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  • Together, we are nearly 2000 community and business leaders and many more young adults located in Southeastern Pennsylvania.
  • Together, we are members of 46 Rotary Clubs, 3 Rotaract Clubs and 33 Interact Clubs in Berks, Bucks, Lehigh, Montgomery, and Northampton Counties.  
  • Together, we are People of Action and part of a global network of 1.2 million like-minded individuals.  
  • Together, we unite and take action to create lasting change across the globe, in our communities and in ourselves. 
  • Together, we focus on promoting peace, supporting the environment, fighting disease, providing clean water and sanitation, saving mothers and children, supporting education and growing local economies.  
  If you would like to know more, please feel free to use the Contact Us button.  We'd love you to join us!
 

        DG Bob Hobaugh, 2021-2022
Home Page Stories

Day of Service Across D7430
Posted on May 17, 2022
 
Rotarians from across District 7430 turned out to volunteer for the Rotary Day of Service – view our slideshow video for some highlights showing the variety of environmental projects that our 40+ clubs supported. We planted flowers and trees, built fences, cleaned parks and streams, and even cleaned along our highways. #D7430RotaryDay  #RotaryDay
 
Here's the link to our video commemorating our 2022 efforts by Club using the photos submitted to our Governor's Challenge!  https://bit.ly/D7430DayofService

District Governor Message – May 2022
Youth is the future of Rotary! In May we celebrate Youth Services, Rotary’s fifth Avenue of Service. Youth and young adults prove their strengths in leadership training, service projects, and exchange activities. These programs enrich and foster world peace and cultural understanding. District 7430 is committed to growing Interact and Rotaract Clubs, international youth exchange, the Four-Way Test Speech Contest, our Camp Neidig youth leadership program, and the STEM Youth Explorer Academy. We will also implement Launch Lehigh Valley for young entrepreneurs.
 
Our Project Showcase features students in the Northwestern Lehigh High School Interact Club and past exchange student Franka Hicksch. Interactors from Northwestern Lehigh tell us about their organic farming in New Tripoli. Franka shares that her year in District 7430 resulted in friends forever.
 
Our Showcase Tuesday features Sarah Stackhouse and Carolyne Jordan. Sarah is an author and Rotarian from Wisconsin. She tells us about how her journey through Rotary youth programs has opened her eyes to the world. Carolyne is the secretary of the District Youth Exchange Committee. She tells us about how our exchange program is going in-person after a year off and a year of virtual exchange.
 
Let’s reach our goals for this Rotary year! Here is a quarterly update:
 
 
ACTION PLAN PRIORITY                                                 GOAL SET IN 2021         MAY 2022 ACHIEVEMENT
 
PolioPlus                                                                                 $50,000                               $67,661
Annual Fund                                                                          $200,000                             $249,580
New Major Donors Acknowledged                                               3                                           6
Community Assessment Training                                                 1                                           1
Welcome to Rotary                                                                       4                                           4
Membership                                                                           1,757                                     1,737
Rotary Day of Service                                                                15                                           40
 
Thanks for making our District Conference a success! Congratulations on your Rotary Days of Service to support the environment! Let’s celebrate the 75th anniversary of the West Reading Wyomissing Rotary Club and the 100th anniversary of the Norristown Rotary Club. Please sponsor students for Camp Neidig to be held June 17-20. This is the season for Club fundraisers following a year of COVID. Let’s support them and have some fun now. I look forward to seeing you soon!
 
Bob Hobaugh, District Governor
                           

May Showcase - Youth Services!
Posted by Amy Sheller on May 08, 2022
Our Project Showcase features students in the Northwestern Lehigh High School Interact Club and past exchange student Franka Hicksch. Interactors from Northwestern Lehigh tell us about their organic farming in New Tripoli. Franka shares that her year in District 7430 resulted in friends forever.
 

Connect to the May Theme - Youth Service
Posted by Marlene Heller on Apr 19, 2022
In May we focus on youth, and your club should find it easy to incorporate the theme into your activities and projects. Let’s look at some ideas you can use as a jumping off place to plan your month.
Is your club associated with an Interact Club? This would be a great time to find out what’s going on with them. Maybe have a Zoom meeting with them before classes start, if you are a morning group, or treat them to lunch on school grounds, or invite them to dinner if you are an evening club. They can report to you on what they’ve been up to, or you can plan together to do a project over the summer months. When was the last time you worked together on a project for the good of the community?
 
Who’s planting a community garden this summer? This is a great time to recruit people to work in that garden, and middle school and high school kids are great workers! They have the energy and the flexibility to get there and expend energy sowing seeds and pulling weeds. If you live near a food desert, growing community gardens is a great way to get fresh vegetables into homes that might otherwise not have much of a selection. And it gives teens a safe place to be occupied over the summer months.
 
What’s going on in your local boys’ and girls’ clubs? Does your Y have an interesting program to tell you about? What about the local JCC? Look for speakers at churches and synagogues as well. They may all be doing something of interest that you can partner with. Ask your members if they know of unique or interesting programs that might be of value to your club members.
 
Does your club have mentors to offer to students in high school? This was a suggestion for Vocational Service month, being turned around for this month. High school kids are thinking about college and wondering what they should major in, and what schools to go to. Offering to have them shadow working members at their jobs, and discussing alma maters can help young adults with their future choices. Ask members to sign up as a vocational mentor and circulate the list at your local high school, or through the Interact Club.

