Governor's Notes - April, 2009

DG Ed Fullerton

April begins the countdown for the final days of the 2008-2009 Rotary Year. We have seen remarkable achievements by the clubs in our district while others appear poised for that "last minute sprint" to the finish line.

Membership and Club extension: On April 1st we welcomed a new club to our ranks. The Rotary Club of Healdsburg Sunrise became the 45th club in District 5130. A throng of merrymakers enthusiastically welcomed twenty-nine new Rotarians, "The April Fools," bedecked in their official Jester caps. A good time was had by all.

District Assembly: The College of the Redwoods was the venue for the District Assembly in Eureka over the weekend. It was ground school for District Governor Elect, Kirk Brown and his 2009-2010 "Pilots," as they prepared to lead the district on the next leg of our Rotary journey. On Friday night, Captain Kirk and his crew gathered at The River Lodge on the Eel river for an evening of dining and dancing to the music of "Twango, " led by Rotarian, Chris Brannan and his bride, Brigitte.

District Leadership: Each year at this time, the District Nominating Committee meets to select a candidate who will lead the District 2 years hence. The successful candidate was presented at the District Assembly. I'm pleased to announce that Maureen Merrill has been selected as the District Governor Nominee Designate for Rotary year 2011-2012.

Maureen Merrill

Maureen joined Rotary as a charter member of the Rotary Club of Windsor in 1987, and was President of her club in 2001-2002. She has been an active participant in Rotary leadership, serving as Membership Chair, Senior Assistant Governor and has been a presenter at the Zone Institute and International Assembly. Maureen traveled to India as a member of an NID team to administer polio vaccine to the children. She and her partner, PDG Mike, have been active in Youth Exchange, hosting six students and numerous GSE teams. Together they've attended twelve Rotary International Conventions and are regular participants in the Festival of Brotherhood. Maureen is a multiple Paul Harris Fellow, a Major Donor and Benefactor of the Rotary Foundation. Congratulations Maureen!

Group Study Exchange: This year our District is hosting a Group Study Exchange with District 4520 in Brazil. Our 2009 Outbound GSE team, led by Sandie Krutz of the Rotary Club of Windsor, and 4 team members, will depart for Belo Horizonte, Brazil on April 11, returning Sunday May 17th. The inbound team from Brazil arrives on May 2nd and will depart on June 4th. The GSE Committee is finalizing the visitation Itinerary. The Brazilian team is scheduled for 10 combined Rotary Club visits and will attend the District Conference May 14-17. If you have questions regarding the GSE schedule, please contact GSE Chair, Michael Juric, email michaelj7@comcast.net.

Brian Langermann

Interact Leadership Conference: The 2009 District Interact Conference was held at Alliance Redwoods during the weekend of March 27th. The Conference was a huge success. Led by District Interact Chair, Brian Langermann of the Rotary Club of Sebastopol and Ross Andress from Santa Rosa Sunrise, the Conference was attended by 158 Interactors, up from 110 last year, and 30 Interact Counselors from participating Rotary clubs. This great turnout was achieved with just 15 of the 34 Interact Clubs in the District represented and 5 of the clubs were from Sebastopol. We were delighted to welcome clubs from as far away as Kelseyville, Ukiah, Fortuna and Fort Bragg. Ross Andress has set a goal of 200 attendees for next year. Way to go Ross!

District Conference: This year, the venue for our District Conference is the Sheraton Hotel in Petaluma, May 15, 16, 17. The celebration begins with the Bru Brunnier Golf Tournament at the Adobe Creek Golf course in Petaluma on Thursday, May 14th. Registration forms for the Conference and Golf tournament are available to download on the district web site, rotary5130.org.

Come join us as we celebrate another great year of Rotary service to our communities and share the dynamic projects your clubs are doing throughout the world as Dreams Take Flight.

Hurry, special Hotel rates end April 20th.