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Shekhar Mehta of India selected to be 2021-22 Rotary International President

Fighting poverty on a small scale

Rotary and ShelterBox celebrate the power of partnership

Rotary announces US$100 million to eradicate polio

Rotary’s 110th annual convention concludes

August is Membership and New Club Development Month

As I have visited clubs and met with club leadership, I have learned that membership is of prime concern. A cursory glance at the comments on the short survey given at each club illustrates that club members share their leadership's concerns.

Rotary International is encouraging clubs to be innovative in addressing membership strategies. They recognize at least seven different types of clubs: traditional clubs, satellites, e-clubs, passport clubs, corporate clubs, cause-based clubs, and Rotaract clubs. RI is encouraging clubs to innovate in developing more club formats as well as more membership types.

The declining population in rural America affects those clubs located in small rural communities. Some towns of 1,000 people or even less, have vibrant Rotary clubs serving their communities. Other clubs in these small communities are struggling to maintain their vitality. As the community gets smaller and older, so does the Rotary Club and so does the pool of potential Rotarians.

All is not doom and gloom. While challenging, there are potential solutions. Does it seem that there is not possibly room for another Rotary Club in your community? Consider the possibilities.

Satellites. These are groups of Rotarians who are actually members of your club. They meet at another time and perhaps place and are pretty independent in their operation with self-government and their own projects and fund-raising. They do need to be supervised by the sponsoring club and a way of communicating and reporting needs to be established. This is a good way to extend your club membership to community members who can't meet at the time your club meets or who may be uncomfortable with your club makeup or culture. It takes a minimum of eight members to be officially recognized as a satellite. If there are not enough members to form an official satellite, the group could operate as a committee of your club until they achieve enough members to take the next step. Satellites are expected to eventually become Rotary Clubs in their own rights, but there is no time limit on how long that can take.

Rotaract Clubs. Most of these clubs are associated with colleges or universities in North America. They do not need to be. Community Rotaract Clubs are open to those 18-30 years old who want to operate in the Rotary environment with projects and fundraising and all the other opportunities Rotary offers its members. Is this a possible way to make your club sustainable for future generations? As Rotaractors graduate (age out) of their clubs, it is natural for them to become Rotarians. Who wouldn't want some energized 30 somethings joining their club?

These are just two possibilities. By analyzing your club's environment, and past efforts to grow membership, and with the ability to innovate new solutions to club membership types and club formats, your club may find a solution to make your club sustainable and serving your community for generations to come. You are not alone. RI and District 5610 stand by to help.

For more information, the RI website learning center has lots of documents and information for you to explore. This is the perfect time to celebrate your club’s members and consider the many options available for strengthening your membership. Rotary has a series of membership courses available in the Learning Center — from Attracting New Members to New Member Orientation. Show your Rotary pride by adding a Proud Member frame to your profile picture on Facebook. You can find all these resources and more at rotary.org/membershipDistrict Membership Chair Carmen Hansen is a great resource to reach out to for your membership projects. Carmen can be reached at carmenhansen@rushmore.com.

Ina Winter

District Governor 2019-2020

RID 5610

Rotary Basics Explained in Booklet

Posted on Aug 02, 2019

Do you have questions about Rotary? Here is a great booklet on the basics of Rotary from Rotary International that you can now find on the District website in the "News/Download" section. You can also download your copy by simply CLICKING HERE or on the image below. Use this resource to educate your new members, refresh long time Rotarians or use it to design programs for your meetings. Download your copy today to learn more about the structure of Rotary, the organization's values, Rotary's youth programs, the Rotary Foundation, and more!

Vermillion Rotary Duck Race Raises Money for Community Center

Posted on Aug 05, 2019

On June 14, the Vermillion Rotary Club held the Vermillion Rotary Duck Race at the Prentis Plunge Aquatics Center in Prentis Park, Vermillion. This fundraising event served to not only provide a fun community event, but also to raise funds for the New Community Connections Center. The club plans to use this annual event as a fundraiser for worthy community projects and as a signal to the start of summer in Vermillion. Ducks were “adopted” for $5 and then 1,000 yellow, rubber ducks raced to determine the top three places. The ducks first took a ride down one of the large slides in the aquatics center, and then they traveled through the lazy river before reaching the finish line. The sponsors of the top three ducks received a cash prize. The ducks were divided into three groups and each group ran an initial heat. The top 20 ducks from each the initial heats advanced to the final heat to determine the winners. To learn more about the event, read the pre-event STORY in the Vermillion Plain-Talk or look at the photo album in the Vermillion Rotary Facebook page.

Below is the logo for the event as well as one of the many photos of the event on the Club's Facebook page. The photo shows a few of the many Vermillion Rotarians who helped to run the event. Here, Kathy Chandler records the 20 winners of each heat in the official spreadsheet, John Prescott, records the heat winners on the board for all to see, and Steve Walters, the event organizer, prepares to call out the heat winners and lead the crowd in the countdown to the start of the next heat.

Rushmore Rotary People in Action

Rushmore Rotary received front page news for the 30th Annual Golf Tournament hosted by the Rushmore Rotary Club to benefit the Children's Home Society Child Advocacy Center. Attached is a link to the article by the Rapid City Journal.

Attached are a few pages from Rushmore Rotary Event brochure showing the sponsors and more on their website story page. Plus see a note about our District Governor Ina Winter's Club Visit and Rushmore Rotary Deck Party.

Rushmore Rotary facebook page has been highlighting these events.

District Clubs Recruit 94 New Members

Posted on Jun 28, 2019

In late January, District Governor Dave Lorenz asked all the clubs to focus on recruiting new members by the end of the Rotary year - June 30. He set a goal of 66 new Rotarians (56 + 10) by June 30. When that goal was reached by May 20, he posted an additional challenge to recruit 25 more by June 30. That second challenge has been met and passed. Congratulations, Rotarians of District 5610! Through your efforts, you have recruited 94 new members since the start of February. These new members bring new ideas and help clubs throughout the District to continue to improve their communities through Service Above Self.

