A big thanks to District 5960 Rotarians for a successful 2024 SHARE THE LOVE campaign in support of our Rotary International Foundation. Nearly 300 of us contributed over $62,000 in February to the Foundation’s Annual Fund-SHARE.
Your generous support during “Share The Love” puts us in good position to reach our goal for Annual Fund – SHARE contributions for the 2023/2024 Rotary Year. Our goal this year is $450,000 and we currently stand at $382,000. Let’s work together to reach our goal by June 30th! Below is a link that will take you directly to the RI website’s donation page. If you have not already set up a “My Rotary” account, please do that first. Instructions are attached. Going through “My Rotary” ensures that you and your club will be properly credited for your contribution. Contributions of any size will help us reach our goal!
https://www.rotary.org/en/donate
Thank you again and we hope you will make our Rotary Foundation your “charity of choice”!
Consider this: Your son or daughter graduates from college and lands a nice job. You’re bursting with pride. All is well - - he/she is on their way! Six months later you ask whether the new employer offers a 401(k) plan. The response goes something like “Yeah, but that’s for the older employees who are looking to retire.” Your ears perk up. “Well does your employer offer a defined benefit pension plan?” To which the response goes something like “What’s that?” It’s time, you think, for a parent/child (albeit adult “child”) talk. Or maybe you’re thinking, this talk should have happened a long time ago.
The District Literacy Team is shining a light on Financial Literacy, specifically financial literacy for high school youth. This is an education that need not wait for young adulthood, nor should it wait until that young adult learns the hard way. Our District Literacy Team Member, Anoop Mathur, has confronted this issue in a positive way. Collaborating with Royal Credit Union, Anoop and his contact at RCU have put together a Project-in-a-Box - - - a step-by-step guide on how to start a project that engages youth, through your local high school, in a modular course designed to teach the basics of personal finances. See the link here to access the Project-in-a-Box.
So if your club is looking for a literacy project - - or looking to engage with high school youth in a positive and beneficial way, now might be a good time to click on the PIAB and start making some contacts. Who knows . . . the school district might see this as a great summer offering or a mini-course that they can build into next year’s curriculum. We encourage club’s to run with the idea, modify it to fit your situation if need be, and get kids’ involved in their financial education! Good luck! We’d love to hear some success stories!
The District Literacy Team
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Impact - 600 students.
This project was initially born out of a Global Grant idea from the Prior Lake Rotary Club. The idea was to strengthen the Ptea Teuk Dong School (PTD) serving the Chamkar Samraong community in Battambang Cambodia. Through discussions of what to include in this grant (the Community Needs Assessment), it was apparent that the interrelated needs were vast and likely needed to be split into sections to provide the children of PTD school everything they need for a well-rounded education.
Faribault Rotary Club stepped in to take the soccer pitch (soccer field) development through the district grant process and help with physical education portion of the overall PTD project. Along with leading the grant process, Faribault also spearheaded the communication and fundraising needed to complete the project. The project cost a total of $10,700. A D5960 grant for $5,200 covered nearly half of the expense and 6 other D5960 clubs provided the rest of the funding.
In total 3 Rotary clubs helped see this project to completion. Prior Lake Rotary discovered the needs of the school and helped facilitate the meetings between PTD and the clubs. Prior Lake is now developing a Rotary Global Grant for in-school development. Battambang Rotary oversaw the construction, utilizing local contractors and boosting the local economy. Much work had to take place to prepare and level the playing surface before the sod could be placed and allowed to take root. Other features of the field include statues that nurture cultural pride, sustainable solar lights to extend playtime, a beautiful flag pole and mount for the Cambodian flag AND, of course, a Rotary sign.
With the help of Battambang Rotary and Prior Lake Rotary, PTD now has a beautiful Soccer Pitch for the use their students as well as the surrounding community. With the creation of this much needed field, 600 students will have improved health and more well-rounded physical education. Also, countless community members will have access for local games and will also benefit from the field. This will help increase the standard of living, raise community morale, and increase visibility to the work the school is doing in the community. This soccer pitch is a prime example of what can be achieved through teamwork and strong individuals linked through Rotary.
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What the heck are we talking about? Shark Tank Virtually
Wednesday, May 8
4:00 PM
Registration Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIqcuqhrjkvEtQBY0QAml-arwknL99pDEaH
A few years ago, we came up with the idea of having a “Shark Tank” for Rotary Grants (either District or Global), and it was a great success! We had clubs bring projects forward, and clubs participated as “sharks “who committed funding to their projects. Since it went so well, we are starting it up again this year! We are inviting clubs that haven’t sponsored a grant in at least three years to bring proposals for 2024-25 forward. We are going to take the top 3 or 4 grant ideas and invite them to present this breakout to our group of “sharks”. We will conduct Shark Tank on May 8th via Zoom…which will allow people from throughout the District to see how these projects will impact people positively!
