May 10, 2020
Dear Rotarians, Rotaractors, Interactors, and Friends of Rotary,
                It is time to step up our game, take charge, and make things happen!
                That is what Rotarians do, even during a pandemic.  If you have been sitting it out, waiting for a return to normal, forget that.  Check out My.Rotary.Org   Log in with your email address, go to Learning & Reference>Learning Center.  Start doing your homework!
                Let me first commend the 14 clubs that have already qualified for the ROTARY CITATION for 2019-2020: BELMONT, CLIFTON SPRINGS, FAIRPORT, GANANDA, GREECE, HONEOYE LAKE, IRONDEQUOIT, NEWARK, ONTARIO-WALWORTH, PALMYRA-MACEDON, ROCHESTER, ROCHESTER NORTWEST, RUSH-HENRIETTA, and VICTOR-FARMINGTON.  Others are close, but they have not reported all their achievements to Rotary Club Central yet.
                The 66 clubs in our District 7120 have 2294 members, the greatest number of any of the 22 districts in Zone 32 of Rotary International.  We have 29 more members than we did at the start of this Rotary year, including new members in at least 4 clubs since we stopped meeting in person.  Consider an event on Zoom like the Bloomfield Club did Friday evening to introduce themselves to prospective members in the community.
                The District Grant Committee met in April and has forwarded its recommendations to The Rotary Foundation.  A majority of our clubs applied for grants, and the money coming back to these clubs reflects the generosity of Rotarians 3 years ago.  Looking forward, I encourage all clubs to prepare an application to submit next spring for the 2021-2022 Rotary year.  To qualify your club will need to have an average foundation donation of $25 per member by June 30 for this Rotary year.  Unfortunately, we are currently over $80,000 shy of what our district gave to the Annual Fund 2 years ago.  Please be generous!
                Be aware that May is Youth Service Month.  Keep in touch with the Interactors and Youth Exchange students in our communities.  Social distancing is particularly difficult for them. Our Rotary Youth Leadership Award program at RIT is still in the planning stages, and it is not too late to identify a high school student to attend.  Sadly, we will not have inbound or outbound exchange students in 2020-2021, but please encourage applicants for the 2021-2022 school year.
                I encourage you not to bemoan the lost opportunities effected by this pandemic, but rather to assess your community’s needs, unite under the Rotary banner, and take action to improve lives.      
                Live to serve another day,                    
                DG Dave Hannan