Week 52, June 26-30, 2011

Wow! What a year this has been! If you missed the District Changeover Dinner last night in Hodges, you missed a great one! I want to thank all of our club presidents for 2010-2011. You have been an incredible group of people and you have accomplished incredible things! Take a little rest and then jump back into Rotary. Rotary needs your expertise. I want to thank my twelve AGs. You are an awesome group and I really appreciate all of your help and your expertise. Now for a word on our terrific Foundation Chair, Rich Waugh. No one works more tirelessly. Rich is a pro and folks all around the Rotary world recognize it.
Lastly I will never be able to thank Terry and Pam Weaver for their incredible sacrifices to this district. Unless you have been in the trenches it is hard to visualize what those two do for Rotary District 7750. Without them, basically nothing would happen. They keep the Rotary wheel turning.
On Wednesday, June 29, Tom and I head to Evanston for the first ever End of Year Celebration. This is a celebration of all 555 Rotary District Governors for 2010-2011. We will also be a part of the Installation of Kalyan Banerjee as the 2011-2012 RI President. June 29 also marks the Faulkner's 32nd Wedding Anniversary. What a great year to end our term as your Rotary District Governor and to celebrate the beginning of another year of marriage.
Thanks to all for your support this year. Best of luck to DG Gary Goforth. If I can be of any help to you in the future, please do not hesitate to call upon me. Keep chipping away at that Rotary stone!

Week 51, June 19-25, 2011

I hope that all of you Fathers had a wonderful Father's Day. Welcome to summer! Amazingly, there are a lot of Rotary activities going on this month. I do hope that all of you are planning to attend the District Changeover and Awards Dinner this Saturday, June 11. Go online to the district website, click on Calendar and register. I hope to see you all there. Last Thursday I had the privilege of attending the 50th Anniversary celebration for the Pleasantburg club. That is quite a milestone. Wade Cleveland had a great Powerpoint presentation with lots of old pictures. He had done a lot of work gathering old newspaper clippings and photos. The club has sponsored two District Governors, Bruce Baker being the most recent. On Friday Tom and I were off to Fort Mill for their 20th Anniversary celebration. That was a delightful event. Thank you, Jeff Updike, for inviting us.
This week I would like to thank a Rotarian who has spent countless hours overseeing our GSE program. Ken Tucker started his Rotary career in the early 80s as a member of a GSE team to Korea. Upon his return he joined Rotary. He has been active ever since. Ken has served his Rotary clubs in almost every capacity. He has been club president more than once. I do not know what GSE would have done without Ken's guidance. He is indeed a pro. We are going to miss him. He has been responsible for changing many lives due to the GSE program. Thank you, Ken!

Week 50 June 12-18, 2011

I am so sorry that this post is late! I wrote it last Sunday but apparently hit a wrong key. Don't we just love technology?! This week I would like to thank a couple of those District 7750 Rotary giants who do not get the recognition that some of our other district folks do. These Rotarians are the quiet ones who just get the job done. The first is Craig White. Craig works tirelessly to make sure that our grant applications satisfy all of RI's specifications. He works tirelessly to fund your District Simplified Grant applications. Craig keeps meticulous records. Recently we underwent, as far as I know, our first RI audit of two of our Matching Grant projects. Of course, thanks to Craig, we passed with flying colors. We thank you, Craig.
Another dedicated Rotarian is PDG Bruce Baker. Bruce is our CART chair and what a dedicated one he is! Bruce has worked tirelessly to get the word out about the CART program and to make sure that we fill those blue buckets with, as Bruce says, "money that does not have to jingle." Thank you so much Bruce.
This week has me visiting four of our clubs. Greenville honored one of its members, Minoj Jain as a Major Donor. They also recognized two new Paul Harris Fellows, Judy Prince and Jill Kintigh. Brian DiMarco was recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow, Level II. Pleasantburg celebrated its 50th Anniversary on Thursday. My own club, Greenville Breakfast, held their Changeover Dinner on Thursday as well. Betsy Schroeder was recognized as the Rotarian of the Year and was presented a Paul Harris Fellow. Tonight Tom and I head to Tega Cay for Fort Mill's 20th Anniversary celebration. I am really going to miss visiting all of your clubs when July 1 rolls around!

Week 48, May 29-June 4, 2011

June is going down in the books as one of the busiest months of this Rotary year for me as your Governor. There are just so many end-of-the-year reports and lots of club installation events. I love visiting your clubs. I hate end-of-the-year reports!
This week I would like to focus on a couple of Rotary District 7750's unsung heroes. The first is our District Treasurer, Bobby Elrod. Bobby works tirelessly for this district. If you need a check, you receive it in a couple of days. If you need a balance in an account or a history of what has been spent in the past, you will get it by the next day. There is never any rest for Bobby because as soon as the new Rotary year begins, there are still receipts and invoices to be processed from the previous year plus the beginnings of the new year. Thank you, Bobby. We could not do it without you! Another person deserving of my gratitude is Sara Mansbach. She has worked tirelessly to make our Haiti Literacy Project a reality in July 2011. In spite of serious family health issues, she has managed to "stay the course." We all owe you a debt of gratitude. Thank you, Sara. Is there anyone in the Rotary world who has not heard of Al Steele? I think not! Al is our water guru but Al is so much more. I have never known anyone to have more passion for something meaningful than Al. Thanks to Al, many hundreds or even thousands of folks, have clean drinking water. Thank you , Al. More unsung heroes next week. Stay tuned.

Weeks 46-47, May 15-28, 2011

Wow! These last two weeks have been hectic. We finished our District Conference on Sunday, May 15th. Again, I want to congratulate Betsy Schroeder for the incredible job that she did! This week I would like to focus on Rotarian Paul Kumler and the New Orleans International Conference. If you missed the conference, you really missed a great one. This is the first time in recent memory that we have been able to travel together as a district. We had our own evening of dinner at the Oceana Grill on Wednesday night, May 25th. There were 40 of us in attendance and the fellowship and food were outstanding. Many of us attended the Southland Breakfast on May 23rd. This breakfast is a conference tradition and should not be missed. The train trip was long but loads of fun. Unfortunately, on our return, we were delayed outside Atlanta due to fallen trees on the track. This was the same storm that moved on to the upstate causing significant damage. We were so lucky that our engineer spotted those trees!
Paul Kumler, a Louisiana native and a member and past president of my club, Greenville Breakfast, made all of the arrangements for the train and the dinner. He worked for a full year on those arrangements and then was unable to attend himself because of family events. We really owe a debt of gratitude to Paul. Thank you so much for your help! This next week is a rather quiet one in the district, but, do not let the June 1 deadline sneak up on you for submitting your Governor's Citation checklist. Also, don't delay in signing up for the District Leadership Training on June 11.
Now, on a really sad note, we learned on Friday of the death on Thursday night of our Lake Wylie Charter Club President, Les Smith. Many of you met Les at the District Conference. Memorial Service arrangements are incomplete at this time but please keep his mother and sister in your thoughts and prayers.

Week 45, May 8-14, 2011

Off to Myrtle Beach in the morning for a great time at the District Conference. This conference has been in the planning stages since 2008 when I first visited Kingston Plantation and fell in love with the facility. I was looking for a great value hotel during "high season" at the beach and with lots of amenities and options. Little did I know that one month later the economy would tank and has been ever so slowly recovering. We have a great line-up of speakers and entertainment and if you are not there, you are truly going to miss out on a great experience. I want to focus this week on the Conference Chair, Betsy Schroeder. Betsy is a young, smart, energetic, visionary. At 27 we believe she was the youngest club president in the US, at least, during the Rotary Centennial year. She later replaced me as AG for Area 3. Betsy is a banker from a family of bankers. She is business savvy and creative. She has put together a fabulous program which will appeal to all. She has endured tremendous ups and downs as we renegotiated our contract as we saw that the economy was not recovering as we had hoped. She has always remained optimistic. Did I mention to you that she is also a very talented musician? Betsy plays the piano and sax and those are just the instruments I know about. She also sings with another Rotarian, Brad Majors, in a jazz band known as Dirty Martini. You may have heard them at both Myles Golden's and George Fletcher's District Conferences. Betsy has been named as one of the Brightest and Best in the 35 and under category in Greenville. She sits on several boards and is a real community leader. I want to applaud and thank Betsy from the bottom of my heart for the excellent District Conference I am about to enjoy. Hope to see you there!

