January 2006

ROTARY AWARENESS MONTH

The coming month is a wonderful opportunity to share your club's

story with your community, its leaders and prospective Rotarians.  Here are a few steps to take to jump-start your public relations efforts for this key month in our Rotary year:

First, refer back to previous issues in the Rotary BLAST! Archive for the series on public relations.  Specifically available is the series of articles published surrounding newspaper, on-line, radio and television tips and tools.

Second, visit the Rotary International website's Effective Public Relations pages for downloads, tips, sample letters to the editor, logos and other information.  Also available are RI contacts to support your efforts or answer questions.

Third, invite members of your local media to a meeting in January, or ask them to present a program.  You can also ask them to join your club - now that's building relationships with the media!

Fourth, if you have not yet done so, contact Bill Smith, D-6760 public relations chair to schedule your radio PSA taping at Thomas Media in Jackson, TN.  It's FREE!  Then contact your local radio stations to air that PSA specifically in the month of January.

Fifth, issue a quick press release to members of your local media that re-iterates the principles and goals of Rotary, as well as notes that February 23, 2006 will be the 101st anniversary of Rotary International.  Not sure what to say?  Here are key Rotary messages to use in your Rotary PR efforts:

• Rotary works to improve the quality of life for all people.
  
• Rotary exists to do good in the world.
  
• Rotary is an international service organization of 1.2 million business and professional men and women who, as volunteers, address needs of their home and international communities. There are more than 31,000 Rotary clubs in 166 countries.
  
• Rotary initiates local and global service projects to promote world understanding and peace and improve the life conditions for people of all ages and cultures. An example is PolioPlus through which Rotary is working to eradicate polio by 2005.
  
• Rotary's strength lies in the volunteer service of its membership, an international network of business and professional leaders implementing a wide range of programs to meet human needs.
  
• Rotarians are men and women of integrity who represent a cross-section of business and professional backgrounds. As volunteers of all ages, they work to meet community and international concerns.

Sixth, send out copies of the "Humanity in Motion" PSA to local television stations and play it at an upcoming club meeting.  If you have not yet seen it, you can view theRotary International "Humanity in Motion" PSA online by clicking the banner logo below:

A Message from Mississippi and

Southeast Louisiana via

RI Districts 6840 and 6820

On Sunday morning, August 28, 2004 before Hurricane Katrina came ashore, we began raising money.  We expected to raise $10,000 to $20,000 so we could put cash into the hands of Rotarians and others when the power was lost and ATMs and banks were closed.

But Katrina was larger and more damaging than we could ever have imagined.  The need was much greater, and so was the response.  We have retrieved in excess of $500,000 from all over the world.  We have sent grants to Rotarians and others for humanitarian needs in excess of $200,000.  One hundred percent fo the funds donated flow through Rotary-directed objectives in the impacted area.

At this Christmas Season, we wish to express our deepest gratitude to so many caring people.  Perhaps the best way to do that is to [share below] and ad that appeared in USA Today in October, underwritten by the Viking Range Corporation of Greenwood, Mississippi.  These words express our feelings far better than we two could ever say.

" The people of Mississippi would like to thank you.

We thank you for donating food, clothing, shelter and money.  We thank you for driving through the night to bring us water, generators and fuel.   We thank you for leaving your homes and families to help us restore power and communications.

We thank you for your compassion, generosity and comforting words.  We thank you for your prayers.  From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for all the ways that you helped in our time of need.  We will never forget.

Sincerely,

Mississippi "

Submitted to Governor Glen Vanderford, D-6760 on behalf of all Rotarians and others in Mississippi and Southeast Louisiana by Governor Neil Alford, D-6840 and Governor Stuart Vance, D-6820. Read a copy of the D6840 Monthly Newsletter and a copy of the D6820 Monthly Newsletter for more updates on Katriana-related projects and issues.

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