May 2008

Aloha Fellow Rotarians,

In just a couple of weeks will be meeting at the District Conference on Maui.  It’s going to be an incredible event!  We have a special program for the opening plenary session that requires us to limit access to the auditorium once it begins.  You don’t want to miss this incredible opening, so please be on time for the opening session, which starts promptly at 12 Noon!  Once the session starts, you will not be able to enter the auditorium until 12:37 pm.

I want to congratulate Mr. John Steelquist of the Rotary Club of East Honolulu.  John has been selected the next District Governor Nominee Designate for our district (subject the 15 day review period by the clubs and barring any challenges).  John and his wife Laura, have been very active in all aspects of Rotary service to the district and are well known to many of you.  I am certain his leadership will take our district to the next level!  The selection committee met on May 10th and was tasked with picking one candidate from five highly qualified applicants.  I would like to thank PDG Bob Pennington for chairing the committee, as well as committee members PDG Roz Cooper, PDG Gary Siracusa, PDG Jim Varner, and PDG Claude Thompson for giving up most of their Saturday to conduct these interviews.

Yours in Rotary Service,

DG George Fontaine

DISTRICT CONFERENCE 2008

May 23-26, 2008

Click here to see the Special Edition Conference Newsletter

Beautiful Wailea Maui!

 DISTRICT WIDE EMERGENCY INTERNATIONAL SERVICE PROJECT

A Call for D5000 Clubs to Participate 

 submitted by Leslie Mullens, Rotary Club of Kahului

In response to last week’s devastating cyclone in Myanmar (previously Burma), in which hundreds of thousands of people were left homeless, Leslie Mullens of the Rotary Club of Kahului has initiated a district-wide international service project and a call to action to all of our clubs.

The goal:  Each of our 43 clubs contribute at least $500 as a tax deductible donation to ShelterBox USA -  a non-profit founded and maintained by Rotary Clubs in the UK and Florida that provides fully-equipped refugee survival packs to disaster areas like Myanmar.  Each box costs $1,000, which covers the contents, delivery, and partial cost of the on-the-ground support team that ensures aid gets to the people who need it. 

ShelterBox

• 2 10-person tents,
• sleeping mats,
• thermal blankets,
• sleeping bags,
• 180 water purification tablets (Each tablet will purify a full container of water, providing 1,800 gallons of clean drinking water which should be sufficient for a family of ten for up to three months),
• a flat-pack water container,
• a trenching shovel,
• 164 feet of rope,
• mosquito netting,
• water carriers,
• ponchos,
• plastic bags,
• tool kit,
• cook stove and fuel,
• utencils,
• pots,
• and a children's creative activity kit.

They've delivered 30,000 boxes in 47 countries (including the US during Katrina) in the 7 years they've been at it, so have gotten the contents and delivery down to a science.  The boxes in Pakistan have been used day after day for more than two years so far.  Each tent and box are stamped with the Rotary logo and the name of the sponsoring club to be acknowledged all over the world.

Tax deductible donations can be made to:  ShelterBox USA and sent to 8374 Market St. #203, Bradenton, FL 34202.  For tracking purposes, please make sure you write “District 5000 – Myanmar” in the Memo field.  Also, please coordinate by club and email Leslie with pledge/contribution amounts if you're donating separately so she can track our success in this district-wide project. 

For more information check out this press release, the Project Proposal, go to www.shelterboxusa.org, or contact project lead Leslie Mullens at leslie@theplaybookgroup.com or 808-280-6699.

GEARING UP FOR 2008 SCHOOL SUPPLIES DRIVE

Submitted by Sonya Mendez, District Community Service Chair

District Gov. Elect Ayman El Dakhakhni gives the green light for school supplies drive Rotary clubs across the state are invited to participate in the second "District 5000 Goes Back to School" school supplies drive this summer.

What started as independent drives by a few clubs, has developed into a joint effort with participation from 17 clubs across the state. The result was a tremendous success, not only for students from financially-challenged families, in transitional housing and shelters, and youth organizations, but also for club members who had the opportunity to engage one-on-one with community members who gave so generously. It was beneficial to all concerned. 

This year's school supplies drive will be held on Saturdays, July 12, 19 and 26. Clubs may choose any one of these dates to hold their drives from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. or 12 to 5 p.m., or if they prefer all day long, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Some clubs have already expressed interest to hold drives on two out of three Saturdays, as these July dates coincide with public school openings and retail sales.  

Clubs located near each other are encouraged to share information about each other's drive dates, print up their own event flyers, and to even partner with each other.  Last year, 5 clubs in the Hilo, Hawaii area held a joint drive together, which built goodwill and better friendships. 

Send an e-mail to Sonya Mendez, District 5000 Community Services Chair, at sonyarotary@hawaii.rr.com, with your club's school supplies drive dates, times, locations, and contact information that may be printed in press releases and newspapers. Information should be submitted no later than Monday, June 23, to make deadline requirements for newspaper publication.

