Just before Christmas we received some very sad news.  Past District Governor Rusty Broughton passed away on December 16^th.  Rusty was District Governor 2005-06.  Rusty was an example for all Rotarians.  She truly knew how to make things happen.  I was fortunate to be at the funeral service where I learned much more about Rusty though her family and friends.  Rotary was a significant and important part of Rusty’s life.  I will plan a Celebration of Rusty’s Life at the District Conference in May.

 

Please join me in welcome our newest member of the District Governor Chain—Rich Kirkham.  Rich is our District Governor Nominee Designate—this means he will be the District Governor Nominee in 2017-18.  He will start training during the next year to be District 5400 Governor in 2019-20.  Rich is a past President from the Rotary Club of Pocatello and a GSE team leader.  Rich brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to this “highly paid position”.  “Highly paid” in experiences and understanding all the good things that happen in our District and Rotary Internationally.  Please welcome and support Rich.

 

January is Rotary Vocational Service Month.  I have often had difficulty understanding vocational service, but I see that I have been over-thinking the concept.  One of founding principles of Rotary was diversity of vocations and using that vocational knowledge and experience to make Rotary more effective.  We have the “Four-Way Test” that guides our ethics.  There is also a Code of Conduct that relates to our professional lives:

 

 

I’m inviting all clubs to celebrate the life of Past District Governor Rusty Broughton by becoming a 100% Paul Harris Fellow Club before our district conference in May.  PDG Rusty was a champion of The Rotary Foundation, our charity, serving us as District Rotary Foundation chair from 2008 to 2011.  She walked the Rotary talk.  She understood the programs of The Rotary Foundation because she participated in them, and she only asked others to write a check after she had written one herself.  With a little giving, a lot of sharing of foundation recognition points among Rotarians and some easy paperwork, most of the clubs in the district can do this! 

CANYON COUNTY FESTIVAL OF TREES- The Rotary Club of Nampa had a great showing at the Canyon County Festival of Trees. More than a dozen members attended the gala event and our tree garnered $1,900 for the benefit of Meals on Wheels. The tree was donated by the club and decorated by Vickie Holbrook, Lynn Caba and the Chris Jensen family.

 

SALVATION ARMY BELL RINGING- A holiday tradition continues with Salvation Army bell ringing by the members of the Rotary Club of Nampa at the Fred Meyer on Caldwell Blvd. in Nampa. Club members were joined by members of the Skyview High School Interact Club to ring bells on December 10 to benefit The Salvation Army Nampa Idaho. From left, Wade Carpenter,Tyler Dean Crowe, Kaden Allen, President Rhea Allen and Andy Dodson at Fred Meyer.

In a long-running friendly rivalry, the Rotary Club of Nampa competes with the Nampa Kiwanis for best fundraiser. Results will be announced January 12 at a joint meeting of the two clubs at the Boys and Girls Club.

 

HOLIDAY PARTY - The Rotary Club of Nampa Christmas party on December 13 was a blast with a live jazz band, Christmas trivia with prizes from Flying M Coffee/Concert Garage (host of trivia night every Tuesday at 7pm), a nice dinner, an "elfie selfie photo booth," and an amazing dessert auction that raised $540 for our Salvation Army bell ringing challenge with the Nampa Kiwanis Club. Thanks to the efforts of JB Miesegaes and his committee, a great time was had by all!

Rotary International has selected District 5400 to host the 2018 Rotary Zone 27 & 21B Institute, to be held from September 6^th through the 9^th, in Boise, Idaho at the Centre on the Grove Conference Center.   District 5400 will form a Host Committee to coordinate the all-club luncheon, entertainment, Rotarian greeting and transportation between the airport and downtown hotels, as well as other tasks.   We would love to have participation District-wide to aide us in this honorary and important event.   To find out how you can serve, please contact Zone Host Committee Chair, PDG Ken Howell at khowell@hawleytroxell.com

 

Sincere thanks and appreciation to Ken Howell and Beth Markley for coordinating the site visit with the conference selection committee.  We are honored to have been selected and they did an outstanding job of showcasing the community and amenities.

Eagle/Garden City Rotary Club will hold their 3rd annual TO DIE FOR CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL on Saturday, January 28, 2017 at the Meridian Senior Center from 5:30 to 8:30.  This is expected to be the biggest festival so far, with various chocolate and dessert vendors offering tastings of their delicious wares.  There will be a “wine wall” again this year, featuring wines worth from $20 to $100 per bottle or more which can be purchased by guests for a flat price.  The exciting part is that the wine will be in bags so guests will not know what wine they are purchasing until they pay their money, choose the bag they like and open it.  Adding to the fun and entertainment, will be a silent auction.  The proceeds will be used to provide incentives for Eagle Academy graduates who have overcome tremendous obstacles to go on to college. To purchase tickets or for more information contact Cathy Sears at jcsears625@gmail.com or any club member.

