage at this festival. In the last decade, the event has grown from a small farmers’ market to a major celebration of local food held inside Lincoln Castle. Produce vendors from the countryside set up alongside butchers hawking secret-recipe sausages. Entertainment includes cooking demos by TV chef Rachel Green, a Lincolnshire native, and performances by a group of roving street musicians called the Cosmic Sausages. “Every year we’ve tried to do something a little bit better than the year before,” says organizer Mark Brewer. “Keep moving forward; don’t just stay with what you’ve got.” A few years ago, the club persuaded the county council to waive the entry fee and moved the event from the castle square to inside the castle walls. Vendors have since tripled, and attendance has soared. More than 10,000 people now attend the festival, slated for 27 October this year.

Money raised in 2011: US$3,100
Sausages consumed: About 6,500
Years running: 10 


Charities include: Lincolnshire Air Ambulance, St Andrew’s Children’s Hospice Sponsor: Rotary Club of Lincoln Colonia, England 


Secret ingredient: Experienced partners. Lincoln Colonia club members work closely with food advocacy group Taste of Lincolnshire, the Lincoln Business Improvement Group, and the local government. “Get on board with organizations that know what they’re doing,” Brewer advises. “They have a structure in place and a way to pull on resources within the community.” 



Lincolnshire sausage paprika 


1 pound Lincolnshire (or similar) sausages
1 tablespoon oil
1 onion, peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon paprika
1 14-ounce can chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato purée
6 ounces button mushrooms
1 cup stock
Freshly ground pepper



Fry the sausages until browned on all sides. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the oil and onions to the pan and cook onions until browned. Add the paprika and cook for 1 more minute, then add the chopped tomatoes and tomato purée. Stir well, add the mushrooms and stock, and season with pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and add the sausages to the pan. Cook for 10-15 more minutes.
Courtesy of Tastes of Lincolnshire, U.K.

Toronto Ribfest

This four-day festival, held over Canada Day weekend in Centennial Park, draws pitmasters from across North America, with names like Hawgs Gone Wild BBQ and Bad Wolf BBQ. They compete on “Ribbers Row,” where visitors sample the selections at barbecue booths and vote for their favorites in several categories. Live bands, fireworks, a haunted house, and other family-oriented attractions help draw crowds. “In a city like Toronto, you’re competing with so many events that you have to stand out,” cochair Justin Di Ciano says. This year’s festival will run from 29 June to 2 July.

Money raised in 2011: US$230,000
Plates of barbecue consumed: 210,000
Years running: 12 


Charities include: PolioPlus, Water and Sanitation Rotarian Action Group Sponsor: Rotary Club of Etobicoke, Ont., Canada 


Secret ingredient: Consultants. Aiming to reinvent the festival in 2011, the club brought in pros to outline a three-year growth strategy with a $500,000 annual earnings goal. “Rotary is a volunteer organization, so putting on a rib fest of this size is a huge logistical challenge,” Di Ciano says. “As business owners, we know a little, but we didn’t want to learn lessons the hard way.” 



Larry Smith’s barbecue rub


1 part brown sugar
1 part garlic powder
1 part kosher salt
1 part paprika


Sprinkling of poultry seasoning
Sprinkling of chili powder (adobo, arbol, or chipotle)

Rub on ribs and grill over a combination of hickory, almond, and maple woods.
Larry Smith, a member of the BBQ Nerds team, helped launch the Best Dam Barbecue Challenge. The competition is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Boulder City, Nev., USA, over Memorial Day weekend and offers a $10,000 prize.

Audacious Beer and Cheese Celebration

“Everybody likes beer. But what’s going to draw people and keep them coming back is the experience,” says Tony Griffin, chair of this weekend festival honoring two of Wisconsin’s most popular exports. The event revolves around more than 100 international craft beers, and selections from a dozen artisan cheese makers. The evening before, intimate tastings pair brewers and cheese makers for guided degustation and discussion. Festival founder Mike Brown, a self-proclaimed craft beer “festvangelist,” uses social media and beer-focused websites to promote the event. But he had little experience before he created its online presence, he says. “Just dive in and go for it. You can teach yourself.”

Money raised in 2011: US$13,000
Beer consumed: 300 gallons
Cheese consumed: 240 pounds 


Years running: 6 


Charities include: PolioPlus, Lake Country area food pantries 


Sponsor: Rotary Club of Lake Country-Hartland, Wis., USA 


Secret ingredient: Intense networking. Brown spends months before the festival ingratiating himself with cheese makers and brewers. “I’ve shown up to breweries with cheese in hand, and I’ve shown up to cheese places with beers in hand. You begin to forge relationships before asking if they’ll participate.”

