Bill Kmiecik Selected to be 2022-23 District Governor Nominee Designate
Posted by Julie Clark on Sep 10, 2019
The District 6440 Nominating Committee held its interviews for District Governor to serve in the year 2022-23 and selected Bill Kmiecik from the Rotary Club of Arlington Heights.
 
Bill has served the Rotary Club of Arlington Heights as president, vice president, treasurer and community service chair.  He currently serves on the club’s Foundation and Membership Committees as well as being on the Fun and Frolic Team.  In addition to his club activities, Bill has been an Assistant Governor and the District Annual Fund Chair for the past three years, a member of the District Visioning Team and he recently joined the District Finance and Foundation Committees. 
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District 6440 News
Jack B. Blane Gift for PolioPlus
Posted by Suzanne Gibson on Nov 03, 2019

Barbara Blane Toney, daughter of beloved Rotarian Jack Blane has announced The Jack B. Blane Gift for PolioPlus—a $500,000 donation to the PolioPlus Fund. The first $100,000 has been released to the Rotary Club of Wheeling and the club will receive full credit for the donation.  The funds will be matched 2:1 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for a total of $1.5 Million dollars!  The gift was announced to the International PolioPlus Committee on World Polio Day at Rotary International. Family members attending the surprise announcement  at the regular meeting of the Rotary Club of Wheeling were John Blane, Jack's son, and Tony Guerra, Jack's son-in-law.  Also attending the ceremony were Wheeling Club President Bruce Piepenbrink. District Governor Suzanne Gibson and Harvey Newcomb III, Director of Principal Gifts, TRF.

We are indebted to the Blane family for their continued dedication to the eradication of Polio--a cause so very dear to the heart of Jack Blane. It is the family's hope that District Rotarians will be inspired by Jack's generosity and give freely to the PolioPlus Fund.

Cary Grove Rotary Club Promotes End Polio Effort 
Posted by Karen Hutchings on Nov 03, 2019
Rotary International celebrated its second annual World Polio Day event on October 24th. Through the generosity of Rotary Club of Cary Grove member Dave Miller and Bernie of Liberty Outdoor Advertising, the club arranged for the installation of an outdoor sign at the entrance of Lake Julian Trout Farm. The sign is located at Route 14 and Jandus Road, is visible to traffic headed in both directions, and will bring public awareness to the End Polio Now campaign. Good work Cary Grove Rotarians!
Ride to End Polio in Evanston, Barrington and Naperville
Posted on Oct 18, 2019

WHEN: Sunday, November 17, 2019

WHAT and WHY: The Indoor Ride To End Polio* is a fun cycling event where riders do an indoor bike ride for 30 to 60 minutes in order to raise donations for polio eradication. Each rider donates and/or solicits donations for PolioPlus (usually $1 per minute). 

All funds raised are matched 2 to 1 by the Gates Foundation in support of Rotary’s global efforts to eradicate polio.

WHERE: 3 different locations (Evanston, Naperville & Barrington); See details below. Riders can bike up to 60 minutes.

EVANSTON
McGaw  YMCA
1000 Grove Street
Evanston, IL 60201
Registration: Evanston-ride.eventbrite.com           
NAPERVILLE
LA Fitness
1836 Freedom Drive
Naperville, IL 60563
BARRINGTON
Good Shepherd Fitness
1301 S. Barrington Rd
Barrington, IL 60010
Registration: Barringtonbreakfastrotary.org
 
Youth Conference Registration Open!

When you're committed to serving others, you can Connect The World.  A Holocaust survivor who received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor - and is also a hologram.  An expert in international mediation and conflict resolution.  A first-generation Egyptian American working to assist displaced Somalis.  An international social entrepreneur.  A corrosion engineer.  Rotary is their common thread and a catalyst for their passion to make the world a better place.  They're the speakers for the third District 6440 Youth Assembly on November 23rd.  

