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There is room for YOUR buisiness to have a logo on our website!  President Steve and President-Elect Amber have some great programs and events lined up that will reach audiences outside our club, and we anticipate website traffic will increase.  We currently have 7 fine Rotarians who have stepped up to make this website possible.

Marty Stokes
Jay Ginther
Mary Ann Burk
Brad Smith
Dave Allbaugh
Troy Smith
Gregg Humble

Please let them know you appreciate them by clicking their logos and visiting their websites.   If you would like to join this elite group of community leaders, email Mason.  Here are the details.

            District dues are $26 per member per year; with about 3,000 members that generates $75,000. Other income items, such as district conference revenue and youth exchange fees bring the total budget to $124,000 to run operations. District expenses fall into four categories:

            Governor's administration

            Committee support

            Required training, and

            Miscellaneous.

Governor's administration  

            The biggest item in this fund is wages for the executive secretary of about $14,000. Other items include technology transition, travel, office supplies and awards.

Committee support

            This fund pays for membership development, foundation meetings and youth exchange. Youth exchange expenses, mainly travel, are reimbursed by students.

Required training

            District governors and governors elect are required to attend zone training and the international convention. Other district officers, such as the foundation chair and the secretary, are also expected to attend the zone meeting. This fund reimburses part of those expenses.

Miscellaneous

            Miscellaneous expenses covers items not known when the budget is adopted; for example, this year some of those funds will go to match a grant from Rotary for a public relations campaign on in-state television.

            District bylaws require the proposed budget be approved at the annual district assembly by incoming presidents.

A review of the previous year's financial report, as prepared by the district finance committee, is presented to members at the district conference for final approval. A complete explanation of the process can be found at www.district5970.orgunder the heading "District Documents." To access the member portion of the web site, you will need to register if you have not already done so.

            Governor Gerald Retzlaff challenged club leaders to turn around declining membership during a club assembly prior to the Monday program.

            He noted that our club is down eight members from January, 2008 and 22 from January, 2005. Membership stands at 185, down from a high of about 245 in the mid 1990's. And only 33 of current members are under age 50 pointing to the need to look for prospects in their 30's and 40's.

            The trend is not unique to our club, he added.

            Other goals for the year include:

1. Raise meeting attendance from 50 to 70 percent.  You can help by "attending" a make-up meeting online.  Click the Online Meeting Makeup link on our home page to learn more.

2. Continue to improve public relations to get the Rotary story out.  You can help by telling your friends about Rotary and contributing photos or stories to our website.  Email Mason or Dave to learn more.

3. Urge more clubs to be involved in international projects.  Our shoebox project needs hundreds of volunteers, and you can help by asking your friends, congregation, co-workers, and family to fill a shoebox or layette.

            District Governor Elect Roger Kueter has arranged for a group study exchange with district 2230 in eastern Europe for 2010. The district has 119 clubs, 75 in Poland, four in Belarus and 40 in Ukraine.

            Dr. Jill Olsen of Cedar Rapids chairs the GSE commitee. She and committee members will be looking for one Rotarian to act as team leader and four non Rotarians ages 25 to 40 to be team members.

            Details about the program and qualifications for members are at http://www.rotary.org/en/serviceandfellowship/fellowship/GroupStudyexchange/Pages/ridefault.aspx.

We also ship bikes and need your help to collect them

As we start our annual Shoebox Project, we need to remember that in addition to shoeboxes and layettes, we also provide bicycles for our friends in Chinandega, Nicaragua.  We have been doing this for a number of years.  Two years ago we shipped 60 bikes, and last year 56.  We need your help in collecting bikes in serviceable condition to ship this year.

Bike coordinators Ken and David Allbaugh ask that you check your own basement and garage, then get the word out to your church members, neighbors, friends, and others.  Remember, the bikes need to be serviceable.  Because we don't have repair capability, the bikes must work. That means the brakes, chain, and gear shifters must function, and no bike parts are missing.  Flat tires are OK, as long as the tubes and tires are not worn out.  We welcome all types of bikes, including children's bikes.

We are collecting the bikes for disassembly and packaging at the Hawkeye Alarm warehouse.  Rotarian Ken Samek, Hawkeye Alarm owner has been kind enough to provide his facility again this year to support our efforts.  Thanks Ken!

When you locate a bike you have a couple of choices.  If you can transport the bike yourself, you can take it directly to the warehouse, located at 16 River Road in Waterloo.  It's near the intersection of Commercial Street and West Mullan Avenue.  The folks in the Hawkeye Alarm office can open the warehouse for you during normal business hours.

If you can't transport the bike, please call Dave Allbaugh at 235-1386 to pick it up.  We would like to have all available bikes collected by 15 August.

Remember, our friends in Chinandega don't ride bikes just for exercise.  They use them for primary transportation, a significant improvement over walking.  Like them, we thank you for helping with this Rotary Project to improve their quality of life.