District Governor Ina Winter's Goals for Rotary Year 2019-2020

The Rotary Year 2019-2020 has started and a good way to start a journey is with an end in mind. This year, we have three goals - one for each of the major divisions that Rotary International and our District 5610 is concentrating on.

Foundation. While we will be encouraging members to continue to support The Rotary Foundation with their gifts and to reap the benefits of past years contributions with participation in the District and Global Grant programs, we are specifically targeting the development of a global grant project in our area. This means that we will be the host partner and will need to solicit an international partner to help us with our project. We have a grant team of Linda Peterson, Tom Katus, and Colby Christensen of Rapid City Rushmore Rotary Club working on an economic and community development project to benefit the residents of the Pine Ridge community. We will be partnering with a Nebraska non-profit to equip a maker space for artists in an old White Clay, NE liquor store. Building something positive out of a tragic past. Mike Gibson of the Pierre-Ft. Pierre Rotary Club serves as our District Foundation Chair and he and his team are the people to consult for all things Foundation.

Membership. We will be keeping close tabs on membership throughout the year; however, our emphasis will be on starting two new Rotary groups of any kind. RI recognizes at least seven types of Rotary clubs: Traditional, Satellite, E-clubs, Corporate, Passport, Cause-based, and Rotaract clubs. Additionally, Rotary Community Corps (RCC) clubs and Interact Clubs will count toward this goal. I believe this is an easily achieved goal as there is tremendous growth potential in communities already hosting a traditional club as well as in communities missing a Rotary presence. Carmen Hanson of the Rapid City Rushmore Rotary Club leads our efforts in Membership. She has lots of ideas and is a tremendous resource for clubs in the membership area.

Public Image. Traditionally, Rotarians have been reluctant to promote our people and our achievements outside of the Rotary world - and perhaps even amongst ourselves to full benefit. We believe it is important to recognize all the good we are doing as clubs and as individuals and to show off our people and projects to other Rotary groups and to our communities at large. To that end, District 5610 is standing up a Recognition Committee and program. We will be promoting all the past recognition efforts and building new ones to highlight all the great things clubs and Rotarians are doing throughout the year. Recognition is not just for Rotarians...clubs publicly recognizing community individuals and organizations can bring benefit to all concerned. Tony Burke of the Rotary Club of Downtown Sioux Falls is leading this effort for the district.

Rotary International recognizes that flexibility is key to the continued success of Rotary in the 21st century. Innovation on the club and district level is encouraged to keep Rotary fresh and appealing to a new generation of Rotarians. Our International President's theme, 'Rotary Connects the World' applies to connecting generations within Rotary as well as connecting clubs to the greater Rotary world.

Let's DO this!

Ina Winter

District Governor 2019-2020

FOUNDATION GIVING SETS RECORDS

Thanks to all the District 5610 Rotarians who have donated to the Rotary Foundation our District has seen its second year in a row of significant increases. Donations from the District in fiscal years 15, 16 and 17 averaged around $95 per Rotarian. In FY 18, Governor Harrington challenged all the clubs to increase contributions and that number jumped to over $113. During his club meetings in FY 19, Governor Lorenz asked Rotarians to make Foundation donations a priority and you answered his call. By the end of the recently completed FY 19, the average donation per Rotarian in District 5610 jumped to over $131. Thank you for your donations and for helping us to spread the word about the excellent work that results from those donations.

Donations to the Rotary foundation include donations to the Annual Fund, the Polio Plus campaign, as well as any endowments, with the majority of our contributions being targeted toward the Annual Fund. Annual fund contributions are held for three years by the Foundation and the interest is used to fund the Foundation’s operations. After three years the money is allocated by the foundation to support local grants (the money for our District 5610 grants) as well as global grants for projects in which many of our District’s clubs participate. Your donations to the Rotary Foundation are helping to eradicate Polio, and fund numerous projects within our District and around the globe. Thank you.

Requesting New and Used Wheelchairs to Provide Individuals with Mobility Worldwide

Hope Haven is asking for assistance from our district clubs in the collection of new and used wheelchairs.

Thousands of volunteers, have invested 24 years and bring a lifetime of expertise and skill to repairing and refurbishing used wheelchairs, crafting new chair cushions, and sewing wheelchair accessories.

Latest wheelchair facts and figures:

1. World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 70,000,000 million people worldwide need wheelchairs and only 15% have them. That means 59,500,000 people need wheelchairs worldwide.

2. There are 190 countries in the world recognized by the WHO. Of those 190 countries, 34 are developed countries and 156 are undeveloped. Eighty-five percent (85%) of the people who need wheelchairs are in the 156 undeveloped countries.

3. As of April 30, 2019, Hope Haven has delivered 127,104 wheelchairs to people in need in 108 countries.

4. It would be of great help for clubs to accumulate wheelchairs, Hope Haven will collect them free of charge from any location in District 5610 or anywhere else. Please click here to contact Steve Sikorski and he will arrange for pickup.

Help us exceed the 127,104 wheelchairs that have been distributed. Wheelchairs provide people with disabilities their mobility, inclusion, and care they deserve and need. Hope Haven provides quality wheelchairs that are safety-tested and tailored to meet the needs and size of each individual, giving people the opportunity to live a fulfilling life! To learn more please visit https://www.hopehaven.org/what-we-do/international-ministries/wheelchairs

Catching up with Rotary Peace Scholar DJ Fravel

DJ Fravel, right, takes a break from his studies to enjoy a quick trip to see Stonehenge.

DJ Fravel, Rotary Peace Scholar from District 5610, is completing his year-long program in England and will be returning to South Dakota in early September. Recently we caught up with DJ to find out what his year has been like. In his own words, DJ fills us in on a year filled with life-changing experiences.

