As I write this newsletter I am sitting at my desk looking out over green grass and a waist-high soybean field. When is the last time you recall having to mow the lawn — and in some cases twice in a week — in late July and early August? Normally we give the mower a rest because the lawns are dormant.

Looking over the soybean field made me think of the farmer as he was planting the field and the hopes and expectations he had for the potential crop. He had faith that the seed would germinate and grow under all weather conditions, and survive disease and insect problems. Looking at the crop today, I believe he will harvest a bumper crop as it has been a perfect year.

So too in Rotary we have sowed a new crop of officers in our clubs, and all indications are that the germination was great and the leaders are emerging strong and robust. I am inspired by the club meetings I have attended so far, and look forward to meeting the rest of you in the near future. As we grow through the Rotary year, we will provide a little fertilizer to sustain the enthusiasm that exists in a new year. The first shot of fertilizer is September 24 at Golden Valley Country Club when we kick off our Fall Workshop. I encourage you to have your membership, foundation and public relations chairs in attendance. I will also add a few extra vitamins in the program, as we will have several updates on fall programs such as Camp Enterprise, Youth Exchange, etc. Diana, my trainer, has lined up a keynote speaker that will give one extra boost to your Rotary new year.

District 5950 Is a World Leader in Foundation Support

Congratulations go out to PDG Sandy Schley and Jeff Ohe for the work they did in raising funds for The Rotary Foundation! Our district placed third in the world in giving, a tradition in our district that I plan to match. As a result of similar giving during Tammy Laurent’s year as Governor, I have been able to set aside nearly $100,000 for local community grants. Clubs have responded by requesting matching grants, and to date we have given out $43,000. I encourage clubs to submit grants for the next round so that we can make our communities a better place to live, work and play. I would be so pleased if we ran out of funds by December and would work to find additional dollars somewhere in the system. My hat is off to Don Stiles and his committee for revising the grant form to make it easier to apply for matching grants.

Group Study Exchange (GSE) Application Deadline is August 27

Tax-Deductibility Status of Dues

Here is a recent note from Rotary International reminding individuals about tax-deductible status of dues:

“Contributions to clubs and districts are generally not tax deductible as charitable contributions. Clubs and districts that have gross annual receipts that normally exceed $100,000 generally must include a disclosure statement regarding the non-deductibility of contributions during fundraising solicitations (IRC Sec. 6113). Note that this includes invoices for payment of dues. See IRS Notice 88-120 for more details and acceptable disclosure language.

New Generations Youth Exchange Program

Karin Treiber is giving leadership to a new program called New Generations. Here is her brief report on recent activities.

From June through August 2010, a group of six young adults sought a short-term vocational and cultural experience in the Twin Cities area through the Rotary Youth Exchange program called “New Generations.” They came from Gujarat, India; Halle, Germany; Tours, France; and Taipei, Taiwan. Their vocational interests ranged from civil engineering and software engineering to physical therapy, law, politics and fashion design. Last summer the Minneapolis University Club was the first club to host our “pioneer” New Generations participant.

Hosts for the young adults represented seven Rotary clubs in the metro area and even two couples who are not Rotarians. The clubs who responded to the New Generations Committee’ s request for assistance were Minneapolis City of Lakes, Minneapolis University, Minneapolis, Minneapolis South, Hopkins, Burnsville Breakfast, and Blaine/Ham Lake. The young people reported generous hosts, interesting and useful internships in a wide range of sites, and great times in the outdoors here in the metro area.

The New Generations program, not to be confused with the new avenue of service called “New Generations,” offers young adults who are high school graduates and between the ages of 18-25 a unique opportunity. They go to a Rotary district in another part of the world for a short-term exchange that has a clear focus — namely, language development, cultural exposure, or the experience of shadowing a person who works in the young adult’s career interest. Because of our hosting the young adults this summer, our District 5950/5960 Youth Exchange program can now send five young adults to the places represented by these “in-bound” participants. Our exchange with Tours, France has already been filled. Openings are available now for Taipei, Taiwan, eastern Germany, and the Rotary District in Gujarat, India. The exchanges this summer were primarily for four weeks, and this is the amount of time envisioned for the “outbound” young adults.

Local Clubs Making a Difference: Lake George Park, St. Cloud

I am amazed at the number and quality of local projects clubs have undertaken in their communities. This past week I visited St. Cloud and heard about the renovation of Lake George Park in downtown St. Cloud. It truly will transform that area of the city, and Rotary is providing the impetuous to the project.

Not to be outdone, I noticed that the St. Cloud Granite Rotary Club is a major sponsor of the Munsinger Gardens, a landmark park on the east bank of the Mississippi River. The gardens were magnificent last week.

“Experience gives the test first and the lesson afterward.”