Join us at Forest View Education Center in Arlington Heights, for a day of inspiration, networking, collaboration, and fun.  The registration fee is $20 per participant.  Click here for more detail and registration instructions.  
District 6440 Announces New Public Image Grant Program
 
Posted by Richard Brill on Sep 06, 2019
District 6440 is introducing a new Public Image Grant Program to spur new marketing materials and spread the great Rotary name and logo throughout our communities.  The Grant Program provides matching grants, up to $250 per club, for new brochures, road signs, banners, inflatable signs, logo wear, Facebook/newspaper/movie theater advertising, member recruiting materials, community fair signage and much more.  Grants help reimburse clubs for outward-facing materials reaching the general public.
 
This memo summarizes the program and provides links to make it happen.  Please remember that clubs should first check with their District Public Image Reviewer to make sure their project qualifies – and submit applications only between November 15, 2019 and March 1, 2020.  Feel free to contact your Reviewer anytime with questions.  And learn more at the Public Image Grant Program Breakout Session at District Fall Training, Saturday morning, Oct. 19th at Harper College in Palatine.
 
In sum, these new Rotary marketing materials can help your club gain positive visibility, recruit new members, strengthen your image and enhance community service projects. 
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RYLA Applications 
Posted by Sean Nelson on Sep 16, 2019

Do you know of any outstanding high school students who could benefit from developing their leadership skills?  If so, encourage them to apply for sponsorship by your Rotary Club for one of the Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) retreats in Fall 2019 (November 14-17) and Spring 2020 (March 12-15 and April 2-5).  

The program brochure and application packet can be found here.

RI President Mark Maloney visits our WASH in Schools (WinS) Program in Guatemala
Posted by Narayan Murarka on Oct 09, 2019
WASH in Schools (WinS) is a Rotary Foundation program.  The key feature of WinS is to leverage off from water and sanitation related efforts and connect them with health, hygiene and education.  Addressing health and hygiene training while developing water and sanitation projects may have a profound positive impact on the overall health of a community while benefiting education for boys and girls.
 
In February 2018, The Rotary Foundation (TRF) awarded $560,000 competitive challenge grant (PG17 90001) to our team of Club Rotario Guatemala Sur, Rotary Club of Antigua, Rotary District 4250 and Barrington Breakfast Rotary Club, Rotary District 6440 addressing Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, (WASH) in Schools (WinS).  The program is being implemented under the direction of PRID and TRF Trustee Jorge Aufranc and Narayan Murarka.
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RI President Mark Maloney visits our Sumpango Mechanical Cow Nutrition Center in Guatemala
 
Posted by Narayan Murarka on Oct 09, 2019
The mechanical cow is a machine which processes soybeans, water and steam to produce a slurry that can be separated into protein rich soymilk and a solid by-product called “okara.”  Guatemala has the highest malnutrition index of 54% in children younger than 5 years old. The malnutrition in children increases the risk of decreased cognitive development and slows down the overall growth. Guatemalan children are lactose intolerant and as such do not have access to milk and cannot digest cow’s milk.  A high protein content product such as soymilk is desired to help their growth at an early age.
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Hurricane Dorian Response Opportunities
Posted by Suzanne Gibson on Sep 04, 2019
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As Rotarians, we all horrified by the destruction caused by Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas. Naturally, we want to find ways to help those impacted.
 
There are many Rotary initiatives that you and your club can support. More will develop over the coming days. We will work to keep this story updated with all Rotary relevant information on where you can donate and others way to help.
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Good Neighbor Opportunity- Salvation Army Bell Ringing
Posted by Glenn Garlick on Aug 16, 2019
The Rotary District 6440 Community Service Committee is working to organize a large group of Rotarians to participate in the annual  Salvation Army Radiothon at Woodfield Mall on Friday December 6. If we can provide volunteers to ring the bells and work the donation kettles at each entrance to the mall from 10 am - 8pm, we will not only provide needed relief to many in-need families through the Salvation Army, we will also reap public image rewards and goodwill through the radiothon recognition and  large scale presence Rotary will have at the mall.  
 
