The District Learning Assembly is a great opportunity for all Rotarians to enhance their understanding of key areas that contribute to the success of a club. This event will equip you with valuable insights and practical knowledge on crucial topics such as: Using AI, Mentoring, Legal Issues for Clubs, Membership Success, RI Apps, The Rotary Foundation, and MORE!
By attending, you'll walk away with a comprehensive understanding of these areas and be better prepared to help your club achieve its goals and create a positive impact. Whether you're a seasoned Rotarian or new to the role, this assembly will be an inspiring and enriching experience for everyone involved.
Cost: $25 per Rotarian
Click here to view a complete schedule and course descriptions for the Learning Assembly
The District Learning Committee is hard at work building opportunities for our Rotarians to grow their knowledge and skills. To that end, we are starting a series of monthly on-line learning sessions on various topics that should be helpful to your Rotarians and club leaders. Please join us the 4th Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. to LEARN more about Rotary!
March 24: Fundraising
April 28: Club planning, goals, assessing, communicating
May 26: Youth Services (RYLA, Youth Exchange, Four-Way Test Essay & Speech)
June 23: Rotary Outside the Club
Pre-Registration for the Zoom Meetings is required! Register here to receive the Zoom link!
Each year, Zones 28 and 32 recognize a Rotarian, or a Rotary organization, for outstanding achievement, consistent with the ideals expressed in the fourth object of Rotary: “the advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through humanitarian activity of international significance.”
The award honors Halifax, Nova Scotia, Rotarian Donald MacRae, who during the international convention in 1918 proposed that Rotary become an agent for the promotion of goodwill and peace among nations. That was the first time an international vision for Rotary was publicly expressed.
Recipients of the Donald MacRae Peace Award have demonstrated the advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through consistent peace-making efforts, or humanitarian activity of international significance, plus leadership in the pursuit of peace as envisioned by the fourth object of Rotary.
The Donald MacRae Zone 32 Peace Award for 2023-2024 was presented to Connie Spark!
Concetta ‘Connie’ Spark, a member since 1996, of the Rotary club of York-East, District 7390, in Pennsylvania, USA, has steadfastly undertaken humanitarian medical missions to over a dozen countries on three Continents—Africa, Asia, and South America.
For over three decades, Connie has either led or participated in 35 missions, raising funds applying for grants and directing many highly successful programs. Connie‘s expertise has enabled her to participate in dental, vision, and medical missions from Ethiopia, to Zambia. Her contributions include ‘reverse’ medical grants to provide vision care for school children in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Connie is a major donor, a recipient of the Service above Self award and a citation for meritorious service. She has a passion for international service and is a true promoter of peace!
Can your Club find a few dynamic leaders to attend the Annual RYLA Conference?
The Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) Leadership Conference is an interactive development program designed in enhancing leadership skills in the next generation of innovative leaders. Working with students after their Junior year of high school, Rotary Clubs throughout Rotary District 7390, select up to 140 students to participate in RYLA Leadership Conference. The Conference is held in mid-June every year. The 2026 Conference will be the 64th RYLA in Rotary District 7390.
Upon arriving at RYLA, participants are assigned a Counselor and Country with up to 15 other Conferees. Conferees spend four days exploring the intricacies of leadership and how it arises in the real world. Activities focus on team building, group problem solving, and interpersonal management within project teams.
RYLA helps individuals increase their self-confidence, enhance leadership capabilities, and provides tools of communication. The result is an increase in self-efficacy, and the ability to enhance the communities you are involved in. The schedule includes various speakers, career seminars, team building activities, a conference band and chorus and much, much more.
RYLA registration will close on April 1, 2026. The fee to sponsor a RYLA Conferee is $600 per student.
The annual PELS (President Elect Learning Seminar) sponsored by four districts, helps prepare incoming presidents and assistant governors for their year of leadership. This annual event is held in Valley Forge PA and attended by upwards of 250 Rotarians! If you are going to be President of your Rotary Club, plan to attend in February of 2027! This is a great learning opportunity!
Rotary Club of Carlisle – Sunrise in a partnership with Redwood Materials in Carson City, Nevada, will be collecting and recycling lithium-ion batteries and rechargeable devices. Join us on Saturday, 16 May 2026 between 10AM and 4PM at the Army Heritage Education Center Parking Lot (950 Soldiers Dr., Carlisle, PA) and bring your discarded lithium-ion batteries and rechargeable devices including smartphones, tablets, electric toothbrushes, laptops, power tool batteries, lawn equipment batteries, rechargeable vacuum batteries, wireless headphones, and any other lithium-ion battery and help close the loop.
Climate change is creating a global imperative to electrify everything from our vehicles to our grids. Lithium-ion batteries are at the heart of powering all these solutions and are made up of the same metals like cobalt, copper, nickel and lithium along with rare earth elements. At the end of a product’s life, every rechargeable lithium-ion battery is a source for making new batteries and sustainable energy products in the U.S. By responsibly recycling our products and batteries, we keep them out of landfills, reduce the need to mine critical minerals both in the US and abroad, lessen foreign dependence, and help increase the security of our domestic supply chains.
