8th Annual Rotary Goes to the Dogs for S4TL

When: Saturday February 18th, 2012

Where: Derby Lane 10490 Gandy Blvd. St. Petersburg, FL

Time: 11:30-4:30 PM

Dress: Wear your Rotary colors

Cost: No cost for Rotarians which includes free parking and lunch!

Who Benefits: S4TL Foundation. Derby Lane has awarded thousands of dollars to keep this unique West and Central Florida Rotary program solvent

YOU MUST REGISTER ONLINE AT:

http://www.ismyrotaryclub.org/Register/GuestMemberExternal.cfm?EventID=77173141

Contact: Gene Stern – Gene.Stern@LFG.com or 727-369-1512 for more information

When: April 26th 2012 from 6:00pm to 9:00pm

Where: Largo Cultural Center – 105 Central Park Drive, Largo, FL 33771

We have the best restaurants in the area serving fantastic tapas and Luekens Liquors pouring fine wines for our tasting.  I sure hope you can join us for a night of fun, good food and fabulous wine.  Tickets are $50 in advance (they are $55 at the door) so get your tickets early so you do not miss out on a wonderful evening that will help Belleair Rotary support their many local, national and international charities.

Buy Tickets online at: www.BelleairRotary.org

The five individuals, who represent Citrus, Hernando, Pasco and Pinellas counties, will stay with Rotary families and learn about life in South Korea. Sukhwa Young, a realtor in Wesley Chapel, and member of the Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel Noon, is a Korean American who will be invaluable when it comes to communicating with the Koreans. The team members are Erin Ellis, (endorsed by the Rotary Club of Tarpon Springs), an architect in Tarpon Springs; John van Daalen, (endorsed by the Rotary Club of Dunedin North), a chef in Dunedin; Cheryl Cleveland (endorsed by the Rotary Club of Dade City Sunrise), a martial arts instructor in Odessa; and Dee Zajac (endorsed by the Rotary Club of East Lake Sunrise), a nurse in Palm Harbor.

You are invited to the 22nd annual Tarpon Springs Triathlon starting on Saturday, September 10th at 7:30am. The race features professional chip timing and online results by Alta Vista Sports. The 1/4 Mile swim in the Gulf of Mexico is followed by a 10.5 mile bike in and around Tarpon Springs famous bayous before returning to Fred Howard Park for the final 5K (3.1 mile) run. Starting and ending in the beautiful Fred Howard Park the event is noted as one of the best post parties in Pinellas County.

This is a USAT Sanctioned event, all athletes will be required to have USAT membership or a one day permit to participate. One day permits can be purchased when you register online on our imathlete page. Packet pick up will be Friday September 9th from 3:00pm to 6:00pm at the Lake Tarpon Resort or the morning of the race.

For full details check out the Rotary Club of Tarpon Springs website at http://tarponrotary.org/about/what-we-do/tarpon-springs-rotary-club-sprint-triathlon

Download application forms at the bottom of http://rotary6950.org/resources/the-rotary-foundation/district-simplified-grants.

Rotary Welcomes You to Bangkok 2012 from Rotary International on Vimeo.

Rotary International president Kalyan Banerjee welcomes Rotarians, Rotariactors, and guests to the RI Convention in Bangkok, Thailand that will take place from 6-9 May 2012. This four-minute, fast-paced video is the perfect convention promotion for a club or district meeting. For more information, go to www.rotary.org/convention

Register now for the 2012 RI Convention in Bangkok, Thailand, 6-9 May, and enjoy an unforgettable experience in the Land of a Thousand Smiles! Enjoy Thai hospitality. Make friends with fellow Rotarians from around the world. Take in spectacular sights. Taste delicious Thai cuisine. Experience a vibrant culture. Renew your commitment to Service Above Self. And have fun in a world class city.

To attend the convention and experience the fellowship of Rotary at an International level, follow these steps.

Step 1: Consider options before registering

Decide if you’ll register with a group or as an individual. You can register yourself and up to four guestsonline , but if you have a group of six or more, you’ll need to submit a paper registration form . Check the preliminary schedule and decide the preconvention activities and RI-ticket events you wish to attend. RI-ticket events include three luncheons open to all convention registrants. Before you register, you may also want to check pricing and find information on visa requirements

Step 2: Register and reserve your room.

