Are you highlighting the projects your club participates in with grants from the Foundation?
Grant application period is now! The Rotary Year 2025-2026 Grant Application period began November 1, 2024 and goes through March 30, 2025. Let’s make an impact by utilizing our foundation! Club Presidents, President-Elects, Assistant Governors, Foundation Area Coordinators have all received e-mails.
Grant training is January 13, 2025. Go to the district7430.org website calendar to register. Once you register you will receive a link.
Join us in our Rotary District 7430
When: Saturday, March 8, 2025
5:30 pm-8:30 pm
William Penn Inn
1017 DeKalb Pike
Gwynedd, PA 19436
Come for Foundation support, fellowship, and fun, and maybe some surprises…
Happy hour, hot and cold appetizers, hot station buffet
For me, the best thing about attending a Rotary International Convention is meeting with like minded people from around the world on a myriad of topics. The House of Friendship with its hundreds of tables displaying projects from around the world is worth the admission of attending.
What interests you? As my District Governor trainer, Herb, says all of the time, "Let their feet do the voting." Is it our Polio Eradication efforts? Is it the environment? Is it anyone of our other Areas of Focus?
Is it a special Fellowship group?
I belong to two fellowships: BREW (Beers Rotarians Enjoy Worldwide) and RWAF (Rotary Wine Appreciation and Fellowship). To find a list of all of our Fellowships, click on https://www.rotary.org/en/our-programs/more-fellowships
…then The Rotary Inter-Country Committee USA/Italy is just for you.
What is Rotary Inter-Country Committee?
Rotary Inter-Country Committees (ICCs) promote relationships between two or more international districts or countries to increase the fellowship and intercultural understanding among the people of the various nations; foster stronger ties between the members, clubs, and districts from different countries; and establish networks across borders, continents, and oceans.
Today, more than 600 ICC sections from all over the world provide significant support to all programs of Rotary and its Foundation. They help increase the effectiveness of the international service in our seven areas of focus.
Rotary Districts 5240,5280,5340,5890 in California, Rotary District 7620 in Maryland and Pennsylvania D7430 are partnering together with Districts in Italy. This is our first ICC exchange.
ANNOUNCING NEW OUTGOING CULTURE EXCHANGE WITH ITALY
Two Opportunities:
May 5, 2025 – May 12, 2025: Genoa region (Camogli-SanFruttuoso-Portofino, Liguria)
May 12, 2025 – May 19, 2025: Tuscany region (Florence, Siena, Lucca)
Rotarians and spouses/partners may participate. Costs are paid for by the individuals. Lodging will be in a variety of hotels. There will be tours, meals, attending Rotary meetings and participation in Rotary Service projects.
You may sign up for both weeks or just one week.
Cost week one approximately $5,375 per couple (excluding airfare)
Cost week two approximately $5,900 per couple (excluding airfare)
Detailed itinerary will be provided once application received.
Applications are being accepted now on a first-come, first-served basis. There is limited space.
Include your name and partner name, District number and e-mail.
Join the adventure and meet fellow Rotarians from Italy and the USA.
As clubs are developing projects for which they plan to apply for a District Grant, they may want to consider an environmental project. Here are some ideas.
Tree Planting Projects
In the U. S. every year we lose an estimated 36 million trees in cities and urban areas and rural towns. Your local parks and nature centers are always looking to replace dying trees. Why not develop a project where your club supplies the trees and helps the parks or nature center staff to plant them.
Waterway Restoration Projects
Most of the streams and rivers in Eastern Pennsylvania have erosion issues and are overrun with invasive plant species. Work with a local watershed association, Trout Unlimited, county or municipal parks department in restoring stream banks and planting native plants in a riparian buffer. Your grant could fund native plants.
Pollinator Projects
Help to restore our diminishing native bee populations by planting a pollinator garden in your community. Your District Grant project could include the purchase of native plants and materials to build bee boxes.
Community Composting Facility Projects
One third of waste in landfills is food waste. Plan a project in your community garden or nature center where residents could bring their kitchen waste to be composted. Your grant could fund compost bins, collection buckets, and educational materials.
Keeping Food Waste Out of Landfills
Work with your local schools on a food composting project that will prevent so much food waste from ending up in landfills. You could help your school purchase waste bins and other materials needed to redirect the food waste in school cafeterias.