Pancakes on the Plaza

Every Fourth of July, Santa Fe Rotarians team up with the local newspaper to throw an all-day party on the city’s historic square. Five hours of pancake flipping – with the equivalent of 60 8-gallon buckets of batter, cooked over 30 griddles – kicks things off. The rest of the day is packed with music and entertainment, an arts and crafts show, a silent auction, and an antique car show. The event boasts more than 30 sponsors, who are motivated to sign on by the longstanding track record of high attendance, says event cochair Terry Williams-Keffer, known as Queen of the Pancakes.

Money raised in 2011: US$50,000
Pancakes consumed: 20,000
Years running: 37 


Charities include: St. Vincent Hospital Foundation, New Mexico Suicide Intervention Project 
Sponsor: Rotary Club of Santa Fe, N.M., USA 


Secret ingredient: Tradition. Held annually on Independence Day for decades, the event has retained its prominence on Santa Fe’s social calendar, for both volunteers and visitors. But the club works to keep things fresh with menu options such as vegetarian sausage.

Rotary International News – 23 April 2012

Ten U.S. Rotarians were honored by the White House on 20 April as Champions of Change for their exemplary humanitarian work locally and internationally.  

At the daylong event, more than 160 Rotarians attended a morning round of briefings by U.S. government officials on topics including maternal and child health, disease prevention, economic development, youth and education, water and sanitation, and peace building.  

RI President Kalyan Banerjee, addressing the session, said the 10 honorees clearly demonstrate a problem-solving spirit. 

“Each of them identified a problem—whether it was water-borne disease or poverty or hunger or polio — and they did something about it. But they did it in a way that works,” said Banerjee. “They worked closely with the community to ensure that the solutions they proposed were better than what was there before in all ways — solutions that were workable, preferable, and — and this is a key point — sustainable.” 

Champions of Change

The ten Rotarians honored as Champions of Change included:

• Terrence Allen, a member of the Rotary Club of Lakeshore (Baroda-Stevensville-Bridgman), Michigan. Allen volunteers at the Children’s Safe Water Project, which provides clean water to thousands of families in the Dominican Republic.
• Jim Fulgham, a member of the Rotary Club of Arlington, Texas. Fulgham partnered with local colleges and universities to raise US$1 million to provide scholarships to sixth grade students from disadvantage families who finish high school and enroll into college.
• Noelle Galperin, a member of the Rotary Club of Coral Gables, Florida. Galperin initiated her club’s Haiti recovery efforts in the aftermath of the devastating 2010 earthquake. She also helped raise more than $325,000 for polio eradication.
• Anil Garg, a member of the Rotary Club of Simi Valley, California. Garg has led multiple National Immunization Days in India and is a strong advocate for adult literacy.
• Richard J. Kemme, a member of the Rotary Club of Greeley, Colorado. Kemme uses his background in orthopedic surgery to train surgeons in Malawi.
• David Kester, a member of the Rotary Club of Anchorage, Alaska. Kester and his club have been instrumental in the success of the Mobile Food Pantry of Anchorage, which has provided more than three million pounds of produce, dairy products and other perishable foods to thousands of Alaskan families.
• Henry Lowentritt, a member of the Rotary Club of New Orleans, Louisiana. Lowentritt led efforts to renovate and reopen historic Warren Easton High School after it was nearly destroyed by the flooding that followed Hurricane Katrina.
• Carolyn Crowley Meub, a member of the Rotary Club of Rutland, Vermont. Meub heads Pure Water for the World, an international charity that has brought clean water and sanitation to thousands of families in Honduras and Haiti.
• Fary Moini, a member of the Rotary Club of La Jolla Golden Triangle, California. Moini has led her club in a series of successful projects to increase educational opportunities for girls and young women and enhance the training of health care professionals in Jalalabad, Afghanistan.
• Fred Thompson, a member of the Rotary Club Innsbrook (Richmond), Virginia. Thompson led his club in the expansion of the Coal Pit Learning Center, which provides enriched pre-schooling opportunities to children from low-income families.

“Every one of our champions of change can offer the kind of fundamental knowledge and understanding of their communities that informs innovative solutions designed to work on every level,” said Banerjee. “They will serve as inspiration to all of us.” 

