District 3 Kin – Make a Difference 

May, 2010

        “Not everything that counts can be counted

         And not everything that can be counted counts.”

                                                Einstein

May Newsletter

Family of Kin 

While I firmly believe in Mr. Einstein’s wise words, the time has come for counting.  While I am a fan of the intangible, of the things that I know matter so much in our Organization but cannot be graphed or put on a spreadsheet, this month I am going to forego my norm and talk to you of the black and white of our year thus far.

District 3 is in FANTASTIC shape.  FANTASTIC. 

And here’s why:

-         We have welcomed 209 new members into District 3 so far this year.  33 of our clubs have shown growth.  That is 41.25% of our clubs.  The top three clubs in growth are the Saskatoon and District Kinettes (PLUS 12), Saskatoon Kinsmen (PLUS 11) and Melfort Kinsmen (PLUS 10).

Nationally, our numbers are excellent.  5 of the 8 districts showed growth in April.  3 of the 8 districts are up members since June 2009 – District 3 is up 8 members in total.  Remember, that IS significant gain given that we have lost seven clubs this year.  Most importantly, the Association is up 6 members.  It has been in the neighborhood of THIRTY YEARS since we have been in a positive member position at this point in the year.  The Governors focused on working together as a team this year and all were committed to supporting Vision 20/20 as our guiding strategy.  This marks the first time that we officially worked together in this manner rather than each District setting its own course and the numbers support this cohesive approach.

-         We have chartered TWO Campus Clubs and one Kin club in the past three years.  And they are STRONG and GROWING.

-         We have celebrated SEVEN Life Memberships this year. 

-         We created one Deputy Governor Accountability Matrix that is being trialled nationally to test it’s efficacy.

-         We raised over $4 MILLION for Telemiracle, which directly benefits the people that live in Saskatchewan, Kin or not. 

-         We have donated significantly to Cystic Fibrosis, aiding research and supporting and giving people easier breathing and longer lives.

-         We had 31 clubs represented at Fall Leadership Conference 2009.  That is up from 17 in 2008.  We had 38 clubs represented at Zone Conferences in 2010, up from 34 in 2009. 

You do the math (I’ve done all I can do without getting a headache.  You know me – I have an aversion to math and Excel.)  We are growing.  We are thriving.  The 2009-2010 has been a HUGE success.  We are making a difference every day in our communities through our strengthened District and Organization.

Of equal importantance , we are reaching our objectives as a district.  Our Operational Plan this year stated that we were going to focus on communication.  I know that we have done our part.  I have written a monthly newsletter with updates, reminders and information that is distributed to every Kin whose email address we have.  Your Deputy Governors have written numerous newsletters advising of upcoming events and , again distributed to every email address we have on our data base.  We have updated and improved Saskin.ca.  We have had articles featuring District 3 activities and achievements in Kin Magazine and in our cyber-paper. 

I say very specifically that we have done our part.  YOUR part regarding communication is to supply us with accurate contact information and READ the information sent to you.  TAKE it to your club for discussion.  ASK questions, STATE your concerns, SHARE your ideas.  We’ve done our part; have YOU done yours? 

The members of the Executive also committed to being present and accountable.  I and other members of the Executive have travelled extensively this year, to the point of being questioned about the necessity of our travel.  My answer is simply this – the point of the Governor and of the Executive is to be visible and available.  If you needed us, we were there.  If you wanted us to be present at your celebration or event, we were there.  That is the very point of the Executive, to BE THERE.  To celebrate, to support, to SHOW UP.  I know that we did.  And I can speak for all of us when I say we enjoyed EVERY minute and every mile.  It’s been a GREAT year.

Your clubs have received proxy forms for both District Convention and National Convention.   If your club will not be represented at these events, please ensure that your proxies are in to appropriate people.  We will have business to deal with at both Conventions and your club’s voice must be heard.  There will be two motions to deal with at District convention regarding the Crimestopper’s levy and scheduling a rotation for District events.  We will also be voting on the Vice Chair for the Foundation.  Nationally, we will be electing a National Vice President in August in Halifax.  One candidate has declared so far - Dave Ronson, currently the National Director for District 8 has stated his intentions to run for this office.  As members, your voice should be heard in this election.  Dave can be contacted at davewr@pipcom.com if you would like to discuss his platform with him directly. 

It has been a GREAT year and it is not over yet.  Please plan to attend District Convention in Watrous June 11^th and 12^th.  We will have a full schedule but I am leaving ample time for fun and fellowship.  We have the honour of our Executive Director, Ric McDonald attending our Convention. You will have received your invitation (both hard copy and electronically) by now.  The early registration deadline has passed and the host Watrous Kinettes need solid numbers by May 31^st.  27 clubs were represented in 2009 – how many will we have this year? 

Once again, thank you for being Kin.  Your commitment, your enthusiasm, your sense of community and of fun make our District and our Organization extraordinary. 

Thank you for being Kin.

Governor, D3

(306) 642-5784 (h) 642-7089 (c)

corieruzickaolson@sasktel.net