A Periodic e-Newsletter to Rotary Leaders across Zones 23 & 24 and Beyond

June 30, 2008
Issue 14

…2007/08 was an exceptionally good year for Rotary … thanks to YOU and so many other Rotarians throughout the clubs and districts in Zones 23 and 24 and around the world. It's hard to believe it's come to a close. But the legacy of all that's been accomplished will live on long beyond this year.

RI PRESIDENT WILF WILKINSON's theme "Rotary Shares" provided the compass for so much of what was accomplished in Rotary during 2007-08! Even so, when all is said and done, it's the work that's gone on in Rotary clubs and at the district-level in YOUR District. We have seen extraordinary leadership in each district throughout Zones 23 & 24. So much of what we've seen underscores what just one Rotarian can accomplish when combining his or her efforts with others.

It's impossible to list all the successes and accomplishments of the year. Each Rotarian, each Club and each District has stories that made a difference. That demonstrated how Rotary Shares. CONGRATULATIONS!

Zones 23 & 24 Retrospective in Brief:

THANK YOU PRID SAM GREENE for serving as chair of the Presidential Membership Conference in San Jose, CA 17-18 August 2007. You and your outstanding committee did a superb job!

The idea of the Presidential Membership Conferences (PMC) was to rally the attention of all Rotarians across North America to reverse the recent trends of declining membership. Each PMC was keynoted by RI President Wilf. Not only were the 630 attendees at the San Jose (Zone 23/24) Conference a pacesetter for all seven PMCs - another 79 Rotary leaders from Zone 23 attended the Vancouver, BC Conference meaning over 700 Rotarians from Zones 23/24 attended a Presidential Membership Conference! Under the organizing leadership of PRID RON BEAUBIEN, 2007/08 global Membership Chair, nearly 3,000 Rotarians attended all seven Membership Conferences during the first-half of the 2007-08 Rotary year. Did the idea work?! Check out the results in Zones 23 & 24 later in this e-Briefs.

For a recap of the PMC in San Jose, along with photos - please visit the link at: www.RotaryZone2324.org.

THANK YOU PDG GEORGE CHAFFEY for the standout performance as chair of "The POWER OF ONE" Institute in Long Beach, CA - 10-14 October 2007. Your remarkable committee of over 100 Rotary leaders put together one of the most talked about Institutes in years.

The goal of The Power of One Institute was to highlight the power of one individual, one Rotary club and one organization - Rotary International … to affect change. To do something! Whether it be in one Rotarian's club, community or in the world. Some 500 Rotary leaders - past, present and future - attended this memorable Institute. To revisit the memories and surprises enjoyed by everyone during the Institute - please visit the link at: www.rotaryzone2324.org/institute

The 99th Annual R.I. Convention was held in Los Angeles - 15-18 JUNE 2008

Congratulations to the Rotary International Convention Committee, Chaired by PRID RAY KLINGINSMITH and a 7-member committee which had strong support and guidance by RI President Wilf and PRID/PRIVP John Germ, Aide to the President, 2007-08.

An RI Convention - to achieve its ultimate potential - must have strong support from its Host area. Seven SoCal/SoNevada Districts - 5240, 5260, 5280, 5300, 5320, 5330, 5340 - combined (starting in 2000) to form a collaborative venture to serve as the Official Host Area for the LA2008 Convention. During the early years, time moved at a glacial pace … but as activities ramped up during the past three years, the Convention began to approach at near warp speed! Through it all the HOC never lost sight of its goal to help produce "the best RI Convention, ever!"

CONGRATULATIONS to LA5 Rotarian GERRY TURNER who chaired the LA2008 Host Committee during this time - and his 23-member Executive Committee which met on a regular basis. Ultimately nearly 1,000 local Rotary volunteers staffed the Host Committee at its peak point during the Convention.

Rotarians at the 2008 RI Convention demonstrated their commitment to literacy by setting a Guinness World Record for the most books donated during a seven-day period. Exactly 242,624 books were collected during the week for public school students in Southern California and Southern Nevada. Pictured to the left reading to children during the Convention is Los Angeles Times Publisher and CEO David Hiller, Joan and RI President Wilf.