How have you interacted with Rotarians where you’re studying?

To date, I’ve been a guest speaker at five Rotary Clubs and one Rotaract Club. I’ll spend the evening chatting with the Rotarians over dinner, and then speak a bit about myself and what brought me to study in London. Topics usually include the Global Grant Scholarship and its process, life in South Dakota, talking about my studies, future plans, and answering questions. I’ve heard South Dakota Mornings by the Bee Gees and Doris Day’s The Black Hills of Dakota quite a few times at these dinners!

I also attended multiple get-togethers, Rotary Walks, and other similar events with the cohort or Global Grant scholars studying in London. The central event was the District Conference in Bournemouth from October 19-21. Come the last week of August, I will be giving my goodbye speech for my host club of Enfield Chase here in London District 1130.

Additionally, I understand that you’ve joined Rotaract. I would love to hear more about your experiences there?

I joined Rotaract near the very end of 2018 after attending several meetings and volunteering with the Operation: Christmas Child shoebox packing. Rotaract Westminster is a large and active club, with quite a few opportunities for service opportunities. One option, for example, is their weekly soup kitchen every Thursday with St Patrick’s Church in Soho. Their semi-weekly meetings are extremely well attended, with guest Rotaractors from around the world routinely stopping in to have a chat about their own clubs and experiences.

What have you been doing in your studies, and how do you anticipate that this experience is going to influence your future career choices, community involvement, etc.?

At this exact moment, my future career plans involve working for two to four years to earn some money towards attending law school and attaining my J.D. After this point, I plan on becoming an immigration lawyer working with the asylum seeker cases, or as a legal consultant with a refugee advocacy group, PAC, or NGO.

I went for my Master’s to help build up more knowledge, frameworks, and understanding in the context of migration. I’ve learned how so much of what we see in these realms created fully from how we speak of the facts at hand. It is easy to frame migration as something that happens far away, especially from places such as South Dakota. But in so doing, we remove large swaths of the human element in migration. It becomes something that happens ‘out there’, away from us.

During my program, I took such courses as Migration in Conflict and Ethics in International Relations. Both taught numerous ways that we can look at the world in an effort to find the best policies and programs. Even deeper, however, these courses looked at the ways in which we all use language towards some specific desired worldview.

In talking about migration solely as ‘legal’ or ‘illegal’, we can quickly downplay the instigating factors for why people choose to flee from where they live in order to seek asylum somewhere else. In the midst of all of this, however, some system is necessary to protect the lost and least as they look for a new home. Our legal system is not perfect, neither are the ways we currently address migration. It is my hope that, with my Master’s and future J.D., I’ll be able to enter in to this discussion as a knowledgeable, compassionate, and human-focused individual. The Rotary motto “service above self” rings out clearly here.

For the time being, however, I await my final exam marks and am in the process of writing my dissertation. I don’t have an official title quite yet, but I am writing on the contemporary tensions between ‘migrants’ as a concept and group of people as juxtaposed with ‘citizenship’ and belonging in the United States. Looking at the current system of detention and family separation, something that has been going on in the US far longer than some might think, we see how quickly defining asylum seekers with the catch all term ‘immigrant’ can lead to inhumane and dangerous policies. My dissertation seeks to investigate where these notions came from, and what steps we can take to help humanize this process.

What opportunities have you had (travel, cultural events, etc.) while in the program?

Most recently, I took a road trip out to Bath with another Rotary Scholar, Katie Fettes from District 7010 in Canada. We saw Stonehenge, visited Bath Abbey, and saw the historic Roman bath houses. I went to visit a friend working in Hong Kong for Spring Break and spent a good week there doing some food tourism with her. The history of Hong Kong and its modern political climate blended together as we visited museums in between food stops, making for an eye opening few days.

In London, I’ve taken advantage of the large number of theaters (and student ticket prices) and have seen classic plays like Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap, The Woman in Black, and Fiddler on the Roof. My mother’s first Master’s Degree is in Theatre History, so her request to me was that I see as many plays as possible so she can live vicariously through me. I hope I’ve seen enough for you, mom!

The British Museum is a great place to go spend a few hours with a cup of tea and enough history to keep you occupied for far more time than I have. My first visit there took up about seven hours, and I’m positive I have yet to see everything they have to offer. My routine stop is always the Greek and Assyrian sculpture wing. The power and artistry behind they work is always a source of fascination.

During what little downtime I have as I write my dissertation this summer, I’m planning on spending some time at several of the many larger parks London has to offer. The Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew are fast becoming a main feature of my free days! London weather is fairly routine, but oftentimes uncooperative. Rain is intermittent, but extremely common, making days out require always carrying an umbrella.

I have taken up two hobbies during my stay here. Along with some friends, I am taking Scottish line dancing classes about once every other week. Three times a month, I also attend longswords classes.

What have you found most surprising during the time in the program?

While I appreciate the option to take public transportation nearly everywhere, London is an extremely walkable city. I live near London Bridge Station, which is right across the Thames from Central London. A 30-minute walk can get me nearly anywhere! Out of all the transportation options available, The Overground rail line is by far my favorite. That said, nothing can quite beat the charm of the old Swanage steam line.

District Governor 2019-20 Ina Winter Upcoming Club Visits

RI President-elect Mark Daniel Maloney’s theme for 2019-20, Rotary Connects the World, asks Rotarians to strengthen the many ways that Rotary Connects the World, building the connections that allow talented, thoughtful, and generous people to unite and take meaningful action through Rotary service.

