It’s hard to believe that we’re in the final quarter of the Rotary year (though, maybe easier to believe for those in club leadership, ha)! It’s been a really terrific nine months for our district, and I’m excited to finish out on a strong note.
And speaking of strong, one of my favorite annual events is coming up next month, and you won’t want to miss it! Join us at Maceli’s in Lawrence on Saturday, May 6 for Gathering for Good, to benefit the Rotary Foundation. I’m excited for the fellowship, entertainment, and an exciting auction – which may include a wine tasting class and charcuterie board from me (as well as a number of other very cool – and exclusive – items)! This fundraiser is critical to our annual foundation giving efforts, and we hope you’ll be able to join, or, if you’re not able to be there in person, bid on our silent auction from anywhere!
In addition to foundation giving, you’ll see later in this newsletter how very close we are to hitting our annual Polio Plus goal! As always, our clubs have been hard at work raising funds for this life-saving cause, and I’m confident we’ll meet – and exceed – that $100,000 mark very soon!
Lastly, I want to express my appreciation for two local Rotarian-legislators – Senator Usha Reddi and House Minority Whip Stephanie Sawyer Clayton for their help in recognizing your incredible work with a legislative resolution in both chambers on Monday (pictures below). It was an honor to represent you, as always!
During World Immunization Week, 24-30 April, join Rotarians around the World in advocating for polio eradication and the importance of vaccines. As one of the greatest advances of modern medicine, vaccines are safe, effective, and save millions of lives each year. Our progress in the fight to end polio is proof that vaccines work. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative estimates that the polio vaccine has saved more than 20 million children around the world from paralysis. However, approximately 12.5 million children are totally unvaccinated. They are known as Zero-Dose Children and vaccinating them is critical to stopping polio for good.
We need to continue vaccinating the world’s children against polio, because polio anywhere is a threat everywhere.
Here’s how you can support Rotary’s efforts during World Immunization Week:
Download the World Immunization Week Toolkit for graphics and sample posts to share on social media and Club’s website with the hashtags #EndPolio and #VaccinesWork.
Download and share our 2 ½ minute video, “Zero-Dose Children.” as part of your meeting program that week.
Donate to PolioPlus to help Rotary and our partners deliver polio vaccines to vulnerable children. Or start an online fundraiser to help us end polio using Raise for Rotary and share it with your network.
If you have not yet done so, consider becoming a member of the District 5710 Polio Plus Society.
Be sure to read the amazing cover story in your issue of the April Rotary about the Women Working to End Polio in Pakistan.
Our District 5710 Leadership has set a great example by already sending $30,000 of ourDistrict Designated Funds (DDF) to PolioPlus to help meet our District’s Goal of donating more than the $147,000 that 5710 donated last year. It’s not too late for members and club’s to use the reminder of World Immunization Week to re-dedicate your support for Polio Plus and the end of Polio.
Join us during World Immunization Week to celebrate the progress that has been made with only ONE Case of the Wild Polio Virus in Pakistan this year and remind your members, your community, and the world that together, we will END POLIO!
And “We are…This Close” as shown in our “Countdown to History”
Call or email me for ideas or help: Jim Arnett, Polio Plus District Chair
Register NOWfor our Gathering For Good Foundation event on May 6th! So far, we have a Vegas condo, three tasting experiences involving beer, bourbon, or wine, signed sports memorabilia, a play-n-stay golf experience at Colbert Hills, and a very special quilt made in memory of PDG Jon Wilhite. Our live entertainment for this event will feature Tyler Korso Illusionist. This year’s Rotary theme of “Imagine Rotary” will be showcased in this night to remember. The live auction will feature our auctioneer extraordinaire, Charlie Moon, once again. This year, the Gathering For Good will be held at Maceli’s in Lawrence. This event will be a very fun filled night with all of the funds raised going to The Rotary Foundation Annual fund in the name of the person purchasing any item that is available. DGN-D Chuck Udell has been reaching out to the club presidents about putting together club baskets for our silent auction. We have already seen some great ideas! If you have an idea for a silent or live auction item, please contact me (fbarr@t-mfinancial.com) or Chuck Udell (chuckudell@msn.com). We can discuss where your item or auction package can be placed. Last year, we raised over $27,000 in one night and had a wonderful time! I hope you can join us and help us raise even more this year.
