On Thursday, Ocotober 17, Junior Acheivement will recognize two of our very own at the annual “Indy’s Best and Brightest” event. In Banking and Financial Services, LaTonya Gaither, Service Center Manger at the Teachers Credit Union, Rotarian since November, 2012. And, in Technology, Dan Randolph, Lead Biologist with Dow AgroSciences and Rotarian since December, 2010. Our Rotarians are special! Please congratulate these deserving members of our community and thank them for being members of the Rotary Club of Indianapolis!
Category: News
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Young Professionals of Rotaract and Rotary Club of Indianapolis Help Raise $11,000 for Timmy Global Health!
On Friday, August 16, Rotarians “Thought Global,” tested their knowledge of world trivia and competed for great prizes with lots of other donors at the annual Taste of the World Timmy Trivia event. Everyone ate delicious international cuisine prepared by Second Helpings and drank locally crafted beer pairings from Flat 12.
Rotaract’s goal was to raise $6000 and they surpassed that number by raising $11,000 to benefit lots of lives for Timmy Global Health. Way to go Rotary and Rotaract!
The Rotary club was well represented by purchasing two tables! Please thank Rotarians Scott Armstrong, Jeff Lake, Lauren Scheldrup, Debbie Hyde, Stacey Blanton, Patrick Broccolo, and Greg Albright.
And, a special thank you to ALL of the Rotaract participants and organizers who made this event possible, including President Tyler Droste, Chris Bean and Grant McCoy!
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The Rotary Membership Message
During Membership and Extension Month, Rotary International has planned a variety of activities to help you get club members involved and share the passion for Rotary. Building strong and vibrant clubs is critical for Rotary’s future. Here are some steps we can take this month to attract new members and engage the ones we already have:- Join Thunderclap and share a powerful membership message with the world on the last day of August. Thunderclap is a tool that allows thousands of people to connect their social media accounts to send a single, simple, amplified message all at once. Spread a message on Facebook and Twitter that is sure to be heard. Learn more about Thunderclap and how it works.
- Take part in our Membership Challenge and set concrete plans for increasing our club’s membership. We choose our goals — such as referring a new member, inviting a friend to our club or service project, or connecting with alumni. Once we submit our goals, we’ll get an email listing steps to take to meet our goals.
- Watch RI President Ron Burton’s message on membership.
- Learn more about regional membership plans with the new infographic. Regional membership plans, now in their second year, take advantage of each region’s unique needs, customs, and historic trends to greatly enhance the ability of district leaders to bring in new members and retain existing ones.
- Look for a new publication Connect for Good (formerly known as Rotary Basics) in the September issue of The Rotarian to get insights on engaging members and keeping them involved.
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November 1-2, 2013 – Rotary District Conference
November 1-2, 2013
Sheraton Indianapolis, Keystone at the CrossingNote: District Conference is being combined with the District Success Seminar. At least one representative from each club must attend the Success Seminar for their club to be eligible to apply for District Grants.
Conference Registration Cost:
- $129 per person for both days,
- $80 per person Friday only or Saturday only,
- Registration fee includes dinner Friday & Saturday and lunch on Saturday.
If you and your spouse are both Rotarians, you will each need to register separately.
Each Rotarian is responsible for their own hotel reservations.
Note: Rooms are being held for the Rotary District Conference at the Sheraton Indianapolis Hotel at Keystone Crossing from Thursday, Oct. 31st through Saturday night Nov.2nd. Please reserve your room by phone at (317) 846-2700. The Rotary District Conference rate of $103 is guaranteed until Oct. 1st, 2013. -
Participate in a Polio Immunization Exercise in Togo, West Africa!
Play a part in an upcoming trip to Togo, West Africa in October 2013 to participate in a polio immunization exercise, attend the 9th Annual West Africa Project Fair, and engage in a hands-on work project.
