Linking Hands & Hearts in Service - ClubRunner

Rotary District 5180 Newsletter

Issue 1, July 2013

Celebrating the Teamwork & Accomplishments of Rotarians in the Sacramento, California Area from Walnut Grove to Oroville

`Linking Hands & Hearts in Service'

We achieve great things in Rotary, usually with a lot of time and effort. Our Rotary life

is filled with meetings, meals, friendship, makeups, work projects, social events, fundraising, and so much more. Our service projects bring us great satisfaction and a very busy calendar.

Bill Short District Governor

2013 ? 2014

So, is there anything we can we do to make our Rotary year even more

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quality people? How do we hang onto the good

ones we've got? How do we modernize yet

protect our core values?

You have to admit that our district has been on a pretty good roll the past few years. Governors have frequently met and often exceeded membership and giving goals. We have recently been one of only five districts in the U.S. awarded RI Presidential Citations and we had the very best Changemaker club on the globe. How do you improve that?

Is there some way to blend Jack Taylor's passions with Bob Deering's visions and mix a dynamic tonic to make us better and stronger? I have struggled with that question for months. I invite you to let me know if you come up with some good ideas. Meantime, I will tell you some of my goals, mindful of my main mission this coming year -- stay out of the way and let our clubs keep doing their magic. I could say my theme is: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

See DG Bill, page 2

July is the Beginning of a New Rotary Year!

DG Bill: This will be an exciting Rotary Year!

Continued from page 1

We start our term with big changes: District, not RI will oversee grant approval and distribution, ever-popular GSE becomes vocationally oriented VTT, and we finally have an actual endgame plan in sight for polio. Some folks tend to resist change, but my first goal is to embrace new model changes realizing that all living things need change to grow, if only to adapt to their changing environment.

Editor Susan Laird will post monthly feature reports on The Link and I will follow up weekly with email updates. District Secretary Shelton Enochs will maintain a list of partnering opportunities, mostly contributed by you, and a single page summary from each club with info on every project. Our goal is to link these into a chain for District Conference, tracking the total number of volunteers and dollars, but we're waiting to see how Rotary Showcase shapes

In the coming environment, Rotary

up before we start it.

encourages us to partner more with other clubs and districts. Doing projects with more people and resources makes bigger and better projects. I have extended an invitation to our neighbors in Zones 25 and 26 to look into the international project Dan Boeger and the Gridley club is working on with Liberia. I will do the same as other projects take shape and come to my attention.

At the local level, I have asked our incoming club Presidents to consider partnerships in some of the few projects I already know of, and to send me information on the many more that will inevitably arise. Gopal Kapur in Roseville wants help with the "BagOfLife" food program. President Cindy Seidel at Yuba City is reaching out for others to join her in a "Josh the Otter" water safety

We will maintain our partnership with Blood Source with awards for those who donate the most blood. And we will continue to partner with Relationship Skills, a Sacramento non-profit asking clubs to sponsor school packages that teach teenagers how to be good social partners.

As fashionable as partnering is becoming in Rotary, a form of it already existed at District 5180. More than two years ago I asked President Elects then known to exist to help me pick a theme. President Cindi Unmack at Sacramento Breakfast suggested: "Linking Hands & Hearts in Service." We liked it then and we still do. I ask you all to keep doing your magic, Link Hands and Hearts with partners in projects, Engage Rotary and Change lives.

course for 3- and 4-year-olds. Ernie Farrington of Sacramento has asked for

~ Hopeful Bill

help promoting a Soap Box Derby for boys

and girls age 8 to 14.

Rotary House: Linking to What's Most Important

By Lynette Anderson Secretary, Oak Park Rotary House Foundation

The Oak Park Rotary House Foundation has modified its mission.

We are now accepting domestic patients. We have formed a partnership with UC Davis Children's Hospital.

The social workers at UC Davis refer families whose child is being treated at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NIQU).

On a tour of Rotary House, Theresa Arciniega, one of the social workers at UC Davis, remarked, "When you walk through Rotary House, you can just feel the love in every nail."

We recently received an update from Kayla, the previous occupant. Kayla stayed at Rotary House for about two months while her newborn, Ryder, remained at the NIQU at UC Davis Children's Hospital. He was born with a number of conditions, including spina bifida and hydro encephalitis.

Kayla wrote, "I wanted to take the time and thank you for all your help. Ryder is finally home with no vent, but still has the tracheostomy tube. He is starting to lift his head now. He weighs 16 pounds, 9 ounces and is 26 inches long. Without Rotary House, I wouldn't have been able to see my son as much as I did."

The current family's child is 8-year old Tyson. Tyson has brain cancer. After several surgeries, he is now undergoing radiation and chemotherapy. He'll require treatments for six months to a year. Rotary House allows him and his family to have a continuous place to stay during Tyson's entire course of treatment. They won't have to worry about where they'll stay in Sacramento or about the cost to constantly travel between home and the hospital.

When the seven partner clubs built Rotary House, we did not appreciate that its location a few blocks from the hospitals, Ronald McDonald House, Kiwanis House and the other temporary housing facilities would be an advantage.