Pictured on the right is RI President Wilf and Rotary's Wide World of Books creator and chair, PDG INGO WERK (right) and DANNY GIRTON, Jr. (left) an adjudicator for Guinness World Records, confirmed that Rotary now owns the record for Most Books Donated in Seven Days at the closing plenary session. "We applaud your efforts and welcome you to the Guinness World Records family," Girton told the audience.

Click here for a brief video of RWWB.

Far West Live leaves 'em wantin' more! It's hard to believe this lovely lady - PDG LINDA COBLE - is married to a guy named Artie Choke, AKA Dr. Pill, AKA Kirk Matthews. (But then, this is Hollywood!) For the more than 1,200 Rotarians from Zones 23 & 24 who attended the LA2008 RI Convention, they were treated to a one-of-kind Far West Live breakfasts on Monday 16 June at the L.A. Convention Center.

As the old saying goes "you had to be there to believe it!" And the stories you've heard are likely true! The best testimony to this was a comment made by DAVID HILLER, Publisher, President/CEO of the Los Angeles Times who sat next to us during the Breakfast. At the end, he said: "I can't tell you how many of these kinds of events I've been to over the years, but I must tell you that this was, by far, the best I've ever attended!"

This "Live Morning-Drive Broadcast with News, Weather and Traffic" - included stops in each of the 23 Districts in Rotary Zones 23 & 24. Even the commercial breaks were quite extraordinaray. (Real-life sponsors were Mercedes Benz of Beverly Hills and the Hawaii Convention & Visitors Bureau-to whom we say THANK YOU, THANK YOU.)

News anchors PDGs LINDA COBLE and INGO WERK, (who also doubled as the extraordinary script writers) were ably assisted by singers Caralyn Percy, Erin Matthews and a supporting cast including PDGs Arlene Greenberg, Norb Murray, George Steele & as well as Benedikt Brydern, Justin Cruz, Susan Dawson, Jim Dyer, Tori Hettinger, Diane Netzel, Jeff Malek, Jan Rhees, Brad Robinson, Vicky & Steve Wallace. Rotarians from the Beverly Hills and Santa Monica Rotary clubs played important roles in support during "show time." THANKS to ALL for producing this CLASSIC!

Membership Results for 2007-08:

Through 31 May 2008, the Top

TRF Donations Results for 2007-08:

CONGRATULATIONS to the Rotary Regional Foundation Coordinators (RRFCs) and their 2007-08 teams for their outstanding support of all districts in their zones.	Zone 23 RRFC, 2007-2008 John Rasmussen Thank you, John, for your OUTSTANDING efforts over the past several years. Your results in Zone 23 speak for themselves!
	Zone 24 RRFC, 2007-2008 Brenda Cressey Thank you, Brenda, for the super job you've done during your first year as an RRFC. You've raised the bar for 2008-09!

Oh, one more thing!

One other special "event" worthy of note took place 19 June 2008 in Los Angeles. It occurred with little fanfare. It was the first meeting of the new 2008-09 RI Board of Directors. At the table was incoming RI Director Catherine Noyer-Riveau from Paris, France. After the meeting was called to order and the Board got down to business, she was quick to jump into the mix without missing a beat. This was truly another milestone moment in Rotary's history.

In looking back on 2007-08, so much more went on than we could ever begin to touch upon in this RID's e-Brief. For certain, the above doesn't even begin to tell the full story. Literally thousands of Rotarians have been involved in just the few areas that have been highlighted. My deep apologies to the many outstanding Rotary leaders who deserved to be recognized by name and thanked for what you did this year. You KNOW who you are. Sadly, as is too often the case, time and space simply don't allow for everyone to be acknowledged.

Let's savor the memories of and the satisfaction we have for all that was accomplished during 2007-08. In many instances, we know we have only planted seeds that will take years before they bloom and bare fruit. Best of all, we can all take pleasure in knowing that this has been a year when we showed: Rotary Shares.

And now we transition into an exciting new year as we work to Make Dreams Real.

Paul Netzel
RI Director 2007-09
Zones 23-24

Your Comments are Welcome. Please click here: pnetzel@earthlink.net to send RID Paul an email to share your comments and/or to offer suggestions for future e-Briefs topics.

You can find more information on Zone events on the Zone Website Calendar.