District Address: Telephone: Email:
PO Box 445 641-330-3118 des@district5970.org
New Hampton, IA 50659
- The 2023 District Conference will be held at Wartburg College in Waverly on April 21 and 22, 2023. Registration is now open. Register here.
- This year's "Duck Pluck" will take place on April 22, 2023. To buy a duck online, click here.
- Grant Management Seminars will be held March 21 at 7:00 p.m. and April 4 at 5:00 p.m. Register under "upcoming events".
- North Central President Elect Training will be held virtually on March 22-24, 2023. This is mandatory for all presidents-elect. Registration is open at www.northcentralpets.org. The cost is $150. Presidents-elect will be reimbursed the registration fee after the training is complete.
- The Board of Directors is taking applications for District Governor for the 2026-2027 Rotary year. Find more information here or complete the application and return to Suellen Kolbet at des@district5970.org.
Imagine This! Newsletter
February, 2023
A Note from Your District Governor
Dear Rotarians,
RI President Jennifer Jones continues to remind us how important it is to take care of each other. She calls it the “care and comfort” of our current members—those who we spend time with at each of our club meetings. That was the core message of my visit to your clubs. We need to be intentional about helping every member feel like they belong to our clubs. That’s how we retain our members. We’ve given your club Presidents and your boards several resources to help retain members and recruit members. While each of them are valuable, there is still one strategy that works best for recruiting—getting out there and asking folks to join Rotary.
This came to light once again for me as PDG Dick Moeller and I walked the streets of Waverly rounding up sponsors for our upcoming District Conference. We’ve had good success with that, but in the process, we discovered three of those prospects are interested in learning more about Rotary. They want to visit one of our meetings and check out what it means to be a Rotarian. There it is! Nothing works better than getting out there in your community and share your excitement for Rotary!
click on "read more" to see DG Don's entire newsletter.
Registration is open, click here to register. The cost is $130, $125 if paying by check. All registrations made before April 1 will go in a drawing to receive their registration fee reimbursed. Don't delay! See the agenda here. Waverly hotel information is here. Click here for a map of Wartburg. College.
2023-2024 PRESIDENTIAL THEME ANNOUNCED
RI President-elect R. Gordon R. McInally calls for Rotary to create hope in the world by working for peace and mental wellbeing. He urges members to engage in tough conversations and earn the trust that’s necessary to realize these values.
ROTARY RUSH IS HERE! $1 for 1 Points to Dollars Match on Donations made to the Rotary Foundation – Annual Fund (only) - Our local communities benefit through district matching grants. For details on how to take advantage of Rotary Rush, click here. |
John Wasta, District 5970 Foundation ChairMarch, 2023
So much is going on in District 5970 and in the Rotary world in general. Welcome to the March 2023 District 5970 Foundation Committee newsletter.
Click on "read more" to read the entire March, 2023 Foundation Newsletter.
Ward Budweg of the Decorah Rotary Club has been selected as the District Governor for the 2025-2026 Rotary Year. Congratulations, Ward!
Jennifer Jones
President 2022-23
President 2022-23
March 2023
As we planned for this Rotary year, I could have never "imagined" the breadth of stories we would encounter nor the scope of the people we would meet.
I find oxygen in sharing time with our members — hearing their truths and learning about their personal journeys and their deepest desires for goodness.
And so it was that I encountered two very different men with very similar stories.
One-hundred-year-old Genshitsu Sen is a remarkable human being and a joyful soul. We greeted each other in Kyoto, during my trip to Japan in November, with a hug and an instant connection.
Not only is Sen a former grand master of the Urasenke tea tradition but he is also an active member of the Rotary Club of Kyoto, where he has served as club president. He assisted in the charter of the Rotary Club of Kyoto-South. And he has also served as governor of District 2650 and held leadership roles in Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation.
During that same week, I had the great pleasure to record a birthday video for a 100-year-old World War II naval hero who is an exemplary leader and who served two terms as governor of District 5810 in Texas.
Both men are decorated World War II heroes in their respective countries and share unthinkable history. And although they served on opposing sides of the war, their stories are remarkably similar — and they are both honorable men who chose Rotary to carry on lives of peacemaking.
I have been reflecting so much lately that we are all on this planet simply trying to do our best, and we are much more similar than we are different.
I feel incredibly fortunate to share in these stories and to meet such incredible people.
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