Schedule of District 5610 District Governor Club Visits RY 2019-2020

Schedule of DG Club Visits

RY 2019-2020

6-27-2019 Thursday 7am Hot Springs SD - DG Installation

7-1-2019 Monday noon Pierre-Ft. Pierre SD

7-11-2019 Thursday noon Denison IA

7-15-2019 Monday noon Sibley IA

7-16-2019 Tuesday noon Canton SD

7-23-2019 Tuesday 7am Rapid City SD Rushmore

7-24-2019 Wednesday noon Spearfish SD-Northern Hills

7-25-2019 Thursday noon Rapid City SD

7-30-2019 Tuesday noon Marshall MN

7-30-2019 Tuesday 5:30pm Mapleton IA

7-31-2019 Wednesday noon Sioux Falls SD North

8-1-2019 Thursday 7am Marshall MN Sunrise

8-1-2019 Thursday noon Centerville SD

8-2-2019 Friday noon Sioux Falls SD West

8-5-2019 Monday noon Sioux City IA

8-6-2019 Tuesday noon Yankton SD

8-7-2019 Wednesday noon Gregory SD

8-8-2019 Thursday noon Gettysburg SD

8-12-2019 Monday noon Madison SD

8-13-2019 Tuesday noon Luverne MN

8-14-2019 Wednesday noon Minneota MN

8-15-2019 Thursday noon Winner SD

8-19-2019 Monday noon Cherokee IA

8-20-2019 Tuesday noon Suburban Sioux City SD

8-22-2019 Thursday noon Canby MN

8-26-2019 Monday noon Mobridge SD

8-27-2019 Tuesday noon Brookings SD

8-28-2019 Wednesday noon Wagner SD

8-29-2019 Thursday noon Scotland SD

9-3-2019 Tuesday noon Clark SD

9-5-2019 Thursday noon Watertown SD

9-9-2019 Monday noon Tyndall SD

9-9-2019 Monday 5:15pm Sioux Falls SD South

9-10-2019 Tuesday noon Le Mars IA

9-11-2019 Wednesday noon Vermillion SD

9-16-2019 Monday noon Rock Valley IA

9-19-2019 Thursday noon Mitchell SD

9-23-2019 Monday noon Downtown Sioux Falls SD

9-30-2019 Monday noon Custer SD

10-7-2019 Monday noon Aberdeen SD

Two District 5610 Rotarians to be Inducted into the South Dakota Hall Of Fame

Rotarians, Dr. Reuben Bareis of Rapid City and Dick Brown of Custer, are two of the 10 individuals in the 2019 class to be inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame. The South Dakota Hall of Fame is celebrating its 45th year and recognizes individuals who impact the state through the mission to Champion a Culture of Excellence. The inductee accomplishments reach beyond South Dakota in representing and building the future for the state.

Brown has been a member of the Custer Rotary Club since moving there twelve years ago. Prior to his move to Custer, he was a member of a Sioux Falls Rotary club and served as the President. Bareis is a lifetime supporter of Rotary, including service as the Rapid City Club president, hosting youth exchange, hosting for friendship exchange, and serving as a leader in club projects.

The Honors Ceremony will be held in Chamberlain/Oacoma, SD on September 13 and 14, 2019, and is open to the public. A table for 10 has been reserved for Rotarians that want to be there to celebrate the induction of these two to the Hall of Fame. Contact Linda Peterson or Carol Johnson to reserve a spot at the table. The biographies of the two provided below, and further information on the SD Hall of Fame, are located at https://sdhalloffame.blog/2019/05/02/sd-hall-of-fame-class-of-2019/.

Two of This Year’s Honorees and Rotarians of District 5610 are:

REUBEN BAREIS

Rapid City, SD | Medical

Changing the Course for Elderly Caregiving

When Dr. Bareis relocated to Rapid City in 1957, only a single care facility for the elderly existed. Reuben is one of the original board members and helped break ground at Westhills Village Retirement Community. Six more facilities eventually followed, and Dr. Bareis served as medical director of three of them. His work continues to influence South Dakota in this critical care need. Dr. Bareis retired in 1999 after almost 50 years of practicing internal medicine and geriatrics with many accomplishments as a kind and compassionate community leader.

DICK BROWN

Custer, SD | Philanthropic

Public Service Leader & Conservationist

A native of Dell Rapids and USD Political Science alumnus, Dick Brown left for Washington, D.C. in 1967 for doctoral studies and to work for U.S. Senator Karl Mundt. He then went on to lead the ten-state Missouri River Basin Commission in Omaha. In 1979, he returned to his beloved South Dakota where his impact has been felt statewide with involvement in the state legislature, charitable organizations, and outdoor recreation.

Dr. Willis Sutliff Presents a Polio Plus Campaign Update

Posted by Chuck Lubbers on May 15, 2019

Dr. Willis Sutliff, the Energizer bunny of the Polio Plus campaign in District 5610, receives a club banner from Rand Wergin, Vermillion Rotary Club President, after Dr. Sutliff's update to the Vermillion Club on Rotary's efforts to rid the world of Polio. To watch Dr. Sutliff's presentation to the club you can CLICK HERE or on the picture below to go to the Club's YouTube page.

Reuben Bareis, of Rapid City to be honoree in SD Hall of Fame

Below is a video clip interview with Reuben Bareis. District 5610 is proud to announce Reuben Bareis is one of the ten honorees for the SD Hall of Fame. This marks the 45th year of the South Dakota Hall of Fame, and since 1974, more than 700 South Dakotans have become members of the state's Hall of Fame. The annual honors ceremony will be held September 13-14 and is open to the public. Tickets will go on sale June 1 and can be purchased on the Hall of Fame's website at sdexcellence.org or by calling 605-234-4216. To learn more, click on the website link for a Rapid City Journal news article.

Rotary District 5610 Leadership

Dave Lorenz

District Governor 2018-19

Rotary Club of Vermillion

David (Dave) Lorenz was born in Yankton, South Dakota and raised in Avon, South Dakota. He attended the University of South Dakota Springfield, graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in History Education. He later obtained his Master’s Degree in Public Administration from USD.