Just as a reminder, any of us in the District Foundation committee would be happy to speak with you or present to your club on several Foundation topics, including Endowment/Major Gifts, Global Scholars, Global grants, District grants, Paul Harris Society, Polio Plus, and alternative ways to give a significant gift to The Rotary Foundation (TRF). I encourage you to reach out to us if you would like us to present to you.
As of March 29th, we have, as a district, given 59% of what we contributed last year to TRF Annual fund and 84% to Polio Plus. With 3 months left in our Rotary year, we are getting closer to matching or exceeding our numbers from last year. Over 80% of our clubs have donated at least something to one of the Rotary Foundation areas and we are all very delighted you did. If you have not made your contribution to TRF yet this year, I would encourage you to do so in the next three months. Your District Foundation committee is dedicated to helping our members with various ways of contributing to TRF and with various ideas for projects that can benefit from those funds.
An example of how your TRF funds are being utilized is through our Global Grants (GGs). We have three GGs currently in process that carried over from last year with eradicating human trafficking as the focus. Our Global Grant committee just agreed to commit $5,000 to a project in Cucuta, Columbia that would provide a much needed ultrasound machine to this community. We have two GGs in draft status. One is for a Global Scholar and the other is to help women and girls in the slums of Uganda attain job skills that would get them out of the human trafficking life they currently live in daily. $30,000 of our District Designated Funds (DDF) went to Polio Plus and $25,000 was contributed for us to be a PeaceBuilder District once again. We are expecting updated news for a Guatemala GG that would focus on Disease Treatment and Prevention in Patanatic. We have also decided to dedicate $15,000 each year to a Global Scholar we could support once every other year.
If you would like to learn more about GGs, please join us at 3:00pm in Maceli’s on May 6th (just before the Gathering For Good) for a GG training led by RI Regional Grants Officer, Cecilia Walter. She has graciously agreed to meet with us to discuss how the RI grants team analyzes GGs for our Region.
We also see the impact of all of your District Grant projects throughout our district and in your community. Thank you for all of your efforts so far! With only three months left in the 2022-2023 Rotary year, we have the opportunity to finish strong and exceed our goals so we can help even more people in future!
District 5710 will be offering a unique opportunity for Global Grant training by Cecelia Walters, our Rotary International Global Grant officer.
This training will be 3:00-4:00 pm on Saturday, May 6 at Maceli's Banquet Hall in Lawrence. The training will be prior to the Gathering for Good event, so come early and learn how to apply for a global grant. Please note this training is for GLOBAL grants, not DISTRICT grants.
Districts 5710 and 5680 attended Heartland PETS 2023 on 31 March- 1 April in Salina, Kansas! The PETS’ Committee designed a dynamic Heartland PETS experience. Club Presidents-elect and other Rotary Club leaders spent few days hearing exceptional guest speakers and participating in three facilitated sessions that will support their needs as they are handed their club gavels or assume a lead club role. Of course, there was also time for socializing!
Please let us know if your club is interested in hosting (providing a conference room/site) a May RLI (Rotary Learning Institute). Our February RLI in Manhattan received positive feedback so we will keep this hybrid design: Friday a Zoom meeting from 5:30-8:30 PM, and an in-person session on Saturday from approximately 8:30 AM-5:00 PM.
There are a few seats available in the Kansas Leadership Center classes. See the info below!
There are a limited number of grants to participate in the programs of the Kansas Leadership Center. The Kansas Leadership Center (KLC) is a non-profit organization committed to fostering leadership for stronger, healthier and more prosperous Kansas communities.
The KLC offers three programs that build on each other:
•Your Leadership Edge is the introductory program that focuses on personal leadership competencies. It helps participants stretch and grow their leadership while addressing their toughest challenges.
