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Greetings from District Governor Billy Roberts
With summer over and schools back in session, this is the perfect time to think about ways your club can promote Basic Education & Literacy, the Rotary International theme for September. Fundraising for education has long been a hallmark of our District, with clubs supporting a variety of programs such as dictionary distribution to 3rd Graders (North Providence), girls’ education in Afghanistan (Duxbury, Scituate MA and Sharon), school backpacks for homeless kids (Nauset and Barnstable Sunrise), school supplies (Dartmouth), books for children (Pawtuxet Valley, Hyannis and Falmouth) and more than a dozen clubs offering scholarships (Bourne-Sandwich, Bristol, Duxbury, East Greenwich, East Providence, Fall River, Falmouth, Foxboro, Nantasket-Hull, North Kingstown, Norwood, Osterville, Providence, Quincy, Sharon, Weymouth and Yarmouth).
 
Among our many initiatives the opportunity to collaborate with other clubs as well as other organizations is a high priority.  Rotary International President Shekhar Mehta has called on us to host Rotary Days of Service several times during the year.  Now is the time to think and plan these unique projects that will invite members of the wider community to join us in doing good for our community.  Please do let us know your plans.
 
Meet Me Video
Rotary support for disaster relief
 
 
Haiti earthquake: Hyannis Club supports shelters for Haiti: https://www.hyannisrotary.org/our-impact/shelters-for-haiti
 
San Pablo, CA Rotary collecting funds for California wildfire victims https://richmondstandard.com/community/2020/09/09/local-wildfire-relief-effort-expands/
 
Rotary District 6200 is collecting money to support Louisiana flood victims https://my.rotary.org/en/news-media/rotary-district-collecting-relief-funds-louisiana-flood-victims
 
The Duxbury Club, through its DEI initiative, “Duxbury for All”, is urging the town to welcome Afghan refugees, and support the Commonwealth’s refugee resettlement efforts: https://www.duxburyforall.org/progress/letter-to-town-select-board-on-afghan-refugees
 
 
Upcoming events 
 
Wednesday evening October 13: Club Leadership forum via Zoom, where you’ll hear updates from District leaders and have a chance to discuss DEI, finances, grants, membership and public image initiatives with them in breakout sessions.
 
 
 
November 12 Foundation dinner at Rosebrook Event Center in Wareham. This annual event celebrates The Rotary Foundation and its supporters.  Awards are presented to clubs and individuals whose goals were achieved in the previous Rotary Year.  A special speaker for the program has been secured. Registration will be available beginning in October.
 
November 2-4 Virtual Zone Summit. To view the summit agenda and register, click here: https://portal.clubrunner.ca/50077/sitepage/virtual-zone-summit-2021/welcome
 
 
 
District Leadership nominations
 
District Governor - Applications must include a brief profile of the candidate, a letter of endorsement from a Club President along with the completed application/Governor Nominee Data Form found here. The candidate should also submit a general statement of Rotary participation at the District, Zone and International levels of Rotary International. Where appropriate, this statement should include reference to all Rotary awards/ salutations received by the candidate. All nominations and supporting documents for this role must be postmarked or emailed no later than October 15, 2021 to
 
 
     Dr. William Roberts
     District Governor
     1070 Iyannough Road
     PMB 223
     Hyannis, MA 02601
 
     billyrdg2021@gmail.com
 
Nominations are also being accepted for several additional District positions:
 
District Budget and Finance Committee Member – (One Past District Governor to serve a two-year term from 07/01/2022 – 06/30/2024). A brief profile of the Nominee should be included as part of a letter of endorsement from the Club President. 
 
District Budget and Finance Committee Member – (One Past Club President to serve a two- year term from 07/01/2022– 6/30/2024). A brief profile of the Nominee should be included as part of a letter of endorsement from the Club President.
 
District Nominating Committee Members – (Two Past Assistant Governors (Past Area Representatives) to serve a two-year term from 07/01/2022 – 06/30/2024).  A brief profile of the candidate should be included as part of a letter of endorsement from the Club President.
 
Latinx communities in our District
Historic ties between New England whaling and Portuguese seafaring brought many Azoreans to RI and MA. While people of Portuguese descent can be found in almost every town and city in our District, large Azorean communities are now an integral part of East Providence, Fall River, New Bedford and Provincetown. To learn more about Azoreans in America, read In Pursuit of Their Dreams: A History of Azorean Immigration to the United States.
 
After WWII Puerto Ricans began to come to mainland America, establishing communities throughout New England. Today, Massachusetts has the fifth highest concentration of Puerto Ricans in the U.S.  In the past 30 years, there’s been significant immigration from Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala and other Latin American countries as well. To learn more about the growth and impact of Latinx immigration to New England, read this Google Book: Latinos in New England, edited by Andres Torres.
 
Our Rotary district community boasts representation of these populations as members in a number of clubs and hopes to expand in its ranks others who share the Rotary Vision and goals.
Rotary and Diversity
Our Native American heritage
Our District is seated in the ancestral homeland of the Massachusetts, Narragansett and Wampanoag tribes. To learn more about their heritage and the work of the three tribes today, please visit
 
Rotary and Diversity
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