Rotarians, you have probably already heard from our club leadership that there is a huge opportunity for your club in the near future. The World Equestrian Games is coming to the Horse Park in Lexington, KY this fall.

Rotarians from our District 6710 and our sister District 6740 in the eastern part of the Commonwealth have been asked to staff the concession booths at the games in return for a large donation to Rotary. This is a chance for your club to earn money to satisfy your Polio Plus obligation or your Rotary Foundation obligation. In addition, for each shift you work, you will receive a day-long pass good for one of the days of the Games.

Rotarians from clubs near the Horse Park will provide a place to stay for those who don't live near enough to drive over and back in one day.

Go to www.rotary-weg.org to sign up, or see your club president or president-elect for more details. Please help Rotary do more good in the world. Remember, we can only build communities and bridge continents through the actions of individual Rotarians. Don't hesitate, act now!

Mark your calendar early for this year's Membership and Foundation Seminars.  These dual seminars will provide your club leaders and members with information and tools on membership recruitment and retention, as well as information on how to support and navigate The Rotary Foundation.  The dates listed are tentative, and specific locations will be announced soon.  Sessions usually run from 7:00pm until 8:30pm local time.

Thursday, August 19- Bowling Green Area
Thursday, September 2- Owensboro/Henderson Area
Tuesday, September 21- Gilbertsville (Purchase Area)
Thursday, October 7- Louisville

The dates have changed but the location is the same.  District 6710's Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) camp will be held September 23-26, 2010 at the Wendell H. Ford Regional Training Center in Greenville, KY.  The past two RYLA camps have been held in May during Memorial Day weekend.  We are moving to September in hopes of getting more Rotarians involved.
 
RYLA 2010 will have a cowboy theme and our slogan is "Leadership the Cowboy Way."  We will be asking clubs to sponsor high school freshmen and sophomores to attend the three day camp. Cost per student is $175 by September 1 and $200 from September 1 to September 15.  You can find more information on RYLA on the District 6710 website and on the District 6710 RYLA Facebook page.
 
We would love to come present a program on RYLA for your club.  If interested, contact PDG Kay Sharon, RYLA District Chair, at 270-723-1899 or ksharon1@comcast.net.

In Rotaract, activities at the District level are overseen by a Rotarian who serves as the chair and a Rotaractor who holds the title of District Rotaract Representative (DRR).  For several years, Mary Kathryn DeLodder has served in this position.  As of July 1, Henderson Rotaract member Megan Mortis will be serving in this role.  While Mary Kathryn will still be very involved in Rotaract at the District level, Megan will be your primary contact.

Megan is a Communications graduate from University of Southern Indiana and is currently pursuing a Masters degree in Public Administration from the same university. She is employed with St. Anthony's Hospice as Community Outreach/Volunteer Coordinator.

Megan has been a member of the Henderson Rotaract club for 3 years where she has served as Professional Development chair and currently serves as Community Service chair. She was also a GSE team member to Brazil in 2009. During this past year, Megan helped organize and plan the Rotaract Leadership conference and served as Vice-Chair on the District Rotaract Committee. Recently, she was part of the delegation from District 6710 to attend the Rotary Convention in Montreal, Canada. 

Megan is actively involved in many community projects including Habitat for Humanity, Jr. Achievement, Henderson Community Theater, and children's ministry at Crossroads Christian Church which she is a member.  She looks forward to serving as the District Rotaract Representative and will always keep the Rotary motto of "service above self" in mind.

You can contact Megan at mmortis@sahky.org.

The next Rotary International Convention will be held in New Orleans, May 21-25, 2011. 
 
New Orleans is steeped is history and mystery.  When you walk the French Quarter, you can sense the ghosts of people who lived there hundreds of years ago.  The city holds memories of Native Americans, French, Spanish, African, Irish and German settlers.  Their stories include gracious living, southern hospitality, pirates, voodoo and treasures - still to be found on every street of the French Quarter.
 
The past influences have produced a modern city accented with iron work of the early artists, foods that reflect a mixture of cultures and glimpses of exotic courtyards from another era.
 
The blending of experiences over those hundreds of years has produced a new culture that's unique to New Orleans.
 
Here, you will experience a welcome ambiance and an elegance of artfulness in the architecture, the food, the music -- and in the people.
 
Come and experience Rotary in New Orleans!  You can register now at www.rotary.org.

The next Rotary Day at the UN will be held on Saturday, November 6, at United Nations Headquarters in New York. This is a unique program for Rotary and UN leaders to meet, discuss current programs where we are collaborating, such as with adult illiteracy and Polio Plus, and identify potential areas of future cooperation. Also, it is a great opportunity to spend a weekend in one of the world's greatest cities: New York. Registration information will be forthcoming in the next newsletter. Don't miss it.