Dave’s professional career has been focused on public higher education, with forty-five years of service to the University of South Dakota system. He spent the first ten years of his career at the University of South Dakota at Springfield in a variety of student services positions, including Director of Student Financial Aid, Director of Housing and Student Activities, and Director of Admissions. In 1982, Dave relocated to Vermillion, starting his USD career as Associate Director of Admissions. In subsequent years he was promoted to Director of Admissions, Associate Dean of Students/Director of Enrollment Management, and Dean of Students in 1998, a position he held for eight years. Following early retirement, Dave returned to USD to develop the Academic Advising Program for Student Athletes, and as an academic advisor in kinesiology, health sciences, and for health pre-professional students.

Dave has been actively involved in the Vermillion and University communities. He was elected to the Board of Directors of the Vermillion Chamber and Development Corporation and served a term as President of the VCDC.

Dave joined the Vermillion, South Dakota Rotary Club in 2006. He was previously a member of the Springfield, SD Rotary when it was active. Dave has served as President of Vermillion Rotary, and as Assistant Governor for Area 7. He has also served as District Foundation Scholarship Chair.

Dave and his wife continue to reside in Vermillion, South Dakota. The couple have two children. Dave and Jeaneite enjoy boating, golfing, and relaxing at their summer home at Lake Okoboji, Iowa.

Ina Winter

District Governor Elect 2019-20

Rotary Club of Hot Springs

Ina Winter is a retired civil engineer. She spent the majority of her career in highway administration with the Nebraska Department of Roads, working from the field positions of surveyor and construction observer to designer and back to the field as construction engineer and ending with the position of District Engineer.

Working with the public to achieve timely and cost-efficient projects is what she enjoyed best in her professional life. Public works projects are complex and involve many people and organizations working hand in hand to make worthwhile results. It is this experience that she intends to use in her role as District Governor.

Ina’s Rotary journey began in Norfolk, Nebraska in 2002. She served her club as Treasurer and President and worked with District 5650 as Membership Chair. After retiring from professional pursuits, Ina moved with her husband Brad Winter to Hot Springs, South Dakota where she immediately joined the Hot Springs Rotary Club. She just finished her second term as club president, this time with her new club. She has also just finished a three-year term with District 5610 as District Grants Subcommittee Chair.

Ina has traveled to Africa four times on humanitarian missions. Once with Engineers Without Borders for a water project in Uganda and the other three times with Rotary teams involved in National Immunization Days.

Ina is a Paul Harris Fellow, a Paul Harris Society member, and a Major Donor. She resides in Hot Springs with her husband Brad.

Dan Little, DVM

District Governor Nominee 2020-21

Rotary Club of Brookings

Dan Little currently resides in Brookings, SD where he is owner of D.E. Little, DVM, a veterinary consulting practice, and CEO of Precision Health Technologies, a manufacturing and distribution company that specializes in natural animal health products. Over his 34 years as a veterinarian, his practice has focused on a systems management approach to food animal medicine. In addition to providing on-farm services to diagnose and prevent health challenges, he has also provided technical support to companies that desire to implement biotech solutions in livestock systems. He provides expert opinions of causation and economic loss in complex scenarios regarding dairy, swine, beef, poultry, equine, small ruminants, practice management, and personal injury.

As the eldest child on his parent’s dairy and swine farm near Faribault, MN, Dan had an early interest in keeping animals healthy and avoiding chronic treatments for preventable livestock illness. He followed that interest and obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology from Gustavus Adolphus College, a Master of Science in Physiology of Reproduction from Texas A&M University, and a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Little is a licensed veterinarian in the states of South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Texas, and Hawaii.

Dan and his wife, Pat, enjoy travel, golf, and general aviation, as well as the joys of grandparenting and activities with their adult children. Dan has been a Rotarian since 1996 when he joined the Downtown Club in Rochester, MN. Upon moving to Brookings, he became an active member of Rotary Club 1444 and served as 2016-2017 President. He has served as an RLI facilitator and Assistant Governor in District 5610 for the past two years and will serve as the District Governor in 2020-2021. Dan has a passion for world health and supporting global food production and has attended two international conventions. On a local level, Dan has led an effort to establish alternative times for club meetings to encourage a new generation of citizens to join in Rotary service.

Doug Lind

District Governor Nominee 2021-22

Rotary Club of Rapid City Rushmore

Dear District 5610 Rotarians:

I’d like to tell you a little bit about myself. I was born in Vermillion, SD and raised on a farm in central Clay County with my parents and one brother and one sister. I attended a country school, Vermillion High School, St. Olaf College, and graduated from the University of SD with a pre-law / English degree. While in college, my brother Greg and I, with the help of our dad, started a small backhoe service company to help pay college expenses. After graduation, it was my original intent to go to law school. After a lot of serious consideration, I decided to postpone law school, and continue with the small excavating service business that my brother and I had started 3 years earlier in 1971. Obviously, law school is still “on hold” and we have had a gratifying and exciting career in building our company to what it is today. Sadly, my brother lost his battle with lung disease in 2017 and I’m now the sole owner of our company. We moved our business from Vermillion to Rapid City in 1981 and have remained there since. My son was born to my first wife and I in 1990, and in 2011, Penny and I met and fell in love, and married. Together we share our son, three daughters and 3 granddaughters. Together we share a love for helping others through Rotary, a passion for golf, and 2 homes, in Rapid City and Florida.

