If the video does not show, please click here to watch a video of DG John interviewing PDG Kevin Cogan regarding the 72+ Program.
The District 7390 virtual Foundation Dinner in November announced a program called 72+ which makes suggestions to everyone about tax savings opportunities for charitable giving provided by the government’s SECURE Act and CARES Act. The 72+ program urges senior Rotarians to give strong consideration to making a contribution to The Rotary Foundation from their IRA. This especially applies when one reaches age 70.5 to make a Qualified Charitable Contribution (QCD) or when one must take a Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) upon and after age 72 (hence the program name 72+). There are significant tax savings provided by the SECURE and CARES Acts. The 72+ program is further explained in a informative brochure produced by District 7390 by clicking here.
As the new year approaches, the Rotary District 7390 4-Way Test ESSAY Contest deadlines approach. Hopefully you have planned or are in the process of planning your club’s contest for this year. We have a fresh, new essay prompt that we hope will be timely and thought provoking to the students: Is it the Truth? – How I Define What is True in My Life.
The contest is open to 9th grade high school students. Submissions by your club to the 2020-21 District 7390 contest are due March 5, 2021. Contest rules, critical dates, and information for both Rotarians and Students are available at the District 7390 Website. Any questions or requests for further information can be directed to project chair, Steven Grubb, at stevengrubb@comcast.net.
STUDENT REGISTRATION DEADLINE EXTENDED TO JANUARY 31, 2021!
District 7390 will support a virtual Four Way Test Speech Contest in 2020/2021. Students who have already competed in a club level contest are welcome to register for the Virtual Mid Levels. Upon registration, students will be assigned to one of the four Virtual Mid Levels in an equitable process that will ensure fair numbers and diversity across the board. The finale will be facilitated virtually in conjunction with the District Conference between April 30-May 2, 2021. Details are still in progress with the District Conference Planning Committee. All new materials are uploaded to the district website at this link. https://rotary7390.org/page/four-way-test-speech-contest
New this year, students will be asked to deliver their speeches in the framework of “Life in the Pandemic.” This can include, but is not limited to actual experiences in their life; their observations of reactions & responses during the pandemic; school during the pandemic; physical distancing and safety measures; and expectations about the “new normal.”
It's hard not to wonder what PDG Ken Roberts would have done with the Four Way Test Speech Contest in this unusual year! Hopefully, this direction would do him proud. His legacy continues through this important program.
The Rotary Club of York sadly announces the retirement of long time Executive Coordinator, Bert Oberdick. Bert has faithfully served the Rotary Club of York for nearly 30 years, overseeing dozens of active committees, providing meeting details, working closely with the Rotary Club of York Board of Directors and the Charitable Endowment Fund Board, invoicing, tracking and reporting all financials, and so much more! Bert has always exemplified the Rotary Four Way Test and consistently models the values of Rotary. March 31is scheduled to be Bert’s last day.
Rotary Club of York is hiring a new Executive Director to provide staff leadership to the 24th largest Rotary Club in the world! We are looking for a goal-oriented self-starter with an entrepreneurial approach to help drive the future of Rotary Club of York and our Charitable Endowment Fund. Click here for the full job description and application instructions.
YWCA York is holding an upcoming Courageous Conversation on Building Authentically Diverse Boards on 1/25 at 6:30PM. The goal is to engage boards of directors and their CEOs/EDs in a candid conversation on why diversity in its many forms makes for stronger, more productive organizational governance. The Courageous Conversation model includes guidelines for small group conversations following a presentation by a speaker.
The speaker for this event is outstanding! Kimberly Ellison-Taylor has a finance and tech background and is currently working at Oracle. Last month she joined the Mutual of Omaha board and is a national speaker on inclusive leadership topics.
Our organization is equally committed to diversity, equity and inclusion and we hope that you will be able to participant in this important community conversation. We would like everyone to come away with the commitment to achieve greater board diversity over the next year.
Feel free to share this invitation widely. There is no fee for this event thanks to a sponsorship by White Rose Credit Union.
President John Bomberger and Cy Fritz presented $1120.00 in checks, that were collected from our club members, to the Loft Community Partnership in Millersville. The Loft supports the needy families in the Penn Manor School System. Every Wednesday they are serving around 200 families. John and Cy had an opportunity to observe the volunteers in preparing for the Food Pick-Up that evening and had the opportunity to ask several questions about their operation. They were extremely grateful and thankful for our support as their need continues to grow. A great big thank you to our Rotary Club members for the excellent response to our Food Bank Drive in an effort to help the food insecurity in our service area.
On Saturday, December 19 five Rotarians from Lancaster South Rotary Club met at a storage facility near Millersville to move office supplies and equipment for the local affiliate of National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Rotarian Dave Cope of Classic Lancaster Cabinetry in Willow Street generously provided his large box truck to make the move. Lancaster South President John Bomberger coordinated the Service Project with Lancaster NAMI board member Donald Grabowski, who is also President of the Rotary Club of Elizabethtown. Of special note, the President of the local NAMI affiliate Vivian Spiese (back row left) shared her respect and appreciation for Rotary and mentioned that her father was a member of the Columbia and Mt. Joy Rotary Club for many years before his passing.