Following Rotary’s model

During the event Rajive Shah, administrator of USAID, the government’s primary foreign assistance agency, said a new campaign to improve maternal and child health will follow the Rotary model of eradicating polio.  

“What I am proud to announce to you is that we are going to model ourselves on your example,” said Shah.

Shah said USAID plans to “reach every kid on the planet” and their mothers with a five–pronged preventive health package of bed nets to prevent malaria, routine vaccinations, nutrient-enhanced food, anti-retroviral drugs for HIV-positive mothers, and a simple breathing device to prevent birth asphyxia (death due to decreased oxygen). The initiative will launch June 14. 

Watch a recording of the Rotary Day at the White House, part one and part two. Read more about the honorees on the Champions of Change blog.

Last month we talked about how simple it was to use RotaryYP.org.  We referred to it as a tool that fulfills the vision of Paul Harris in promoting Rotarians doing business with other Rotarians.  Seriously, I wish we could take credit for that but we can’t.  It’s a vision that is 107 years old and one of the founding pillars in Rotary called Vocational Service.

As Rotary Clubs have grown both in size and number it isn’t always easy to locate a Rotarian of a specific vocation or trade.  When you’re looking for that specific butcher, baker, or candlestick maker you want a fast solution.  Looking through several club directories takes much longer than the few seconds in which RotaryYP can get the job done.  Therefore, the primary benefit of RotaryYP is to identify you quickly as a service provider of credible integrity; one who stands by the “Four Way Test.” 

There is a Bonus.  RotaryYP not only identifies you to fellow Rotarians; but the system can be used by anyone that has access to the Internet.  You heard it right… anyone who trusts doing business with a Rotarian can identify you as a trusted service provider.  So summing it up, RotaryYP is a service that only registers Rotarians but tells anyone who asks who you are and what you do.  We call this the “Basic Service” plan and it costs you nothing.  All you need to do is register here for Free!   www.rotaryyp.org

RotaryYP offer a “Premium Service” plan that comes with an annual fee of $100.00.  With the Premium Service plan in addition to linking to your company website, you also receive a mini webpage.  This is great even if you do have a website because it lets you talk about who you are and what you do quickly to someone that has just asked; Rotarian or not. 

Because of the way search engines like Google work, your mini webpage might just come up on a Google, MSN, or Yahoo search.  Once you are found it is the pleasure of RotaryYP to introduce you to your potential client with an introductory coupon.

The rest is up to you!  Yes, non-Rotarians can redeem them with you too!

The best is yet to come in phase three of the project.  Once we have sufficient capital reserves, the plan is to launch a RotaryYP Public Image Campaign that drives the general public to RotaryYP with the message… 

“Have you done business with a trusted Rotarian lately?” 

Stay tuned…  Next month we will talk about the great Humanitarian impact RotaryYP can have on our high school dropout students.

We can start out with an exciting Charter Night Celebration last week on the 27^th of April; where we gathered in Monterey to officially welcome the 32 members and The Rotary Club of Monterey Cannery Row into the District 5230 family of Rotary.  The Clement Hotel was the perfect setting in old Cannery Row for this event.  This is the home of this Sunrise Club that meets every Thursday morning at 7 a.m.  Congratulations to Charter President Yavuz Atila for pulling this club together.  Also, congratulations to all of the Charter Members who made this possible.

If that wasn’t exciting enough….  We also want to welcome The Rotary Club of Fresno Sunset to our Rotary Family.  Congratulations to Charter President Jaime Martinez for working so hard to bring this new club together with 30 members.  For short we may call this club the Happy Hour Club because they meet Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. at the Elbow Room in Fig Garden Village in Fresno.  The Charter Night Celebration will be held next week May 7^th at the Elbow Room.  Celebrating with them will be the GSE Team from Australia.  I hear the Australians really know how to party, so why not come out and join in all the fun!

Membership has taken a Big Hit this year UPWARD!  For the first time in several years we are ending our Rotary Year with more members than we started. As we go to press it sits at a net increase of 81 members.  This is something to celebrate and celebrate we will at the District Conference at Tachi Palace in Lemoore.