•Lead for Changeis the advanced, deep dive into individual leadership – helping leaders understand how to mobilize others to deal with tough problems and change processes.
•Equip to Lead focuses on communications, integrating leadership principles into the organization, and facilitating real change.
These programs range from $399 to $799 in value. The grant allows Rotarians to attend for free.
Who Should Attend?
Each club should consider sending up and coming leaders from their club and community. The virtual sessions are ideal for clubs in western Kansas. Leaders who have done the first program should consider the second and third programs.
How To Register
To Sign Up for one of the three programs, we ask that you do two things:
1. Visit the KLC website at: www.kansasleadershipcenter.org. Create a personal account and register using the code RotaryMiniGrant to waive the tuition fee.
2. Notify District 5710’s Trainers, Ellen Bogdan and DeEtte Lombard, of your interest in order that we might track Rotarians who are taking advantage of this grant. Our contact data is:
PDG Vern Henricks was given an award by District 7020 at their District Assembly two weeks ago for his work in Haiti. PDG Henricks was also a guest speaker at the event. Congrats Vern!
The annual District Grants Training for this year is scheduled for April 18th at 5:00pm via Zoom. A basic requirement to be eligible to apply for a District Grant is that each club must have at least one club member who has attended a District Grants Training/Certification Seminar within the last three years prior to the application deadline date, which is August 31, 2023. Click here for the Zoom registration.
All preliminary forms for this year’s grants are now posted on the Rotary District 5710 website (rotary5710.org). Please share this information with all club members who participate in your District Grants process.
For additional information or questions, please contact Greg Shondell, District 5710 Grants Subcommittee Chair, greg@HeathwoodOil.com.
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) is back in action! RYLA is a program for high schoolers to learn about leadership and what Rotary District 5710 stands for and how they can get involved. As well as, enjoy some fun activities in the meantime! As a past camper myself, RYLA helped me understand leadership in a non-traditional way, and gave me confidence towards interacting with my peers and adults.
After a five year gap, District 5710 restarted the process last fall to advertise, interview and select a new Global Grant Scholarship Applicatant to study abroad in 2023-2024. An entirely new committee was created with great Rotarians (Courtney Brooks, Jim Evers, Joan Underwood, Laurie McCormack, Ron Slepitza, Ryan Klataske and myself) from throughout the District. We met via Zoom and created a new tab on the District website with all new documents for scholar applicants and clubs. In-person interviews were held in Lawrence mid-February.
The District 5710 Global Grant Scholarship Applicant selected to move forward within the official Rotary International system is Mattie Vandel from Weston, MO. Mattie attended Kansas State University and majored in Anthropology. She is the perfect example of ‘Service above Self.’ Mattie has been volunteering since high school as well as travelling abroad many times on volunteer and research missions. Mattie has been out of school working and volunteering a few years, speaks Spanish and truly believes in making sure what she is doing ‘will be beneficial to all concerned.’
Mattie has applied to and been accepted to a very unique Global Studies master’s program(only 20 were accepted out of 300 who applied) through Humboldt University in Berlin. Her Global Studies program is a two year program where they study in Berlin for a little while, then go abroad (she wants to go to South Africa) and study and do a special project at one location for part of a year. They then move to another location (she wants to go to Thailand) for part of a year and finish their studies back in Berlin. What a true Global Studies program.
We are in the process of finishing the online application process in the Rotary International Grants Center for Mattie. We have already connected with a host club in Berlin and those Rotarians are looking forward to welcoming Mattie to their club when she arrives.
Thanks to our committee, the District 5710 leadership for funding and restarting the Global Grant Scholarship Application Process, and for those clubs who helped find good candidates to apply. It is exciting to be completing the process and have another excellent scholar going abroad to represent District 5710.
Seven Rotary and Interact Clubs join together for service project.