Week 44, May 2-7, 2011

This week I would like to focus on some of the district's unsung heroes. First of all, I would like to showcase Paul Kumler. Paul is our District International Convention Committee Chair, and lone member! Paul has done an incredible job putting together both the train trip and the district dinner. I asked Paul to chair this committee because he was born in Louisiana and knew a great deal about New Orleans. He has worked diligently to make sure that our trip would be a memorable one. Unfortunately, he will not be able to attend the convention because of family commitments but I wanted to give him a great big "thank you." We could not have done it without him!
The next person I would like to highlight is PDG Myles Golden. Myles has worked diligently to increase the district's membership. This is a thankless job. Membership for most districts is a slippery slope: gain one, lose one. Myles has traveled the upstate offering membership seminars to the area clubs. Myles is one of those people who always has a positive outlook on everything he does. He works hard for our district and is always available to lend a helping hand. Thanks, Myles.
In the coming weeks, you will hear more about our district's incredible "behind the scenes" members.

Weeks 42-43, April 17-30, 2011

I hope that all of my fellow Rotarians enjoyed this wonderful spring holiday with their family and loved ones. I think the flowers have been particularly lovely this spring. The weather has been perfect. Many of your clubs are in the midst of your major fundraisers and I hope that you have good turnouts and wonderful weather! It seems as though the Rotary calendar gets more complicated as the year moves forward. I know you club presidents are beginning to count the days until June 30th, that most magic day in Rotary! Not only is it exciting for those who are about to vacate their roles but for those coming into those roles. Take a moment to look back on what you have accomplished this year. Did you meet the goals you set for your club, for yourself? If not, you still have two more months to fulfill those goals. Have you given enough to the Rotary Foundation, to PolioPlus? Has your club? What about your attendance at District events? You have three more opportunities coming up. Are you registered for your district conference? If not, who will represent your club proudly for the banner ceremony and for the display in the House of Friendship? How many of you are joining us in New Orleans for the lifechanging International Convention? Do you have those Governor's Citation checklists completed and ready to submit by June 1? Have your club officers and you made plans to attend the District Leadership training on June 11? Are you ready for the District Installation and Awards Dinner on June 25? The life of a Rotarian never ends. That is one of the things that makes a Rotarian a true Rotarian. Give it your all for the next months. I know I plan to do so! Make it count!

Week 41, April 10-16, 2011

In the world of Rotary, things just never let up as far as the activities, required reports, emails and, of course, the occasional fun stuff! Last week I had the privilege of addressing the academic Top Ten in each grade for Blue Ridge, Greer and Riverside High Schools. I took the Four Way Test and applied its implications for high schoolers. I really enjoyed the challenge of creating that speech! This event was sponsored by the Greater Greer club under the leadership of Woody Barnes. I also had the pleasure of serving as one of the judges for the Greater Anderson club's Dancing for Heroes event. This event raised a tremendous amount of money for the local Anderson charities. Kathryn Smith and her club are to be congratulated. The three Anderson clubs, including Electric City under the leadership of Faith Line, have just recently chartered a new Rotaract club at Anderson University. I have to brag on the Anderson club's fundraiser brunch, Glenn Brill and his crew raised a tremendous amount of money and they have significantly increased their donation to the Rotary Foundation. There is some real excitement in Anderson! I am proud of all of the clubs who submitted applications for the Presidential Citation. I look forward to awarding all 55 clubs the Governor's Citation on June 25. Our next big event is coming up the weekend of May 13-15. Be sure to register before April 13 to take advantage of the Early Bird Registration fee. Tom, Granddaughter Ashleigh, look forward to building Rotary sandcastles with you out on the beach! There is a lot of excitement in the air also concerning the Rotary International Conference in New Orleans. Paul Kumler has put together an awesome package and we look forward to seeing you in the Big Easy.

Week 40, March 27-April 2, 2011

I hope that your club has submitted your application for the Presidential Citation for this year. Many have and I would love to see all of our clubs achieve that award. Be aware that the Governor's Citation is not due until June 1, 2011. I really hope to have a 100% club participation in that award. All of you have done a phenomenal job this year in Building Communities and Bridging Continents. Be sure to let others know of your successes by applying for the Governor's Citation. We are fast approaching the deadline for Early Registration for the District Conference. This year's emphasis on the family of Rotary promises to be a unique experience. The committee has planned activities to ensure that you will have plenty of quality family time. Take advantage of the pre-registration costs. If you need more spacious accommodations than those offered by the Embassy Suites, you have the option of 2, 3 or 4 bedroom condominiums on the property. Sign up today! It is not too late to register for New Orleans. There are a couple of spots left on the train but you must register today as the final payment is due to Amtrak on April 1. We have a large crowd planning to attend the district dinner in New Orleans. If you have not signed up for that event, please do so right away. If you attended PETS last weekend you know that our District Administrator, Pam Weaver, was in a wheel chair. For those who have not heard, Pam broke her pelvis while in Honduras with Gary Goforth's team. She has now moved from a wheelchair to a walker but will be in that for the next three to six months. Take a moment to send her your well wishes. I am sure she would appreciate them. I learned this weekend that one of my classmates (a current district governor) from the Philippines, Manny Yu, died in his sleep Friday night at his district conference. Tom and I spent several evenings in San Diego last year with Manny and his wife, Josie, and found them to be a delightful couple. Manny was in his forties and we were so impressed that he had been named a district governor at such a relatively young age. Please remember Manny's family in your thoughts and prayers. I just sent an email to all Rotarians seeking a few more members to accompany us to Haiti June 14-20, 2011. We particularly need Rotarians with carpentry skills. If you would like to go, please email me and I will give you additional information.

Week 38, March 20-26, 2011

For those of you who have been club presidents you know how PETS training is both exhilirating and terrifying at the same time. PETS training for the 2011-2012 club presidents was just completed on Saturday in Greensboro. I know that some of the President Elects were almost overwhelmed but I assure you that most President Elects before you felt the same way. You are on a journey that will lead to one of your most rewarding years. I have to let you know that District 7750 was well represented. In addition to having your Governor and Governor Elect in attendance, your Governor Nominee and Governor Nominee Designee were also in attendance. Past District Governors Carol Burdette, Myles Golden and George Fletcher were trainers. The Plenary speakers for this year's PETS were outstanding. Winnie Morgan again treated us to her "Geese" stories but with new updates and twists. We were honored to have South Carolina's own Anne Matthews, Rotary International Trustee, to speak on Friday. Jennifer Jones, PDG from Windsor, Canada spoke on Saturday. We were truly inspired by these speakers. Next year's PETS will take place on March 15-17, 2012 so mark your calendars and prepare to "chip away" at your Rotary stone.

Week 37, March 13-19, 2011

Monday, March 14, 2011 was a great day for Rotary District 7750. We held our second official Foundation Event in Greenwood. Claire Kuhl chaired the committee and the event, Voices of Haiti, was absolutely incredible. Four Haitians were in attendance as well as Charles and Gillaine Warne. Father LaFontant presented a most uplifting presentation followed by Gillaine's presentation of the projects now underway in Haiti to make the Haitians self-sustaining. All of the participants came away so inspired and uplifted. I know that each participant "chipped away" mightily at their Rotary stone. The district awarded Paul Harris Fellowships to Father LaFontant and his daughter Marie Flore. As if we had not been sufficiently blessed and inspired, our Haitian friends presented an original Haitian painting to the district. This painting will be auctioned off to the highest bidder at the district conference in May. Another significant moment occurred in Greenwood last night and that was the awarding of the highly prized Rotary Service Above Self plaque and pin to Charles Warne for his major, personal commitment to Haiti and its people. Be sure to read the March newsletter for pictures of the event. If you missed it, you missed a great one. The next memorable event will occur in May at the District Conference. Go online right now and register. You will not be disappointed. For those of us headed to Greensboro on Thursday for PETS, please drive safely and plan to be inspired.

