Dear Rotary,

Thank you so much for your generous donation of $300! The donation will help pay for some meals during our travels and costumes for the singers. We would like to invite you to our Spring Concert at the Mohave High School Auditorium Thursday, March 5 beginning at 7:00 pm. There will be a great variety of music by all the Mohave choirs. Mystic Rhythm will be singing some new jazz tunes your are sure to enjoy! We really enjoyed performing for you and hope you will invite us again. Thanks again and Happy New Year!

Musically Yours,

Mrs. Cheryl Wilhelm and Mystic

Australia & India

There are two great GSE opportunities in the coming 2009-10 Rotary year. One to Australia (not to be confused with our 2008-09 Australia Wheelchair team which is already in place), and a second GSE to India. The Rotary Foundation's Group Study Exchange (GSE) program is a unique cultural and vocational exchange opportunity for businesspeople and professionals between the ages of 25 and 40 who are in the early stages of their careers. The program provides travel grants for teams to exchange visits in paired areas of different countries. For four to six weeks, team members experience the host country's culture and institutions, observe how their vocations are practiced abroad, develop personal and professional relationships, and exchange ideas. 

For each team member, the Foundation provides the most economical round-trip airline ticket between the home and host countries. Rotarians in the host area provide for meals, lodging, and group travel within their district. District 5490 is currently soliciting team leader applications for both teams (Australia and India). The Australia team will be a special GSE focusing on the Tourism and Hospitality industry whereas the India team will be open to all vocations. 

 All interested Rotarians in District 5490, preferably with experience in the tourism & hospitality fields, should apply NOW for the Australia Team Leader/Team Leader Alternate positions. Expected dates of travel are Sep 21, 2009 thru Oct 20, 2009. 

Team member applications are also now being accepted for the Tourism/Hospitality GSE to Australia. Team members must be employed in the tourism, hospitality or related industry. Team member application deadline is February 16, 2009. Team member interviews will be held on March 1, 2009. Applications may be sent via e-mail or fax to: Don Schiller, PDG Rotary International District 5490 Email: schiller@commspeed.net

Williams Rotary Club at work

The Williams Rotary Club is involved in a fundraiser for the Arizona State Railroad Museum Foundation. This is a state-wide Arizona Centennial project by the Rotary Clubs but individual and businesses can contribute as Museum Founders.

The Museum is an exceptional Economic Development and Economic Stimulus project, putting hundreds of people to work during the two years of construction and once open will create 340 jobs just in time for the Arizona Centennial in 2012. Annual revenues at the city, county and state level generated by this project will range between $4.95 and $9 million.

For more information, visit the web site at www.azstaterrmuseum.org for a more complete visual tour of the planned project.

Advertisers Needed

This year's Burro BBQ is Saturday, April 18th. Chairman Frank Hart is working on the plans for this year's event and enlisting the help of all members to make this the best Burro BBQ yet. Please start thinking about prospective advertisers for this year's Burro Sheet. The advertising revenue provides the largest percentage of club funds from the event for budgeted projects on the local, district and worldwide levels. The forms for Burro Sheet advertising will be available soon.

Next Year's Direction Set

RI President-elect John Kenny announced the 2009-10 RI theme to incoming district governors at the 2009 International Assembly in San Diego January 19th. The 2009-10 RI theme acknowledges the important role individual Rotary clubs will play in shaping the future of Rotary. "The future of Rotary will not be shaped at RI headquarters -- it will be shaped in each and every Rotary club," Kenny said, "because it is for each of us -- as Rotarians -- to do what is necessary to keep Rotary strong." "The goals we set, whatever our action plan, it is in our hands to accomplish or not," said Kazeem Mustapha, governor-elect of District 9125 (Nigeria). "Everybody has to be involved." "Everything begins and ends with our clubs," he said. "Our clubs can and do work together; they work through their own districts, in cooperation with other clubs and districts, and with the support of our Foundation. "But at the end of the day, everything that we accomplish is done through the strength of our clubs. And so each club must have autonomy to serve where and how it can serve best."

Next Year's Theme Logo

Meeting at Chamber Next Thursday

Our club will be hosting a special media luncheon at the Chamber of Commerce building on Thursday, Jan. 29, to launch "Begin With The Children".  This local Rotary project is in cooperation with our two area hospitals, designed as an intervention program targeting the parents of newborns to give them information and encouragement to provide their babies with the basic nuturing required by all children. Willie Richardson is heading up this innovative project and District Governor Charlie Tegarden will join us for this special event, along with representatives of WARMC and Valley View Hospital.  Members of the media will be on-hand to provide some valuable press coverage to help get the word out to the community and provide some good PR for Rotary and the organizations involved.