Clubs eligible for Shark Tank include: ( All other clubs are eligible to be Sharks)
Barron County Sunrise,WI
Blaine-Ham Lake, MN
Cabridge/Isanti, MN
Cannon Falls, MN
Chain of Lakes, MN
Coon Rapids, MN
Farmington, MN
Fridley-Columbia Heights, MN
Greater Rochester, MN
Hastings Area, MN
Hudson, WI
Lake City, MN
Rochester, MN
Rosemount, MN
Siren/Webster, WI
St. Croix Falls WI/Taylors Falls MN
Saint Paul, MN
St. Peter, MN
Stillwater, MN
Waseca, MN
West St. Paul & Mendota Heights, MN
Winona, MN
Woodland Lakes SE Polk County, WI
Contact Jim Hunt for more information, jim.hunt.d5960@gmail.com
Read More ![](https://www.DACdb.com/Accounts/5960/ezStory/244640/DGInstallRotaryflyer1.26.24_og.png)
DG Ed Boeve Installation
Date: June 29, 2024
Time: 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Location: Rustic Roots Winery, at 20168 St Croix Trail N, Scandia, MN 55073
Cost: $60 per person
Registration Link: CLICK HERE
What: Rotary 5960 District Governor Installation Event
Theme: Make Peace Visible
Request: Bring a package of diapers to donate to a diaper bank (as an attendee you are making peace visible)
Make a meal choice:
- Meat: New York Steak
- Fish: Walleye Pike
- Vegetarian: Butternut Squash Ravioli
Read More ![](https://www.DACdb.com/Accounts/5960/ezStory/244516/CelebrationofClubsLogo_og.png)
SAVE THE DATE
Saturday, May 4, 2024
The Phipps Center for the Arts, Hudson, WI
The Celebration of Clubs will take place at the Phipps Center for the Arts from 9 am to 12:30 pm. Doors will open at 8:00am for those who wish to check in, enjoy coffee and a muffin, visit the House of Friendship. Register for Lunch-Around-Hudson and other fun events throughout Saturday, and Friday and Sunday.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.
Tuesday, January 2, 2024
We are pleased to announce that Michael-jon Pease, has been selected as our DGND by the nominating committee. Michael-jon Pease has been a Rotarian since 2011 and a Paul Harris Fellow since 2019. He served as President of St. Paul Rotary in 2019-2020, after serving as Sargeant-at-Arms and Events Team Lead. He is active on the St. Paul Rotary Foundation board, the St. Paul Rotary Club Board (Director Emeritus), St. Paul Rotary International Service Team and WinterSpark gala committee, as well as the District 5960 Camp RYLA planning task force. He attended the 2012 RI Convention in Bangkok when he husband, Christopher Taykalo, was President of Minneapolis-University Rotary, as well as the 2019 RI Convention in Hamburg.
Professionally, Michael-jon is Executive Director of the Saint Paul Parks Conservancy. His nonprofit career began in Lanesboro, MN as the first Executive Director Cornucopia Art Center (now Lanesboro Arts) and includes 15 years at Park Square Theatre in Saint Paul. A skilled fundraiser, Michael-jon taught fundraising at the graduate level at St. Mary’s University – Twin Cities and served as VP of Communications for the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Minnesota Chapter. As a volunteer, he serves on the boards of Minnesota Citizens for the Arts (Advocacy Chair). Dodge Nature Center (Development Chair), as well as the Advisory Board of Circus Juventas. For fun, he is the Emeritus Senior Captain of the University Club of St Paul Croquet Team, the “Varsity Blues” and a very amateur gardener.
Read More Friday, December 8, 2023
Awards - You deserve recognition!
Your club is creating hope and peace through a variety of activities. This is the perfect time to stop and reflect on your accomplishments.
Review the three awards criteria on the Awards page (link).
1. Checklist - What are you doing in each Area of Service?
2. Governor’s Citation - How many of the items have you accomplished so far?
3. Signature Project - Which of your activities is your Signature Project?
Start the discussion now. The deadline for submission is 3/29/2024 Wednesday, November 22, 2023
GRANTS MANAGEMENT SEMINARS
Thursday, March 21, 2024 - 7:00-8:30pm
Saturday, March 23, 2024 - 9:00-10:30am
Tuesday, March 26, 2024 - 3:00-4:30pm
GLOBAL GRANTS WORKSHOPS
Thursday, March 28, 2024 - 7:00-8:30pm
Tuesday, April 2, 2024 - 3:00-4:30pm
SHARK TANK
TBA- early May
2024-25 GLOBAL GRANT SUBMISSION DATES
Deadline for project submission: Friday, May 17, 2024
Project review date: Friday, May 31, 2024 - 1:30-3:00 pm
2024-25 DISTRICT GRANT SUBMISSION DATES
Deadline for project submission: Friday, May 31, 2024
Project review date: Friday, June 21, 2024 - 1:30-3:30pm
All trainings and presentations will be conducted via Zoom
CLICK HERE for registration links
Read More Friday, June 23, 2023
By: Shawn G Berry![](https://www.DACdb.com/Accounts/5960/ezStory/214356/RYLA-marketing_og.png)
Interested in volunteering for Camp RYLA 2024?
Interested in volunteering for Camp RYLA 2024?
District 5960 is looking for volunteers for two Camp RYLA committees:
1. Marketing Committee - We need your expertise to make our Camp RYLA website (www.campryla.org), social media, and other avenues grab the attention of students, schools, and sponsoring clubs. If your hot skills include marketing, communications, web/graphic design, or social media, this is the place for you! Plan on a time commitment of one 60 min Zoom meeting per month now through Oct. in addition to 1-2 hours/month to execute tasks in your area of expertise.
2. Curriculum Committee - Camp RYLA continues to foster young leaders. Still, with changing generations, teaching methods, and the lasting impacts on students of distance learning it is time to refresh our tried-and-true curriculum. Many resources are available from Rotary International and hundreds of other RYLA programs we can learn from. If you are interested in helping to modernize and upgrade the Camp RYLA curriculum, we have a place for you! Plan on a time commitment of one 60 min Zoom meeting per month now through Dec. in addition to 1-2 hours/month to execute tasks, research, or curriculum workshops. We could use your talents if you have experience or interest in this area!
For more information, please contact the 2023-2024 Camp RYLA Chair, Pete Grayson at graysonlaw@mac.com or 612-598-5907.Read More