The D7980 Foundation Brunch is today

What better way for 150 Rotarians and friends to spend a rainy/windy Sunday afternoon than by gathering at a fabulous banquet facility and recognizing the many people and clubs who generously support The Rotary Foundation?

At long last the District 7980 Foundation Brunch is finally upon us. The festivities start in just a few short hours!!!

The event’s primary focus is to recognize clubs and individuals who have helped to advance the service work of Rotary International by contributing to the Rotary Foundation during the past year.

Keynote Speaker(s): Jennifer Jones, RI Director Nominee – Zones 28/28

Location: Woodwinds – Branford CT 12 p.m. – 3 P.m.

Dinner Foundation Brunch Chair Sheryl A. Shaughnessey has been working diligently on this event with PDG Rick Benson and District Secretary Doug K. Lisk for months. PDG Brian Amey will be the MC today.

We will post many event photos tomorrow.

 

D7980 Council of Presidents held in New Haven Yesterday

Rotary District 7980 Council of Presidents (CoP) was held at the Graduate Club in New Haven on Saturday Oct 18th by District Governor Mukund Nori and event Chair Ann Brignola.

The Council of Presidents program is designed for Rotary Club Presidents to interact with District Leaders and other Club Presidents on issues which may affect their clubs and to get exposed to creative ideas that are being deployed in other Rotary Clubs.

Agenda for the event covered the following topics:

  • District 7980 Updates
  • Membership Best Practices
  • Global Grants
  • District Grants
  • Boots On the Ground Program
  • Secrets to Club Presidency
  • Breakouts with Area Governors
  • Entering Club Goals on MyRotary
  • Using Club Runner

and a moving keynote talk by North Branford Rotarian Ed Pikaart on his experience in Kenya with the Peace Corps.

Other speakers included: Mukund Nori, Phoebe Leask, Lynda Hammond, Chip Marsh, Kim Navetta, Tony Riggio and yours truly.  While Rick Benson wasn’t in physical attendance, enough identity confusion still exists that many attendees thought he was there.

It was a good event with attendance a little on the light side as it is always a challenge getting people to attend to attend Saturday events when the weather is nice.

 

The Rotary Leadership Wheel keeps on Turning

Rotary WheelRotary International is the ultimate example of how tight term limits can and do work. The vast majority of Rotary leaders, which are unpaid volunteers from all over the world, serve just 1 year at the helm and then hand over the leadership reigns  to their successor.

Every July 1st all of the top leadership at all significant levels (Clubs, Districts and International) changes over; everyone of the 34,000 Rotary Clubs gets a new President, everyone of the 535 +/- Districts gets a new District Governor and Rotary International gets a New President.

This 1-and-done approach keeps our organization fresh with new ideas, new focus and new energy while preventing anything that resembles the entrenched interests that career politicians often bring to the table in most political systems. Future leaders are nominated by their peers. There are no elections, no campaigning, no fundraising of donors, no quid pro quo just good Rotarians trying to make their communities and the world a better place for everyone.

Behind this great leadership shift each year are well orchestrated training and development efforts designed to prepare incoming leaders for their 1 year leadership role.

Incoming District Governors begin their training journey several years prior to taking office. Their training journey has them attending Zone Institute twice; once while they are a District Governor Nominee (2 years out) and a District Governor Elect (1 year out) and then attending the International Assembly as well as the International Convention.

The Governor Elect Training Seminar (GETS) is being held in Toronto this week where District Governor Elect (DGE) Geraldine “Gerry” Tom is attending GETS training and District Governor Nominee (DGN) Christopher “Chris” Johnson is attending Nominee training.

DGE Gerry Tom

DGN Chris Johnson

DGN Chris Johnson

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DG Training Progression

Incoming Presidents (Presidents-Elect) typically start their formal training in January by attending various leadership events, followed by PETS, District Assembly, District Conference and then their Installation/Induction.

The Path to Presidency

This year our district has funded 4 Rotarians from our district to attend The Future District Leaders seminar in Toronto.

Best of luck to all of the Future Leaders attending training at Zone Institute this week in Toronto.

 

 

Time to Ring the Bell – Thanks for a great year!!

Rick ringing the bellAt the stroke of midnight tonight the Rotary District and Club leadership all over the world change over. It’s out with the old and in with the new in grand style. Approximately 534 Rotary Districts will get new District Governors and 34,000+ Rotary Clubs will get new Presidents. We have the ultimate in term limits; 1 year and done.

One year may not seem like a great deal of time but with the several years of training leading up to the actual job and the intensive 1 year at the helm,  it is actually a pretty long haul.

We accomplished a considerable amount during this 2013-14 Rotary Year and I want to offer a big THANK YOU to the scores of people that worked so hard to help make it a tremendous success. I’m especially thankful to my wife, Jennifer Bassett, for being such a dedicated partner and good sport throughout this journey.

I was briefly temped to chronicle the long list of accomplishments for the past year but then thought that it might be easier (on you and me) to simply say that we left the district better than we found it.

As the year wraps up there is just 1 last thing to do……Ring that Bell!!

The best of luck to our incoming and future district leaders Mukund Nori (DG 2014-15), Gerry Tom (DG 2015-16) and Chris Johnson (2016-17) as well as all of the incoming Club Presidents.