We have an exciting schedule of events for you at this years conference.  Hats off to the Rotary Club of Lemoore who are our conference hosts.  If you have ever been curious about how Rotary functions in other countries, PDG Gayle Knepper, who is our Rotary International President’s personal representative will share her worldly Rotary experience with you.  PDG Gayle has been on the developing edge of Rotary in Russia.  You won’t want to miss her breakout session.  Have you ever wondered how man’s best friend is trained to assist?  You won’t want to miss the Rotary Club of Woodlake’s special humanitarian project, Assistant K-9’s.  See firsthand video of our club members in far off lands as they “Change the World”.  Test your knowledge of Rotary as you play Rotary Jeopardy.  You won’t want to miss the 2012 District Conference.  Treat yourself to a pampering session in the Spa and emerge feeling like a new person.  Test your luck on…. you know what!….  with your free $10.00 Palace Cash card!  You really don’t want to miss the 2012 District Conference May 18, 19, 20.  

This will be a CELLEBRATION 4-U!!!

Violin music wafts through the hallways at Walter Colton Middle School. Kindergartners at Monte Vista School are learning how plants grow. A couple of classes at Foothill Elementary School got away from their desks for a while to attend a science camp in Yosemite National Park.

Years from now, after they have settled into their adult lives, today’s schoolchildren are likely to remember those things more than any pop quiz they took, or essay they wrote, or multiplication table they once mastered. That is the theory of Greg Migdale, a teacher’s son who three years ago created a project to help budget-strapped schools make a few dreams come true and hopefully inspire children to fall in love with education.

Project Helping Hand is an initiative of the Monterey Peninsula Sunrise Rotary Club, with a mission to create cash grants for Monterey Peninsula Unified School District teachers who need help funding a good educational idea.

For the past three years, Migdale and his fellow Sunrise Rotarians have doled out more than $20,000 in grants to MPUSD schools to pay for such things as books, a microscope, a dance program, an accelerated reader program, art supplies, athletic equipment and field trips.

“Most of us, in the back of our heads, remember a teacher who made a difference in our lives way back when, and helped set our life paths by planting the seed for this idea or that one. My mom was one of those teachers,” said Migdale, whose mother, Lorraine Gerstl, taught third-graders at Santa Catalina School.

 ”I actually taught English for a year in Cambodia right after college and it occurred to me then, about 20 years ago, what an amazing difference a little bit of money could make in education,” he said.

The key, he decided, was to put the money directly into the hands of a teacher with a great idea that needed funding.

“My thought was that you could make a big difference and inspire a lot of children if you could put the money in the right place. The question, of course, was where is the right place?” he said. “The teachers, themselves, are best equipped to tell us where that place is. They know exactly where they need the money.”

Migdale, a real estate appraiser, teamed with former Bayview Elementary School Principal Jone Amador and MPUSD board member Elizabeth Panetta to design the program, then joined Sunrise Rotary to pitch his concept and bring it to fruition.

Rotarians loved the idea and the simplicity of the process.

“Essentially, it’s ‘Ask me for the money and make sure your principal is in the loop and approves this as a legitimate request,’” Migdale said. “I’ll take the request to our committee, which will evaluate the application and decide whether it’s a good fit for the program. If it is, we write the check — simple as that.”

Applicants must agree to total financial transparency, justifying every dollar in their request, using the grant entirely and exclusively for its expressed purpose and providing Sunrise Rotary with receipts for all expenditures.

The vast majority of applications have been approved.

Any public school in the Monterey district is eligible. Any idea will be considered.

Jim Paoletti, instrumental music teacher at Walter Colton, applied for a grant to replace the 10- to 15-year-old strings on eight violins and one viola. Project Helping Hand covered the full cost — $489.50 — and the result is a thriving program at the school.

“When a violin has good, quality strings, it plays easier, it feels good and it has a warmer tone,” Paoletti said. “When our students played those instruments for the first time, their faces just lit up. It’s like sliding behind the wheel of a Porsche after you’ve been driving a beat-up old car for years. There’s no comparison.”

Kindergarten students at Bay View Academy are eagerly awaiting delivery of a calendar rug (cost: $300) that will help them learn math and days of the week. Project Helping Hand also has funded CDs ($261.80) to help students read and computer upgrades ($483.06) for third-graders.

“We’re a start-up school, in our first year, so this is an opportunity for our teachers to fill a few holes that aren’t in the regular budget,” said John Favero, principal of the charter school. “Some of these supplemental things can allow you to provide a different shade of instruction and create opportunities that may not have been otherwise available to our students.”

Migdale’s grand vision is for his idea to catch on with other Rotary Clubs in California and the United States.

“Money doesn’t make students smarter, but money can open your mind to education,” he said. “When I’m 80, and today’s 10- or 12-year-olds are all grown up and controlling the world, I really hope those people who are in charge of my life are well-educated. I want them to make good decisions on my behalf when I’m too old to make them for myself. It’s important to live in a community filled with educated, knowledgeable, excited people.”