Six Rotary clubs, Leawood, Lenexa, Topeka South, Manhattan, Lawrence, and Community Action Against Human Trafficking, and Topeka High Interact joined forces and funding to procure supplies and assemble 114 Rotary Cares kits for victims and survivors of human trafficking and sexual exploitation. Members of the clubs met on March 24 and 25 to assemble the kits that will be distributed to 6 agencies in District 5710 that serve victims. The agencies that will receive these duffel bags filled with clothing, health and beauty supplies, socks, flip flops, and a journal are: Rended Heart, The Willow, Veronica’s Voice, Project 2 Restore, YWCA Day Center, and The Crisis Center.
District 5710 will hold its annual Gathering for Good (G4G) on May 6 in Lawrence. PDG and District Foundation Chair Faron Barr and his committee are planning a wonderful event, including a magic show – in keeping with this year’s “Imagining Rotary” theme. Whether we are able to attend or not, we all have opportunities to participate in Rotary Foundation magic:
The Magic of Doing Good in the World: Think of the magic we all are privileged to do when we donate to The Rotary Foundation (TRF) – eradicating polio, bringing clean water to villages, fighting human trafficking at home and abroad, and countless other ways of making the world a better place.
The Magic of Endowments: I will celebrate another birthday this Easter. I regard each passing year as a gift and a reminder of the magic of life itself. But I know my life will end at some point. We are all mortal. But I find it comforting to know that the donations I have made to TRF’s Endowed Fund and other endowments will magically continue to do good in the world long after I am no longer around.
The Magic of SHARE: By designating our TRF gifts (to endowment and/or the annual fund) “SHARE” we can ensure that half their benefits will be returned to our own district for the work of our own clubs and fellow Rotarians here.
The Magic of Charitable Gift Annuities (CGAs): Charitable Gift Annuities make it possible for us to make major donations ($10,000 or more) to The Rotary Foundation, yet enjoy the financial benefits of those gifts for the rest of our lives. During times of market volatility, I am especially grateful for the stable income that comes from CGAs, at remarkably high interest rates and only partially taxable.
The Magic of 2-Generation Charitable Remainder Trusts (CRTs): CRTs are another mechanism by which donors can receive life income from gifts to TRF or other charitable organizations. But what if I am concerned about leaving enough money to my heirs? The Rotary Foundation is one of the few charitable organizations that make it possible to designate heirs as life-income recipients of CRTs. Like magic, we can do good in the world and build financial security for our heirs at the same time.
Other TRF Magic: The Rotary Foundation offers other giving opportunities that seem almost like magic, including donor-advised funds and the use of qualified charitable distributions from Individual Retirement Accounts. Restrictions to these and other gift options may apply. Please you review your plans carefully with a professional advisor.For more information on any of these magical opportunities, email plannedgiving@rotary.org. Feel free also to contact me, Bill Richter, at wrichter@ksu.edu or 785-539-6202.
Welcome to April! April 1 marks the 107th anniversary of the Leavenworth Rotary Club, which happens to be my club, and on that day we became the 210th club chartered by the then “International Association of Rotary Clubs. April’s focus for Rotary is the Protecting the Environment Area of Focus. Click that link for more information on what Rotary is doing in that arena.
So, the name of our overall organization is “Rotary International.” Before that, as I alluded to above, we called ourselves the “International Association of Rotary Clubs.” Let’s take a brief look at how Rotary grew from five guys in Chicago to a truly international entity by looking at how clubs spread across the globe. Past RI President Cliff Dochterman compiled this list some years ago when he was doing… district newsletter bits:
The first Rotary club meeting was in Chicago, Illinois, on 23 February 1905
The first regular lunch meetings were in Oakland, California, chartered in 1909.
The first Rotary convention was in Chicago in 1910.
The first Rotary club outside of the United States was chartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, in 1910.
The first Rotary club outside of North America was chartered in Dublin, Ireland, in 1911.
The first Rotary club in a non-English-speaking country was in Havana, Cuba, in 1916.
The first Rotary club in South America was chartered in Montevideo, Uruguay, in 1918.
The first Rotary club in Asia was chartered in Manila, Philippines, in 1919.
The first Rotary club in Africa was chartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1921.
The first Rotary club in Australia was chartered in Melbourne in 1921.