Trip Dates: October 15 – 24, 2013
Travel to: Lomé, Togo, West Africa
Per Person Price: $1,689, double occupancyProgram includes: Hotel accommodations, transfers, most meals, polio immunization exercise, hands-on community service field work, West Africa Project Fair registration, special Rotary and fellowship events, sightseeing, etc.
Have you ever heard a Rotarian speak about their personal experience participating in a polio eradication exercise, a cleft lip/cleft palate mission, or work on a humanitarian grant? These trips have a profound effect upon the individual. For those of you who have gone on one of these trips you know, and for those of you who have yet to enjoy this experience, you should.
The experiences you have on one of these trips stay with you forever. You get up early in the morning, travel with local Rotarians to a village, health clinic or impoverished neighborhood, and for the next few hours, you change. Small children come up to you to say thank you. Mothers and fathers smile at you knowing that you are giving their child a chance for a better life. You meet with the leaders in the village to learn of their needs and their hopes. It is hot; it is dusty; it makes you uncomfortable; it is exquisite.
The West Africa Project Fair is endorsed by Rotary’s Reach Out to Africa Committee (ROTA), who is trying to generate greater connectivity between the African and North American Rotarians to generate greater support of the projects of Africa. Your involvement, or your club’s involvement, in this Fair would not only provide an opportunity for project support, it would also help your members to grow and to understand the benefits of being a Rotarian. Involvement in Rotary gives the ordinary Rotarian extraordinary opportunities to do things that they could never do anywhere else. This trip is just such an experience.
For more information contact Bradford R. Howard, PDG:
Phone: (510) 834-2260
FAX: (510) 834-1019
E-mail: Rotary[at]HowardTours.net -
Rotary Club of Indianapolis Website Explores New, “Responsive” Ground
The history of our own Indianapolis Rotary website is storied. It has been designed many times over from the early 2000’s to the present day, as web technologies have steadily increased in their ability to deliver the goods. Our website remained “stuck” over the last five years because we needed both a “pretty” and functional website, but also something our members could use to navigate our rather large club efforts. After all, we have nearly 400 members, over 40 committees and lots going on – all the time!
Wait for it… Wait for it…
Designing for the mobile web is here to stay. It is more crucial than ever to have a mobile-enabled website. And, Rotary clubs are no different. However, (and sadly) there are some poor examples of Rotary websites in this world. But, we could not wait any longer, folks. A website that is not optimized for mobile devices, can do more harm than good. And, as a membership organization, COMPETING FOR MEMBERS – our website can be our most formidable weapon to attract prospects!
In an article by Smashing Magazine about how presidential candidates (2012) would reach voters, they state that “…the US population is sitting at around 311 million. Of those 311 million people, about half of US adults own a smartphone. On top of that, for a whopping 28% of Americans, a mobile device is their primary way of accessing the Web. So, for a candidate looking to reach potential voters, mobile provides a tremendous opportunity to connect with their constituents.”
For many years the prominent web designers of the world lobbied for standards. While the World Wide Web Consortium was established in 1994, it really listened to web professionals and began taking shape in the 2000’s. Today, it is the most respected web standards organization in the world. It drives and governs most of the standards that are used and created for all modern browsers and devices. Now, the device makers and browser manufacturers pay more attention. And, with the invention of the iPhone, Android and the Webkit rendering engine used in Apple Safari (and Google Chrome), it helped advance the use of basic HTML, CSS and Javascript in the modern browser.
Therefore, for the new Rotary Club of Indianapolis “public-facing” website, we incorporated a newer method of web design technology, called “Responsive Web Design.” Basically, the website reformats itself based on the device used. Compare the new Rotary Club of Indianapolis website on your desktop, then on your smartphone or tablet. You’ll see the same content, but a different look. It’s the same website, but delivered optimally to meet the standards of the myriad variety of devices. It will deliver an excellent user experience, have much longer shelf life and work on new devices as they are introduced into the marketplace. Additionally, with a responsive site, maintenance and content updates are only needed for one website! LET’S REPEAT THAT — maintenance and content updates are only needed for one website. This is not the current “norm.” Many organizations with a mobile web presence, likely have separate websites for desktops, mobile and sometimes tablets. In fact, our new Membership Management Tool has two versions – one for desktop and one for mobile.