Second only to my faith in Jesus Christ as my risen Lord and Savior, Rotary has been a driving force and has given and continues to give my life meaning and purpose. I joined Rapid City Rushmore Rotary Club in January of 1995. When I first became a member, the club was mainly comprised of young downtown businessmen and professionals, with a small number of professional women. The original “big project” was the Black Hills Children’s Home Golf Event, and not much else. Since then our club, through many of it’s long time members has grown into a multi-faceted organization. Rushmore Rotary has expanded its scope and mission to include far-reaching support of schools in Tanzania, water projects across the world, world-wide Friendship Exchanges and countless community projects for local organizations. One of the greatest personal rewards in Rotary is growing, training, and educating new members and our community about the vast and amazing blessings that Rotary International brings to the world every day in ways that are almost beyond human comprehension. For all that R.I. has given me, I will always be grateful and so humbled to be a part of it. After many years of consideration, I have decided that I can repay in a small way all that I’ve been given by serving in this honored role, if I am chosen to do so.

During my Rotary career, I have served locally as President and B.O.D. member for six years over two different terms. At the club level, I have chaired the BHCH Golf Event, the Membership Committee, the Social Committee, the Program Committee, and served on the Strategic Planning Steering Committee. At the District level, I was part of the original leadership group that implemented RLI in 5610. I served as an Assistant District Governor for a period of four years and have served on the planning committee for the District Meeting in Pat Sutliff’s term. I have attended almost all District Annual Meetings for the past twenty years and have attended two Rotary International Conventions in Los Angeles and New Orleans. I attended the Zone Leadership Institute in Albuquerque, NM during Roger Kozak’s term. I have been a member of two Friendship Exchanges, the first in Nikko City, Japan and last year to Sweden. My wife and I have served as a Friendship Exchange hosts for many District Friendship Exchanges and chaired the local planning committee for last year’s District Friendship Exchange.

The first part of my vision for our district is to develop a system of “Intentional Retention”. As I was reminded this morning at a Rotary meeting that I attended in Spring Hill, FL, there is power in numbers, and even more value in quality and integrity of members. I believe that one often-overlooked part of a successful membership plan is consistent, planned, and intentional retention. It’s a proven fact that it takes about three new members to replace one quality existing member. I have been involved in membership committees for many years, and although it’s often talked about, there is rarely a plan for “intentional retention”, i.e., on-going consistent care, support and connection to each other as members. Often-times members have left the club for a variety of reasons, some of which can be resolved or fixed and those responsible don’t become aware until membership dues lapse.

The second part of my vision is to create a sustainable marketing and branding plan. There is a long-standing problem with branding and product recognition in our organization, and although the problem is recognized, more work and attention that needs to be given to this. There is still a wide-spread ignorance in our communities and across the country about what Rotary is, what we do, and who we are. I believe that until people are made more aware of our organization, through a structured branding and marketing plan, sustained growth will continue to be challenging.

The third and final part of my vision for our district is helping our individual clubs become more knowledgeable and then more willing to be involved in International Projects. I know that when I first became a member, my knowledge and the knowledge of our club did not extend beyond local community service, and now I know that there is so much more, and so many more ways that we can serve the world and in doing so do our part to make the world a better, safer and happier place.

In summary, my vision is to make our district stronger and more vital by developing an “intentional retention” system to grow our membership by retaining current members, while increasing awareness of our organization through a focused and structured marketing and branding plan to help our members and our community gain a crystal clear picture of Rotary and all that it is across the world.

During the next two years, I plan on committing my time and energy in support and assisting the sitting DG and the DGE in whatever ways that I can to help and support District 5610 and serving with enthusiasm and commitment as the 2021-2022 District 5610 District Governor. I look forward to this honor with a sense of excitement, a certain amount of “what have I gotten myself into”, and mostly joy and enthusiasm! I know that if I’m chosen to serve, I’ll be supported by my God, my wife, my family and employees, and many good Rotarian friends, all much more accomplished and knowledgeable than me, and an unshakeable belief in the power of love through Rotary and its members.

Sushil Gupta resigns as RI president-nominee

Posted by Chuck Lubbers on Apr 27, 2019

My Fellow Rotarians,

It is with a heavy heart that I announce my resignation as the president-nominee of Rotary International. While it was my dream to serve as your president, my health prevents me from giving my absolute best to you and the office of the president at this time. I believe Rotary deserves nothing less than that from those elected to represent this great organization of ours.

I have made this difficult decision after much soul searching and conferring with my family. This is not only a disappointment for us, but I am also keenly aware that this will be a disappointment for many Rotarians in India who were so proud to see someone from our country again named as president. I know that this is what is best for Rotary International.

I have been a Rotarian for more than 40 years and it has given me everything I could ask for. I can think of no higher honor than to have been selected by the Nominating Committee as president of Rotary for the 2020-21 Rotary year. I will continue to proudly serve as a Rotary member and pursue some major initiatives that I wanted to accomplish during my year as president, because I know that we are poised to achieve more great things in the future.

I wish nothing but the best to the candidate who succeeds me as president and thank you all for the support and encouragement you have shown me in the past year.

-Sushil Gupta

26-Apr-2019

Great Plains RYLA Camp

July 17 – 21, 2019

Hello from Rotary District 5610 of Rotary International - the largest service organization in the world. District 5610 includes 41 Rotary clubs in South Dakota, northwest Iowa, southwest Minnesota and northeast Nebraska. Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) is a leadership training program sponsored by Rotary International that promotes, encourages and rewards outstanding young people who want to become better leaders. RYLA consists of an all-expense paid five-day conference that brings together a group of young men and women from Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa to share ideas about becoming better leaders. Action-packed activities like problem solving games, challenge courses, group discussions and teambuilding activities help participants build confidence and leadership skills.

Eligibility: Students who are currently high school sophomores or juniors.

Location: Nebraska State 4-H Campgrounds near Halsey, Nebraska

Cost: No cost to participating students. Transportation to and from RYLA is included.