Project Helping Hand is a program created by the Monterey Peninsula Sunrise Rotary Club to fund specific educational needs for MPUSD public schools.  Donations and grants from individuals and organizations are welcome   Visit the Project Helping Hand website at www.projecthelpinghandrotary.org , or contact project chairman Greg Migdale at 645-4744 or greg@montereycypressappraisal.com.

Bendigo Advisor by: REYMER MARTIN

The similarities between Bendigo and California are few and far between when it comes to viticulture and water, as a group of visitors from the sunny US State found out this week.  The four Californians toured Bendigo as part of a month-long Rotary Group Study Exchange.

While in Bendigo the visitors, who all work in the viticulture and water industries of California, were hosted by Rotary Club of Bendigo Strathdale members.  Upon their arrival on Tuesday they were welcomed by Bendigo Mayor Alec Sandner before attending Bendigo Strathdale’s weekly Rotary meeting.  The week was then filled with visits to local wineries and water programs as part of the group’s aim to study Australian viticulture and water management.

Among the visiting group was fourth generation farmer George Meyer, who has 3500 acres of cotton, wheat, pomegranates and corn, and a winery which he opened in 2009. The 31-year-old said visiting the local wineries was “very helpful” but the differences had often surprised him. “It’s been interesting what the market is like over here, the popular varieties are very different to the ones in California,” Mr. Meyer said. “A big wine in California is Zinfandel which is a red variety… here you grow a lot of shiraz.”  Mr. Meyer was also surprised that cellar doors featured restaurants and that Australian consumers preferred 100 per cent varieties.

“In California, everything is a blend; it will be 20 per cent this and that but we’ve gone to tasting rooms here and everything is a 100 per cent.”  Mr. Meyer said the trip would benefit his business endeavor’s at home where he was in the midst of building a tasting room and cellar door at his winery.  He added that his fellow group members Christopher Canepa, Sara Moncrief, Aubrey Bettencroft and team leader Wayne Kuhn had enjoyed getting to know their host Rotarian families.

Bendigo Strathdale Rotary Club publicity officer Lynne Cooper said hosting the group allowed locals to learn about how the same industries were run overseas.  “It helps us improve our international relations,” she said.  The Americans were two weeks into their trip and from Bendigo were heading to Melbourne.

The group study exchange is a unique cultural and vocational experience provided by the Rotary Foundation to business professionals aged between 25 and 40.  Later in the year, four Australians will travel to California as part of the exchange program.

As the number of these community spirited groups came together for this common purpose, Rotary Clubs have grown both in number and size.  With larger membership it became increasingly difficult to identify Rotarians with whom to do business.  Over the years there have been several schemes attempted to improve this situation with little success.

The solution to facilitate Rotarians who want to do Business with other Rotarians has been simplified by the development of technology and the availability of the Internet to put this technology at most everyone’s finger tips.

Seated at your computer there are four simple steps to find a Rotarian with whom to do business:

1.        Logon to www.rotaryyp.org

2.        Enter where you want the service to be performed in the Zip Code Box

3.        Enter the service you’re looking for in the Service Box

4.        Press the GO button.

The first mission of Rotary YP is to provide a business connection for Rotarians who want to do business with other Rotarians.

BUT wait… there’s more to this story!  As RotaryYP approaches its target advertisement volume, we find there are sufficient funds to do some wonderful humanitarian work in the area of Vocational Service.  Several clubs have asked us to put a program in place that would keep 11^th and 12^th grade students in school and when they graduate make sure they consider applying for a “Vocational Scholarship” so they can learn a skill that will allow them to earn a living to support themselves and their family.  What a Humanitarian thought this is!

Guess what… we are doing just that.  District leadership is in the process of developing a foundation that will operate RotaryYP and be the conduit for Vocational Scholarships.  As time goes on you will be hearing more about this.  Because this will be a 501c(3)  not for profit corporation, RYP can also accept your tax deductible donations to further the work in helping these young people that otherwise are forgotten.

There are a lot of really great reasons to become involved in RotaryYP and we will cover more of them in the next issue.

Here it is April already and as I’m greeted, it isn’t uncommon for two questions to roll off of everyone’s lips… “Are you counting the days?”  Frankly, YES, but not for the reasons you might think.  I look at the many items to complete and then look at the calendar.  Barbara tells me don’t worry; it will all work out with God’s help!  I have to tell you this has been an exceptional year for us all.  Personally, I don’t think I have ever done anything that comes as close to seeing the many ways our members are “Changing the World” and that’s not simply changing for the sake of change, but real life-changing improvements.  As I look at the faces of the beneficiaries of your efforts in the Videos and PowerPoints being readied for the District Conference, there is no question; you can declare your job well done. 

