JFK Rotary Club - Gateway 2000 Newsletter

At our District Conference in Tamiment, Pennsylvania, we heard a presentation by Artyom Kachkovsky from The Center for Citizen Initiatives concerning their Productivity Enhancement Program (PEP). PEP is a volunteer-driven foreign assistance program for Russia that provides training in free-market business practices to Russia's small and medium size business leaders through direct learning from American scholars and citizens and first-hand experience in the USA.

PEP is a program of the Center for Citizen Initiatives (CCI), a non-profit organization which for 16 years has promoted friendship and mutual understanding between the USA and Russia, while supporting and empowering Russia citizens as they transition to a free-market economy and democratic society. PEP is an USA government funded program, funded by a grant from the State Department, and enjoys bipartisan support in Congress. PEP is modeled after the historic Productivity Tours of the Marshall Plan. The purpose of PEP is both to help Russia stabilize its economy and to build lasting friendship and goodwill between American and Russian people.

PEP brings industry specific delegations of 11 Russian entrepreneurs, along with two interpreters, to USA communities for three weeks of business training. This training consists of site visits to companies, discussions with professionals in the industry, and sometimes lectures by university professors. Each delegation is hosted by Rotary members who arrange for the group's home hosting. The project often results in the attraction of new Rotary members locally, positive press coverage, deep friendships, future business partnerships, and the establishment of new Rotary clubs in Russia.

To date, CCI has worked with over 195 Rotary Clubs in 44 states, providing training to more than 1,400 Russian entrepreneurs. President Elect Bill Metzendorf has agreed to have our District host a group of book publishers from September 14, 2000 through October 8, 2000. The Locust Valley club has volunteered to be the coordinating club for this endeavor. Governor Elect Bill has asked 1999-2000 Governor Cliff McLean to act as the contact between CCI and our District.

Most of the business experience for the Russian book publishers will be in Manhattan where there are many American book publishers. The group will be spending the first 3 days of their training at the NYU, School of Publishing where a 3-day seminar has been set up for them. Bill Jacobs is the contact and leader for the Locust Valley Club. Both Bill and Cliff are looking for clubs and individual Rotarians to act as hosts. The CCI suggests that the Russians be housed in groups of two for a period of seven days duration. Hosting means providing a bed, breakfast, some dinners, and transportation to the Long Island Railroad during the week. On weekends, we will be planning social activities similar to the GSE social activities.

Any club or individual Rotarian interested in becoming involved in this program should contact:

Bill Jacobs at:

516-759-7046 (home)
516-759-2567 (home fax)
516-624-0200 (office)
516-624-0469 (office fax)
email wjakes@aol.com

or Cliff McLean at:

631-549-9688 (phone)
631-549-5060 (fax)
email ccliffmcl@imcnyc.com.

Our District was well represented at the 91st Convention of Rotary International held in Buenos Aires, Argentina from 6/4/00 to 6/7/00. The following were in attendance:

In addition, the children from our District who make up the Tarumi Violin Children's Foundation for the Arts performed on the main stage at the opening plenary session. This is the same group who entertained on Friday night at the District 7250 Conference at Tamiment in May. They were introduced by Vice President of Rotary International, Abe Gordon as being from our District. Many people from around the world commented on how impressed they were with these young performers and how wonderful the group sounded. While the children were in Buenos Aires, they also performed for the president of Argentina.

At the second plenary session on Monday morning, there was a major presentation about the Gift of Life program. During the presentation, District 7250 was frequently mentioned as the originator of the program. The Gift of Life convention coming up in our District this coming summer was also prominently discussed.

District 7250 can be proud that we were so prominently represented at the 91st Annual Convention of Rotary International.

Whenever Carol and I travel, which is usually on Rotary business, we try to attend Rotary meetings. While in Buenos Aires, our host, Humberto Gilbert, called and invited me to go with him to the Rotary Club of Buenos Aires. This is the oldest, largest, and most prestigious Club in Argentina.

After we arrived at the Marriott Plaza Hotel, we went into a special reception room where beer, soda, wine and cocktails were being served. Wonderful little hors d'oeuvres were already laid out on the table. About two hundred plus Rotarians and guests were enjoying great fellowship.

After the raising of the Argentine flag and a few other formalities, a new member was inducted. The new member then gave a short informational speech about his vocation and his family. A marvelous lunch was served with five courses. During the lunch the main speaker was introduced. He was a well-known educator who spoke about the condition of public education in Argentina. Luis Giay gave our table instantaneous translation. Both Jim Lacy and I thought we were listening to some high-level government educator in the USA. Argentina seems to have educational problems very similar to ours. It just went to prove that we seem to be the same the world over. After the speech, each guest was given a very ornate club banner to take home.

After the meeting, I was surprised to see so many Rotarians hanging around in small groups. I discovered that they were having committee meetings. Like all Rotary Clubs the world over, the real work of Rotary was being done in small committees.