Weeks 34-35, February 20-March 6, 2011

I left the US on February 23 for a Rotary NID trip to India. The entire experience was unforgettable. Our group consisted of 23 from all over the world. We had four people from Finland including an eleven year old, two from Australia including a PDG, one from New Zealand, five from our own district and the remainder from my classmate, Cynde Covington's district in Northeast Florida. The four from our district included Charles Warne, president of the Greenville club, Surendra Jain, past president of the Greenville club, Neeli Jain, Greenville Evening club, Spencer Anderson, past president of the Rock Hill club and I. We began our journey in Delhi and then moved to Chandigarh where we were hosted for four nights with fellow Rotarians. The official NID day was February 27. We spent all day visiting the various booths as the polio vaccine was administered. Each of us were able to administer the vaccine to children. February 28-29 were considered "mop up" days as we went door to door in the slums. Additionally, we visited schools and hospitals in Panupat and Ambula. We returned to Delhi for two days of sightseeing then spent our final night in Agara visiting the Taj Mahal. It was an awesome experience. Out of this experience we built better friendships the Rotary way. Additionally we were able to develop a relationship with a Rotary sponsored Cancer hospital in Ambula and will be applying for a matching grant to help them purchase a much-needed piece of equipment. It is good to be home but I am so glad that I was able to participate in this experience.

Week 34, February 20-26, 2011

If you were not at the Stop Polio Cold event on Friday night, you missed a really great evening of fun. The Greenville Road Warriors won, for starters, in front of their largest crowd of the season. I have to think that all of the District 7750 attendees made the difference. Many Rotarians were involved in the planning of the event. I must thank Judith Prince for her hours of work on this event. Hats off to Judy! It was a lot of fun and I believe the final tally is going to show a large profit going to the PolioPlus campaign. It is time now to focus on our next district-wide event, the Voices of Haiti. This event will occur on March 14th in Greenwood at Lander on the Square. We are going to be hearing from some of our Haitian friends. Gillaine Warne will also be presenting. This is a super-casual attire event but one that will truly "chip away at your Rotary stone." The cost is only $20. The message will be priceless. I am off for an NID trip to India on Wednesday, February 23. Three other District 7750 members will also be participating: Charles Warne and Surrendra Jain of the Greenville club and Spencer Anderson of the Rock Hill club. The four of us know that this will be a life-changing event. This week, also, Gary Goforth is leading a team to Honduras. We have a number of district Rotarians accompanying him. Al Steele is already there. Watch the newsletter in March for reports on these experiences. Be sure to check out this month's newsletter for information about the NID trip just completed by PDG Sue Poss and and AG Rita Yarbrough. Next week's blog may be delayed as we move around India. We are staying four nights with Rotarians in Chandigarh. I hope to have WiFi but may have to wait until we return to a hotel. Have a great Rotary week! See you on March 14th in Greenwood.

Week 33, February 13-19, 2011

Happy Valentine's Day to all of my fellow Rotarians! This week promises wonderful weather and a chance to make an impact in our community. Friday, February 18, marks District 7750 Rotary night with the Greenville Road Warriors. The event is entitled "Stop Polio Cold." Yours truly will start off the game with the ceremonious toss of the Rotary puck. It is not too late to get your tickets. Go online to the district website. Look under calendar, scroll down and purchase your tickets. Don't forget that a portion of the ticket price goes to your club as part of its $2000 commitment to the PolioPlus campaign. We would really like to fulfill our district commitment so that we can move on to other needy causes. The event also promises to be great fun with lots of special activities for our Rotarians and their families. Come out and join us in the fun. Another reminder that we have some spaces available on the train to New Orleans. Paul Kumler has done a great job of putting our New Orleans experience together for us. We now have a restaurant for our district dinner and get together. You will hear more about that this week. Be sure to register for the district conference before the registration cost goes up on April 15. If you can't make New Orleans, don't worry. The district conference is closer and less expensive. If you have to make a choice, head to Myrtle Beach on May 13-15 and find out what all of the fun is about!

Week 32, February 6-12, 2011

By now, you should have all received your "Save the Date" postcard concerning the upcoming district conference in Myrtle Beach. We have an exciting program planned with lots of free time to enjoy the beautiful beach and on site water park. Bring your family and enjoy all of the festivities. Club presidents need to review both your Presidential Citation checklist and your Governor's Citation checklist to make sure that you are on target for both awards. The awards ceremony will take place June 25, 2011. You have until June 1 to submit your Governor's award checklist. Let's be a 100% club participation district. Check those points! We are less than two weeks away from the Stop Polio Cold event at the Greenville BiLo center. If you have not purchased your tickets, go online to the district website to do so. There are still a few commemorative hockey pucks available for purchase. Help your club reach its goal for PolioPlus, join us in a fun-filled Rotary event! I want to mention one of our great district Rotarians, Paul Kumler, who just happens to be a member of my club, Greenville Breakfast. He has worked very hard to put together a great package for the International Convention in New Orleans. Not only has he managed to get us on the Amtrak for a really fun adventure to New Orleans but he has now secured a great restaurant for a District 7750 evening of fun and fellowship. Watch your emails soon for additional information. The restaurant will hold 30 pre-paid reservations so be sure to reserve your place early. Gary Goforth has sent a recent email concerning the Southland Breakfast at the New Orleans convention. This is always a great event. Send your checks to Gary right away.

Week 31, January 30-February 5, 2011

Wow! If you missed the Mid-year Assembly on Saturday, January 29th, you missed a great program! We had a wonderful turnout and I believe those who attended were not disappointed in the program. I want to thank PDG Carol Burdette, our District Trainer, for putting together a well-paced, informative and inspiring program. Of course, the event would not have occurred at all were it not for the diligent efforts of our District Administrator, Pam Weaver. My thanks go out, also, to District Four-Way-Test chair, Linda Gallicchio, for bringing us Al Mathis (Herb Taylor's Grandson) to speak to us on the history of the Four Way Test. His inspiring message reminded some of us of an old-fashioned revival meeting. Never before has the Four Way Test been so exciting! A huge thank you goes to PDG Myles Golden for his presentation on Branding the Rotary Product. Russ Allen, a member of the Rotary Club of Greenville helped us to perfect our "Elevator Speech" when folks inquire about Rotary. I do not want to leave out our other wonderful speakers. A big "Thank You!" goes out to PDG Rich Waugh; Jackie McGuire of The Rotary Foundaion; PDG Bruce Baker; Betty Parker Ellis, District Public Relations Chair; Andy Stevens, District Rotaract Chair; AG Ed Irick for not only speaking but acting as the official timekeeper; Brad Majors, District Conference; and Paul Kumler, International Convention. If you missed this event, you missed a great time to "chip away at your Rotary stone," to network with your fellow Rotarians from across the state and to enjoy being a Rotarian! A final huge "Thank You! goes to Terry Weaver who spent hours of his personal time putting the program together. The PowerPoints ran flawlessly! The audio and visual presentations were exceptional. Terry made us all look good!
Don't forget to register for our next event, The Voice of Haiti, on March 14th at Lander on the Square. This will be our final Foundation Event of the year. Those of you who attended the October event were inspired and proud to be a Rotarian. The March event promises to be equally inspiring. It is also time to register for District Conference in May. Go to the Calendar tab on the district website and register for the event and follow the link to secure your housing. On Saturday, Paul Kumler announced that we have 18 spaces available for the Train Trip to New Orleans. We need to fill those seats so that we are able to keep our private car to New Orleans. Register on the District website.

Week 30, January 23-29, 2011

This is going to be a great week in Rotary! Our Mid-year Assembly is this Saturday in Greenwood. We have an outstanding program lined up for you. You do not want to miss it. President-elects, DGE Gary Goforth is just back from International Assembly and he is anxious to get everyone off on the right foot. You do not want to miss Pre-PETS training this Saturday following our morning program. I am excited to have three and maybe four Rotarians from this district accompanying me on the NID trip to India on February 23. It is not too late to sign up for this once in a lifetime experience. I know that I am going to take another rather large chip out of my Rotary rock. You will have the same experience as I. It is time now to purchase your tickets for the Stop Polio Cold event on February 18th at the Greenville Road Warriors ice hockey game. Thanks to the hard work of Judy Prince and Charles Warne and their committee, this is really going to be a Family of Rotary event! Be sure to purchase your tickets on the district website. Remember also that for each ticket sold, your Rotary club will get $2 toward its PolioPlus goal of $2000. Two other significant events in the life of District 7750 have also occured this week. The Indian Land club has chartered an Interact club at their high school. This will be just in time for the state convention that we are hosting. I am also really excited because all of Betsy Schroeder's hard work as District Conference chair is starting to take hold. Thanks to Terry Weaver's diligence and assistance, our website is operational and you may now register for the conference and reserve your room at the Embassy Suites. This is truly going to be Beach Blast 2011: A Family of Rotary Event. Gather your children and grandchildren and head to the beach May 13-15, 2011. Get those shaggin' shoes out of the closet because you are going to need them.

