Don Meyer, District 5970 Foundation Chair

Dear Rotarians:

Now that it’s February 1st we’re that much closer to March, which is the start of spring!  How’s that for optimism?

We can’t help but be optimistic about The Rotary Foundation in District 5970 with so many things to look forward to:  

• Increasing the impact of our gifts to eradicate polio by 500% through the matching gift challenges in our District

• Receiving training to apply for the largest amount of grant funding we’ve had in years

• Supporting the Rotary Foundation with our annual Duck Race at our District Conference in Clear Lake, Iowa on April 26 and 27                              

What an Impact!  Multiply Your Gift to PolioPlus by 5 Times!

Thanks to the incredible generosity of a Major Donor Rotarian in our District, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, you have a unique opportunity to match your gifts to PolioPlus 4 to 1, effectively growing your original gift by five times!  Here’s how it works:

This donor will match a club’s total giving to PolioPlus 2 to 1, when that club reaches its PolioPlus goal for this year.  The maximum total match will be $100,000.

For example, if a club reaches its goal of $2,000, the gift would grow like this:

ENDING POLIO

Grant Training Seminars
 

As mentioned earlier, our District will have around $40,000 more to distribute for District Grants this year than we did last year.  That means we’ll need plenty of clubs to apply for 2019-20 grants.

Please remember:  One important qualification for your club to apply for a District Grant, is to have one or two members from your club attend the Grant Training Seminars.  

The Grant Training Seminars will be held at the following dates and times: 

1. Saturday, March 30, 2019 at 10:00 am – 11:00 am     (Online only)

2. Saturday, April 27, 2019 at 10:45 am – 11:45 am in the Best Western Hotel in Clear Lake, IA.   (This occurs during the District Conference. It is in person and online for those needing a makeup session.)   

To register for one of these two seminars, go to the District Website - www.district5970.org. Under upcoming events, click on the session you want to register for. 
 

Have you Joined the Paul Harris Society Yet?

The Paul Harris Society has grown to over 21,000 members in 138 countries worldwide, and 16% of the total donations to the Rotary Foundation come from this special group of members.  

If you are currently giving $1,000 or more each year to the Rotary Foundation, and are not a Paul Harris Society member, you’re missing a wonderful opportunity to join your fellow Rotarians who have the same passion for the Foundation’s good work as you do!

If you’ve been thinking about joining, and increasing your Foundation annual gift to $1,000 or more, do it now!  We’re all waiting to recognize and thank you!

You may enroll by completing the form on the Paul Harris Society Brochure here.

 

                                           

 

 

Coming Soon!

 

This year’s Duck Race will be held at the District Conference in Clear Lake on April 27.  More information to follow!

Don Meyer

District Foundation Chair

 

Spencer Rotary Club District Grant Project

 

The Spencer Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors joined members of Spencer Rotary and staff at Autumn’s Center to celebrate with a ribbon cutting dedicating a new fence around a play area and courtyard at the local children’s care facility in Spencer. The fence will provide security for the center’s young clients as well as a sense of privacy for outdoor play and therapy sessions. Rotary raised $5,000 in funds locally and received a $5,000 matching grant from the organization to contribute $10,000 toward the project, which also received funding through the Spencer Jaycees and other private donors.