 GSE TEAM DENMARK VISITS DISTRICT 5000

left-right (click on their names to learn more about each member)  Mikkel Loft, Sabrina Jakobsen, Stephan Skare Nielsen, Louise Enevoldsen, Henrik Mikkelsen - Team Leader

Oahu	April 25 – May 3
Kauai	May 3 – May 8
Maui	May 8 – May 15
Day off	May 16
Hawaii	May 17 – May 22
Maui	May 23 – May 26
Oahu	May 26 – May 28
Departure	May 28

The 2008 GSE Team from Denmark will be visiting the islands of District 5000 between April 25th and returning home on May 28th.

Read more of their adventures on their website:

http://gsehawaii08.wordpress.com/ 

NEW WEB SITE ENCOURAGES DONATIONS FROM THE PUBLIC TO END POLIO

The general public is invited to help eradicate polio by contributing to Rotary's US$100 Million Challenge through a new "mini" Web site, http://www.rotary.org/endpolio.

Launched on 4 April, the three-page site urges people "to become part of history by donating to the global effort to wipe out the crippling disease polio." It also explains the Gates Foundation challenge grant, describes funding needs, and provides an overview of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.

Rotary encourages club members to spread the word among friends and colleagues.  Contact pr@rotary.org with any questions.

The annual get together of Rotarians from Zone 23 and 24 at R.I. Conventions will again take place during the Los Angeles 2008 Convention on Monday, 16 June 2008 – 7:00-8:45 AM at the L.A. Convention Center.

This year's gathering — called FAR WEST LIVE! — will be a breakfast with your Morning News & Talk … live!

Save the date and time now... then look for ticket distribution at Far West PETS, Pacific Northwest PETS and SoCalNev PETS! Rotarians from Zones 23 and 24 attending the LA2008 Convention won't want to miss FAR WEST LIVE!

Attention all Rotary International Convention Goers,

It is a tradition in our part of the Rotary World, for Hawaii RI Convention goers to attend the FAR WEST BREAKFAST. I

encourage you to get your 30-dollar ticket now, so you can

join your fellow Rotarians from Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada and parts of Idaho for a morning of fun and fellowship.

We are planning something new this year…a one-hour FAR WEST LIVE Morning show, complete with news, weather, traffic, live shots, interviews, commercials and off-the-wall experts. Every one of the districts in Zones 23 and 24 will be featured in some way. Yours truly will be co-anchor, Kirk will provide a few ‘live shots’ taped in Hawaii, his daughter will be one of the singing commercial talents and The Hawaii Convention Center has signed on as one of the ‘sponsors’. There definitely is a Hawaii connection…and I look forward to scanning the crowd of 2,500 breakfast goers and finding friendly, supportive faces from our own District 5000.

See you in LA, at the FAR WEST BREAKFAST, June 16th. It will be a delightful way to start your day in LA.

Aloha,

PDG Linda Coble

Far West Breakfast Committee 

1 for 1 Membership Challenge

ONE FOR ONE MEMBERSHIP CHALLENGE

GRAND PRIZE WINNER

Congratulations to One for One New Member Sean Breen (Sponsor Eileen Winters), of Kauai Rotary Club, as the Grand Prize winner.  Sean receives $1,000.00 in credit towards airfare, lodging and expenses to be applied to his attending the Rotary District 5000 Conference, held at the Wailea Marriott, Maui, held May 23rd, 24th and 25th.

Semi-finalists and their sponsor who were eligible for the drawing include; South Hilo Club Richard Ha (Jack Stevenson), South Hilo Club Adrienne Oliver (Brenda Ho), Lahaina Sunrise David Ristau (Roz Baker), Mililani Sunrise Tiffany Stampfer (Ed Baumgartner), Kahului Club Chantal Ratte (Randy Echito), Honolulu Club Megan Marumoto (Richard Coons), Downtown Honolulu Club Ka’ala Duffy (Daniel Robertson) and Kahala Sunrise Club Nancy Ainscough (Nada Mariott).

Each new member and sponsor will receive a certificate for $100 toward the District Conference scheduled for 24 May 2008 at the Wailea Marriott on Maui.

Semi-finalists, sponsors and the Grand Prize Winner should contact District Secretary Dick Starkweather by e-mail (starkwear001@hawaii.rr.com) or by telephone (808.757-0843) to claim their award.

DISTRICT SECRETARY/ATTENDANCE CHAIR

Dick Starkweather

As the 2007-2008 year ends, I would like to thank all of the 43 Club Secretaries for their hard work and for submitting all of the 1 for 1 New Member forms each month and for keeping up date the Attendance Report on the District 5000 Web site.

It has been a great year.  I look forward to meeting many of you again at the Rotary District 5000 Conference at the Maui Marriott Hotel Memorial Day weekend and at future events of Rotary.

Rotary Club of Ala Moana Crab Fest Fund Raiser

Leaves No One Crabby!!