Week 29, January 16-21, 2011

Last week's snowstorm proved to be a real headache after the first 36 hours. I hope you were not as snowbound as the Faulkners. Our street still has icy spots. I did manage to make the joint meeting of the Laurens and Clinton clubs on Thursday. This day marked the beginning of a joint venture between the two clubs on a water project in Honduras. Al Steele assured the clubs that their desire to provide clean water would be fulfilled. It was great to see so many club members from both clubs. Since the beginning of the year, our district has laid to rest three of our own: Wilton McKinney, North Greenville; Marion "Skip" Young, Greenville; and Larry Thomas, Twin Cities. Please keep their families in your thoughts and prayers. If you have not done so, please register for Mid-year Assembly. This is for all Rotarians in the district. The program promises to be a great one and District Governor Elect Gary Goforth has some significant information to share with his President-elects after lunch. Just to let you know that there are still eight spaces available on the train to New Orleans due to a few folks having to drop out. Chip away at the stone and join us for the experience of a lifetime!

Week 28, January 9-15, 2011

I am a day late in posting to my blog as I awaited the arrival of our snowstorm. As I write, we have 9 inches of snow on the ground and it is still coming down. I hope all of our district has had the privilege of enjoying this glorious snowfall. This winter reminds me of those of my childhood. As we gear up for a very exciting time in the Rotary year, I hope that all of you realize how great it is to be a Rotarian! Not many people have the privilege of truly making a difference in the lives of others. Each time you chip away at your Rotary stone whether through your local community projects, your participation in district events or your generous giving to the Rotary Foundation, you truly make a difference in this world! As a Rotarian I feel that in turn each of those events makes me a more fulfilled individual. If you have been sitting back enjoying being a Rotarian, take the next step. Pull that Rotary stone off the shelf and begin to chip away at. If you are good at writing checks, write a bigger one. If you are good at participating in projects, think about doing an international one. When did you last invite someone to visit your club? Just take that next step in your journey. You will be so glad that you did. Be sure to take note of the new Rotary billboards going up around the district. Thanks to the hard work Betty Parker Ellis, we received another Rotary publicity grant. If you have not registered for Mid-year Assembly, this snowy day would be a good time to do that. Be sure to check out this month's District Newsletter. There are some very important articles that need your attention. If you really want to chip away at your Rotary stone, join me and fellow Rotarians in District 6970 (Jacksonville, FL area) for a National Immunization Day in India. The dates are February 23-March 5. But hurry, there are only a few spaces available.

Week 27, December 26-January 1, 2011

Happy New Year to all! Believe it or not, this week has been a very active one in the life of Rotary District 7750. Please check out the January newsletter for an opportunity to go on a Rotary immunization trip with my Florida friends in February. RI notified me this week that we have 11 new Benefactors in District 7750. That is great news! I would love to see this district become a 100% Benefactor district. $1000 given to the Foundation when you die is not a difficult pledge to make. You know how well your money to the Foundation is spent so chip away at your Rotary stone and make that commitment today! Be sure to mark your calendars for the District 7750 conference in Myrtle Beach, May 13-15. We are about to announce the program and we want you and your family to be there for this outstanding event. Due to cancellations, we have a few spots available for our train trip to New Orleans, May 20-26. Come along for the fun and be prepared for a major chipping away at your Rotary stone! You will never be the same, I promise! The Literacy Project in Haiti that so many of your clubs contributed to will take place in June 2011. We had originally planned a February event but circumstances have forced us to postpone the event until June 2011. If you wish to participate, please let Dr. Sara Mansbach know right away as she is in the process of making lodging arrangements.

Week 26, December 19-25, 2010

What a delightful week this has been! Our oldest son and his girlfriend arrived from Spencer, Iowa at the first of the week followed by our youngest son and his girlfriend from Woodbridge, VA. We were blessed with a beautiful White Christmas and a wonderful time with the family. Our middle son announced his engagement over the Christmas Day meal as the snow fell. Other than the dog eating the Rotary Club of Greenville's delicious smoked turkey, all was merry and bright. I have only 26 more weeks to serve as your governor and there is so much left to do! Be sure to mark your calendars for all of the upcoming events. January 29th marks the date of Mid-year Assembly. All club presidents, president-elects, secretaries and treasurers should plan to attend. Remember that there are Governor's Citation points available for all district events. I would love to see every club in this district receive the Governor's Citation this year and there is certainly no reason for that not to happen as you are already doing the things that make each of your clubs outstanding. Have a safe and Happy New Year and see you in 2011!

Week 25, December 12-18, 2010

This week I learned of a significant recognition for our district. For now, it is top secret, but you will be very excited to learn of this recognition. We also learned that we have received a Rotary Publicity Grant thanks to the hard work of Betty Parker Ellis. Congratulations, Betty! Bring on those great billboards. I have to thank the RC of Lancaster for their hard work in winning the food drive for their area. Bert Welch, club president, is doing a fabulous job this year and should be congratulated. I have sent out the word on our next district PolioPlus event which will be held at the BiLo Center in Greenville on February 18th. The Greenville Road Warriors are partnering with District 7750 to make this a memorable and, hopefully, profitable event for us as we try to round out our commitment to the Rotary Foundation/Gates matching grant. Mark your calendars. As we move to the half-way point in my year as your district governor, I want to thank you, again, for this remarkable opportunity to serve you. I look forward to the second half of the year which will be packed with activities. I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas!

Week 24, December 4-11, 2010

This was a momentous week in the life of your current District Governor! I finally completed my first round of club visits with a visit to the Indian Land club on Tuesday, December 7. As you may recall, I was scheduled to meet with them last summer. I met with their board the night before but I could not find Indian Land the next morning! This time I was armed with two different maps and a GPS that knew to look for Fort Mill, SC. And bingo, success, Tom and I found the club! We had a wonderful visit. Just for your information, Indian Land, Lancaster and Lancaster Breakfast are in a contest to see which club can raise the most food by pound for the needy in Lancaster County. The clubs have raised an amazing amount of food so far! The district is gearing up for the second half of this Rotary year with the best left to come. Mark your calendars for January 29th for the Mid-year Assembly and Pre-Pets. February 18, plan to attend the Rotary night at the Greenville Road Warriors (ice hockey) game with proceeds going toward our district PolioPlus goal. March 14 will be the date of our second Foundation event. This event will celebrate our efforts in Haiti and we will hear from some of our Haitian friends. There will also be a very special announcement at that event. March 17-19 will be PETS training for all President-elects. May will find us at the beach from the 13th to the 15th and the next week on our way to New Orleans for the International Conference. Whew! There is always a great event in our District 7750 just waiting for your participation and here's hoping that each of you will continue to chip away at your Rotary stone. Enjoy your holidays!

Week 23, November 28-December 4, 2010

Wow, it's December already and there is so much to do for Rotary! This past week I sat in on the planning for the End Polio event that the Greenville Rotary club is sponsoring on February 18, 2011. If you don't know a thing about ice hockey, this will be the event for you. The Greenville Road Warriors are our local team and they have invited us to a family-oriented event at the BiLo Center Arena in Greenville. The tickets are $16.50 each and Rotary will receive $3.50 of that price which will go directly to PolioPlus. If we sell more than 500 tickets, the amount given to PolioPlus goes up. The event will offer you opportunities to purchase both hockey pucks and hockey jerseys with both the Road Warrior and the Rotary emblem on them. Plan now to attend. Paul Kumler, our International Convention chair, has put out the call for final payment of your train ticket to New Orleans. If you have not signed up for the train to the convention, it is not too late. We have had a few signees who have found they will no longer be able to join us so a few slots have opened up. I make my final club visit to Indian Land on December 7. As you may recall I could not find the club last July. I am armed now with good directions. Mark your calendars for the upcoming Mid-year Assembly scheduled for January 29 at Piedmont Tech in Greenwood. We have an excellent program lined up and DGE Gary Goforth will be leading his president-elects that afternoon in PETS pre-planning. You don't want to miss it. Finally on Friday, December 3, 2010, the Council of Governors met for their annual holiday luncheon. It is always such a pleasure to get together with the past district governors and their spouses. This is a special group of folks and we owe them a special thanks for all they have done and continue to do for Rotary. The group meets twice a year and the next event will be at the district conference in Myrtle Beach. Have a great week!

