We are delighted to announce that, thanks to the extraordinary generosity and unwavering support of D7620 Rotary Clubs, we have successfully raised the required funds to acquire a much-needed ventilator for the Cukurova University-Balcali Hospital in Adana, Turkey. The ventilator has been a crucial requirement for the hospital, especially after the damage during the February earthquake. To address this, certain sections of the building are currently being reinforced to withstand future seismic events.

On July 27, 2023, the Cukurova University-Balcali Hospital received the ventilator, and we were deeply moved to receive attached photos and letters from D2430 PDG Canan Ersoz, expressing their heartfelt gratitude. The impact of this donation cannot be overstated, as it will empower the ICU team to deliver improved medical outcomes for Turkish and Syrian refugee patients and families in this earthquake-stricken region.

The ventilator was made possible through the collective efforts and contributions from the following D7620 Rotary Clubs and Disaster Aid USA:

• RC Metro Bethesda, D7620 (Lead Club): $6,000
• RC Washington DC, D7620: $6,000
• Disaster Aid USA: $5,000
• RC Rockville, D7620: $1,500
• RC Chevy Chase, D7620: $1,500
• RC Baltimore, D7620: $1,000
• RC Farragut (Tennessee D6780): $1,500

Total: $22,500

This impressive display of unity and compassion showcases the true essence of Rotary’s motto: “Service Above Self.” We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the clubs and individuals who generously contributed to this noble cause, making a significant difference in the lives of those in need.

With this achievement, District 7620 reaffirms its commitment to supporting communities in times of crisis and creating hope in the world for those facing adversity. Together, we have proven that Rotary’s spirit of solidarity knows no boundaries and can transcend continents to touch lives positively.

It is with great enthusiasm that I welcome you to Rotary Year 2023-2024!  This is the year that we have been asked to “Create Hope in the World” by Rotary International President R. Gordon R. McInally.

As we embark upon this new year, I hope that you will be inspired to take on this new theme of Hope and use it to help improve the lives of many within our communities, and around the world.  I am encouraging you to take on new challenges this year to help create a better future for all.

This year we are excited to champion great causes such as helping abused or neglected children in need of assistance in foster care; working to foster Peace in the world through our rotary youth exchange program; and prioritizing projects which support mental health and wellness.  Through these initiatives, we can instill hope in the hearts of those we serve.

We will continue to build upon the Rotary Club experience, and seek to become an even more diverse, equitable and inclusive District capable of respecting members from all backgrounds and beliefs.  Let’s foster a sense of belonging within each club, and work hard to support the needs of our club members.

We are People of Action, so let’s partner together for service projects to provide relief to people in need, especially in times of disaster.  Moreover, let’s commit to be extra generous with our giving to The Rotary Foundation, and continue the fight to eradicate polio, our biggest priority in Rotary.

The entire District leadership team is prepared to help each Club President and its members soar in the coming year.  It will be an “Historic Year” with opportunities to share Rotary far and wide.  Let’s get to work!  Happy New Rotary Year 2023-2024!

Best Wishes,

Delores Edwards Harding

District Governor 2023-24

Since the beginning of the conflict, which escalated in early 2022, Rotary 7620 has supported the Rotary Club of Metro Bethesda, who has been working with partners across the world to provide support to those affected by the conflict by mobilizing the power of the Rotary network. Through four rounds of funding collaboration, the GUHAC has distributed over $1,100,000 in supplies, materials, and equipment through the Rotary Club of Lviv International in Ukraine:

• Medical supplies (over 900 tourniquets, 1000 rescue blankets, and more)
• Winter gear and equipment (1400 blankets, 600 extreme cold sleeping bags)
• Water filtration systems (55 systems for families and 3 plants for hospitals)
• Generators (40 generators and 1 200kw for the Lviv Regional Hospital)
• Hospital equipment (Portable ultrasound machines, infusion pumps, patient monitors)
• Bomb shelter repairs for two Lviv schools

The first round of funding began with District 7620 through the Rotary Club of Metro Bethesda combining individual donations, District matching funds and Rotary International Disaster funds and has now grown to include over 20 districts spanning through the United States and International partners.

“Rotary 7620 is proud and honored of the work the Global Ukraine Humanitarian Aid Coalition has been able to complete over the last year,” said Daniel Fischer, Lead Coordinator for Rotary 7620 and GUHAC.  “Our coalition supporters and Rotary International funds made it possible to help save lives near the frontlines with tactical medical aid and then assist through the hard winter with infrastructure substitutes such as generators, winter gear and water filtration.”

The Global Ukraine Humanitarian Aid Coalition brings together Rotary Clubs and Districts from around the world, including the Lviv International Rotary Club that coordinated distribution of goods in Ukraine and a local DC non-profit, United Help Ukraine, that supplied logistics, purchasing power and distribution. The coalition is working to provide emergency assistance to those affected by the conflict, as well as long-term support to help rebuild communities and promote peace.