Click on the three names listed below to view some testimonials from 2018 RYLA participants:

Casey

Seth

Olivia

For further information please contact your local Rotary club president(s) or contact the following individuals:

Dave Lorenz

District Governor 5610

david.lorenz@usd.edu

Nicole Rawden

District Administrator 5610

rawdenconsulting@gmail.com

Potential Global Grant Project in District 5610

Posted by Chuck Lubbers on Jan 10, 2019

Below is a video clip from an episode of "Rotary Cares" broadcasted by Brattleboro Community Television, in which Tristam Johnson, international projects committee chair for the Brattleboro Sunrise Rotary, outlines the global partnership being formed for a project on the Pine Ridge Reservation. District 5610 and our District clubs can play a critical role in this global grant project taking place in our District. To learn more about the project, click on the website link for WHITECLAY MAKERSPACE or for an Omaha World - Herald news article.

2019 Rotary Peace Fellowship Applications now available and hear from Global Scholar DJ Fravel

Donovan (DJ) Fravel, a recent graduate of Augustana in the fields of government and politics, is our current Peace Scholar studying Peace and Conflict Prevention/Resolution for a Master’s Degree at King’s College in London. He is sponsored by the Enfield Chase Rotary Club in northern London, and as you see from the photos, District 1130 is sponsoring over 24 Peace Scholars from all over the world. He received a warm welcome from the club, and has already participated in Club projects events as you can see in the photos.

The 2019 Rotary Peace Fellowship application is now available!

As a Rotary leader, you play a key role in communicating information about Rotary Peace Centers programs to potential candidates. We encourage you to use and share these resources:

The Rotary Peace Centers Program Guide — information on eligibility requirements and finding qualified candidates
Share this video explaining the application process.
Share the application page where candidates find information on the fellowship and helpful application tips.
Send personalized emails with the fellowship announcement to contacts within your network.
Facilitate an introduction with the Rotary Peace Centers staff (rotarypeacecenters@rotary.org) and we will be happy to follow-up!
Follow us on the Rotary Peace Centers Facebook page and share fellowship updates.
Present on the Rotary Peace Fellowship at an organization you are connected with. A PowerPoint presentation is available online.

Candidates must submit applications to the District 5610 Global Peace Scholarship Chair, Sandra Christenson (sandrac@heartland-paper.com) by March 1, 2019. Districts must submit endorsed applications to The Rotary Foundation by 1 July. General inquiries regarding the fellowship program may be sent to rotarypeacecenters@rotary.org. We thank you for your dedication to the Rotary Peace Centers and your continuous support in educating the Rotary network about the fellowships! Further information can be obtained by contacting any of the following:

Sandra Christenson (sandrac@heartland-paper.com)

Darrel Sawyer (Darrell.sawyer@sdsmt.edu)

Pam Homan (phoman@augied.edu)

We appreciate your assistance in identifying interested and qualified applicants!

Sincerely,

Sandra, Darrell and Pam

Meet our District 5610 Youth Exchange Inbound Students

District 5610 and our Youth Exchange officers have been welcoming two inbound students – Eloise Longhi from Belgium (Rapid City Rushmore) and Borja Gallo Ansa from Spain (Madison) – as well as preparing for a new group of outbound students from our district. District 5610 currently has two students who have applied to be outbound students, while several clubs have expressed an interest to host students even if they cannot send a student outbound. If you have a student interested in Rotary Youth Exchange, please have them contact Patrick.Morrison@usd.edu as soon as possible due to the short time remaining in the application process. Lastly, please contact Patrick if your club is interested in hosting an exchange student for the 2019-2020 Rotary year.

Pictured in photo: Past District Governor and District Treasurer Steven Sikorski, Past District Governor Ed Jacobson and District Governor David Lorenz welcome District 5610 Rotary Youth Exchange Students from Belgium and Spain.

To learn more please visit https://www.csrye.org/

Update from London - Global Scholar DJ Fravel

Greetings,

I write to you with an update of my time in London here right as dissertation season begins in earnest. Our false Spring has ended, and the cold grey skies bring the constant threat of rain. But such is life in London!

My studies are going very well. This term, I am taking Applied Peace and Justice, Philosophical Foundations of International Law, and my core module that focuses on helping us produce our dissertation. I am taking part in a War Crimes Research group as part of my Peace and Justice Course. Within that, I am researching post-conflict reparations and reconstructions efforts. We recently heard from the Human Security Chief Mehrnaz Mostafavi on the work her organization is doing, and strategies that can be employed to help address the issues of human securities in conflict prevention measures.

Outside of courses, I have been quite busy as well! I joined Rotaract Westminster as a full member and have regularly been attending their meetings. Last week, I spoke to the club about my studies and time in South Dakota, focusing on my concepts of home and belonging and how that influenced my desire to study migration policies. In addition, I spoke on the Rotary Scholarship that made my studying here in London possible. Another Rotary Scholar (and good friend of mine) from Tennessee spoke alongside me, giving her own story, study focus, and experiences with the same scholarship.

Food remains the most accessible source of adventure. Along with a friend, we try to see at least one museum, play, musical concert, speaker, or art show a week. We have visited the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, seen Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap, and eaten probably a few too many Full English Breakfasts, among many other things.

I'll keep in touch more as the Spring carries on in to Summer.

Thank you very much for your support, and I hope all is going on well back home in South Dakota.

Cheers,

DJ Fravel

Great Plains Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA)

What is RYLA?

RYLA stands for Rotary Youth Leadership Award. A RYLA participant is selected by his or her local Rotary Club to attend a camp designed to build character, leadership, personal development and good citizenship. The “Award” part of RYLA is the actual scholarship the Rotary Club provides so that a participant may attend camp. Many participants have had life-changing experiences by attending RYLA Camp, and YOU could be one of those people.

Rotary District 5630 has hosted Great Plains RYLA for more than 1,200 students since 1990. Using the Nebraska State 4-H campground facilities near Halsey in the scenic Nebraska Sandhills, RYLA has trained young leaders through activities, workshops, and a variety of presentations by speakers in business, government, and education.