Weeks 21-22, November 14-27, 2011

I hope that each of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. Tom and I took our camping trailer to the mountains for the long weekend-no cell phone, only one TV station. But, somehow we had WiFi! What a life! We are truly blessed. We begin our preparations for the Rotary District 7750 spring events very soon. We have secured an entire train car to New Orleans in May and even have a waiting list. That is exciting. Please mark you calendars for the weekend at the beach, May 13-15, 2011. This district conference promises to be outstanding! We are in the process of securing our venue for the next Rotary Foundation event. If you missed the first event featuring Deepa Willingham in October, you do not want to miss this event featuring some of our Haitian friends. The next event is planned for March 14th and will be somewhere in the Newberry/Greenwood area. Mid-year Assembly is right around the corner, January 29th, at Piedmont Tech in Greenwood. We have an outstanding Rotary speaker lined up. All of you President-elects; the afternoon events will be for you as you meet with your DGE Gary Goforth to prepare for PETS in March. Mark your calendars for all of these events. We have several other events in the works so stay tuned for further details. I have one last club visit planned for December 7. This is the visit to the Indian Club which I attempted to make last July but was unable to find the club. This time I am armed with non-GPS directions and will succeed!

Week 20, November 7-13, 2010

I managed to visit two of my last three clubs on Tuesday of this week. I started out in Clinton for their 7:00 AM breakfast meeting. Not being exactly a morning person myself I was really surprised to see so many energetic individuals in that club so early in the morning! It must be the great breakfast they are served. Joel Rexford and his wife are members of that club and they are totally involved in their Clinton High School Interact club. Joel was at the school that morning working on the Veterans' Day celebration. New Generations, the Fifth Avenue of service-if your club does not sponsor an Interact club, please consider doing so. It is the right thing to do! After the board meeting, it was on, the back way, to Lake Wylie. I any of you have ever ridden anywhere in this district with our GSE Chair, Ken Tucker, you know his fondness for back roads. I know he would have appreciated this ride. Lake Wylie is the district's newest club. It was chartered on July 30th and I was proud to be a participant in that ceremony. The club is doing well under Les Smith's leadership. If you are over that way, be sure to drop in at noon. The club meets in the sanctuary of the Good Samaritan Methodist Church. Yes, literally in the sanctuary. One of the club's charter members is the young pastor of that church. Several of our district clubs meet in churches but none of them meet in the sanctuary as the Lake Wylie club does. So, if you visit the Lake Wylie club, you can make up both a Rotary meeting and a church meeting-not a bad deal! I also managed to visit my own club this week. It was so good to be home and nobody makes grits like Soby's does! Have a great week, Rotarians!

Week 19, October 31-November 6, 2010

On Wednesday, November 3, an exciting event took place at Clemson at the Falls in downtown Greenville. The event was entitled Women Lead the Way to End Polio Now but, of course, was open to both sexes. The speaker was the Honorable Linda Tarr-Whelan, an internationally known speaker and author. The event raised $1700 for the district's PolioPlus initiative. Each event like this one "chips away at our Rotary stone." It is truly an exciting time to be a Rotarian. We have received inquiries this week from other Rotary districts wanting to get on our train to New Orleans next May for the International Convention. If you have not made your plans to attend, now is the time to do so. The hotels will book up very quickly. Paul Kumler has worked hard on this convention for us and we will have exciting news about a District 7750 dinner in New Orleasns very soon. Gary Goforth has tickets for the Southland Brunch, if you would like to attend that while at the convention. Contact Gary to purchase those tickets. We are also getting ready to open up registration for our district conference at the beach, Kingston Plantation, May 13-15. We hope to make this conference a real family event and look forward to seeing you and your families. It will be a great time of the year to be at the beach and we promise to have a fantastic program with a "little Rotary and a whole lot of fun!" Please mark your calendars and check out the host facility in the latest District 7750 newsletter. Both of these conferences will be excellent ways to create wonderful memories and to "chip away at that Rotary stone" even more.

Week 18, October 24-31, 2010

Happy Halloween to all and welcome both needed rain and cooler temperatures. If you did not attend the Jousting Event on Saturday, October 30, sponsored by the Greenville Evening club, you missed a fantastic event. Some of you were privileged enough to have Dr. Randall Parr speak to your club this week about the event and about Early Act/First Knight. As I have visited your clubs, I have encouraged you to look at this program and to see if it would be a fit in your local schools. If you need more information, please check out their website. For those who do not know, Early Act/First Knight is a character education program based on the Rotary Four Way Test. At the present time, Powdersville Middle School in Anderson District #1 is the only school on the east coast to have this program but word is spreading fast. Consider sponsoring Early Act/First Knight in your local K-8 program and then sponsoring an Interact club at the local high school. We can change a generation! On November 3, Rotary and the Rutland Institute for Ethics is sponsoring an event, Women Lead the Way to End Polio Now, to raise additional funds for our PolioPlus commitment. It is not too late to register and it is not just for women. Next week's blog will have my reflections on the event.

Week 17, October 17-23, 2010

This week was filled with the usual Rotary District 7750 business: a Finance Committee teleconference and numerous emails. It was a nice time to catch up and reflect upon the year to date. I am convinced that District 7750 has some of the finest clubs to be found in the Rotary world. Our clubs do fantastic things for our communities and for the world: Bridging Continents, Building Communities. I want to make sure that you know about the Jousting Event scheduled for this Saturday, October 30 at the Riverbend Equestrian Park in Northern Greenville County. This event is for families and all Rotarians in District 7750. Our district is dedicated to promoting the ideals of the Four Way Test. The Early Act/First Knight program does that. The Jousting Event will highlight the Early Act/First Knight program. I hope that you will attend and I really hope that other clubs in the district will adopt this program in their local schools. It is about ethics and character. What a worthy cause! I also want everyone to be aware that we chartered a new Rotary club in our district on July 30, 2010: Lake Wylie Rotary club. It is customary that Rotary clubs in the district contribute to the startup of a new Rotary club. If you have not done so, please consider contributing any monetary amount that you can to welcome this new club to Rotary District 7750.

Week 16, October 10-16, 2010

This was an exciting week for Rotary District 7750. First of all I made two visits on Tuesday to the Greater Greer and to the Union clubs. Greater Greer is my husband, Tom's, club so I felt right at home. This tiny, but very productive club, is working magic as far as their community involvement and their donations to the Rotary Foundation go. Next on the day's agenda was a drive down to the Union club. What a great club! This club is a district leader in a number of ways, including Foundation giving. It was good that my visit to both of these district leader clubs, as far as Foundation giving, occured on the same day and the same week of the district Foundation Banquet! On Wednesday night Tom and I picked up Deepa Willingham at the airport. This began a whirlwind of events culminating with a wonderful Foundation Banquet and Major Donor reception on Thursday night. Deepa is just a remarkable woman with a remarkable story to tell about her journey into Rotary and her establishment of PACE Universal, a foundation supporting an all encompassing school for girls in one of the poorest villages near Calcutta, India. Her model is now being duplicated in Mexico and Honduras. Thank you, Major Donors, and thank you to all who attended the banquet. I think all of us left truly inspired.