Such was the appeal of the Rotary idea that it only took 16 years to span the globe, when most long-distance travel was by train and steamship. Travel then was expensive in time and treasure. Air travel and the automobile have spoiled us by the relative convenience and affordability of it all! Even if airport security is a royal pain…
Three quarters of our 2022-2023 Rotary year will soon be in the books. During this time our 41 clubs have added 185 new members which is great. Thank you to our club leaders and members for making this happen. However, we have lost 197 members which brings our net district membership to 1,944 – a net loss of 12 since July 1, 2022.
Note that the end of December, 2022 we reported a net loss of 23. So, during the past three months, our district reduced this loss with a net gain of 11. Let’s keep this trend going so by June 30th – we will have a net gain in membership!
A special congratulations to Matt Zimmerman, president of the RC Shawnee. Thru his leadership and others in this club they have added a new satellite focusing on attracting and retaining members under 40. They meet in the evening.
Besides tracking new growth in membership your membership team suggests focusing on another metric – member retention. 17 of of our district club’s retention is 95% - thank you to these club leaders and members
Hot off the press! Rotary has a brand new tool, Getting to Know Prospective and New Members that clubs can use to help them retain more members as well as attract more members to our awesome organization. Click here to download.
Here is how Getting to Know Prospective and New Members can help. Did you know that when members leave Rotary, one of the primary reasons they cite is that their expectations weren’t met? This new guide will help you learn what your member’s expectations – both new and seasoned – are. It provides many questions you can ask your members. You pick and choose which ones are most relevant and appropriate. We suggest that a club leader (president, PE, membership chair for example) should meet one-on-one informally with members to learn what their expectations are. And, for all members – find out if your club is meeting these expectations. Discovering this information from all your members should help you not only retain more members but will also help you and your prospects determine if your club is the right one for them.
Want other resources to help you grow your membership - then go check out the Membership Club Resources section on our District Web Site – Membership Tab
PETS Training for president-elects has just concluded. A great tool to help PE’s work with their clubs to help prepare for the 2023-2024 year is The Rotary Club Health Check This can be downloaded from the District 5710 website – membership tab at https://rotary5710.org/sitepage/membership-club-resources The Health Check can be self-administered by your club or our membership team will be happy to help your club do this.
Lastly, our next Quarterly Membership Zoom Conversation will be 5:30 to 6:30 pm on Monday, May 8th. As we get closer to our date, Club presidents, PE’s, and membership chairs will soon receive their zoom invite. Others, please email me at chuckudell@msn.com for the zoom link. Our membership conversations are open to all Rotarians
Questions, concerns re membership, please reach out to our membership team. Their contact info is at this link.
Rotary offers so much to people of all ages thru community service, friendship, and a chance to develop professionally. Wouldn’t it be awesome if we can introduce more people to the wonderful gift of Rotary?
The generosity of the Coffey County community made Burlington Rotary Club’s annual food drive a success. The food drive is held annually at Hoover’s Thriftway on the Friday evening and Saturday morning before the Super Bowl. This was the 12th year for the food drive.
Rotarians were present at the store entrance to greet customers and to give them a list of suggested items to purchase for God’s Storehouse. Shoppers choosing to participate donated food items as they left the store.
Rotarians delivered a trailer full of food and $367.45 to God’s Storehouse the following Monday.
Burlington Rotarians donated $300 to the Quilts of Valor program in Coffey County. Connie Hatch presented a program about Quilts of Valor, which awards a quality handmade quilt that is machine or hand quilted to a service member or veteran who has been touched by war. The nationwide program began in 2003 and now has groups throughout the country. The Coffey County group has four members. Hatch explained how she became involved in the program, as well as the process of making a quilt. Visit www.qofv.org to learn more about Quilts of Valor Foundation.
Burlington Rotarians continue to participate in the Rotary Readers program at Burlington Elementary School. On the second Thursday of every month, two Rotarians spend about 15 minutes reading books to first-graders.
Burlington Rotarians will host a 5K run/walk with proceeds going to eradicate polio. The polio run will be held Oct. 21 in Burlington.