Rotary International has a long history of supporting humanitarian efforts around the world, and the work of Rotary 7620 in Ukraine is a testament to the organization’s commitment to service above self. Through the Global Ukraine Humanitarian Aid Coalition, Rotary is demonstrating its ability to bring together people from different backgrounds and organizations to make a real difference in the lives of those affected by conflict.

2024-25 District Governor
Naumaan “Nomie” Hamid was selected to be Rotary District 7620’s current District Governor Nominee (DGN) and will serve as the 2024-25 District Governor.  He is the current Assistant Governor for Prince Georges County (Area 9), Co-Chair for the 2023 Rotary Youth Leadership Academy (RYLA), Past President of the College Park Rotary Club, and a 2021 Rotary International Emerging Leader.

2025-26 District Governor
Mandy Warfield Granger has been selected to be Rotary District 7620’s current District Governor Nominee Designated (DGND) and will serve as the 2025-26 District Governor.  She is the current 2022-23 Lieutenant Governor, former 2019-22 Assistant Governor for Washington, DC (Area 7), Past President of the Dupont Circle Rotary Club, and a 2019 Rotary International Emerging Leader.

Thank you to the 2022 Governor Selection Committee for their challenging work, and to all of the Rotarians who submitted candidate names for the process.

With the Centennial Grant funds, MCIP, which works out of the Columbia Heights Educational Campus (CHEC), will establish a student-run and led Community Development Corporation (CDC). The MCIP-CHEC CDC will be the first student-run CDC in the country and serve as an economic change agent for the students and their communities throughout Washington, D.C. Some of the areas of need already identified by the students include food insecurity/inequity, employment, housing, financial literacy, and college accessibility and scholarships. We are excited to enter this new partnership in celebration of 100 years of our Club’s Foundation.

Congratulations to the Rotary Club of DC and MCIP on their new partnership!

All monthly newsletter entries are due by the 25th of each month. This ensures the District Newsletter Editor and District Governor have ample time to review and publish the newsletter by the first of the month.

1. Log into DACdb.com
2. Go to the District tab at the top of the page
3. Select ezStory icon.
   • DISTRICT LEADERS: If you do not see the icon under the District tab, go to the settings gear icon and add it to your available icons.
   • CLUB LEADERS: Instead of using District ezStory, use Club ezStory and see Step 8 for making it a District story.
4. Select the Add Story button in the top right corner
5. Under the information tab, provide the following
   • Story Name – begin with the first three letters of the month you want the story to appear. For example for October, type OCT and then the headline of your story
   • It will auto-populate in the Headline field. Please remove the Month Indicator (i.e. the OCT) from that line only.
   • Put the story in Review status
   • Select the start date: the first of the month of the newsletter month in which you want it to appear
   • Select the post until date, which should be the last day of the newsletter month
   • If you have an image, please upload it to the main story image. A square image works best – 400 x 400 pixels is preferred.
   • Show story in – check the box next to ezBulletin (only select this box)
   • Find your name in the byline
6. Under the story content tab, this is where your full information will go.
   • All information in these sections use the font Arial 12pt.
   • In the summary, please share two sentences AT MOST. This should entice the reader to click “read more”
   • Your full article text and additional images if you have them, should go in the complete story area.
7. When you are done with steps 5 and 6, hit save in the top right corner.
8. If you created your story in Club ezStory, please follow the steps below to copy it to the District view.
   • Select a Story from your list of published Stories.
   • Select Edit Story on the right.
   • Next to the yellow Save button is a button labeled “Share” (top right).
   • Leave the “Copy the story” radio button selected.
   • Click Save.

From this point, the newsletter team will work to ensure it is good to go and published for the next newsletter. If you would like your article to be in a subsequent newsletter, please go back to ezStory, duplicate the story and ensure to update point 5 and any other information that would need to be adjusted.

District 7620 Disaster Relief Committee and Disaster Aid USA continue to coordinate disaster relief work locally, nationally, and internationally.  In recent weeks, we have focused our attention on Hurricane IAN and Florida and resulting wind and flood damage there.  We also continue to support Pakistan and Ukraine.  We are helping the victims of these disasters, and we request that you and your club consider donating to DAUSA for these causes.  We are also looking for volunteers to go to Florida.  A disaster training for volunteers is being planned for the first weekend in December.  See details below.

Florida Disaster:  Our DG Sean McAlister sent out a P-mail to all Rotarians and Rotaracts in October requesting volunteers to join Florida deployments.  Disaster Aid USA has three trailers stationed in the Fort Myers area.  We have coordinated the deployment of multiple teams to Florida to clean out flooded homes in the Fort Myers area. Most recent plans to go to Florida are:
1) Oct 21 team, led by Steve Kemp (Greenbelt).  Three volunteers from district 7620 joined him.