Smart phones, laptops and electric vehicles all are powered by lithium-ion batteries and Redwood Materials can recover more than 95% of the metals from old, end-of-life products and significantly decrease the US' reliance on newly mined materials and overseas supply chains. However, today, few pathways exist to get these old products recycled responsibly resulting in a national recycling rate of about 5%. Redwood Materials is on a mission to collect as many of these old products as possible to sustainably recycle, refine, and remanufacture these batteries here in America.
Note that this event is specific to lithium-ion batteries. We cannot accept other e-waste such as power cords, flat-screen TVs, printers, copiers, or circuit boards.
Every rechargeable lithium-ion battery is a source for making new, more energy efficient batteries and sustainable products. Recycling keeps batteries out of landfills, reduces the need to mine critical minerals, and helps increase the security of our domestic supply chains. Consider this, Redwood Materials’ recycling plant is entirely powered by solar energy stored in discarded Li-Ion battery banks, demonstrating a net zero carbon footprint in the pursuit of recycling Li-Ion batteries.
We can do more.Our planet needs you.Come recycle with us!
Visit https://www.redwoodmaterials.com/recycle-with-us/ for more information, including where to find lithium-ion batteries throughout your home.
Rotarians in our District have always been engaged in health-related activities, from those included in the 7 Areas of RI Focus, to many local projects such as blood donation campaigns and hospital programs.
The newly created Kareem's Mission Autism Center at Central Penn College is the inspirational effort of Rotarian Hagir Elsheikh of the Harrisburg Club, and the latest example of a goal which is of great relevance to Rotarians everywhere. Everyone is strongly encouraged to support this Center and become familiar with Kareem's Mission.
Please come to the Center on April 11 from 1 to 3:30 for an open house and a recognition lunch. There will be a Rotary Table for those wishing to join the celebration so be sure to stop by for a visit. For more information, contact Hagir at info@kareemsmission.org
Rotarians and Previous Rotarians that will be honored at the event:
Check out the Upcoming Club Events Around the District! If you want your Club events listed in the newsletter, simply send an email with details to office@rotary7390.org!
The Rotary Club of Palmyra will host its second annual Chili Cook-Off on Sunday, March 15, 2026. This community event raises funds to support local community projects in the Palmyra area.Community members are invited to enter their favorite chili recipe for a community tasting competition. Chilis will be judged by local chefs, food writers, and business owners. Chili entries must be registered in advance at www.palmyraparotary.org. A $25 entry fee is due at the event. All community members are welcome to attend and taste chilis—no registration required. Tasting flights of five chilis will be available for $10.
Winter blues. Cabin fever. Do you really want to prepare dinner on a Friday night after another long, cold week?
Let the team at Gather 256 do the kitchen prep with a healthy winter salad, a hearty and delicious chicken and vegetable soup, garlic bread, and a yummy home-baked brownie for dessert!
Meal options start at $25.00 for one person, with pick up on March 13th to reheat and enjoy at home. Click here for more information and to place your order today!
Last day to order is March 10.
Proceeds benefit Uptown York Rotary Club and our community service projects.
The Rotary Club of North York’s Interact Club students from Central York High School recently made a meaningful visit to the Margaret Moul Home — and their impact was felt immediately.
During their tour, the students quickly formed new friendships with residents and experienced firsthand the power of connection across generations. The highlight of the visit was a generous $500 donation presented by York-North’s Interact Club in support of resident programming and activities.
Perhaps most heartwarming of all was a special moment between one of the residents, Sarah, and a student she affectionately called her “pink soul sister.” Their instant bond beautifully captured the spirit of Rotary — building relationships, spreading kindness, and making lives better.
We are incredibly proud of our Interact students for representing Rotary’s values of Service Above Self and for continuing to make a difference in our community.
On February 17, 2026, York East Rotary Club members Chris Izzo, Karen Comery and Tim Koller, along with the Rotary Clubs of North York, York and Uptown, volunteered at Central PA Junior Achievement (JA) BizTown, helping young students gain real-world financial and business experience. JA BizTown, a hands-on educational program, immerses students in a simulated town where they take on roles such as business owners, CEOs, bank tellers, and city officials. With guidance from dedicated Rotary volunteers, students learned how to manage budgets, run businesses, and make financial decisions that mirror real-world responsibilities. "Seeing the students take charge and apply what they've learned in the classroom is incredibly rewarding," said a York East Rotary member Tim Koller. "This experience equips them with valuable life skills that will serve them well in the future." Rotary’s involvement in JA BizTown aligns with its commitment to education and youth development. Through their support, students were able to engage in meaningful hands-on learning, fostering confidence and leadership. The collaboration between the Rotary Clubs of York East, North York, York and Uptown highlights the impact of service organizations working together to invest in the next generation.