Coffey County Economic Development Director Bobby Skipper explained how Coffey County’s CHIPS project progressed. Skipper made the presentation three days after Governor Laura Kelly came to Burlington as part of EMP Shield’s announcement it will build a $1.9 billion gallium-nitride semiconductor fabrication facility in Coffey Count’s new 265-acre industrial park south of BETO Junction. The plant is expected to create 1,200 jobs.
Rotarians Dorthy Stucky Halley and Sharon Sullivan, along with Tish Taylor and Barbara Ballentine, presented at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in March 2023. “Empowering Women’s Voices and Choices to Inform Battering Intervention and Policies” details research done at the Family Peace Initiative on virtual batterer intervention programs during Covid. Traditionally, batterer intervention groups meet in person. Of course, this was impossible during Covid, but the services were still necessary. The panelists discussed the advantages and disadvantages of operating this important program online. The presentation was well-attended and well-received by the audience.
Megan McGuire and Mikala London visited the Emporia Rotary Club on March 21. They discussed the honor flight program in the South Lyon County School District. Ms. McGuire is a social studies teacher in the district who organizes the program. Mikala is a junior in the district who has served as a companion on one honor flight and is preparing to serve on her second flight. Honor flight is a nationwide program that arranges two-day trips to Washington DC for veterans to visit the memorials dedicated the wars in this these veterans served. A typical trip leaves Olps KS at 1:00 am. Even at this late hour, people line the streets in Olpe and Emporia to provide well-wishes to the bus and its riders. They leave Kansas City airport at 5:00 am, arrive in Baltimore, ride another bus to Washington, and start visiting monuments and memorials. On the second day they finish their visits, and return for a late night arrival back in Ople. The companions serve a crucial task as some of the veterans need to be taken in wheel chairs, given the long walking distances between the monuments. But some of the companions can’t keep up with their assigned high-energy veteran.
Pictured from on the left is Mikala London, a junior at Olpe High School, and on the right is Megan McGuire social studies teacher.
Our Irish Stew Dinner prep started on Sunday, 12 March; several members of our club cleaned, peeled and cut up many pounds of carrots, celery, onions and potatoes for our caterer, Terry Booker (The Cafe) who in turn cooked up 140 pounds of beef with the vegetables to serve at our dinner this year. Picture below - part of the carrot crew, DeEtte Lombard and Cassie Blakley, the onion organizers, Edd Hingula, Mike Keohane and Mike Gould; no tears were shed! Working with the potatoes, Irish Stew Dinner Co-Chairs, Rita Kowalewski and Maria Minchew shown here.
Many folks from our community attend our dinner including the Grand Marshal of the Saint Patrick's Day Parade along with former grand marshals (shown here). Waiting to serve the first batch of hungry Irish lads and lassies; shown here are Stan Cherrie, Brian Voorhees, Michelle Knight, Marcia Irvine and Terri Wojtalewicz. Supporters came from as far as Iowa and Tennessee to enjoy our delicious Irish Stew, fun, fellowship and the first-ever Z-Give On-Line Auction; shown here are Tamara Sevcik, Carla Assell (Iowa), Cammy Johnson (Tennessee) and Debbie Marriott (Iowa) and Mike Sevcik.
Community members enjoying their Irish Stew, Peas, Garlic Bread, cookies, and a wee bit of green beer. A bucket of libations (plus more) was raffled off at the dinner as well; proceeds from this raffle go directly to our local Foundation in support of Literacy and Education Programs such as high school scholarships, 3rd-grade dictionaries, the district RYLA program, our local RYLA program, Educators of the Year and the Leavenworth Schools Foundation. Many silent auction items were offered on our Z-Give Auction Platform.
Who doesn’t love a good parade especially one that Rotary participated in; Marcia Irvine and Mike Sevcik lead the way with our club banner for our beloved Rotary Wheel!