• Register for the convention and RI-ticketed events.
• Register for host-ticketed events. Local Rotarians on the Host Organization Committee (HOC) have arranged several cultural excursions and host hospitality events to help visiting Rotarians enjoy their stay in Bangkok. Continue your convention experience by taking a host-sponsored tour before or after the convention. Register online or download the interactive host event form. Questions? e-mail the HOC.
• Reserve your hotel room through Experient. Reservations are taken on a first-come, first-served basis, so please book early to secure your preferred hotel. Download the group housing form for a block of 15 rooms or more. Please submit requests by 2 September for the best availability. Full prepayment is due on 2 December. If you are not booking online, return yourcompleted reservation form to Experient by 17:00 Central Daylight Time 6 April 2012 .You may also want to explore alternative housing opportunities

Step 3: Make travel arrangements after registering.

Discounts are available on select airlines for Rotarians traveling to Bangkok for the 2012 convention.Learn more.

Sunday, August 21

Game Starts: 1:40pm/Gates Open: 11:40am

Choose from these great ticket options with the proceeds benefiting the Rotary Foundation.

• Upper Reserved Tickets: $19
• Lower Level Out Field Tickets: $25
• Baseline Box Tickets: $34
• Lower Box Tickets (includes a Rays Hat) are $45

Click below to download the order form. DEADLINE TO PURCHASE IS THURSDAY, JULY 21ST August 4th. (Updated 7/19 with extended deadline).

$10 Dollars from EACH ticket goes to the Annual Programs Fund for the Rotary Foundation.

Visit the 2011 District Conference page now.

While they are here, they will be keeping a blog updated at http://9780gse2011.blogspot.com/. They have already updated and written about their visit to Clearwater Beach, Tampa Bay Water and a Dunedin Blue Jays baseball game. We welcome Rotarian Team Leader Robyn and Team Members Mary, Anne, Will and Ann to District 6950 for the next month. We hope all our Rotarians will give them a warm welcome while they are here.

General information about The Rotary Foundation’s Group Study Exchange program can be obtained from the Rotary International web site. For additional information about the team members, be sure to check out their older blog posts as they have published them there.

Rotary Clubs in Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando and Citrus Counties are seeking applicants for participation in a Group Study Exchange to District 3610 in the Jeollanam-do province of South Korea. The team will be traveling to South Korea in October of 2011 to experience the areas culture, observe how their vocations are practiced abroad, develop personal and professional relationships and exchange ideas.

Hwaeomsa Temple - Image courtesy of visitkorea.or.kr

In a typical four-week tour, applicants participate in five full days of vocational visits, 15 to 20 club presentations, 10 to 15 formal visits and social events, two to three days at the district conference, three to four hours per day of cultural and site tours, and three to four hours per day of free time with host families.

For each team member, the Foundation provides the most economical round-trip airline ticket between the home and host countries. Rotarians in the host area provide for meals, lodging, and group travel within their district.

Requirements:

• Team members must live or work in Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando or Citrus counties
• Must be between 25-40 years old
• Applications for team member must be approved and endorsed by a local Rotary Club and be received by the committee before May 10, 2011. To find area clubs, visit the Club Listing.
• Team leader applications from interested Rotarians (there is no age limitation for team leader) must be submitted before April 15, 2011.

If You are Interested:

• Download an application form and complete – Click here to download in .DOC format
• Email your application to GSEkorea@rotary6950.org .
• Mail your application to
Rotary Group Study Exchange C/o Camille Hernandez 37848 Bougainvillea Dade City, FL 33525
• Interested Rotarians can download the GSE Team Leader application here and send it in through the same addresses as above.

For further information, contact GSE Outbound Sub-Committee Chair by email at GSEkorea@rotary6950.org

Additional Resources

• GSE Brochure from Rotary.org that can be viewed at http://www.rotary.org/RIdocuments/en_pdf/160en.pdf
• To give you a sense of the experience that a Group Study Exchange will have, visit this Blog to read about a GSE team that traveled in 2008 from England to District 3610 in Korea.

General information about The Rotary Foundation’s Group Study Exchange program can be obtained from the Rotary International web site.