FINAL REMINDER. The Membership Action Plan (MAP) Webinar is tonight, Monday and is a big deal. It’s the rollout of the first new look at setting and tracking Rotary membership goals in at least the past 50 years. Don’t take my word for it — have a look at a couple of Guided Tours. Register NOW for Zones 33-34 Membership Action Plan | Membership Success Center Premiere – Monday, Feb. 13 – 6 pm EST.
This Year’s District Training Assembly and Conference will be held at Trinity Parrish with Friday breakout sessions at Flagler College in Historic St. Augustine, on Friday May 12 (District Training Assembly) and Saturday May 13 (District Conference). This year’s Conference is being Chaired by Past District Governors John Bruner and Bill Griffin.
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We realize that this is just prior to Mother’s Day, so we are planning for lots of flexibility around an ensemble of internationally recognized speakers including the 2022 Time Magazine Kind of the Year and Ambassador of Kindness—12-year old Orion Jean.
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Not only will Orion be keynoting our District Conference, but he will be keynoting this year’s RYLA Conference, which will conclude while running simultaneously at Ketterlinus Elementary School. The Training Assembly will begin with lunch on Friday May 12 and the District Conference will end with a celebratory reception and social at 7pm on Saturday May 13. Registration in DacDB will become live over the next week.
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Each week from now through May 8 we will highlight one of our speakers to get you excited about the conference. Because St. Augustine offers so many varied accommodations and a number of Rotarians traditionally do not stay over in St. Augustine, due to their proximity, the committee felt it was important that Rotarians choose the venue that best suits them. From Bed and Breakfasts to the Historic Casa Monica St. Augustine offers something for everyone. If you are planning to stay over, make your reservation now!
As of Sunday February 12, the Death Toll in Turkey and Syria Surpassed 33,000. As our hearts go out to all the Citizens of Turkey and Syria, District 6970 has stepped up as we always do, to raise funds for those impacted by this horrible earthquake. We will be sending contributions directly to the Disaster Relief Fund in District 2430.
On Saturday, I attended the Rotary Club of Jacksonville’s Cornhole Tournament and had a chance to visit with former member and still friend, Kristin Jewell who left our club in May to move to Vero Beach. When I asked her if she planned to rejoin Rotary, she looked at me somewhat puzzled. She would then tell me that she had joined the Rotary Club of Vero Beach in May only days after settling in. Rotary was too important to her to miss out for even a week!
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[Ring the Bell]
Pictures of the Week
Every time I visit a Rotaract club, I leave invigorated and on Wednesday at the Rotaract Club of Downtown Jacksonville, this was no exception. Although the club is rebuilding after Covid, they are an amazing group of young professionals, all with significant jobs in the community. They include two veterans, Eustachius Roberts who serves on the Zone 34 membership committee and Megan Madrid Kinhofer who chairs the District’s Empowering Girls initiative.
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On Saturday, the Rotary Club of Jacksonville Oceanside held their third annual Cornhole Tournament. Between the members, sponsors, and players, there were likely over 250 people in attendance. What a great representation of the community. This was Oceanside’s most successful one-day fundraiser in their 35-year history. Why is this a big deal? This is a big deal because four years ago the board of directors struggled with giving up their 20-year-old golf tournament that had become dated. Change is never easy, but when we support change, we get better and we serve our community better. Nice job Oceanside.
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