Our newest PHF, Terri Hecox, shown here with President Derek Wohlgemuth; we are working to be a 100 percent PHF Club! New member Edd Hingula (right) lights his candle of commitment with his sponsor, Mike Keohane. New member James Barresse lights his candle of commitment with his sponsor, Suzie Lawson. New member, Michelle Knight, receives one of the district's new member packets from President Derek Wohlgemuth.
The "Love the Little Apple Project” continues weekly with nonprofits, assisted by Rotary volunteers, selecting products for the people they serve. Examples might be laundry detergent for the Flint Hills Bread Basket, sun screen for students at Job Corp or small kits of products distributed in blessing boxes around town. The project is a collaboration with the Overland Park Rotary Club and Feed the Hungry, the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation, the Manhattan University Christian Church, and the Manhattan Rotary Club. Since its inception, about 40 nonprofits have benefited from the free resources and club members have donated approximately 80 volunteer hours.
Our Rotary club and others in District 5710 contributed $500 apiece to enhance a CAAHT Club district grant to prepare Rotary Care Kits for women exiting trafficking or abuse. On March 25, several club members helped pack 114 kits in Topeka. Club members brought back 30 kits which were presented to Kathy Ray, Executive Director of The Crisis Center. Kathy Ray and staff were so excited to receive the kits.
The Club is completing the Rotary Global Grant Scholarship application with Mattie Vandel, Rotary Global Grant Scholar candidate. She is a K-State graduate in Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work from Weston, MO. Mattie applied and was accepted into the Global Studies master’s program (only 20 students are accepted out of 300 applicants) through Humboldt University in Berlin. Her Global Studies is a two-year program where students study in Berlin, then go abroad (her preference is South Africa) and study at one location for part of a year. Students then move to another location (her preference is Thailand) and finish their studies back in Berlin. It is truly a Global Studies program.
In late March, the Montpelier Vermont Rotary Club honored Brian Peete, Riley County Police Department Director, with a Paul Harris Fellow and collaborated with our Club to make the award. Director Peete left Vermont for Manhattan before the presentation could take place. Linda Morse introduced Brian. Rotarians and Vermonters Bill Miles, Emily Gould, and Jack Lindley gave moving remarks about Brian’s commitment to Service above Self.
As part of the Rotary Early Learning Partnership (and the $15,000 Save the Children grant), the club awarded eight mini-grants ranging from $450 to $700 to enhance accessibility to books for youth. The recipients include Herington, Manhattan, Marysville and Wamego Public Libraries, Emporia Head Start, USD 108, Special Blessings Child Care and Smart Start Day Care both in Emporia, and Pawnee Mental Health.
Past-president Robbin Cole served as the guest speaker for the March 22 Rotaract Club.
Our members continue to be recognized for their service beyond Rotary. Dede Brokesh received the Alton Thomas Award for advocacy in promoting landscape architecture at the KC Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects. The Greater Manhattan Community Foundation 2023 awards honored the work of Elizabeth Nelson, Nonprofit Service award; Tom Phillips, Board of Trustees Volunteer of the Year; and Bob and Tracey DeBruyn, Philanthropists of the Year.
The club welcomed new member Jonathan Hupp, Pastor of Bluemont Church.
Rotary on Tap was held on March 22, hosted by Rotarian Carson Kober, Director Sunflower Children’s Collective.
The Manhattan Konza Rotary Club was honored to have been selected as a finalist for the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation's Civic Philanthropy Award as part of their annual Community Foundation Awards.
From the GMCF: "The Civic Philanthropy Award recognizes an individual or local service club for their members' efforts to make our community a better place to live through their leadership, contributions, and volunteerism."
In addition to the gratitude we have for the nomination, we are also proud to support the winning organization, Common Table. Our club assists with Common Table's efforts by volunteering monthly at community dinners, and we are grateful for all their hard work in the community!
During World Immunization Week, 24-30 April, join Rotarians around the World in advocating for polio eradication and the importance of vaccines. As one of the greatest advances of modern medicine, vaccines are safe, effective, and save millions of lives each year. Our progress in the fight to end polio is proof that vaccines work. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative estimates that the polio vaccine has saved more than 20 million children around the world from paralysis. However, approximately 12.5 million children are totally unvaccinated. They are known as Zero-Dose Children and vaccinating them is critical to stopping polio for good.
