IPDG Mary's Message
imageDear Friends:
 
Happy Rotary New Year!  Please join me in supporting District Governor George McKinnis and his team.  Rotary International President Shekhar Mehta has chosen as his theme "Serve to Change Lives."  Know that you're already well on your way, because you've certainly changed mine.  Your service, generosity, and creativity in the face of a global pandemic make me proud to be a Rotarian in District 7230.  
 
Working together during the 2020-21 Rotary Year, we showed our communities, our world, and ourselves that "Rotary Opens Opportunities."
 
Innovative Virtual Programming
  • Convened #75YearsofAction, a virtual celebration of Rotary's long association with the United Nations (10-April-2021) which garnered well over 1,000 views world-wide. Participants included senior UN and RI officials, the Rotary Representative Network, three trailblazing women in Rotary (Jennifer Jones, Carolyn Jones, and Sylvia Whitlock), four partner districts with substantial UN operations, District 7230 Rotarians, and actor Téa Leoni! 
  • Raised over $20,000 for the PolioPlus Fund during our virtual World Polio Day Brunch and Oktoberfest (23-October-2020).  The Brunch included luminaries from the Rotary world and our partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. Susanne Schwarz and other members of the Wall Street E-Club, with help from Metro's Nadine Homann, celebrated their German heritage during a fun and fabulous Oktoberfest.  My Rotary Moment was interviewing three National Immunization Day participants from our District - PDG George Camp, PDG Janet DiBenedetto, and Past RCMNYC President Stefan Jekel.
  • Attended Pathfinder and Rotary University webinars organized by Trainer Eric Storberg and Grow Rotary Chair Cecily Smith.
  • Oriented new members in Welcome to Rotary webinars led by Grow Rotary Chair Cecily Smith.
New Club Formation
  • Chartered four Rotary, one Rotaract, and one Interact Club. Kudos to District Membership Chair Martin Schulman and Assistant Governor Bina Ahmad!
  • Established a Cantonese-language Satellite Club.
  • Formed the Goodwill Toastmasters Club with our partners in Toastmasters District 46.
Grant Operations and The Rotary Foundation Fundraising
  • Authorized District DDF grants to 21/48 clubs.
  • Finalized high-profile Global Grant projects - including an outbound Global Grant Scholarship, a media-recognized project that helped Reopen Chinatown and garnered new members, and a large-scale grant ($200,000+) for water projects in India.  Other projects (Hands Up for Haiti, Wells in Kenya, etc.) are pending.
  • Contributed over $416,000 in Total Giving to The Rotary Foundation.
  • Donated over $146,000 to the Annual Fund.  Note to recent donors: Matching Points will be added to your balance sometime in August.
Public Image | Social Media
District Governance | Operations
  • Made substantial revisions to the Manual of Administrative Procedure under the leadership of PDG Andrew Morzello. These amendments conformed its provisions to current operations, added financial support for new clubs and younger Rotarians, removed gender-specific language, and added much need statements on diversity, harassment, and youth protection.
  • Approved a Social Media Policy.
  • Drafted a Crisis Management Policy.
Final Thank You's
 
I'd like to shake the hand of every Rotarian, Rotaractor, and Interactor in District 7230 and offer a well-deserved THANK YOU!  I will probably miss (and potentially offend) dear friends if I give a few much-needed shout-out's.  BUT I need to recognize the following:
  • My awesome DG stream/teammates - Mahbub Ahmad, George McKinnis, Marty Schulman, and Loren Russell.
  • Vice Governor Matts Ingemanson, who helped revive the PDG Council.
  • Club Presidents, Officers, and Directors - YOU made it happen!
  • The District Leadership Team.  It was my honor to serve alongside you!
  • Two of my oldest and dearest friends in Rotary, Executive Secretary Taylor Eskew and Grow Rotary Chair Cecily Smith.  Rain or shine, day or night, Cecily and Taylor were there. Their contributions were immeasurable!
  • Treasurer Michael Marx for his enthusiasm and expertise.
  • AG, Rotarian of the Year, and "Godmother of New Clubs" Bina Ahmad.
  • Eight other Rockin' AG's - Gladys Muller, John Ehrlich, Don Rizzo, Libby Hollahan, Sandy Wolstein, Wayne Charles II, Diane Arneth, and Marvin Hanna.
  • DRFC Lora Hugelmeyer and Grants Subcommittee Chair David Schribman for their friendship, service, mentorship, and making Rotary FUN.
  • The man with two hats, Budget & Finance Chair AND Trainer PDG Eric Storberg.
  • Public Image Chair Nadine Homann and her team for taking our public image to the next level.
  • District Counsel James Cohen for his legal advice and clear thinking.
  • Lifetime Achievement Award Winner PDG Andrew Morzello and the MAP Committee.
  • #75Years of Action would not have been possible without Rotarian of Vision/Program Chair Jason Gonzalez, Program Co-Chair Wayne Charles II, Program Advisor Mahbub Ahmad, Livestream Production Lead Frank Wilkinson, Promotional Partner Liaison Susanne Schwarz, and Community Promotion Liaison Anna Folz. 
  • Cecily Smith, Amir Asadi, Mary Ciamarra, and Kate Fanese for their hard work on other components of the District Conference Weekend.
  • The "PDG Council" for their encouragement and wisdom.
  • The awesome Rotary Club of Metro New York City. I am looking forward to once again being Rotarian Mary, proud member of Metro. I can think of no better role or higher privilege.
With gratitude,
IPDG Mary
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