District Grants could be used to fund any of these environmental projects. Your District Environmental Sustainability Team has examples of grant projects in each of the project types listed. Give me a call if you would like to discuss specifics on these or any type of environmental project. District Grant applications are due the end of March 2025.
Are you ready to inspire the next generation of leaders? The Camp Neidig 2025 experience is just around the corner and now is the time to sign up campers for this life-changing opportunity. At just $375 per camper, this Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) program offers an unparalleled chance for students to develop their leadership skills, build lifelong friendships, and grow as individuals.
The Camp Neidig website has been updated with everything you need to get started, including camper registration information and valuable resources to help your Rotary Club sponsor participants with ease. Clubs will find updated tools for 2025, ensuring a smooth process for both sponsoring and supporting their campers.
This year’s camp promises to be one of the best yet, packed with interactive sessions, inspiring speakers, and engaging activities. Don’t miss the chance to make an impact on the leaders of tomorrow! For more information and to register campers, visit www.campneidig.com. Secure your club’s spots today and help shape a brighter future!
Are you looking for a passion project? Join the RotaryYouth Exchange Rotarians! Upcoming opportunities looking for Rotarian (and community) Volunteers.
Students ages 15-18½ to participate in summer or academic year exchange programs
Families to host exchange students (approx. 3 months)
Rotarians to volunteer time to take trips with the inbound students
Rotarians to offer opportunities for inbound exchange students to experience Americana
Have we piqued your interest? Reach out to our district chair, Linda Kennedy, to be connected with the right person from our committee to help you get involved. Want to learn more about the youth exchange programs? One of our committee members would be delighted to be a speaker at your meeting to tell your club more about the benefits of being involved with the program.
Facts and timeline:
Each student must be sponsored by a Rotary club. The student's family does not need to belong to a Rotary club.
Applications for Academic Year (long-term) exchange are due before December 8. (We will continue to accept applications until February 2025, but placement locations become limited after the December 8 deadline.)
District Interviews are December 8, 2025 near Ambler, PA in the early afternoon.
Short-Term Exchange Program (summer) applications are open. Reach out to Rose Galeano-Phillips (RotaryRose7430@gmail.com) for questions and to get directions for the application process. This is a 6-week summer cultural exchange direct between two families. Students will travel for three weeks to another country and host a student for three weeks in their homes.
December 7: you’ll find the students marching in the Ambler Holiday parade. Care to join us?
If your club is hosting an exchange student this year, be sure to drop off a gift or two to the host family for the student to open up on Christmas morning. Do you have or make something a teenager would love? Let us know and we will connect you to the host family for the nearest exchange student.
1. Shout out to Souderton-Telford Rotary Club who sponsored a trip to the United Nations in NYC for our exchange students. Four students were able to participate and get inside the UN and experience New York for the first time.
2. Shout out to District 7505 RYE Chair who opened his family home to our students so they could enjoy extra time in New York City. We met up with two other districts and explored NYC all day Saturday, Nov. 16, from Central Park to the High Line and the Edge. These students walked 10 miles and saw many of the top sights the city offers.
3. Shout out to Rose Galeano-Phillips for opening her home to host a Friends Giving celebration. The students learned some of our Thanksgiving traditions, made some crafts and had a feast with everything from turkey and cranberry sauce to mixed veggies and sweet potatoes. Thanks to our committee members for bringing the sides. The students really enjoyed it (as did the adults!).
Do you like learning about other cultures and traveling to new areas? If so, then a Rotary friendship exchange may be for you and your club.
A cultural exchange is district to district and a chance to learn their culture, history, food and more. It is also a way to get to better know other Rotarians.
Rotarians travel to a district and stay with Rotarians in their homes, touring as a group, as well as having time with their hosts. Then Rotarians from their district will come to visit in October 2025 for a reciprocal visit. Costs are paid for by individuals for travel and incidentals. Typically, a team consists of 4-12 people. It’s a great opportunity for your club to host the Rotarians upon their visit to our district.
Our district has participated in successful exchanges in over a dozen foreign countries as well as Oregon.
Dates of Exchange:
Outbound March 9 to March 21, 2025 Inbound October 2025
District 4921 visit may include Andes Mountain Region, Atlantic Coastal Region, and more. The district covers the mid to southern half of Argentina; inter-country travel will be by bus and plane.
Applications are being accepted. If you are interested in traveling on this exchange contact:
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