Lancaster South Rotary Club created 50 gift bags of assorted items (tissues, toothbrush, toothpaste, chapstick, comb, lotion, hand sanitizer, orange, apple, chocolates, whole wheat chips) for the residents at Oak Leaf Manor South Personal Care facility, and delivered them on Tuesday December 22, just in time for Christmas. A gift box of assorted candies, cookies, pretzels, etc. was given to the staff. Special thanks to PJ Roberts, club secretary and Dan Hess, club vice-president for helping to assemble the gift bags and to Oak Leaf staff for distributing the bags to the residents. Lancaster South is looking forward to the day we can return to the facility for in-person meetings. Currently the club is meeting via Zoom.
Habitat for Humanity Project is a great collaboration between Yorkk-East & York North. The clubs volunteered on December 4th and 5th at the Habitat (701 Chestnut Street, York) project. The work day projects were dry walling, mudding & painting. Our clubs with the help of a Rotary Foundation grant contributed $10,000 to the project. York Habitat for Humanity is a volunteer driven, Christian housing ministry that builds safe, decent, and affordable homes in partnership with lower-income York County residents living in substandard housing.
York Habitat Photo Pictured Left to right:
Greg Kern (York East Rotary), Kasey Lofties (Habitat for Humanity), Patrice Joseph (York North Rotary), Kyle King (York East Rotary President)
Hanover Rotarians Dave Erlemeier, Warren Risk (and his wife Judy), and Ralph Jodice (and his wife Judy) packed food bags for Ruth’s Harvest as part of the Club’s ongoing community service project. On Friday’s, Ruth’s Harvest gives needy children in the local area 7 meals to take home for the weekend to help to ensure they do not go hungry.
If your club would like to do a District Grant but doesn’t have a project yet, well, have I got a solution for you!
“Hop on the Bus” with the Harrisburg Keystone Rotary Club to partner on a District Grant that will purchase a school bus for the children and greater community of Monrovia, Liberia in Africa. In addition to the safety and educational benefits this bus will provide for Liberian students, it will also assist the community with transportation, provide jobs for women, and continue the efforts of youth empowerment in Liberia. To learn more about the need and benefits of this project, you can watch our “Hop on the Bus” video.
To make this project a reality, our club is partnering with YesLiberia, a local non-profit that is spearheading the effort, and several Liberian non-profits, including YMCA Liberia, Educate the Future Liberia, the Rotary Club of Sinkor, and the Rotaract Club of Monrovia. And you can join our “Hop on the Bus” project too!
Our goal is to optimize the District Grant by partnering with as many District 7390 Clubs as possible to reach the $12,500 maximum goal. To sweeten the pot, we are offering up to $500 of matching funds for any of your clubs that are ready to Hop on the Bus! Step right up, Ladies and Gentlemen. Everyone’s a winner on this Rotary project!
We are very excited about this project and would like to talk with you more about it. We would be available to answer any questions individually or to do a presentation for your club to provide more details. Please contact Meg Ramey and Duke Adams for more information.
The Rotary Club of York sadly announces the retirement of long time Executive Coordinator, Bert Oberdick. Bert has faithfully served the Rotary Club of York for nearly 30 years, overseeing dozens of active committees, providing meeting details, working closely with the Rotary Club of York Board of Directors and the Charitable Endowment Fund Board, invoicing, tracking and reporting all financials, and so much more! Bert has always exemplified the Rotary Four Way Test and consistently models the values of Rotary. March 31 is scheduled to be Bert’s last day. 
President John Bomberger and Cy Fritz presented $1120.00 in checks, that were collected from our club members, to the Loft Community Partnership in Millersville. The Loft supports the needy families in the Penn Manor School System. Every Wednesday they are serving around 200 families. John and Cy had an opportunity to observe the volunteers in preparing for the Food Pick-Up that evening and had the opportunity to ask several questions about their operation. They were extremely grateful and thankful for our support as their need continues to grow. A great big thank you to our Rotary Club members for the excellent response to our Food Bank Drive in an effort to help the food insecurity in our service area.
e local affiliate of National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Rotarian Dave Cope of Classic Lancaster Cabinetry in Willow Street generously provided his large box truck to make the move. Lancaster South President John Bomberger coordinated the Service Project with Lancaster NAMI board member Donald Grabowski, who is also President of the Rotary Club of Elizabethtown. Of special note, the President of the local NAMI affiliate Vivian Spiese (back row left) shared her respect and appreciation for Rotary and mentioned that her father was a member of the Columbia and Mt. Joy Rotary Club for many years before his passing.
Dan Hess, club vice-president for helping to assemble the gift bags and to Oak Leaf staff for distributing the bags to the residents. Lancaster South is looking forward to the day we can return to the facility for in-person meetings. Currently the club is meeting via Zoom.
Habitat for Humanity Project is a great collaboration between Yorkk-East & York North. The clubs volunteered on December 4th and 5th at the Habitat (701 Chestnut Street, York) project. The work day projects were dry walling, mudding & painting. Our clubs with the help of a Rotary Foundation grant contributed $10,000 to the project. York Habitat for Humanity is a volunteer driven, Christian housing ministry that builds safe, decent, and affordable homes in partnership with lower-income York County residents living in substandard housing.
Hanover Rotarians Dave Erlemeier, Warren Risk (and his wife Judy), and Ralph Jodice (and his wife Judy) packed food bags for Ruth’s Harvest as part of the Club’s ongoing community service project. On Friday’s, Ruth’s Harvest gives needy children in the local area 7 meals to take home for the weekend to help to ensure they do not go hungry. 
