Rotary District 5960 Offices 211 County Road 1 E PO Box 126 Dundas, MN 55019
Phone: 651.636.9054
ROTARY -What does your Rotary club need to tackle next?
How do we attract new members? Keep current members engaged? Strengthen our service and The Rotary Foundation IMPACT? Tell our Rotary story better?
Join Rotarians from across District 5960 for a Rotary Club Action Plan Summit—an interactive evening focused on ideas you can actually take back and use in your club.
Thursday, November 5 | 6:00 p.m. | Zoom | No cost
Together, we’ll tackle four big opportunities:
• Increase Our Impact — stronger service and Foundation participation
• Expand Our Reach — membership, partnerships, and telling our story
• Enhance Engagement — keeping members involved and developing leaders
• Increase Our Ability to Adapt — helping clubs evolve and thrive
This isn’t another Rotary presentation. It’s a working session about the future of your club.
You don’t need to be a club officer. And don’t come alone—bring two or three members who care about where your club is headed.
Bolivia October Rotary Focus: Economic &Rural High School: Growing Skills, Strengthening Communities
By Patricia McCleese
What happens when Rotary Foundation giving is combined with local leadership and practical education? In rural Bolivia, it is creating opportunities that can last for generations.
The Rotary Club of St. Paul, working with Rotary partners in Bolivia, sponsored a grant to strengthen agricultural education at a rural high school. The project funded a 33' x 100' greenhouse and three animal pens, giving students the opportunity to learn by doing.
Students are gaining hands-on experience in crop production, crop rotation, composting, sustainable farming practices, and animal care. The greenhouse also makes it possible to grow crops year-round despite the region's challenging climate.
Creating an Impact for 1,800 People
The benefits extend well beyond the classroom. By developing practical agricultural skills, the project is helping strengthen food security, future livelihoods, and living standards for approximately 1,800 people in the surrounding community.
Your Foundation Giving Made This Possible
The $12,000 project was funded through a combination of Rotary support:
District 5960 Clubs: $5,840
District 5960 District Designated Funds (DDF): $6,160
Total Project: $12,000
Those District Designated Funds have an important story behind them. Gifts made to The Rotary Foundation Annual Fund–SHARE return to our district through the SHARE system, helping Rotarians invest in projects like this one.
If you donated to The Rotary Foundation Annual Fund–SHARE three years ago, you had a hand in making this happen.
Your gift became a greenhouse. It became agricultural education. It became new skills and opportunities for students and families.
Your gift became action—and that action is creating lasting change.
Are you interested in expanding your service to Rotary? Would you like to build new friendships, create new experiences, strengthen your leadership skills, and see firsthand the incredible impact Rotary clubs are making throughout District 5960 and around the world?
Rotary District 5960 is seeking candidates to serve as District Governor for the 2029–2030 Rotary year.
This will be an especially memorable year to lead our district, as Rotary celebrates its 125th anniversary. It is an opportunity to connect with Rotarians throughout our district and beyond, support clubs as they strengthen their communities, and experience Rotary from an entirely new perspective.
Could District Governor Be Your Next Step in Rotary?
The District Governor serves as a leader, connector, resource, and ambassador for the clubs of District 5960. While it is a significant commitment, past governors describe the experience as one of the most rewarding opportunities Rotary has given them.
Past District Governor Kyle Haugen encourages Rotarians not to wait for the “perfect” time to consider serving. Reflecting on his experience, Kyle shared that serving as District Governor gave him lasting friendships, a greater appreciation for Rotary's international impact, new leadership skills, personal and professional growth—and a lot of fun.
His advice to someone considering the opportunity is simple:
“Don't wait until it's the right time...make now be the right time. You won't regret it!”
Who Is Eligible?
Candidates for District Governor must meet Rotary International's qualifications. Among the key requirements, candidates must:
Be a Rotarian in good standing in a functioning club within the district.
Have served a full term as a Rotary club president, or as a charter president for at least six months.
Be willing and able to fulfill the responsibilities of District Governor.
Understand the qualifications, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.
Have at least seven years of Rotary membership by the time they take office.
Complete required Rotary training before beginning their term.
Don't let the requirements—or the size of the role—keep you from exploring the opportunity. You don't have to make the decision alone. Start a conversation, ask questions, and learn what serving as District Governor could look like for you.
Interested? Take the First Step.
Applications for the 2029–2030 District Governor are now being accepted.
To request an application or learn more about the nomination process, contact:
On Saturday, October 24 — World Polio Day — Rotarians across our region will be putting on their walking shoes for something BIG: the World’s Largest Polio Walk.
More than 36,000 Rotarians and nearly 1,000 Rotaractors in 11 states and two countries are being invited to walk together — all with the goal of raising awareness and $1 million to help End Polio Now. Watch the Video Now
District 5960 clubs: we have lots of ways to get in on the fun! Organize a walk in your own community and invite members, families, friends and prospective Rotarians to join you. Or make plans to join fellow Rotarians at walks being organized in Prior Lake and Stillwater and Mall of America.
On Saturday, October 24 — World Polio Day — Rotarians across our region will be putting on their walking shoes for something BIG: the World’s Largest Polio Walk.
More than 36,000 Rotarians and nearly 1,000 Rotaractors in 11 states and two countries are being invited to walk together — all with the goal of raising awareness and $1 million to help End Polio Now. Watch the Video Now
District 5960 clubs: we have lots of ways to get in on the fun! Organize a walk in your own community and invite members, families, friends and prospective Rotarians to join you. Or make plans to join fellow Rotarians at walks being organized in Prior Lake and Stillwater. And if you're ready to go BIG, our neighbors in District 5950 are gathering at the Mall of America. The MOA walk begins the morning of October 24, with walkers invited to do a little or a lot. Come walk for polio — and since you're already at the Mall, you might as well get your shopping on afterward!
Why walk? Rotary's decades-long effort has helped reduce polio cases worldwide by more than 99.9%. But “almost” isn't good enough. Until transmission ends everywhere, children remain at risk and Rotary's promise remains unfinished.
A club walk can be as simple or creative as you want: pick a favorite local trail, park or downtown route; invite the community; wear your End Polio Now gear; collect donations; and share plenty of photos. Every step helps tell the story that Rotary is still in this fight.
Host a walk. Join a walk. Bring a friend. Take the next step toward making polio the second human disease ever eradicated from the earth.
Rotary District 5960 Ships 2,680 Mobility Devices Through Crutches 4 Africa
Rotarians across District 5960 once again demonstrated the power of service and collaboration through the 2026 Crutches 4 Africa collection effort.
Throughout the past year, 23 Rotary clubs collected nearly 3,000 gently used mobility devices from communities across our district.
The initiative was led by Bill Leonard and the Stillwater Sunrise Rotary Club, whose outstanding leadership, coordination, and commitment have been the driving force behind Crutches 4 Africa in our district for many years. Their vision and dedication ensure this life-changing project continues to grow and make a difference.
The effort culminated on June 6 and 7, when Rotarians and volunteers gathered to sort, organize, and load a 53-foot semi-trailer. By the end of the weekend, the trailer was filled with 2,680 mobility devices and related equipment bound for Mexico, where the items will provide life-changing assistance to thousands of individuals and families.
District Governor Glenn Bowers joined volunteers in the loading effort, helping celebrate another successful year of one of District 5960's signature service projects.