Rotary Day of Service; A Focus on the Environment
Posted by Terry Reed on Jan 09, 2022
Get ready, Rotarians! Your club is invited to join in on a special “Rotary Day of Service.” 
 
On April 30, Rotary Clubs, Interact Clubs and Rotaract Clubs throughout the District will be serving their communities to support Rotary’s seventh and newest Area of Focus – Protecting the Environment. Think of ways your Club can join in the fun and do an environmental project on that day. Wouldn't it be great to have all 46 Rotary Clubs join with Rotaractors and Interactors working on individual environmental projects on the same day?
 
You might consider partnering with environmental organizations, conservancies, watershed groups, schools, Interact and Rotaract clubs, youth groups, municipalities, or another Rotary Club. The Rotary Day of Service guidelines require us to work together.
 
While the service project should be focused on the environment, we also view this day as a wonderful opportunity to boost your club’s membership. Invite non-Rotarians to join in the fun. The Rotary Day of Service guidelines require us to invite 25 percent of each project team from outside Rotary.
 
The Environmental Sustainability Team just unveiled its own webpages on this site.  Check out these pages for ideas on how to get started and how to get your Club members excited about performing a meaningful project in your community that will have positive environmental benefits.
 

Four Way Test Speech Contest ... and the Winners ARE
Posted by Al Engel on Apr 20, 2022
Once again a group of high school students dazzled an assembly of Rotarians with their critical thinking and public speaking skills at the annual District final Four-Way Test Speech Contest finals on April 9th. Twenty-five Rotary Clubs throughout the District worked with their local high schools to conduct club contests during February and March. Understanding, appreciating, and expressing the true meaning of the Four-Way Test is the most important aspect of each speech. Students are asked to choose their own topic, and they ranged from the need to include philosophy in the public school high school curriculum to the damaging effects of social media on our youth. This year the final was held at the District Assembly and the champion will go on to Hershey to the Tri-District Conference (7430, 7450 [Philadelphia], 7475 [New Jersey]) and present the winning speech along with the champions from the other two Districts.

District 7430 is divided into five regions with eight to ten clubs in each region. The regional contests were held on April 2, 2022 simultaneously in five different locations. While last year we went to a virtual format for all contests, it was great to be back to in-person contests this year.  

This year's winners were:
  • 1st          East     Jack Geld – Willow Grove
  • 2nd         West    Emily Wessner – Fleetwood
  • 3rd          North   Mackenzie Laub – Whitehall
  • 4th          South   Sarah Grosch – North Penn
  • 5th          Central Aditi Mangal – Spring Ford
Pictured to the left is winner Jack Geld, who is invited to present his speech at our Tri District Conference in Hershey on April 23.  Jack was also honored by WIllow Grove Rotary earlier this school year as one of the recipients of its student of the month awards.
 
The Four-Way Test Speech contest promotes critical thinking and ethical decision-making among high school students. It provides a forum for high school students to showcase issues that they care about. The contest encourages scholarship and academic research and it allows high school students to practice their public speaking skills. Many times, the students’ thoughtful speeches unravel the complexities of Four-Way Tests in new and innovative ways. If your club hasn’t held a contest yet, you are encouraged to give it a try. There are 69 school districts in the five-county Rotary District 7430 area, so there is plenty of opportunity for 46 clubs.
 
For more photos and details click Read More
 

District Training at DeSales
Posted by Len Gieseler
The District training assembly was held on April 9th at DeSales University with 66 Rotarians in attendance.  It was certainly a great experience to get back together in person after two long years. 
 
Our keynote speaker Past Rotary International Director Jeffry Cadorette opened the assembly with his inspiring words and enthusiasm. He spoke on a range of topics with the underlying theme that engagement in our club, district, and community is the key to growing and sustaining Rotary. 
 
The day was filled with breakout sessions on Membership, Public Image, Strategic and Succession Planning, and Club Secretary and Treasurer training.  
 
District Governor-Elect Len Gieseler held the last President-Elect training session where he laid out his action plan and goals for the upcoming Rotary year. The 2022-2023 budget was also approved at this meeting. Len also had a session with all Assistant Governors and committee chairs.
 
The assembly was capped off with the finals of the 4-Way Speech Contest. There were five finalists from around the district. For the full recap on the contest, please read the 4-way test speech article by Al Engle.
 
In the DKT business meeting we approved the prospective budget AND the 6-30-21 year-end financials for the District and District 7430 Foundation.
 
At the end of the day, it was great to see everyone from around the district, catching up and enjoying true Rotary Fellowship. Thank you to our breakout facilitators, committee chairs who spoke and everyone who attended. A special thank you to our district trainer, Cindy Hornaman, for helping Len Gieseler to prepare and facilitate the assembly. Just IMAGINE the great things our district will accomplish next year. 
 
Len Gieseler, District Governor Elect. 2022-2023

June 2022 Rotary International Conference, Houston, TX
2022 Rotary International Convention:  June 4 - 8

Registration is now open for the 2022 Rotary International Convention in Houston, Texas. Join us next year to explore what’s possible in Rotary, in Houston, and in yourself.  

Whether you’re new to Rotary or a longtime member, it will be an unforgettable experience. Learn more at convention.rotary.org/houston. 

 

Register and pay by 16 June to take advantage of the promotional rate of $425. Don’t miss your chance to Discover New Horizons at the 2022 Rotary International Convention!