We need many volunteers! Each of the mall's ten entrances needs 2 volunteers.  With ten one hour shifts, 100 Rotarian volunteers will completely meet the need. Will your club step up and send at least one team of two?
 
Please make your commitment today. Let us know the names and contact info for your volunteers, and which shift(s) they will work. Deadline for signing up is October 11.  Sign up today by clicking here!
Shekhar Mehta of India selected to be 2021-22 Rotary International President
Posted by Suzanne Gibson on Aug 07, 2019
Shekhar Mehta, of the Rotary Club of Calcutta-Mahanagar, West Bengal, India, is the selection of the Nominating Committee for President of Rotary International for 2021-22. He will be declared the president-nominee on 1 October if no challenging candidates have been suggested.
 
Mehta acknowledges that current membership trends are a challenge and says that membership development should be Rotary’s highest priority. He believes that focusing on regional plans, successfully transitioning Rotaractors into Rotary clubs, and increasing diversity and female members could yield a 5 percent net growth in membership each year.
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Holger Knaack selected to be 2020-21 Rotary International president

Holger Knaack, a member of the Rotary Club of Herzogtum Lauenburg-Mölln, Germany, has been selected to serve as president of Rotary International in 2020-21.

The Nominating Committee’s decision follows the resignation last month of President-nominee Sushil Gupta due to health reasons. Knaack will officially become president-nominee if no other candidates challenge him by 31 May.

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The Jack Blane Challenge
Posted by Julie Clark
PDG Jack Blane truly was passionate about helping Rotarians understand the power of working through The Rotary Foundation to benefit those in need.  When he passed away on February 19, 2018, he left behind a legacy of enormous financial support for TRF and many thousands of hours of work on behalf of PolioPlus.
 
Jack’s efforts as a Rotarian on behalf of ridding the world of polio took him to over 25 countries to work with clubs, districts and governments.  His first experience with this deadly disease had been as a youth at a Boy Scout camp where some friends became paralyzed from contracting polio and a few died.  At that time 1,000 young people a day were falling victim to polio worldwide.  In the past year, there were fewer than 35 cases of polio, and the virus remained endemic in only three countries. While the job is not done, we are truly “this close” in the “countdown to 0”.
 
Although Jack no longer is with us, his commitment to working through The Rotary Foundation is commemorated with this Jack Blane Challenge program to encourage club members throughout the district to become more supportive of TRF. 
 
The challenge is simple.  Any Rotarian who never has earned recognition as a Paul Harris Fellow can have his or her check for $500.00 that is made out to The Rotary Foundation matched with 500 points from Jack so that she or he receives the first Paul Harris Fellow pin.  If that Rotarian has made some prior contributions but has not yet reached the $1,000 level, then this new $500.00 plus Jack’s match will be the beginning of work towards the second level of PHF recognition.  Contributions can be for support of Annual Fund SHARE or of PolioPlus.
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    Website Advertising Now Available
    Posted by Richard (Rich) Lalley on Mar 21, 2017
    Did you know that the District 6440 website receives over 20,000 visits each year? Most from active Rotarians right here in our District.
     
    Your business or club can now advertise on the site. Ad can be purchased to run for 1 year or 3 months. Proceeds will benefit Operations of our District, including paying for our annual ClubRunner license.
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    New District 6440 Charitable Fund Now Available
    Posted by Gov. Rick Rivkin on Aug 08, 2016
    The Rotary District 6440 Charitable Fund Inc. has been established to accept donations to fund charitable and educational activities developed and sponsored by Rotary District 6440, the individual Rotary Clubs in Rotary District 6440, and The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International. These include community service projects and international service projects generally in the following areas of focus.
     
    •             Prevention and resolution of conflicts and the promotion of peace
    •             Prevention and treatment of disease
    •             Clean water and sanitation
    •             Maternal and child health
    •             Basic education and literacy
    •             Economic and community development