Rick Bassett

DG 2013-14

PDG Ernie DiMattia -Sad News

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PDG Ernest “Ernie” A. DiMattia, Jr. entered eternal rest on June 26 after a yearlong battle with cancer. He was born in Boston on January 9, 1940, the eldest son of Ernest A. DiMattia, Sr. and Teresa Zerella. He is survived by his loving wife of 48 years, Susan Smith DiMattia. He was the proud father of Brian John (Rebecca Daroff) of Boston, MA, and Amy Lauren of Watertown, MA. He also is survived by two brothers, Dr. Arthur DiMattia (Nike Booras) of Lynnfield, MA, and Robert DiMattia (Thea Quittilier) of Grand Rapids, MI and a niece,two nephews and their families. He served as President of the Ferguson Library in Stamford, CT for almost 38 years. During that time he also served several organizations in Stamford and Connecticut. He was a Past District Governor of Rotary International and a Rotary Paul Harris Fellow. He served on the boards of the Stamford Center for the Arts, the World Affairs Forum, Stamford Symphony, the State Street Debating Society, Salvation Army, Junior Achievement, and the Stamford Police Foundation, among others. He was a member of the First County Bank Corporators and the Connecticut State Library Board. He was a graduate of the Boston Latin School and received his undergraduate degree from Boston College. He held graduate degrees from Simmons College Graduate School of Information and Library Science and the Masters of Business Administration program of the University of Connecticut. Teaching was a significant calling–he served on the adjunct faculties of Simmons College, Pratt Institute, and Rutgers University. He dedicated his time and talents to several elected and appointed positions in the American Library Association, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, and other professional associations. In his spare time, he was an avid solver of puzzles and player of the piano. During his travels, he amassed a collection of eagles in all sizes and formats.

Visiting hours will be held, Sunday, June 29th from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Leo P. Gallagher & Son Funeral Home 2900 Summer Street Stamford.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Monday, June 30th at 11:00 a.m. at the Church of the Holy Spirit, 403 Scofieldtown Road Stamford. Burial will be private.

The family requests, in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to The Ferguson Library, attention Development Office, 1 Public Library Plaza, Stamford, CT 06901.

District 7980 Installs 2014-15 Rotary Leaders

Many Rotarians, friends and family members gathered at Amarante’s Sea Cliff in New Haven from all over district 7980 this past Tuesday night to participate in the annual ‘Changing of the Guard’ where Mukund Nori was inducted as the 2014-15 District Governor and the Assistant Governors and incoming Club Presidents were sworn in for their upcoming year(s) of service.

Also recognized for their significant contributions over the past 3 years were outgoing Assistant Governors: Ann Brignola (Area 5), John Hendrickson (area 2)  and Gerry Tom (Area 12).

The 2014-15 Assistant Governor Team includes:

Role LASTNAME FIRSTNAME Rotary Club
AG Bilus Benjamin New Canaan
AG Dlugos David Beacon Falls
AG Friend Robert Madison
AG Gardner Larry Newtown
AG Coordinator Hendrickson John Westport Sunrise
AG Johnson Christopher Fairfield
AG Marshall-Day Tari Meriden
AG Marvin Gretchen Colchester
AG Morley Laureen Mystic
AG Osach Ronald New Haven
AG Pearson Patricia Orange
AG Riehl Arisleyda Stamford
AG Solomon Jack East Hampton

2014-15 Incoming Rotary Club Presidents includes:

LASTNAME FIRSTNAME Rotary Club
Zinky William Ansonia
Setaro Domemic Beacon Falls
DeMarco Joseph Black Rock
Chew David Branford
Mehta Jatin Bridgeport
Schumacher David Cheshire
McLachlan Ian Chester
Onofrio Richard Clinton
Calvo

Tarlton

Marisa

Ellis

Colchester

Danbury

Richardell Desiree Deep River
Rinaldi Cindy Derby-Shelton
Zwiebel Richard Devon
O’Boyle Kate East Haddam
Hintz Theodore East Hampton
Gravino Stacy East Haven
Ficarra Geraldine Essex
Clancy Deborah Fairfield
Parris Sally Greenwich
Lee Linda Groton
Sengstacken John Guilford
Campo Liborio Hamden
Kass Jeffrey Housatonic Valley-Greater Danbury
Kilpatrick,Jr. Samuel Ledyard
Pellegrino Ed Madison
deAngeli-Fontanez Yvonne Meriden
Witzky-Lambert Trish Middletown
Tashlein Eric Milford
Keene Dan Monroe
Navetta Kimberly Montville
Merkel John Mystic
Mauritz Cathie Naugatuck
Fjeldal Eric New Canaan
Hunter David New Haven
Schmidt C. William New London
Hoeffel Christopher Newtown
Griffiths Linda Niantic
Burns Paul North Branford
D’Ambrosia Nicholas North Haven
Cooke Christopher Norwalk
Nollman Andrew Norwich
Woyasz Jonathan Norwich Sunrise
O’Shaughnessy William Old Saybrook
Pittala Richard Orange
Vazzana Richard Ridgefield
Giustino Ron Ridgefield Sunrise
Spargo Owen Seymour-Oxford
Crawford Henry Stamford
Willner Richard Stoningtons
Gallagher Patricia Stratford
DelVecchio Karen Trumbull
Mezzanotte John Wallingford
Richard Ralph Waterbury
Church Manly Waterford
Wielk Kathleen West Haven
Lewine Steven Westport
Wong Dennis Westport Sunrise
Johnson Carol Wilton
Weintraub Daniel Woodbridge
Monteleone John Woodbury-Southbury-Middlebury

 Congratulations to Mukund, all of the AG’s and the incoming Club Presidents.