Wild Poliovirus Weekly Update
District 5710 will be offering a unique opportunity for Global Grant training by Cecelia Walters, our Rotary International Global Grant officer.
Districts 5710 and 5680 attended Heartland PETS 2023 on 31 March- 1 April in Salina, Kansas! The PETS’ Committee designed a dynamic Heartland PETS experience. Club Presidents-elect and other Rotary Club leaders spent few days hearing exceptional guest speakers and participating in three facilitated sessions that will support their needs as they are handed their club gavels or assume a lead club role. Of course, there was also time for socializing! 
Please let us know if your club is interested in hosting (providing a conference room/site) a May RLI (Rotary Learning Institute). Our February RLI in Manhattan received positive feedback so we will keep this hybrid design: Friday a Zoom meeting from 5:30-8:30 PM, and an in-person session on Saturday from approximately 8:30 AM-5:00 PM.
PDG Vern Henricks was given an award by District 7020 at their District Assembly two weeks ago for his work in Haiti. PDG Henricks was also a guest speaker at the event. Congrats Vern!
The annual District Grants Training for this year is scheduled for April 18th at 5:00pm via Zoom. A basic requirement to be eligible to apply for a District Grant is that each club must have at least one club member who has attended a District Grants Training/Certification Seminar within the last three years prior to the application deadline date, which is August 31, 2023. 
After a five year gap, District 5710 restarted the process last fall to advertise, interview and select a new Global Grant Scholarship Applicatant to study abroad in 2023-2024. An entirely new committee was created with great Rotarians (Courtney Brooks, Jim Evers, Joan Underwood, Laurie McCormack, Ron Slepitza, Ryan Klataske and myself) from throughout the District. We met via Zoom and created a new tab on the District website with all new documents for scholar applicants and clubs. In-person interviews were held in Lawrence mid-February.
Seven Rotary and Interact Clubs join together for service project.
Bill Richter, Endowment and Major Gifts Chair
The first Rotary club meeting was in Chicago, Illinois, on 23 February 1905
Attract New Members – Engage All Members
Rotarian’s food drive benefits God’s Storehouse 
Burlington Rotarians donated $300 to the Quilts of Valor program in Coffey County. Connie Hatch presented a program about Quilts of Valor, which awards a quality handmade quilt that is machine or hand quilted to a service member or veteran who has been touched by war. The nationwide program began in 2003 and now has groups throughout the country. The Coffey County group has four members. Hatch explained how she became involved in the program, as well as the process of making a quilt. Visit 
The "Love the Little Apple Project” continues weekly with nonprofits, assisted by Rotary volunteers, selecting products for the people they serve. Examples might be laundry detergent for the Flint Hills Bread Basket, sun screen for students at Job Corp or small kits of products distributed in blessing boxes around town. The project is a collaboration with the Overland Park Rotary Club and Feed the Hungry, the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation, the Manhattan University Christian Church, and the Manhattan Rotary Club. Since its inception, about 40 nonprofits have benefited from the free resources and club members have donated approximately 80 volunteer hours.
Our Rotary club and others in District 5710 contributed $500 apiece to enhance a CAAHT Club district grant to prepare Rotary Care Kits for women exiting trafficking or abuse. On March 25, several club members helped pack 114 kits in Topeka. Club members brought back 30 kits which were presented to Kathy Ray, Executive Director of The Crisis Center. Kathy Ray and staff were so excited to receive the kits.
In late March, the Montpelier Vermont Rotary Club honored Brian Peete, Riley County Police Department Director, with a Paul Harris Fellow and collaborated with our Club to make the award. Director Peete left Vermont for Manhattan before the presentation could take place. Linda Morse introduced Brian. Rotarians and Vermonters Bill Miles, Emily Gould, and Jack Lindley gave moving remarks about Brian’s commitment to Service above Self.
The club welcomed new member Jonathan Hupp, Pastor of Bluemont Church.
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