February is Peace and Conflict Resolution Month. The month of February is very special in the Rotary calendar because it includes the anniversary of the first meeting of Rotary held on February 23,1905, now designated as the World Understanding and Peace Day. Of the 60 million people displaced by armed conflict or persecution, 90% are civilians. Half of those civilians are children. That’s millions of reasons why Rotary is so engaged in service projects, fellowships, and other Rotary-sponsored campaigns in pursuit of peace in our world.
How Rotary makes help happen. We train adults and young leaders to prevent and mediate conflict. We aid refugees who have fled dangerous areas. Rotarians also address the underlying structural causes of conflict by relieving millions of people suffering from poverty, inequality, ethnic tensions, lack of access to education and unequal distribution of resources.
In yet another program to achieve worldwide peace, up to 100 Rotary Peace Fellows are selected to attend Rotary Peace Centers to participate in master’s degree programs at one of the partner universities. Rotary Peace Fellows study subjects related to the root causes of conflict and explore innovative solutions that address real-world needs. More than 1,000 peace fellowship alumni are working in over 100 countries. For more information visit https://my.rotary.org/en/take-action/empower-leaders/support-peace-centers.
Please welcome our next District Governor for 2025-2026, Mary Cook of the Collegeville Club. DGND Mary’s bio and picture are included in the newsletter. Congratulations to Mary!
February continues to be a busy month throughout the District. President Elects are attending Pre-Pets II in preparation for the Mid Atlantic President Elect Training program at the end of February.
On the District calendar we have our next public image forum zoom February 27.
Cocktails with the DG!(CDG). Our next event is scheduled in Area 6 with the Upper Perkiomen club taking the lead. We will be meeting on February 21 at Pizza Como/PC Pub in Pennsburg from 6-8 p.m. I encourage any Rotarians that can to stop by and enjoy some fun and fellowship with new friends.
Is your club thinking about doing a service project next year? Now is the time to get your grant request into the grants committee. Deadline is March 15. For more information, please follow the link to the Grants page on our website. Grants of The Rotary Foundation | District 7430 (rotarydistrict7430.org)
The District Conference, Casino Royal is just 93 days away. It still sounds like a long way off but now is the time to get in on your calendars and register for this truly fun and rewarding Rotary event. If you have never been to a conference, this is the one to get you started. More information is located in the newsletter and on the website.
Continue IMAGINing and promoting Rotary in your communities through your service projects and remember to have FUN!
District 7430 is proud to introduce Mary Cook, past president of the Collegeville Rotary Club and now future District Governor for 2023-2026.
Mary and her husband, Doug, moved to PA in 1998 and immediately became involved in the Collegeville club. Mary, a three-term past president of the club, was raised in southern N.J. and attended Rutgers University, earning a BA in Business Administration. Shortly after her marriage to her high school sweetheart, PDG (15-16) Doug Cook, they moved to Maine and raised three cool kids – Ashleigh Taraborelli, Brittany Cook, and Courtney Woodley. Doug and Mary have six grandchildren.
Mary and Doug also hosted 19 Rotary Youth Exchange students from 14 countries from 1991 – 2012, beginning with their Kennebunk Portside Rotary Club, in which Doug was Charter President. Mary was on the District Youth Exchange committee in the early 2000s and loved planning the yearly trip to Washington DC.
Mary is currently co-chair of the District Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee and is planning the Rotary Leadership Institute on March 25, 2023, at DeSales University. She was also very fortunate to lead a Group Study Exchange to District 4720 in 2008 and spent one month in the Amazon rain forest doing Rotary presentations in Portuguese for numerous clubs in four cities: Manaus, Santarem, Obidos, and Belem, and their District Conference. Mary attended Rotary Zone Institutes in Cherry Hill, NJ, in 2012, Toronto, Canada, in 2013, and Providence, RI, in 2014, the International Assembly in San Diego, in 2015 and the International Convention in Seoul, South Korea, in 2016.
At the club level, Mary is currently club secretary, co-chair of their Soft Plastics Recycling program, and chair of the Annual Halloween Parade, which just celebrated its 66th year.
District 7430 looks forward to Mary Cook's DG year!
District 7430 Travel Fun and Service Fellowship to St. Kitts
In January, eleven Rotarians and spouses from four clubs (Allentown, Emmaus, Kutztown, and Pottstown) in District 7430 traveled to the island country of St. Kitts in the Caribbean, where a week was spent doing service projects, enjoying a lot of fellowship, and learning about the St. Kitts culture. The St. Kitts Rotary Club has about 36 members and encompasses a lot of active service projects. The club welcomed our group at the airport and the fun started from there.