The second question is even more revealing; “Would you do it again?”  I must say this office of Governor is a once in a life-time experience and opportunity.  True there have been Governors that have stepped up to fill positions, but I don’t believe I have ever heard of a Governor being elected a second time.  You might think I’m evading the question so here is the direct answer, YES, but I would like to have a year off in-between.

We are turning the corner on membership, thanks to your very hard work and dedication.  I am so PROUD of you!  It looks like we will end this Rotary Year with a gain in membership somewhere between 85 and 100.  Part of this number is the chartering of two new clubs with 27 in one and 32 members in the other.  Congratulations and WELCOME to the Rotary Club of Monterey Cannery Row and the Rotary Club of Fresno Northwest.  You have also gained 30 new members across all existing clubs in the district.  AWESOME!!!

It’s that special time of the year when we think about our club awards.  It’s truly going to be hard to pick the best from the best.  Your club president has received the awards package so you might want to ask him or her if there is anything you can do to help your club receive the notoriety it deserves.  Remember all awards will be presented at the District Conference in Lemoore and you will definitely want to be on board to support your club.  We need to celebrate!  And celebrate we will at the Tachi Palace – Lemoore, May 18, 19, 20.  If you haven’t heard yet, we’re having one heck of a shin-dig and you are the guest of honor. 

I’m looking for that very special person in our district to be honored as “Rotarian of the Year”.  Many think this person needs to be a club or district leader.  They can be, but don’t need to be.  I’m looking for that special person you feel is worthy of this high honor.  It might not be that easy to find this special someone because in true Rotary style (“Service Above Self”),  they won’t be calling attention to themselves.  Open your mind and your heart and you will see… that special person it needs to be!  Just drop me a message telling me who and why or give the information to your club president.

The RI Bylaws require all club members to subscribe to The Rotarian or a Rotary regional magazine. Rotary leaders, district governors, and club presidents are encouraged to support magazine editors in their country or region by submitting story ideas, promoting readership, encouraging timely subscription payments, and assisting with other communication efforts.

The Rotary World Magazine Press consists of 32 magazines from Africa, the Americas, Asia, Australia, and Europe that inform, inspire, and entertain in 23 languages. In addition to The Rotarian, Rotary’s English-language flagship publication, it offers magazines such as Vida Rotaria (Argentina), Rotary in Bulgaria, and The Rotary-no-Tomo (Japan).

 The second issue of “The National Rotarian” appeared in July 1911.  It contained a “Presidents Corner,” news from the clubs and more than 20 advertisements.  Soon after, the magazine started its monthly publication schedule.  By action of the R.I. Convention in 1922, the official name was changed to “The Rotarian”. In February of 1955, the magazine published its 1,000,000th issue.  

“One of the most powerful influences in the civilization of this day is the press, and yet many American journals whose tremendous circulations constitute indubitable proof of their influence and power, wield such influence and with about the same degree of tender regard to principle and truth as would a bar room full of drunken sailors.  It is to be hoped that The National Rotarian may possess an influence and the power to spread the principles of Rotary throughout the land and that its publishers may never become unmindful of the fact that the acquisition of influence and power means the assumption of great responsibility.” …Paul Harris  (researched by Wolfgang Ziegler)

The primary purpose of The National Rotarian is to provide a means for the exchange of ideas between Rotarians throughout the world, not to give the national officers an opportunity to express their views.  These messages are not written merely to fill space; nevertheless we look forward to the day when they will be literally crowded out by surging mobs of virile Rotarian ideas struggling to be heard.  (Paul Harris, in The Rotarian, January 1912)

Each issue of The Rotarian contains feature articles, columns, and departments about, or of interest to, Rotarians worldwide.  Seventeen Nobel Prize winners and 19 Pulitzer Prize winners – from Mahatma Ghandi to Kurt Vonnegut Jr. – have written for the magazine.

Following the action taken by the Council on Legislation April 29, 2010 in Chicago, Rotarians in the United States and Canada now have the choice between receiving a print or an electronic copy through the internet of The Rotarian magazine.  But don’t look for the print version to vanish anytime soon.   According to RI Director José Alfredo Sepúlveda, supporting print magazines is essential to Rotary’s communications strategy.