The camp is a six-day experience full of outdoor activities such as canoeing or tubing, a fun ropes course, and many other outdoor activities that emphasize teamwork and decision making. In addition, RYLA focuses on service and Rotary’s role in building stronger communities by emphasizing both local and global citizenship. Previous RYLArians serve as junior counselors and Rotarian men and women serve as senior counselors.

Learn more about RYLA and upcoming application deadlines by visiting https://greatplainsryla.org/students/about/

Rotarians of Distinction

Rotary District 5610 recently recognized ten “Rotarians of Distinction” from 1,800 Rotarians in a four-state region at the 2018 Rotary District 5610 Conference and Celebration held in Vermillion. Each Rotarian of Distinction received a certificate recognizing a level of service to the organization and to their communities that was so outstanding that it deserved special recognition.

“It was very exciting to recognize our Rotarians of Distinction,” said Dave Lorenz, Governor of Rotary District 5610. “Too often we forget to say a public thank you to those who do so much good for their Rotary Club and for their community. I am proud to be associated with such wonderful, compassionate individuals.”

As members of a service organization, all Rotarians contribute to the betterment of their communities and practice the organization’s motto of “service above self”. However, each of these Rotarian’s contributions were at such a high level that they were recognized by the leadership of the District.

Rotary District 5610 includes 28 Rotary clubs from around South Dakota as well as 13 clubs in southwest Minnesota, northwest Iowa and northeast Nebraska. These 41 clubs are involved in many local and international service activities.

Visit the District website Rotary5610.org for information about when the clubs meet in our district. Visitors are welcome at club meetings, and local Rotary clubs are always interested in learning more about ideas for service projects to help the community.

Rotary brings together a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges. Rotary connects 1.2 million members of more than 35,000 Rotary clubs in over 200 countries and geographical areas. Their work improves lives at both the local and international levels, from helping families in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world. For more information, visit Rotary.org.

RevUp Membership District 5610

Congratulations to Centerville, Cherokee, Marshall Sunrise, Watertown, Brookings, Gregory, Canby, Rapid City Rushmore, Aberdeen and Luverne who ended the Rotary year with an increase in members.

Here are some great resources.

https://www.rotary2127.com/tool-box/

https://my.rotary.org/en/learning-reference/learn-topic/membership

Each club has received the Club Membership Guide to help you develop a club membership plan.

New member orientation template available.

Carmen Hansen

District Membership Chair

Letter from Barry Rassin and Ron D. Burton

My dear friends and fellow Rotary leaders,

As we enter Foundation Month, we would like to thank each and every one of you who did so much to make World Polio Day such an enormous success.

We welcomed Rotarians, Rotary staff members, Rotaractors, and guests to our livestream viewing and virtual reality event here at Rotary headquarters in Evanston. It was an amazing experience—not only sharing our excitement and enthusiasm for polio eradication with so many strong supporters, but knowing that our event was just one of the 3,300 registered World Polio Day events taking place around the world on that day. Everyone helped raise awareness of our work; everyone brought eradication that much closer.

Rotary’s work to eradicate polio continues, as does our work to promote literacy, economic development, better health, clean water, and peace throughout the world—all of it supported by our Rotary Foundation. In its 101^st year, our Foundation continues to be the engine that drives the Rotary machine, allowing Rotary clubs and districts to aspire to larger, more ambitious projects with transformative, sustainable impact.

If your club is thinking about taking on a more ambitious project, remember that Rotary Action Groups (RAGs) are great resources. RAGs are international groups of Rotarians, family members, program participants, and alumni who are experts in a particular field, such as microcredit, peace, family health, disasters, or water. In addition to contributing technical expertise, RAGs can also assist clubs with global grant projects by helping prepare grant applications, conduct community assessments, identify partners, raise funds, and establish monitoring and evaluation plans.

Some of the largest RAGs serve as leaders in Rotary’s areas of focus and help clubs take on large-scale global grant projects: RAG for Population and Development,Water and Sanitation RAG, RAG for Family Health and AIDs Prevention,Microfinance and Community Development RAG, and RAG for Peace. Connect directly with a RAG for assistance with a project, district, or global grant, at any stage of planning.

You can end Foundation Month on a charitable note by participating in Giving Tuesday, 27 November. Rotary will be joining thousands of other organizations worldwide for a global day of giving. Our new online giving platform has made it easier than ever to give to the Foundation, and you can easily notify someone of a gift made in their honor via email or by printing and delivering a customized notification yourself.

We usually refer to The Rotary Foundation as Our Foundation. Unlike most charities, our Foundation is truly Our Foundation, because it is both supported by the Rotary family, and supports the work we do. This year, our Foundation has already approved 222 district grants, with $31.9 million USD in total funding, and 41 global grants, with $11.9 million in total funding.

Our ambitious goals to grow our endowment and our annual giving set the stage for a larger, more effective, more sustainable Rotary—that will Be the Inspiration for generations to come.

Yours in Rotary,

Barry Rassin
President, Rotary International 2018-19

Ron D. Burton
Trustee Chair, The Rotary Foundation 2018-19

Welcome to our District 5610 website!

JOIN LEADERS ~ EXCHANGE IDEAS ~ TAKE ACTION

We are PEOPLE OF ACTION!

This website is for the use of the membership of District 5610 clubs, district leadership and the public. You can locate club meetings and locations in the left column, and District leaders in Organization. Please browse the information, suggest additions and changes, or ask questions by reaching leaders in "Contact Us." If you login as a member of Rotary, you can access additional club and district management information.

Rotary International is the world's first service club organization, with more than 1.2 million members in over 35,000 clubs worldwide, divided into 535 Districts. Rotary club members are volunteers who work locally, regionally, and internationally to combat hunger, improve health and sanitation, provide education and job training, promote peace, and eradicate polio under the motto Service Above Self.

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