Our first project was packing food and supplies as well as distributing the supplies to poor people around the island. This project is done quarterly by the St. Kitts Rotary Club. The group was divided into several cars. We drove to homes and delivered the items. The recipients were very appreciative.
Between projects, there was time for fellowship at the beach and District Governor Len got into some “monkey business.”
Our next project was one we are familiar with in our District: The Dictionary Project. We met one evening for a happy hour/packing /sticker event. The next day we delivered dictionaries to several third grade schools.
We attended the St. Kitts Rotary Club luncheon meeting with a presentation, where we also met Rotarians from New York. During the week we met Rotarians from California, Vancouver and even some potential Rotarians from Pennsylvania in Horsham, Norristown and Gilbertsville.
Tours of St. Kitts and Nevis were also on the schedule. The St. Kitts Rotary Club hosted a going away dinner, which included a performance by the local Carnival dance troupe, to end our week.
It was a memorable Rotary week—and a bit earth shattering with an earthquake felt early one morning. Stay tuned for your opportunity to join a Rotary Travel fun, service, and fellowship experience.
HELLO ROTARIANS!! The Second Annual Big Ticket Reverse Raffle will be held on April 15, 2023, at Brookside Country Club, Pottstown, from 5:30 - 10:00 p.m.
ALL net proceeds from these fundraising efforts will help fund STEM YEA Academy 2023.
Last year, the fundraising efforts of STEM YEA Big Ticket Reverse Raffle 2022 raised $17,000. These funds supported two important STEM YEA Academy expense line items:
a. Student Celebration Dinner for all 150 guests and Student Awards
b. 41 student consumable swag bags valued at over $100 each
When you purchase a BTRR event ticket, you are entitled to a fun-filled night that includes hors d'oeuvres, drinks, dinner, and dancing. You will also hear inspiring words from our guest speaker, Peter. R. Kowey, MD, FACC. Take a few fun pictures at our photo booth and enjoy a new attraction this year – Live Caricatures by Emily. Guests will go home with a party favor – a spot on, yet lighthearted likeness that can be treasured forever! Emily is passionate about her craft. She will be sure to put smiles on our faces, both literally and figuratively. AND we can't forget..... IF all 150 tickets are sold we will give away up to $7,500 in cash and prizes.
Below there are a few other ideas you or your club can utilize to help to make this year's BTRR fundraiser become even more successful:
3. Donate a raffle basket with a value of at least $100 or a unique experience
4. Help secure event sponsorships
Thank you in advance for your support. Questions? Please email Al Engel at alengel007@aol.com or Darlene Scott at dscott8956@gmail.com. We can only Imagine and hope that we inspired 41 intellectually curious students that we served at STEM YEA 2022 to move forward to pursue a STEM career. Together we are building a brighter future for the students we serve. If you are interested in joining the special fundraising team or volunteering for STEM YEA 2023 please let us know. Many hands make light work.
Are you too busy to read the Rotary International magazine that we each receive on a monthly basis?
Have you heard about the Rotary Foundation’s Programs of Scale?
Here’s a quick way to learn more about current Rotary efforts including the Programs of Scale. Download the Rotary Voices podcasts. The podcasts are updated semiweekly and include stories from the monthly magazine and blog.
What is the Programs of Scale effort?
The Rotary Foundation created Programs of Scale to support Rotary member-led, evidence-based programs that have already demonstrated success. Scaling proven programs will benefit more people and foster policy development and sustainable programs.
Programs of Scale provides Rotary members with longer-term resources to implement large-scale, high-impact programs in our areas of focus. Together, we seek to increase our impact by measuring our progress, and sharing the learning generated from our programs throughout the Rotary world.
For more information about Programs of Scale, including application dates and requirements, please go to this link.
Who is the recipient of the first Rotary Programs of Scale?
Partners for a Malaria-Free Zambia is the recipient of the first $2 million Programs of Scale grant. Rotary’s $2 million grant has been matched by World Vision and the Gates Foundation.
The December Rotary Voices podcasts episodes are dedicated to providing information about Partners for a Malaria-Free Zambia. This grant is focused on eliminating the disease, including training and equipping 2,500 community health workers. This will increase access to malaria diagnosis and treatment for more than 1.3 million people in heavily affected areas.
You can learn more about the Partners for a Malaria-Free Zambia by using this link.
D7430 Build Your Public Image Toolkit is a multi-month learning course that will strengthen your club's Public Image. The first step is to make the pledge and select one or more members to be your club's Public Image Champion(s). By signing up, you'll receive monthly updates, action items and a step-by-step process that will expand your Public Image Toolkit!