2) Nov 11 team, led by Russ Koon (WV).  He will be joined by one volunteer from our district.
These and other teams coming from Texas, Louisiana, and California are being supported by the local Rotary district in Fort Myers area.  The teams led by DAUSA experts are being supported by 30 to 50 local Rotarians in the weekends.  This amount of cooperation between DAUSA and local Rotary clubs is unprecedented.  Rotarians from Tampa, Orlando, and nearby cities are showing up to volunteer on a daily basis.  The current emphasis is in clean up – tree removal, muck and gut, house drying, and roof tarping.  No experience is needed to work in Florida as a volunteer.  Team leads provide the direction and safety tips for helping in the clean-up process.  If you are interested in volunteering, contact: Bill DuBoyce ( billydubes@hotmail.com ) or Paul Mahata ( Pmahata@verizon.net ).

Volunteer Training:  District Disaster Relief Committee and DAUSA are coordinating to provide disaster aid training to new volunteers.  Our goal is to have a cadre of 15-20 volunteers trained, so that when disaster happens, some of these volunteers will be ready to go and help locally or in other states.  Our training will consist of: a) General information on disaster relief, b) Safety tips, c) Practical work involving mucking and gutting, and d) chain sawing.  Volunteers may pick and choose on various training opportunities.  Current date of training is:  Dec 3 (Saturday, 10 AM – 4 PM).  Contact: Bill DuBoyce or Paul Mahata above for further details.  You are advised to register in advance as a volunteer of DAUSA.   Now you have an opportunity to get information on all DAUSA deployments, if you SIGN UP as a volunteer by going to the following link  https://volunteer.disasteraidusa.org   It is a quick 5-step process that takes less than 5 minutes to complete.  There is no obligation to volunteer; but it only helps spread the word quickly and to coordinate deployments.

In order for us to continue this type of disaster relief work now and in the coming weeks and months, each Rotary club and each Rotarian and Rotaract and their friends are being urged to donate generously.  DAUSA is a 501-c-3 charitable organization, co-founded by our own PDG Bob Grill.  All checks could be sent to: Disaster Aid USA, 9817 Lanham Severn Road, Lanham, MD 20706. To donate online, please visit www.disasteraidusa.org .  Choose the option Hurricane IAN or other disasters. To make a donation via Facebook, go to: https://www.facebook.com/DisasterAidUSA

SEPTEMBER EVENTS

• September 12: C. Curtis Morgan Memorial Golf Tournament (Rotary Club of Aberdeen)
• September 17: Rev Up for Rotary (Rotary Club of New Market)
• September 17: Howard County Crab Feast (Rotary Clubs of Howard County)
• September 18: Mount Airy Duck Race (Rotary Club of Mount Airy, MD)
• September 22: Purple Tee Golf Classic (Metro Bethesda Rotary Club)
• September 30 – October 1: Frederick’s Oktoberfest (Rotary Clubs of Carroll Creek, Southern Frederick County, Smoketown + Rotaract and Interact Club support!)

OCTOBER EVENTS

• October 1 – 2: Carroll County Oktoberfest (Rotary Clubs of Carroll County)
• October 2: Lobster Festival (Rotary Club of Charles County – La Plata)
• October 15-16: U.S. Oyster Festival (Rotary Club of Lexington Park)

NOVEMBER EVENTS

• November 5: Murder Mystery Dinner (Rotary Club of Howard West)

(Don’t see your event listed? Shoot PI Chair, Ashley Waters, an email at ashleywatersdpa@gmail.com to add it!)

Please note some of the conditions of the grant based on the Hanson Family Foundation’s stipulations for this gift to District 7620:

1. A preference is to using these funds to support Global Grants that address the Area of Focus Basic Education and Literacy.
2. A Rotary club located in District 7620 – or the district itself – needs to serve as the international sponsor or host sponsor of any Global Grant application that is to be underwritten in full or in part by this gift.
3. Global Grants are for projects with a total budget of US$30,000 or more, and funds from the PDG Robert and JoAnne Hanson Directed Gift can only be used in increments of US$15,000 and above. Any funds that are not used during this Rotary year will be carried over for use the next year by the District.
4. Clubs must use the MyRotary website to log in and complete the application online as directed under the Global Grants section.
5. Training under the MOU requirements for the District, as set by Dr. Geetha Jayaram, District Rotary Foundation Chair is essential for clubs to be eligible to apply for the Hanson Grant.
6. No club can apply for more than one grant during each year to be fair to other clubs in the District. However, joining hands to expand your reach is encouraged.
7. Please pay attention to the needs assessment and sustainability sections of the grant for success.
8. We are open to innovative ideas that emphasize reach and impact.

For questions, contact Geetha Jayaram DRFC and PDG at districtgovernor2122@gmail.com.