Week 15, October 3-9, 2010

I had only one club visit scheduled for this week and that was to The Foothills club. The president of that club is Reggie Small. There is nothing Small about Reggie in either stature or dedication and determination for his club. The Foothills club is one of two clubs in our district operating under the Rotary Pilot Program for the last two years. This pilot has allowed this club and the Greenville Evening club to experiment with meeting twice monthly. This past spring the Rotary Board of Directors decided to extend the pilot for one more year because they did not have enough data to determine the effectiveness of a twice-monthly club. Our district has the most twice monthly clubs of probably any other district in the United States, most certainly the most in Zones 33-34. We know this works! Both Foothills and Greenville Evening have had nothing but positive experiences from participating in the pilot. Hopefully RI will allow clubs, in the future, to move to this model. Last week also marked the inaugural meeting of potential members of the district's first New Generations club. For those who do not know, New Generations is now a Fifth Avenue of Service under the Rotary banner. The purpose of a New Generations club is to attract young professionals, ages 23-35, who do not have the time or financial means to join a more traditional club in the district. Members pay their district and RI dues. They decide on a meeting place for each meeting which will be, most likely, in a different location each time. Members meet in a local coffee shop/bar/restaurant around 5-6 in the evening for drinks. The New Generations members design their own fundraisers and select their own charities. New Generations is about networking, socializing and service. Thanks to Matt Cotner, John Catoe, Charles Warne and Jamie Yarbrough for making this a reality! More to come on this next week! I hope to see all of you at our first District Foundation event this Thursday, October 14, featuring Deepa Willingham. It is not too late to sign up for this event.

Week 14, September 26-October 2, 2010

This week was packed with Rotary activities and surprises. On Tuesday I visited the Easley club. This was a nostalgic visit as my mother grew up in Easley. She was one of thirteen children. My grandparents both lived past 100 so I visited Easley for many years. I still have an Uncle and Aunt living two doors down from my grandparents' old home. Some of the long-time members of the Easley club remembered my grandparents. I have distant cousins in both the Easley and the Pickens clubs. I received quite a surprise during my visit to the Easley club. Cliff Collie, club president, presented me with a check for $2500 for our district literacy project in Haiti. They surprised me even more by submitting a District Simplified Grant application for matching funds. We are going to be able to do a wonderful project for the children of Cange, Haiti and that is so exciting. Tom and I flew out of Greenville Spartanburg on Wednesday morning for the Zone 33-34 Intstitute in Naples, Florida. This was a great conference. I wish all Rotarians in the district could experience one of these. The whole atmosphere reaffirms who we are and why we are Rotarians. We were celebrated as the district with the largest increase in giving to the Rotary Foundation. Congratulations Rich Waugh! Let's make sure that we receive a comparable award this year! I am so excited that next week is the week that we will have Deepa Willingham visiting our district. If you have not done so, please register for the October 14 event and consider making a contribution to help educate the poor girls of India. See you next week in Spartanburg!

Week 13, September 19-25, 2010

Wow, what a fantastic week for Rotary District 7750! The Golf Ball Drop was a huge success. For those who missed the actual event, you missed great food, great fellowship, great prizes, great dancing (uh-um) and a great venue. On top of all of those positives, we raised over $12,000 thanks to all of you. We had some wonderful donors who stepped up to the plate in a very big way and we want to thank them for their generosity. We had some clubs who stepped up to the plate and I wish to thank them as well. We are inching closer and closer to our goal of $110,000 for our district. And the winners were: Susan Nelson, RC of Greenville, First Prize; Ruth Whitman, RC of Chester, Second Prize; John Thornton, RC of Mauldin, Third Prize; and John McAfee, RC of Pleasantburg, Fourth Prize. A huge "Thank You" goes out to Cathy Ronald for her incredible work in making this event such a success. We could not have done this without her dedication and expertise. Thank you, Cathy, from District 7750! This week also marked my 49th club visit. I visited the Woodruff club on Tuesday. This year marks the 70th anniversary of that club and makes it one of the district's oldest. Theron Willis, a new Rotarian, is president of the club this year. We are now inching closer to our first Foundation Event on October 14th at USC Upstate. I hope you are making your plans to attend as this will be a fantastic evening with Deepa Willingham. Be sure to wish our GSE team well as they depart this week for Japan. We look forward to hearing about their adventures upon their return.

Week 12, September 12-18, 2010

Wow, club visits 46-48 completed this week: Clemson, Mauldin and Pleasantburg! This was the last week at this pace and I can't say that I am sorry. As the semester progresses my teacher candidates really need to be in class. I must say, however, that I have really enjoyed each and every one of my club visits. I have often stated that each club has its own personalitybut after 48 visits, I can only confirm that premise. You are such a wonderful collection of unique, passionate and generous humans and I am so proud to be associated with you. We began last week with a visit to the Clemson club. Now, I have to say that both Tom and I have graduate degrees from Clemson University but our loyalties still remain with our undergraduate universities, Furman and Virginia. The Clemson club is such a great club, however, that we were easily swayed into accepting those Clemson orange shirts! We are even going to wear them as we attend their Oyster Roast next month! My visit to the Mauldin club was equally delightful as I was able to induct one new Paul Harris Fellow and one multiple Paul Harris Fellow. The bar in the Mauldin club is set very high with one member who is a Level 2 Major Donor. Thank you, Mauldin, for all that you do for Rotary. My final visit for the week was to the Pleasantburg club. This was like a homecoming for me as I spent three years as that club's AG. The club holds additional special memories for me because Dr. Rudolph Gordon is a member of that club. For those who have heard my speech, you know that Dr. Gordon is the former Greenville County Schools Superintendent who gave me persmission to join a Rotary club. I was able to publically thank him and that was a special moment.
Please don't forget a very important district event this week. This is our PolioPlus Golf Ball Drop week! If you have not purchased your golf ball(s), please do so. We are looking for individual contributions of $37.50 from each and every Rotarian in our district to fulfill our commitment to the Rotary Foundation.

Week 11, September 5-11, 2010

This was a great week in Rotary. I made club visits to two of our oldest and most distinguished clubs: Spartanburg and Rock Hill. Both Liz Patterson, president of the Spartanburg club, and Ben Galloway, president of the Rock Hill club, exude the passion for and ideals of Rotary. Their clubs are doing remarkable things for both their communities and internationally. The Spartanburg club raised $20,000 last year for PolioPlus. The Rock Hill club made substantial contributions to both the Rotary Foundation and to PolioPlus. On Wednesday, I also made a visit to the Greenville Tech Rotaract club. This is a small but dedicated group of young "Rotarians" doing great things for their community. The group partners with both the Rotary Club of Greenville and the Rotary Club of Pleasantburg to assist with both clubs' projects. With Rotary International's renewed emphasis on New Generations, it is really exciting to see such great activities and collaborations between our Rotaract and Interact clubs and our established Rotary clubs across the district. I hope to see even more collaboration in the coming months.

Week 10, August 29-September 4, 2010

Tuesday I visited the Chester club. We had a great board meeting and the club meeting was great, as well. The lunch buffet crossed many cultures! Debbie Parsons, a fellow Furman alum, is doing a great job leading the club this year. I had two other Rotary related meetings this week. The planning team for the October 14th Foundation Event in Spartanburg met at the University Center in Greenville. That allowed me time to get some much needed USC Upstate work accomplished in my office. The next day we had a District Finance Committee teleconference which was quite productive. There are always committee meetings and lots of emails to answer so each day is filled with Rotary challenges and opportunities. I must admit, however, that it was very nice when we hitched up our camper trailer on Thursday afternoon, for the first time in a year, loaded up our granddaughter and headed to Solitude Point near Table Rock. It is, as the name implies, with no cable TV, no internet and absolutely no cell phone service. It was a wonderful break and a long weekend to recover. I hope all of you enjoyed your long holiday weekend. Now it is back to work planning our upcoming Rotary events. I hope each of you plan to attend the Golf Ball Drop on September 23 and the Foundation Event on October 14. Those events are coming up rapidly. Be sure to register. See all of you on September 23!