The decision to build a site that recomposes itself based on the device used (desktop, smartphone, tablet) was a no-brainer. And, as we continue to look toward the future for enhancing our marketing presence as a membership club, our website will serve us well to attract the public and the membership. After all, what we do as Rotarians, matters. And, sharing what matters with the world in as many ways possible is what it’s all about.
If you have any thoughts about our new website, please feel free to contact us directly. We are always looking for ideas and want to hear what you have to say!
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Volunteer Opportunity at NFL Colts Back to Football 5K Run!
Indianapolis Rotarians can volunteer to help out at this race! Each volunteer would receive a free t-shirt for volunteering as well as participating in a great community event. Please feel free to contact us regarding any questions or concerns or if you may be interested in volunteering!
Click here to get started. And, for more information, contact Amanda Porterfield at: porterfield.amanda[at]gmail.com, Volunteer Coordinator. Or call (317) 869-7976.
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Annual 2013 Rotary Verses Kiwanis Softball
The summer solstice provided the longest day of the year and also the most innings in a Rotary vs. Kiwanis softball game on Friday night, June 21, 2013.
See more photos from the game.
Showcased as the “grudge match” because of a tie game in 2012, the 2013 softball game looked like it may end in another tie. However, in the top of the 6th inning the offense of the Kiwanis was a bit too much for Rotary as a single blast scored the only run ending the game with a Kiwanis victory: Kiwanis 1 – Rotary 0.
Not to be forgotten however, was a wonderful time had by all the players (including Kiwanis) and cheerleaders from both clubs. Both clubs sold nearly 200 tickets to the game and on a beautiful Friday night in Indianapolis enjoyed an Indians game and Friday Night Fireworks after the game.
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Rotarians Judge Science Fair
In June, Rotarians judged a Science Fair at IPS Christian Park Elementary School 82. All grades participated in their first ever science fair. Students were thoroughly engaged, entertaining and genuinely excited about the fair and the experiments they produced. Some projects were completed individually while other were done as group projects. Our judging focus was to ensure that students understood the ideas behind what a hypothesis is and why it was important. This school’s students were delightful and engaged. See all the photos.
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Rotary & JA BizTown
On May 8, 2013, Rotarians and others helped with JA BizTown, an effort lead by Rotarian, Lauren Scheldrup. There was wonderful feedback from the teachers and students. Knowledge and experience is invaluable to students and JA cannot thank Rotarians enough for their support.
If you are ever interested in volunteering in the future, Junior Acheivement of Central Indiana is always in need of JA In-School, JA BizTown and JA Finance Park Virtual volunteers.
Here are few of the testimonials from that day…
I want to say a special thank you to Lauren and Sheila for encouraging me to do this. This was a great way for those students to learn a number of important academic and life skills by doing something that the young people obviously enjoyed. It was good to see the enthusiasm, cooperative attitudes and desires to do well that my group exhibited. While I do not know how much I contributed to their learning, it was very interesting and fun to be part of the process.
Tom MasonGreetings All,
It was quite fun to spend time with kids on a well run and thought out program. AND, the time with my fellow Rotarians was quite enjoyable! Well done all….
Cassie StockampI was impressed with how well run and organized everything was and the kids and volunteers were great. We were glad we participated.
Robyn CrossonDear Fellow Rotarians,
Please allow me to add my sincere thanks to all of you for helping us foster JA’s mission of inspiring and empowering young people to own their economic success. JA of Central Indiana will make a difference in the lives of over 15,000 students this school year, and your support as volunteer mentors is what makes that possible!I look forward to many future opportunities to work together to support our wonderful community.
Jennifer BurkI would also like to thank all of you for volunteering in our JA BizTown simulation We appreciate you taking the time to lend a hand to JA, and in helping us to guide our areas youth to believe in their potential.