Cancer patients have compromised immune systems and the isolation of Rotary House actually helps patients limit their exposure to diseases like the common cold and flu. Tyson's grandmother said, "Rotary House is a godsend. It is important to be near the hospital and to keep Tyson in isolation from others. I cannot express how much this means to us." If you want to be a part of this rewarding project, you may volunteer to become a member of the caretaker or maintenance committees. You may also encourage your club to become a partner in the Oak Park Rotary House Foundation, make a financial donation, or refer a child. For more information, call Lynette at (916) 925-2787 or email at landersen@.

File photo

Rotary House in Sacramento is helping families.

Rotarians Meet the Cirby Book Buddies

ROSEVILLE ? The Rotary Club of Roseville and Kristina Lambert's third grade class at Cirby Elementary School finished their first year Book Buddies program with a meeting where the participants finally met in person after writing letters to each other about books.

During each month of the last school year, Rotarians involved in the program would purchase a book suggested by the teacher so that it was grade appropriate. The Rotarian would read the book then write a letter to his or her paired student about what reading means to them. It was hoped that by establishing this pen-pal relationship, the student would be more encouraged to read.

During the end of the school year meeting, the 3rd grade students were more interested in meeting and talking with their book buddies than they were in getting cupcakes. Each student received a blue Book Buddies T-shirt from their Rotarian buddy. The students had made thank you cards for their Rotarian.

Jack Arney, President of the Rotary Club of Roseville, said he thought this was a great program and that he was already looking forward to being a Book Buddy next year. Arney told of how his Book Buddy was so excited to meet him that she sang him two songs.

Kristina Lambert, stated that "It was such a joy working with the Rotarians each month. Debbie Milios, Rotarian coordinator, did an amazing job at organizing the program and really made it easy on me. The program was well aligned to third grade standards and was easy to fit into our curriculum. Each child received a book that was at his or her reading level. It was exciting to see the students reaction each month when I announced the arrival of the letters and books. You could hear a pin drop in my classroom as the children where engrossed in their books and letters. I received a lot of positive feedback from parents. One parent in particular said her child re-read her Book Buddy letter over and over again each night. The anticipation of meeting our Book Buddies last Friday was comical. I heard children on the playground discussing what they thought their

BOOK BUDDIES. Left to right, Kristina Lambert, Jack Arney, Debbie Lilios and 3rd grade students.

book buddy might look like and hoping to see pictures of their book buddy's children and pets. I hope that we can continue this program and expand it to other classrooms in the future!"

To gauge her student's thoughts on the program, Lambert had her students do a reflection on the programs and shared several responses:

Mario wrote "My favorite part about having a Book Buddy is that I have someone to write to. My Book Buddy and I are into the same things."

Monserrat said: "The best thing about my Book Buddy is that he cares."

Jose pointed out: "Having a Book Buddy helped me read more."

Liberty liked the suspense: "My favorite part about having a Book buddy was not knowing who it was! It helped me because I noticed a big improvement in my reading after I read some of her books. The best part about my book buddy was her sweet, nice personality."

Part of Rotary's service to the community involves literacy and used the book buddy concept help encourage reading by students. This program was coordinated and approved by Roseville City School District Superintendent Rich Pierucci and Cirby Elementary School Principal Karen Quinlan.

District Calendar Items

July 13: 4 in 1 Seminar 8:30 a.m. Courtyard by Marriott, Y St., Sacramento

July 14: Rotary Day at the SaveMart Wine Bar All day. California State Fair, Cal Expo, Sacramento

July 15?20: RYLA Camp Grizzly Creek Ranch, Portola, Calif.

Hike to Eradicate Polio!

FAIR OAKS ? "Extending over 210 miles from Yosemite Valley to the summit of Mt. Whitney, the John Muir Trail (JMT) offers not only some of the most beautiful scenery in all of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, but also a significant challenge to any hiker attempting the Trail."

Dave Claugus, a member of the Rotary Club of Fair Oaks, has decided to add to that challenge by hiking the JMT as a fundraiser for Rotary's Polio Plus campaign during the second half of July.

You are invited to join him on his hike by following the periodic updates he will be sending along the way, or by making a dollars/cents per mile walked pledge to Polio Plus.

Additionally, anyone who makes a contribution of $75 or more will have the opportunity to participate in a guided day hike in the Tahoe Area that Dave will lead after his return to Sacramento.

So brush off your old hiking boots in spirit and join Dave in his efforts to support our Polio Plus campaign by making a pledge today! To pledge, email Dave at claugman@ or call him at (916) 205-3136. Remember that the eradication is the NUMBER ONE goal of Rotary International.

July 26: District Newsletter deadline 6 p.m. Email articles, photos to Susan Laird (slaird@) July 27: Train the Trainers Meeting 8:30 a.m. Sacramento Rotary Office, Sacramento Aug. 17: Foundation Seminar 8:30 a.m. Courtyard by Marriott, Y St., Sacramento

Make-Up Meetings

Improve your Rotary attendance and check out another club's meeting by doing a "make up" meeting at one of the clubs in District 5180!

Four clubs meet on Monday. Twelve clubs meet on Tuesday. Eleven clubs meet on Wednesday. Nine clubs meet on Thursday.

Five clubs meet on Friday.

For meeting locations and times, visit the Club Locator on the District 5180 website at When and Where Clubs Meet.

Plan Your Blood Drive!

SACRAMENTO ? The Rotary Blood Donation Challenge is over for 2012-1013, but the need for blood never ends.

Start your Club's 2013-2014 giving now!

Internet Access





Susan Laird District 5180 Newsletter Editor

slaird@ Rotary Club of Folsom

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