Week 9, August 22-28,2010

It is hard to believe that I completed my 42nd club visit on Thursday, August 26 with a visit to the Spartan West club. With this being the first full week of classes at USC Upstate, the Rotary pace has dropped off significantly. I did, however, manage to visit four of our great clubs this week. Monday, Stan King and the Walhalla crowd had quite a feast prepared. As I arrived, the grills were going strong as club members, led by non-other than Lamar Bailes, grilled steaks. This was a real treat. I was joined by AG Patrick Lee and DGN Kim Gramling. Lamar and his wife, Rosemary, are long-time members of the club and active board members. The club has set some very high goals for itself this year and with the enthusiasm of that board, all will be achieved. It is always nice to revisit my clubs in Area 3 from my days as their AG. Monday night I met with the Rotary Club of Greenville's board for dinner. The club is in the hands of Charles Warne this year. It is hard to believe that the district's largest club is able to run so seamlessly but it does. Part of the reason is because of the dedication of the board members and partly because the club has long-term strategic plans and club leadership that is three-deep. Charles will be followed by Bert Strange and then Elizabeth Lyons, both readily recognized individuals in the district. It was a privilege to see one of our district GSE alumni inducted into the club on Tuesday. Tuesday continued to be a banner day as I visited the Greenville Evening club. Greenville Evening is the club that has brought the district the very first Early Act/First Knight program at Powdersville Middle School and, of course, let us not forget another first, the Kenducky Derby! I presented three awards to this club for their increased membership last year and the Presidential Citation. The club assures me that there will be no letdown this year in their efforts. Thursday found the Faulkners visiting the Spartan West club. This club meets at the City Range Grill in Spartanburg and the Greenville East club meets at the City Range Grill in Greenville. Both are just awesome venues and the food is awesome, as well. Todd Horne, club president, is one of the youngest in the district. I must say that I am thrilled that we do have several New Generations club presidents this year: Brad Evans in Abbeville, Megan Anderson in Blacksburg, Jeff Cleland in Gaffney, Holly Foster in Inman, Sharon Novinger in Lancaster Breakfast, Price Kennedy in Laurens, Walker Posey in North Augusta, Jon Morgan in Pickens, Chris Lee in Seneca Golden Corner and Todd. We are in good hands for the future as these young presidents are the future of District 7750. Spartan West is also the home club of Past-AG Marvin Lord. Marvin and his wife, Luciana, have been special friends of ours since 2004 when Luciana arrived with the Brazilian GSE team and I led our team to that district, 4540. If you do not know that love story, it is one that will make you proud to be a Rotarian. Well I must end for this week as there is a newsletter to prepare, reports to be filed and personal notes to be written all for the purpose of making our district Bigger, Better and Bolder. Have a great Rotary week!

Week 8, August 15-21, 2010

This week was light in comparison to the previous weeks and for good reason: I started back to work this week! All good things must come to an end and summer vacation is just that! I did make three club visits this week. I felt like a homecoming when I visited the Inman club. In the 90s I supervised Reading Recovery teachers in that district. Many of the district employees are members of the Inman club. In fact, I have never seen so many educators in one club! I was delighted to see PDG Ted Hammett and did not make the connection until I saw him that he is the uncle of one of my old and dear teacher buddies, Dr. Ann Hammett Shaw. It was great to see Anne Green again. I was especially thrilled to present books to the principals of the elementary, middle and high schools. Two principals are already members of the club and the other was visiting and, hopefully, planning to join. Tuesday evening it was on to the Blacksburg club. This club is doing wonderful things in the community. Their BBQ fundraiser is also a big event in the community. We should plan a BBQ cook-off in the district sometime because we have a large number of clubs who sponsor these in their own communities. My third visit of the week was to the Simpsonville club. This is PDG Clarence Buurman's club. He was there, as expected, and has just celebrated his 95th birthday. What an achievement and what a dedicated Rotarian! For those who don't know, Simpsonville is one of only three clubs in the district with its own Rotary Hall. Wouldn't it be great if every club had its own facility! Just think, the banners, flags, bells and lecturns could all stay in one place without having to be hauled back and forth each week! Of course, then clubs would not have their own unsung heroes: those folks who set up and take down each and every week without any notoriety. Have a great week!

Week 7, August 8-14, 2010

This was, by far, my busiest week as DG. I started my week with a visit on Monday to the Fountain Inn club. One of the members, Gary Long, is a retired principal of Ellen Woodside Elementary where I worked once upon a time. He is also the mayor of Fountain Inn! Monday night I drove to Fair Play for the club's board meeting at the home of Dr. Q. Of course the meeting included lovely Swedish food and wine followed by a good discussion of the club's challenges and successes. Tuesday morning I attended the Fair Play club's meeting where DGN Kim Gramling was visiting. Then it was on to Gaffney for a board meeting and club visit. The club has the distinction of having three generations of Hamricks as members. That is quite a history for such a great club. Wednesday morning found us at the East Spartanburg club, home of our AG, Joe Babb. East Spartanburg had the original Golf Ball Drop as a fundraiser. They are also the proud sponsors of the second largest Rotary Peace Park in the United States. From Spartanburg, it was on to Clover for a lunchtime meeting. I was pleased to present a new Paul Harris Fellow to one of their members. They have one enthusiastic female Sergeant-at-arms!
For our third breakfast club of the week, we visited the Golden Strip Sunrise club. For this one, we were really early but we had a nice visit with someone we are seeing in each club and every club. I call them the behind-the-scene preparers. You know that person: he or she gets there early, gets out the banners, the bell, the lecturn, the badges and all other Rotary items. Most Rotarians think those things just miraculously appear each week without much thought as to
how. There was time for a little work at my office at the University Center before heading to Laurens for their lunchtime meeting. The president, Price Kennedy, is one of three funeral home directors serving as club presidents this year across the district. Walker Posey in North Augusta and Brad Evans in Abbeville are the other two. Even more remarkable is the fact that the president of my home club, Greenville Breakfast, owns a pet cremation business. I will let you draw your own conclusions. And last, but certainly not least, I installed new officers for Tom's home club, Greater Greer on Friday night. Greater Greer also inducted a new member. I highly recommend BIN 112 to any folks who want a real dining experience in downtown Greer. To put a cap on a truly busy week, Tom and I hosted PDG George Fletcher, DGE Gary Goforth, DGN Kim Gramling, past AG Steve Black, and Pam and Terry Weaver at our home for lunch on Saturday. This was a strategic planning meeting as we all realize the need for continuity in this district. In two weeks, we will host the 12 AGs across the district at a similar meeting. Have a great week!

Week 6, August 1-7, 2010

I learned a very valuable lesson this week: never rely solely on your GPS to get you to where you need to go. More later on that little detail. The week started off with a visit to the Greenville East club. This was one of my clubs when I was AG for Area 3 so my visit was more like a homecoming. It was great to see old friends again! That afternoon I drove to Rock Hill in time for the Indian Land board meeting. Dinner at Olive Garden was wonderful and the meeting went well. I was to meet with the Indian Land club on Tuesday morning. This is where the GPS story comes into play. The Indian Land board said that it would take about 30 minutes to get to them. I allowed myself 40 minutes. When I hopped into my car and punched in Indian Land, nothing came up on the screen. In my ignorance, I thought Indian Land was near Lake Wylie so I headed in the direction (total opposite of where I needed to go). Long story short: I missed the meeting entirely. That afternoon it was on to Winnsboro. I arrived early and had a chance to catch my breath. The Winnsboro club is very active in its community and has numerous school district employees as members. I felt right at home. The club is doing wonderful things for its surrounding community. There was a little bantering about concerning my Furman Paladins and some team known as the Gamecocks (you may have heard of them.) Tom was able to join me on Wednesday for visits to the Lancaster Breakfast and the Fort Mill clubs. We were so impressed with the dedication of the members of both clubs. The final destination for the week was the York club. The York club has been involved in Honduras water projects for a number of years along with the Fort Mill club. Al Steele and Joe Johnson have collaborated on several projects. Joe brought along a friend from Honduras, Jose, the son of Honduran Rotarians. At the meeting, Joe presented Jose with a Paul Harris Fellow. What a magnanimous gift and what a great way to end a very busy week!

