April is Maternal and Child Health Month for Rotary International. Rotary makes health care available to mothers and children so they can live longer and grow stronger. And it’s Maternal and Child Health Month in District 7430. Let’s ask how we can help eliminate preventable maternal and child mortality. Let’s work on prenatal clinics, cancer screenings, immunizations and training.
Our Project Showcase features PDG Ron Smith of the Blue Bell Rotary Club and Deb Geiger of the Bethlehem Rotary Club. Ron describes several global grant projects to enhance prenatal care in Uganda. Deb tells us about Bethlehem Rotary Club’s success with Lehigh Valley healthcare initiatives and a mothers’ milk bank in Punê, India.
Our Showcase Tuesday features Dr. John Townsend and Dr. Pallavi Deshpande. Dr. Townsend is the Chair of the Reproductive, Maternal and Child Health Rotary Action Group. He inspires us with the Action Group’s worldwide efforts to save women’s lives. Dr. Deshpande is a clinical microbiologist and Rotary Club President. She shares her work on a mothers’ milk bank in Dharwad and gives us an update on the successful Punê project by the Bethlehem Rotary Club.
April begins the last quarter of our Rotary year. Join in our Public Image Challenge. We enjoyed a fun District Training Assembly on April 9. Be inspired April 22-24 at the District Conference where you will hear world-class speakers and network and party with Rotarians from 18 counties in PA and NJ. Submit your District grant application by April 25. Join us for the STEM YEA fundraiser on April 30. Grow membership and serve the environment in our Rotary Day of Service on April 30. Sponsor a student for Camp Neidig on June 17-20.
I thank you for generously supporting Ukraine and its refugees through the Rotary Foundation, ShelterBox and direct giving of money and supplies. Here is a breakdown of our contributions to the Rotary Foundation by District 7430 Rotarians as of March 30:
Annual Fund (SHARE) $176,048.25;
PolioPlus Fund $65,685.06 – highest per Club in Region 39W (11 Districts);
Disaster Response $15,916.18;
Donor Advised Fund Disaster Recovery $10,000.00; and
Rotary Peace Centers $10,000.00.
Also, we have donated a record-breaking $105,753.47 to ShelterBox this Rotary year. Thanks for your generosity!
Below is the video for April's Showcase Tuesday which features Dr. John Townsend and Dr. Pallavi Deshpande. Dr. Townsend is the Chair of the Reproductive, Maternal and Child Health Rotary Action Group. He inspires us with the Action Group’s worldwide efforts to save women’s lives. Dr. Deshpande is a clinical microbiologist and Rotary Club President. She shares her work on a mothers’ milk bank in Dharwad and gives us an update on the very successful Bethlehem Rotary Punê project.
Our Project Showcase features PDG Ron Smith of the Blue Bell Rotary Club and Deb Geiger of the Bethlehem Rotary Club. Ron describes several global grant projects to enhance prenatal care in Uganda. Deb tells us about Bethlehem Rotary Club’s success with Lehigh Valley healthcare initiatives and a mothers’ milk bank in Punê, India.
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.
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:
1stEast Jack Geld – Willow Grove
2ndWest Emily Wessner – Fleetwood
3rdNorth Mackenzie Laub – Whitehall
4thSouth Sarah Grosch – North Penn
5thCentral 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.
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.
Chart Your Course and Set Your Sails for the District Conference scheduled April 22-24, 2022 at the Hershey Lodge.
Details on the website at Rotaryathershey2022.org. To all those attending, have a great time in the Chocolate City as you see old friends, and make new ones over chocolate and more chocolate... Bon voyage for this very special Rotary fellowship which includes friends from Districts 7450 and 7475.
Tickets for the “STEM YEA Big Ticket Reverse Raffle Night” are still available but only 200 will be sold.
By supporting this fundraiser you are helping to launch Rotary District 7430's inaugural STEM Youth Explorer Academy (STEM YEA) and to achieve these objectives:
1- Provide four-day three-night residential STEM-focused Academy
2 - STEM curriculum, leadership & Rotary Areas of Focus
3 - Engage students to inspire them to choose STEM courses & careers
The ticket entitles you to a fun evening including hors d'oeuvres, drinks, dinner, and a lottery ticket with a chance to win one of numerous prizes totaling $5,000 when 200 tickets are sold.
Check out these amazing silent auction items you could win at STEM YEA 's inaugural STEM Youth Explorer Academy. Click on the headline above to enlarge the auction photo below. Get your tickets here https://bit.ly/D7430STEMYEA4-30
Terry Hart, former NASA astronaut, will share highlights about his life journey and inspiration to pursue a STEM career. Terry Hart served as a Shuttle mission specialist and logged 168 hours in space. In an address to Lehigh graduates he said, “Throughout your careers, you will have many opportunities to be a member focused on accomplishing something very new and challenging.” It took a diverse, multidisciplinary team to bring the STEM YEA program to fruition and we are gratified to receive his support.
To celebrate this milestone an evening with a cocktail reception, music and dinner at the iconic Elmwood Park Zoo is scheduled for Thursday, May 12, 2022. We will honor our Past Presidents, reminisce our rich past and toast our future endeavors that evening. We invite all to come and help us usher in our second century of service! For information call 484-994-2349.
The Rotary Club of Norristown was chartered on May 1, 2021, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Philadelphia. Twenty members met for the first meeting on May 21st. Two new clubs were subsequently sponsored by our Club, Lansdale in 1924 and Phoenixville in 1925. Over the years we have provided services and supported multiple community projects in the borough of Norristown as well as East and West Norriton townships.
The Rotary Club of West Reading-Wyomissing invites you to join them for their 75th Anniversary Celebration on Thursday, May 12th at the FishPond West. There will be great food, friendship, and an opportunity to learn more about how the Rotary Club of West Reading-Wyomissing makes a difference through service.
To purchase tickets for the event, please use this link or mail a check for $100 per ticket to:
West Reading-Wyomissing Rotary Club – PO Box 6184 – Wyomissing, PA 19610
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.
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