Crabs, fun, crabs, silent auction, more crabs, live auction, even more crabs, fellowship, some more crabs, and an overall great time was had at our second annual Crab Fest on April 26, 2008. Over 340 people crowded into the cafeteria at Kapiolani Community College for a good

old-fashioned crab eat. 1,000 pounds of fresh Dungeness crabs from the Inside Passage of Alaska were consumed that night, along with mouth-watering clam chowder, corn on the cob, salad, red potatoes and Portugese sausage, and ice cream for dessert (as if anyone could manage dessert after everything else!)

If you missed out on all this, plan to come next year. Contact any Ala Moana Rotarian to be sure you get your tickets. Many thanks to the Rotarians from other Clubs who came to our event to help make it a huge success. Proceeds will fund our community and international projects next Rotary year, enable our Club to continue its youth-oriented programs, and provide scholarships to the Culinary Arts Department of Kapiolani Community College.

Enjoy some pictures from that evening.

At the Rotary Club of Pearl Harbor's May 5, 2008 meeting, Captain Greg Thomas enraptured the audience with his personal history and the history of Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard beginning in 1887 with a treaty between Hawaii under King Kalakaua and the United States, which gave the U.S. exclusive use of Pearl Harbor for Naval operations.

With the Act of May 13, 1908, Congress authorized the construction, and the act marked the actual birth of the shipyard, and the reason for the 100th anniversary celebration this month. The history was colorful as he described the challenges in the construction phase and brought us through the phenomenal feats accomplished during WWII. Greg gave credit to the people who worked the shipyard as the reason for its high standards among shipyards, and in celebration of their dedication and talent, this centennial remembrance honors their accomplishments. His storytelling brought us back to WWII and the shipyards contribution resurrecting the Pacific Fleet after the events of December 7, 1941, to the shipyard today where 90% of the work is on nuclear powered submarines and 10% on surface ships. Today he said, the shipyard has probably the most competent, capable structural engineering group and ship-fitters and welders.

He spoke how the War on Terrorism has transformed the shipyard and its plans for the future. Globally as a shipyard, it retains its legacy in surging the support in operation of battle damaged ships. He spoke of his vision for 2035 to Keep the Fleet Fit to Fight, which will require facility upgrades, while expressing the continued need for a skilled and diverse workforce to meet the changing technologies. He described their apprentice program that merges experience with changes for the future. The Centennial celebration had an all day symposium on May 12th at the Ala Moana Hotel and was open to the public.

He presented President Donna with a book, "Fit to Fight! Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard 1908-2008," which she said, on behalf of the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, would be auctioned for the benefit of The Rotary Foundation for humanitarian efforts around the world. Captain Greg Thomas compassion and storytelling skills truly captured the hearts of members in his eloquent story of the Centennial Celebration of the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard!

Photos from Dave

Pictures from the Interact Conference

New photos included!

TASTE THE HEAT WAS HOT!! 

The Rotary Club of South Hilo presented its fourth annual Hilo Huli  “Taste The Heat” a fundraiser benefiting, this year, the refurbishing of the Hilo Central Fire Station and other East Hawaii Community Service Projects.  The event was held on Sunday May 4th from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm on Coconut Island.  Food and Beverage stations representing East Hawaii restaurants and food purveyors tempted palettes with special menu samples.

Entertainers turned up the heat with a Tahitian drum and dance performance by Tiare Apetahi, music by Diana Aki, the “songbird of Miloli’i” and musician recording artist Rupert Tripp.  “Skylark”  Jacqueline Leilaini Rossetti did her normal great job as Master of Ceremonies. 

The Rotary Club of South Hilo joined the Rotary Club of Hilo, The Rotary Club of Hilo Bay and The Rotary Club of Volcano in cleaning, painting and refurbishing the Hilo Central Fire Station Dormitories.

EAST HAWAII CLUBS BAND TOGETHER TO PAINT A FIREHOUSE

R.A.W. 2008 

On Rotarians at Work Day (April 26), volunteers from the four East Hawai`i Rotary clubs came out to refurbish the firefighters dormitories at the old Hilo Central Fire Station.  More than 50 Rotarians took part in the project.

Rotary Club of Hanalei Bay Clean Lumahai Beach

for Rotarians at Work Day

Got a great story?  Wanna share?

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2008-09

DISTRICT DIRECTORY

Ad submissions are now being accepted for the

08-09 District directory. 

Deadline:

May 15th. 

Download the form here.

Mahalo!!

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NEWSLETTER ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS

Effective July 1st, submissions for the District Newsletter can be sent to 

Newsletter creator extraordinare

Nancy Kanna at:  d5000newsletter@gmail.com

District 5000 is looking for Rotarians to advertise their business on the Rotary District 5000 website & newsletter!!

Contact us  for more information.

"The most important human endeavor is the striving for morality in our actions. Our inner balance, and even our very existence depends on it. Only morality in our actions can give beauty and dignity to our lives."  

~ Albert Einstein