Week 5, July 25-31, 2010

This was the busiest Rotary week to date. We visited seven clubs and seven club boards. Monday we visited North Spartanburg. I could not find the Radisson although I knew exactly where it was. The Radisson is no longer a Radisson and without the signs I was lost! This is a great club with the largest international membership I have encountered so far in my first 22 club visits. If I thought I was lost on Monday, Tuesday was even worse. Mapquest sent me way off course for my Greenwood club visit. Finally I gave up and relied on my non-gender-specific instinct. This is Rotary! Greenwood has some great ideas for unusual target groups for membership. Perhaps they will share their ideas with us at mid-year assembly. Wednesday, I made up for my previous tardiness by arriving an hour early to Pickens. Over the years Tom and I have had some great experiences with this club because Tom was their previous AG. You have to attend one of their spaghetti dinners! From Pickens it was on to Aiken for a 5:30 Aiken Sunrise board meeting. I arrived just in time but then Tom and I couldn't find the right door to enter and ended up being late! The Aiken Sunrise club is the home club of PDG Harriett Skinner and that day marked the fourth anniversary of her death. The club asked that we have a moment of silence the next day in her memory. We were so glad that Harriett's husband Don was in attendance. From Aiken Sunrise it was on to Abbeville with plenty of time to spare. Tom and I found a nice coffee shop on Main Street and enjoyed some quiet, catch-your-breath time, before meeting first with the club board and then the club. Abbeville is a great club with great members. They are thriving, even in these hard economic times. Friday was a very special day. First, I made my official, unofficial, visit to my home club, Greenville Breakfast. It is hard to be formal around great, old friends! My club wouldn't stand for that anyway. I was so happy to learn that the club did not lose money on my Installation Dinner. I was really worried! At lunch, we visited the North Greenville club. This is Tom's old club and it is such a special group of old friends for us. North Greenville is the reason I was even able to join a Rotary club because they chartered my club, Greenville Breakfast. Special guests for the lunch meeting included two of the greatest friends in District 7750: Pam and Terry Weaver. You may not realize how many volunteer hours they donate to this district. The district would not run without them! The final highlight of the week was the Chartering Ceremony for our newest club: Lake Wylie. Tom and I had the wonderful experience of riding over with PDG Myles and Ann Golden for this great event. We look forward to watching this club follow Ray Klinginsmith's mantra: Bigger, Better and Bolder. As if these events were not enough, Saturday afternoon we plan to celebrate PDG Clarence Buurman's 95th birthday. Be sure to send him a card! And now for a little rest. Oh no, I have to get my article in to Sue Poss for the district newsletter! Oh well...

Week 4, July 18-24, 2010

Wow! What a Rotary journey for Tom and me! We are having such a wonderful time visiting the clubs in our district. I wish everyone in the district had these same experiences. The Rotarians in District 7750 are incredible people who are doing incredible things for their communities and the world. We have had the most wonderful food and so much of it!! I had a checkup at the doctor's this week and just knew I would be in real trouble. Much to my amazement, I had lost four pounds. Miracles never cease! I started out this week in St. Louis actually doing some contract work. Tuesday we began in vengeance by visiting the Westminster club at the newly refurbished Westminster Depot. This is an excellent venue and the food was scrumptious. We met with the Seneca Golden Corner club that night for, of course, excellent Italian food! Wednesday was a "light day" with only the Seneca Golden Corner meeting at breakfast. These Rotarians are doing such wonderful things in their community. Thursday we were back in the Seneca area meeting with the Seneca board and then the entire club. This club consists of some real dignataries including PDG Bob Hanson, Steve Sokol, past GSE team leader, Eric Cope One of my former North Greenville teacher candidates, Cliff Roberts, is a new memberof the club and is the new principal of Seneca High School. Friday morning we visited the Clemson-Calhoun club. I told them I had not seen a sea of orange like that since my parents took us to Easley to visit my grandparents as a child. My mother had twelve siblings and they were all rabid Clemson tigers fans. After that meeting it was on to Newberry. We had a great meeting with the board and the club and, of course, great food! One of the members of that club is the brother of one of my suitemates at Furman my freshman year. It is amazing how small the world really is especially through Rotary.

Week 3, July 11-17, 2010

This week has been my busiest so far. Tom and I stayed two nights in Aiken with AG Lyn Kenney. Lyn arranged a dinner on Sunday night with PDG Rich and Jan Waugh and Past AG Steve Black. What a special evening! We had a great meeting with Herb Mattocks and the Aiken club. Then it was on for an evening meeting with the North Augusta board ably led by an enthusiastic Walker Posey, club president. We had a wonderful Italian dinner in Augusta later on that night and then we were back in Hammond's Ferry bright and early the next morning for the North Augusta club visit. Tom, Lyn and I then headed for Batesburg-Leesville for a lunchtime board meeting. We seem to be eating a lot of food! Furman (Batesburg-Leesville President) and Myra Cantrell hosted all three of us for the night. We attended a joint meeting of the Batesburg-Leesville and Twin Cities clubs with a great celebration on Lake Murray where again we ate and ate. Oh yes, I forgot to mention the peach ice cream that afternoon at Watson's orchard. We all rose early the next morning in order to make the Twin Cities board meeting led by Cheryl Burgess. Breakfast was great! Twin Cities has traditionally and consistently given the largest amount in the district to the CART fund. If you would like to know how, just email Cheryl. Tom and I bid farewell to our wonderful guide/assistant/friend Lyn Kenney and headed to McCormick for the Rotary Club of McCormick County meeting at Hickory Knob State Park. If you have never visited there, you need to make a point of going. Jim Morrow, club president, and his group have a wonderful and most unique fund raiser in the works. It is a Poker Run and, if you would like to know more, please get in touch with Jim. From McCormick it was home for one night and then on the road again Thursday night for a board meeting with the Electric City club. We met at Fatz Cafe for yet more delicious food. Faith Line is club president this year. This club is very active in the Anderson community. The next morning we met with the club at Golden Corral for even more good food. PDG Carol Burdette visited for a make-up from her club. I had to repeat something funny that Dolly Parton said at the International Convention in Montreal because of this club's dedication to Dolly's Imagination Library. Home again to rest for the next round of visits. Have a great weekend!

Week 2, July 3-10, 2010

I spent this week with some of the Anderson and Greenwood clubs. Thanks to the long holiday weekend, the pace was not quite as hectic. Thanks so much to President Glenn Brill of the Anderson club for a great board meeting. Their board is made up of such a diverse cross-section of their membership with lots of new Rotarians. That is exciting! There was even talk of starting a new club! Emerald City met us with such open arms and enthusiasm. Jim Manley and his team are going to do great things this year. For those who don't know, Emerald City claims, as its members, a PDG, Isaac Shaeffer; a DGE, Gary Goforth; and a district secretary, Lorraine Angelino. This is sure to be a winning team with great member support, as well. Katherine Smith is at the helm of the Greater Anderson club. I helped to induct three new Paul Harris Fellows who were selected by their club to receive this honor for their outstanding contributions to the programs of Rotary International. Tom and I have never felt so welcomed by all three clubs. And the food...outstanding!!

Club Visits

July 1 marked the beginning of the Rotary year and I hit the ground running with my first official club visit to the Lancaster club. What a delightful meeting it was! Bert Welch, new club president, was such a wonderful example of the many dedicated Rotarians in District 7750. Lancaster did ten local service projects last year and two international projects. This year the club has promised to be even "Bigger, Better and Bolder." Buddy Hungerford, a longtime member of the club, was formerly a member of the Naples (Florida) Sunset club, the same club that has given us our new Zone RI Director, John Smarge. Great Rotarians have come out of that club!
This week will find us in Anderson, twice and in Greenwood. I look forward to those meetings. Our newest club, Lake Wylie, just sent out invitations to their Club Chartering event scheduled for July 30. Any District 7750 Rotarians are welcome to attend the evening event. The club would really appreciate a warm welcome from all of our district Rotarians.
We have some great Webinar sessions coming up later in the month for club secretaries and treasurers. I urge all to sign up for this essential training as we strive to make our district "Bigger, Better and Bolder."

Montreal and Then Some

The Rotary International Convention lived up to my, admittedly limited, expectations. Montreal was my fifth convention and it was, in a word, awesome! Nowhere else on earth can you get world class entertainment, world class speakers, and world class fellowship all for the price of one registration. If I am able to accomplish one personal goal this year, it will be to get my fellow District 7750 Rotarians to New Orleans next May. There is even talk of a district "road trip" via the train, no less. Today marked my first "official" act as District Governor. I installed the new President, Doug Lowery, and club officers for the Greenville East club. Thursday, July 1, will mark my first official club visit. I will be meeting with the Lancaster club and I look forward to that. A word of thanks to my home club, Greenville Breakfast, for sponsoring a beautiful Installation Dinner at the Westin Poinsett last Friday night. For those of you who missed it; you were most assuredly missed by me. It was just beautiful from Andy Stevens, resident bagpiper, to the performance by my club's major local charity, Generations Group Home boys. Thank you to all for all of your hard work and long hours of planning.