After signing up you'll receive information about the first Action Items that are joining our Facebook group and completing the Public Image Learning Center Courses.
Do you support the Rotary Foundation? Would you like to participate in Rotary Service? Do you like to travel?
If you have answered yes to any of the above then please read on.
The opportunity to work with a dedicated team of Rotarians doing good in the world is an exciting experience.
New Global grant opportunity for Districts to participate in with DDF, Club contributions, and Volunteers
Professionals Needed: Eye Doctors, Dentists, Medical Doctors (maternal and pediatric, general practice)
Rotary Districts 7390 and 7430 are working together with districts around the world for a large medical project in the country of Zambia. PDG Connie Spark from District 7390 has coordinated over 25 medical projects around the world, and we have an opportunity to work together.
The projects will be located in the small village of Mfuwe, Zambia, located in the southeastern area of Zambia near the South Luangwa National Park.
The projects will include: Vocational Training teams in eye care (exams, equipment training), dental care,
(exams, procedures, equipment, training), general medical care (maternal/child health, heart, general medical, equipment training).
We have physicians from Denmark, Brazil, the USA so far.
Timing: Planned for April 2023
Volunteer days: approximately seven
Following the project: opportunity for an African Safari in the South Luangwa Park, one of the most pristine in the world)
What to do:
Can your district support with DDF? The projects will be approximately $150K
Can your club support with contributions?
Would you like to travel for volunteer service?
We need to move quickly. Respond soon!
Contact PDG 7430 Cindy Hornaman at hornamca@ptd.net, (610) 360-4875
On December 17, Rotary International, District 7430 and the Warrington Club lost a much-loved and highly respected member, on the passing of Mike Mattie. A past member of Philadelphia and Newtown Rotaries, Mike then joined the Warrington Club and immediately became a dedicated, enthusiastic, and highly valued member.
During his Rotary career, Mike managed several international grants of The Rotary Foundation, sending hundreds of wheelchairs to Argentina, and a van for the Israeli organization, Guide Dogs for the Blind.
As well as his international activities, he served as club Foundation chair, club President and was always willing to help with District programs. Even though his health was seriously failing, he was the emcee for Cindy Hornaman’s District Conference in his usual inimitable, upbeat style.
In his “real” life, Mike was a retired U.S. Marine Corps officer, a loyal parishioner at St. Andrew’s Catholic Church in Newtown, a successful financial business owner, president of the board of Family Services Association of Bucks County, and a devoted and much-loved family man.
Mike Mattie will be forever missed by his Rotary family and all those whose lives he touched. May he rest in well-earned peace.
Michael’s family has requested that anyone wishing to remember him, please send donations to the Warrington club's 501c3 charity, Warrington Rotary Club Foundation, PO Box 135, Warrington, PA 18976-0135, where a Scholarship has been established in his memory.
Online program allows leaders to build their skills
The new Leadership Fundamentals program can help Rotary and Rotaract members build the skills they'll need to take on leadership roles. This online program presents key leadership skills and is available through Rotary's Learning Center only for members.
In this program, members will learn to:
Lead and motivate others
Create a positive team environment
Delegate responsibilities
Build consensus and inclusive environments
Recognize the strengths in others
Understand, manage, and resolve conflict
Create and deliver effective speeches and presentations
This program also features questions that participants can discuss in a community forum and assignments that let them apply what they've learned. Participants identify their leadership strengths, then learn how to use them to be more effective.
We encourage you to share the sign-up link for this free leadership program with members in your club.
Don’t forget to send your submissions for the fourth quarter 2023 edition of Vibrant Club News. This is the newsletter that features activities, future events and fundraisers that your club is engaged in. Participating in Vibrant Club News enables us to celebrate, support and learn from each other. Send your photos and a short write up to d7430publicimage@gmail.com today.
The International Convention for 2023 is in Melbourne, Australia, is an amazing place “down under.”
The time to register is now. Our district may be doing a separate group travel tour before or after the convention as well—for more fun, exploring, and fellowship.
about the St. Kitts culture. The St. Kitts Rotary Club has about 36 members and encompasses a lot of active service projects. The club welcomed our group at the airport and the fun started from there.
Between projects, there was time for fellowship at the beach and District Governor Len got into some “monkey business.”
Image Toolkit challenge starts this month! Take the first step and sign up as a Public Image Champion!
During his Rotary career, Mike managed several international grants of The Rotary Foundation, sending hundreds of wheelchairs to Argentina, and a van for the Israeli organization, Guide Dogs for the Blind.
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