Rotary Colleagues:  Especially club presidents, foundation chairs, and membership chairs!

This year’s training seminar for membership and foundation work AT THE CLUB LEVEL has been scheduled for Saturday, August 23 in Dickson at the Renaissance Center (on state highway 46 about a mile north of Interstate 40, exit 172 - look for the big round ball on the right of the highway).

Governor Larry Boyd already has sent a message to you asking that you save this day for important Rotary training for the 2008-2009 ROTARY YEAR.  Every club should have a foundation chair and a membership chair!  This meeting is primarily for those people and the new club president although it is open to all Rotarians.  Please make sure that your club is represented.

We begin at 9:00 am with registration and shortly thereafter will move into information (with some hands on work as well) about Our Rotary Foundation until noon, will break for lunch, and then will study methods for Membership Development and Extension until about 3:00 pm.

Rotary Foundation Topics

Our three emphases:

1. Polio
2. Education
3. Humanitarian Grants

• The new Bill and Linda Gates Foundation 100 million dollar grant and how we in Rotary will match it during the next three years
• How to develop a project for a District Simplified Grant and write the application
• How to develop a project for a Matching Grant and write the application
• Examples of successful grants of both kinds
• Your club goal for raising funds for the Foundation
• Every Rotarian Every Year
• Paul Harris Society, Paul Harris Fellows, contribution recognitions

Educational programming

• Group Study Exchange
• Ambassadorial Scholars
• Peace and Conflict Resolution, Peace Fellows

Questions and where do you get answers?

District Membership Chair Bob Luster is planning the afternoon session and there will be further communication about it.

We must know how many lunches to purchase (how appropriate the green color) and how much coffee and Coca Cola will be consumed…….so…….let District Trainer GLEN VANDERFORD know how many will come from your club.  Contact Glen at gv6760@bellsouth.net or 931 668-9851 (both phone and fax).  Cost is just $10 per person.  Let Glen know as soon as possible and by August 20 at the latest so that he many place the order.

This is a MUST meeting in order for us collectively to have a great year in ‘08-’09.  Support Governor Larry and Rotary International President D. K. Lee!

I look forward to being with you!

John Butler
District Rotary Foundation Chair