Dear Rotarians:
 
Happy New Year! Happy 1/2 Rotary Year!  I've completed all of my official visits--46 in all--and I thank each and  every one of you and your clubs for such warm welcomes.  The visits were invigorating for me as I witnessed how we are "being the inspiration" across the district to our clubs, our communities and our world.  I look forward to attending many of your club events in the second half of the year.
 
Please make every effort to attend our District Art Auction to support The Rotary Foundation on Friday, February 1 at the SOAP Gallery in Youngstown.  We have received amazing art work from talented district Rotarians and their families and you'll want to make every effort to purchase these treasures and simultaneously support the foundation.   Even your DG has submitted a work of art!   This will be a fun and casual event (jeans welcome!) and we will we host special guests Mary Beth Growney Selene, Rotary Foundation trustee and Stephanie Urchick, Rotary International Director-Elect.  Special thanks to the planning committee, and especially event chair, Michelle Mullaly, President of the Rotary Club of Canton for her leadership.  And speaking of foundation, thanks to all of you who have supported our district wine challenge.  Nearly $17,000 has been raised to date!
 
If you have not begun to track your club's successes and progress on the Presidential Citation, I recommend appointing a club chairperson or committee to do so.  There's still plenty of time to accomplish the goals of President Barry Rassin.  The citation is attached to this newsletter, and my goal is that all of our clubs will receive the citation this year.
 
Mark your dates for the District Conference, "Better Together," where Rotarians from Districts 6650 & 6690 will gather to celebrate Rotary.  We have the distinct honor of hosting RI Past President K.R. "Ravi" Ravindran as our keynote speaker.  The conference committee will be releasing more details shortly, but make every effort to be in Columbus April 12-13 for the event!
 
Club president-elects should be registering for All Ohio PETS (President-Elect Training Seminar) in Columbus on March 8-10.  Incoming RI President Mark Maloney will be present to install next year's club leaders as "Rotary Connects the World," our new Rotary Theme is introduced.
 
And finally, January is Vocational Awareness Month.  Vocational Service is often referred to as the "forgotten" avenue of service, but remains one of the most important.  Each of us, through our classification system, is identified in Rotary by our vocation and work lives. Paul Harris, our founder, wanted to connect with people from all walks of life and business and promoting the diversity of our vocations in a hallmark of Rotary.  Try to plan a vocational awareness event this year, which can be as simple as Rotarians sharing what they do and how they became involved in their work.
 
Be the Inspiration!
 
Scott