 

 

We’re halfway through our Rotary year, approaching the Rotary Foundation centennial in June.  How do the clubs in district 5400 stand?  Five clubs have met their Annual Fund goal already led by Boise Metro at $213/capita. The other clubs are American Falls, Twin Falls After Hours, Pocatello Portneuf and Boise Southwest.   The district average support of Annual Fund-SHARE is $48/capita, and all but one club has made a contribution this year.  The district goal for Annual Fund is $97/capita and we’re 50% of the way there. The benchmark for individual giving is $100, but whatever you can give is appreciated. On the PolioPlus side of goals, Boise Metro is again out in front at $122/capita.   Metro has exceeded is goal and is joined by others who’ve reached their goals: Jerome, Blue Lakes-Twin Falls, Rupert, Boise, Twin Falls After Hours and Pocatello Portneuf.  Only 26 clubs (out of 42) have contributed to the polio cause this year, and we’d like to have that become ALL clubs.  Our contributions to polio eradication are matched 2:1 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.  The districtwide goal is $28/capita, and we are currently at $18.  The benchmark for PolioPlus support is $20 per Rotarian.  Now is a good time to review your club’s goals, then do what you can to help out.  Thank you, Rotarians, for your support of The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International!

The RYLA 2017 leadership team met for the first annual Winter Retreat on December 29th and 30th in Twin Falls. This one of a kind experience was a time where the new junior leaders and returning leaders could gather to discuss the upcoming RYLA 2017 camp to be held August 3th-6th. By trying new camp activities, tuning old schedules, and getting to know each others strengths and talents, the eighteen members of the RYLA Leadership team is ready to host another successful RYLA camp. We thank everyone who helped this retreat to come to life, including the Reformed Church in Twin Falls for hosting us, as well as all the Rotary clubs for their unflinching support and confidence in the RYLA mission.  Not only did we accomplish planning another RYLA camp, we also found the true bond between all of us, that makes the RYLA camp such a wonderful and life changing experience.

 

The Winter Wined Up will have four local wineries and a brewery. There will be a wine pull, paddle raise, and both silent and live auctions. Hors D'ouevre and a no-host bar are also provided for our guests. 

 

The Final Three Endemic Countries:

 

Pakistan - No new Polio cases reported this week.  Nineteen Polio cases reported in 2016 with 54 cases recorded in 2015  The most recent case, with the onset of paralysis on 11/03/16 was from the Badin district, southeast Sindh.  Three new Polio-positive environmental samples were collected last week.  A total of 50 environmental samples have tested positive in Pakistan in 2016.

    

Afghanistan - No new Polio cases reported this week.  Twelve Polio cases reported in 2016 with 20 cases recorded in 2015. The most recent cases, with an onset of paralysis on 09/28/16 was from Paktika - near the Pakistan border. No new Polio-positive environmental samples have been collected in Afghanistan in 2016.    

 
Nigeria - No new Polio cases reported this week.   Four Polio cases reported in 2016 - with no cases reported in 2015.  The most recent case was reported on 8/2016 on Borno State. 
 
Importation Countries - Ethiopia (0-2015, 1-2014), Cameroon (0-2015, 5-2014), Somalia (0-2015, 5-2014), Iraq (0-2015, 2- 2014), Syria (0-2015,1-2014), & Equatorial Guinea (0-2015, 5-2014). 
   Our Goal is Global Polio Eradication!!

The U.S. is in the midst of a retirement explosion – 10,000 people turn 65 every day!  Are you ready to reach out to them?  Join us on February 15^th to learn strategies for engaging retirees and older adults in your community organization.  We will discuss effective methods for recruiting, communicating, managing, and retaining the involvement of older adults. 

 

The conference will be on February 15^th at the Boise State University Student Union Building. Our conference theme is “Volunteering Across Generations: Effectively Leveraging the Time, Talents and Treasures of Older Adults”. We have an amazing line up of guest speakers from organizations such as AARP, United Way, BSU, Warhawk Air Museum and many more! Our conference targets nonprofit and volunteer management professionals, those looking to engage seniors in volunteerism, and those wishing to work with a senior population.  

 

If you would like to find out more about the conference, please click here or to register, click here.