Two days later, Humberto called and asked me to speak at the Montserrat Rotary Club. I told him that I could not speak in Spanish. Humberto told me not to worry, most of the members understood English. The next day I was picked up by a PDG who spoke no English. We communicated with my limited Spanish and his limited English and a great deal of sign language. When we arrived, I was pleased to find that in fact most of the Montserrat Rotarians did in fact at least understand English. There were many English-speaking guests from the USA, New Zealand, and South Africa. When an Argentinean Rotarian spoke, the club secretary gave instantaneous translation in English for all of us English speaking dummies who did not understand Spanish. When I spoke, the secretary began to translate into Spanish but his fellow Rotarians said it was not necessary. Believe it or not, I spoke very slowly and loud enough with emotion so most of the Argentinean Rotarians understood me. I proudly spoke about the activities in our clubs and district. They seemed impressed. When you stop and think about it, we do have a great district to talk about.

Most people become Rotarians for fellowship and an opportunity to give service. If Rotarians didn't join for these reasons, then they probably are not very good Rotarians. Some join Rotary for less honorable reasons but soon learn how satisfying service can be and learn that true fellowship is a reward by itself.

There are many ways to give service and enjoy fellowship in Rotary and many Rotarians never take advantage of the opportunities available to them. I want to explain how taking advantage of some opportunities available to me have enriched both my life and that of my wife. You have many times heard me speak about how many YEP students we have hosted and how much we have learned from these young people so I will not dwell on the value of being a host parent at this time. In 1989, I was asked by then District Governor, Chuck Pacifico, to apply to become a leader of a GSE team in Brazil. When I returned from that extraordinary experience, I was asked to become the GSE chairperson, a position I served in for five years.

Being a GSE chair and on the YEO committee led to why I am in Buenos Aires where I am writing this article. First, when the Japanese GSE team was in our District, Carol and I volunteered to host the Japanese leader, Agee Izawa. We became friends and corresponded with each other over the years.

After I was elected Governor of District 7250, I decided that I must go to the International Convention in Singapore where I would officially become the Governor. I looked around for the best airline rate I could find. I soon discovered it would be with Japan Airlines and that I would have to fly through Japan to get to Singapore. I wrote to Agee and told him that we would be going through Japan on our way to Singapore. He insisted that Carol and I stop in Japan and spend some time with him and other Japanese Rotarians. We ended up spending six days in Rotarian homes in Japan on our way to Singapore. We had a most informative and enjoyable experience in Japan, one we would never had been able to have if we had not volunteered to host Agee many years earlier. It was also an experience that could not have been duplicated as regular tourists.

While at the International Meeting of Youth Exchange Officers in Singapore, I met an Argentinean Rotarian by the name of Humberto Gilbert. When I told him about our wonderful experience in Japan, he invited us to spend some extra time in Buenos Aires before or after the YEO meeting and the Convention. Humberto had been a YEO student from Argentina to Syosset thirty years earlier. We had a wonderful time reminiscing about Nassau County and the North Shore. We communicated by email all year long and here Carol and I are in the home of a friend of Humberto. (See other stories in this issue about some of our special experiences here in Buenos Aires.) We wuold not have had the opportunity to have this experience if I had not been involved with the YEO program.

I could tell about going to Switzerland fora week on a home stay because Carol and I hosted a young Swiss CPA candidate when he was assigned to the USA for six months, or the experience we had in Indianapolis because of the YEP and the GSE, or even the experience we had in my fatherland, Scotland, because of the YEP. Our lives have been enriched beyond description just because we took advantage of giving Rotary Service to others.

There will be many opportunities in the coming year for you to step up and volunteer to give service. (Read about some of the opportunities in other articles in this Gateway 2000). Don't let the chance pass you by.

CLUB	MEMBERS	MEETINGS	ATT.
Baldwin	NR
Bayville-Ctr. Isand	NR
Bedford Stuyvesant	9	4	55
Bethpage	NR
Brooklyn	NR
Eastern Queens	NR
Elmhurst	NR
Farmingdale	NR
Farmingdale Breakfast	NR
Floral Park-Bellrose	NR
Flushing	35	4	84
Franklin Sq.-Elmont	NR
Freeport	NR
Glen Cove	NR
Glen Head	NR
Great Neck	NR
Hempstead-Uniondale	24	4	69
Hicksville-Jericho	19	4	59
Jamaica	36	4	60
JFK	NR
Locust Valley	65	4	72
Lynbrook-E. Rockaway	24	5	79
Malverne	NR
Manhasset	NR
Massapequa-Seaford	NR
Mineola-Garden City		4	60
Oceanside-Island Park	28	5	60
Oyster Bay	41	5	68
Port Washington	NR
Queens Borough	NR
Rockaway	NR
Roslyn	NR
Southeastern Queens	42	5	60
Southwest Queens	NR
Syosset-Woodbury	NR
Valley Stream	NR
Verazano	NR
Wantagh	NR
Westbury-Carle Place	27	5	54
West Hempstead	NR
Williston Park	NR

~~~CONTENTS~~~ (click on the title to see the article)
The Russians Are Coming D7250 At The Convention Conference 2000 Gift of Life Southeastern Queens Rotary Club	Making Up in Buenos Aires Are You Taking Full Advantage Of Being A Rotarian? Rockaway Rotary Club District Golf Outing 2000 May Attendance