Dear Fellow Rotarians,
 
I hope you are all safe and happy! We are all faced with changes in lifestyles and how we interact with others, however, Rotarians are a hardy stock and we will make the most out of our new world, and continue to help those in need in our communities and abroad in developing countries.
 
Dear Fellow Rotarians,
 
I hope you are all safe and happy! We are all faced with changes in lifestyles and how we interact with others, however, Rotarians are a hardy stock and we will make the most out of our new world, and continue to help those in need in our communities and abroad in developing countries.
 
The RI Theme for October is Economic and Community Development, and that can certainly take many forms of how we can interact with our local business communities, and/or working with other non profit agencies who are providing services to those in need during this pandemic.
 
A few examples in our District are:
  • Community development: Members of Arlington (primary organizer), Fishkill, Highland Rotary's are assisting in feeding and clothing the homeless in the Poughkeepsie area through the organization Hope On A Mission, Cara Mia Bacchioiochi President. Members have volunteered serving food to hundreds of homeless or those in shelters, donated money and clothing to those in need at this "pop up" food and clothing service in the middle of Poughkeepsie. 
  • Restaurant/business support: The Highland Rotary Club's Ribfest Restaurant Revival fund raiser which infused $35,000 benefitting 30 area restaurants through the purchase of seven hundred $50 gift cards purchased online through the Ribfest website.  Then there is the Greater Newburgh Rotary Club Taste of Newburgh Virtual Auction which is 
  • aimed at supporting local businesses and restaurants. This event will be held on October 22, 2020.
  • Community development: Clubs in Region 89 are combining efforts and assisting with a Rockland county wide effort to benefit the Meals on Wheels program, serving thousands. Contact AG's Matt Seidenfrau or Matt Konecni for more information.
  • Community/Economic Development: Liberty and Monticello Rotary's have been in engaged for over 3 months in Operation Feed, providing thousands of meals to the needy in Sullivan County, while also raising over $40,000 to support that critical service for their communities.
There are many other examples of our Rotarians and Clubs in D7210 that are making our world a better place. We are PEOPLE of ACTION, assisting economic and community development locally and internationally despite the pandemic. Given all of the roadblocks that the pandemic has put before us, we continue to push forward and serve in the only way Rotarians know- with passion and commitment. We all should be proud to be part of this great district and organization!
 
My Club visits are winding down with only 12 left as of today. 30 have been safely held in person, mostly in outside venues, and 13 have been on Zoom meetings. Both meeting types have been effective in delivering the message of GROW ROTARY, and I am happy to report that 19 clubs have either added or have in the pipeline 30 new Rotarians. Sadly, we have lost 17 due to a variety of reasons including: death, personal, professional and health. We will always have people leaving Rotary, the 64 dollar question is: How/when do we replenish our ranks?
 
I am also happy to report that through the combined efforts of DGN Larry Palant and soon to be President Samantha Bailey Alvarenga, we will soon charter our new and first ever, Passport Club, adding around 18 new Rotarians to our ranks (2 or 3 will be transfers from other Rotary Clubs). This is a great accomplishment and has been achieved through the magic of personal connections, emails, and Zoom! So, between club growth of net 17 and the Passport, net 18, we should be at a growth of 35 since July 1, 2020.
 
With almost 4  months of this Rotary year in the books, we all have much to be thankful for. I am thankful for your support and the positive reception to reversing our downward spiral of membership over the last 10 years. As Yogi Berra said "It's not over till it's over", but we do have reason to be optimistic about our growth so far!
 
As we approach Thanksgiving in November, I am also thankful for the support of our Leadership team in 7210, the District Executive Board, the Committee Chairs, the Assistant Governors and the President of our 55 Clubs.
 
Together we accomplish that which none of use could do alone! It's all about LEADERSHIP!
 
With Much Admiration and Rotary Love,
 
DG Tony