Welcome
to District 7500!
As
the leadership changes with all of the clubs, so it does with the
District. As
I respectfully assume my new role as District Governor, I am looking
forward to a year filled with great learning experiences and lots of
fun. We
will all have many challenges ahead of us throughout the year and I am
certain that we will all work together to accomplish these goals.
The
Rotary International theme for this year chosen by RI President, John
Kenny is “The Future of Rotary Is in Your Hands”.
The focus of this Rotary year is getting back to the basics of
Rotary, THE CLUBS.
To quote RI President, John Kenny, “Everything we do,
everything we achieve, begins in our clubs.”
It
is my responsibility to motivate and guide the 40 clubs, soon to be
41clubs throughout our District.
We need to focus on the founding principles of Rotary such as
utilizing the four way test in our daily lives.
Paul
Harris began Rotary 105 years ago with 3 other business acquaintances to
begin to build relationships that would enable them to associate with
people of good character, intelligence and morals.
They also began to enjoy the fellowship that came from their
association with one another.
This I believe should still be the same for Rotarians today.
We
need to focus on making our clubs stronger by trying to build our
membership with new members as well as working to retain the dedicated
members that we have in our clubs.
Sometimes the busy world that we live in can make this a
difficult task.
We
need to offer good programs during our meetings, to have effective
service projects and always, we need to have time for fellowship and
fun. We
are here to share our ideas and enthusiasm, to build on previous
accomplishments and to leave a stronger club to those that will follow
us.
In
the words of poet Longfellow, “We often judge ourselves by what we
feel capable of doing.
Others judge us by what we have done.”
We
need to be involved because we must remember “The Future of Rotary is
in Your Hands”.
District Newsletter
 
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Rotary International President John Kenny |
RI President John Kenny |
John Kenny, of the Rotary Club of
Grangemouth, Central, Scotland.
Kenny is a past dean of his local law
faculty, a judge, and a notary. He is active in scouting and earned the
Medal of Merit for helping form new scout groups in Eastern Europe. An
elder of the Church of Scotland, he’s served as session clerk and
presbytery elder. Kenny was also appointed deputy lieutenant of his
district by Queen Elizabeth II. He is a past president of both the Forth
Valley Junior Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Scottish Junior
Chamber of Commerce. He is also past general legal counsel of Jaycees
International.
A Rotarian since 1970, Kenny served
Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland as president and vice
president. He has served RI as director, executive committee chair,
Rotary Foundation trustee, institute moderator, district governor,
convention vice chair and group leader, president’s representative,
and committee member and chair. He’s been a delegate, member at large,
and parliamentarian at several Councils on Legislation. Kenny is a Major Donor to The Rotary |
Foundation and a Bequest Society member and has received the
Foundation’s Citation for Meritorious Service and Distinguished
Service Award. |
RI Director Michael Colasurdo, Sr. |
Michael was born and raised in Jersey
City, New Jersey and graduated from New Jersey City University with a
B.A. degree in Political Science. Upon graduation in 1967, Michael began
his teaching career at Colonia Senior High School in Woodbridge, NJ
where he taught American History, Economics and International Studies.
After departing the teaching profession, Michael became a self-employed
businessman. He and his wife Ann, of forty-two years, along with their
sons, are the owners of Mulberry Street Italian Food Centers, which are
exclusive Italian Specialty Food Centers in Ocean County, NJ.
Michael has been a member of the Rotary
Club of Brick Township for the past twenty-four years, during which he
has proudly served in all positions of leadership culminating in the
Presidency in Rotary year 1993-94. In addition to his presidency, he has
held numerous district-wide positions, which include District Club
Service Director from 1994-96 and District Governor in 1997-98.
Following his tenure as District Governor, |
Michael served as District
Trainer for four years as well as a faculty member of several Zone
Institutes and as Regional Vice Chair of the Rotary Leadership
Institute. Michael is also very proud to have been elected to serve as
his Rotary District’s Representative to the Council on Legislation in
2001, 2004 and again in 2007.
In the Rotary year 2001-02, Michael
served as RI Membership Coordinator for Zone 32 and was reappointed the
following year by RI President Bhichai Rattakul. During this time he
also served as Promotions Division Chair for Zones 31-32 Institute in
Williamsburg, Va., and was proud of his selection as his District’s
Representative to serve on the Nominations Committee for selection of RI
Director.
In the Rotary Year 2003-04, Michael
served as RI Poverty Alleviation Task Force Coordinator for Zone 32.
During this time, he was the Operations Division Chair for the Zone
Institute held in Burlington, Vt.
During the Rotary Centennial year,
Michael was asked to serve as the Family of Rotary Coordinator for Zone
32 and was selected by RI Director Dave Linett to be the General Chair
of the Zone Institute for 2004 for the Centennial Celebration in
Cambridge, Md.
In 2004 RI President Jonathan B.
Majiyagbe appointed Michael to be his personal representative to the
7980 District Conference in Lancaster, Pa. and in 2005, President Glenn
E. Estess Sr. appointed Michael as his personal representative to the
6670 District Conference in Wilmington, Ohio and this past Rotary Year
President Carl Wilhelm Stenhammer appointed Michael to represent him at
the 7790 Conference in Bar Harbor, Maine.
Michael was the Grand Marshall of the
1999 Columbus Day Parade, was recognized as Citizen of the Year by the
Ocean County Cultural Society 2001, and was his Rotary Club’s Rotarian
of the Year 2002. He is a multiple Paul Harris Fellow, a Major Donor and
Benefactor of the Permanent Fund, a Charter Member of the Bequest
Society of the Rotary Foundation, as well as a recipient of the
Meritorious Service Award. Michael served a two year term as Zone 32
Strategic Advisor of Annual Giving as well as serving as the Executive
Trainer for Mid-Atlantic P.E.T.S. that comprises six districts in
Delaware, Pa, and NJ.
Michael and Ann have three sons, all
Rotarians, Michael Jr. and Ralph, both graduates of LaSalle University,
Philadelphia, Pa., and Mark, a graduate of Embry Riddle Aeronautical
University, Daytona Beach, Fl. Michael and Ralph share in the ownership
and operation of the family business while Mark is employed as a Captain
with Jet Blue Airlines. Michael’s commitment to the Rotary Foundation is
“from the heart” as evidenced by his entire family, wife, parents,
children, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren all having been recognized
as Paul Harris Fellows.
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December