Plaza Rotary At-A-Glance 11/28/2014

Posted by Jim Lloyd 
on Nov 26, 2014
 
Reminder: No meeting this week
 
Have a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving!
 
 
New Member Profile
 
Say hello to Donovan Dodrill. Donovan is a personal injury attorney and a principal in his own law firm, which is located on the Plaza. He graduated from Davison University, Ohio State University and the New England School of Law.  In addition to his law degree, Donovan holds a BA in Psychology and a Master of Fine Arts.  While in law school, Donovan represented indigent clients in housing and employment cases and managed a legal clinic for indigent clients.  He practiced in Massachusetts before founding his own firm here in 2009.  Donovan is a member of several lawyers’ groups and is a supporter of the Nelson Atkins museum, where his wife, Kim A. Masteller, is Curator of South and Southeast Asian Art.  Donovan enjoys sailing, painting and art collecting. He and Kim have a daughter, Lois Olivia, 5 years old.
 
 
Second announcement: Proposed Club By-law revision
 
Please note: there will be a club vote on this change at our next meeting on December 5th
          
The purpose of this change is to allow classification notification when a new member is proposed, written comment, if any, by members and a time frame when the membership becomes activated.
 
Article XI   Method of Electing Members 
 
Section 1—Before proposing a prospective member for membership, the sponsor shall contact the membership chair, in writing, to see if the proposed classification is open.
If the same or similar classification is filled by an active member(s), the membership chair shall inform those members that a membership application in their classification was received. The proposal shall be kept confidential except as otherwise provided in this procedure.  If a person wishes to become a member, but does not have a sponsor, the membership chair may ask a club member to be the sponsor. A transferring or former member of another club may be proposed to active membership by the former club.
 
Section 2—The sponsor shall inform the prospective member of the purposes, privileges and responsibilities of being a Rotarian.  The sponsor and prospective member shall fill out the sponsor and biographical information form and submit it to the board via the membership chair. The membership chair shall notify the President that a vote should be scheduled.  The  membership chair will ensure the sponsor has informed the applicant of the classification system and membership requirements.
 
Section 3—The board shall approve or disapprove of the applicant within 30 days of submission of the application to the board as a whole. 
 
Section 4—If the vote of the board is favorable, the membership chair shall notify the newsletter editor so the name of the prospective member can be published in the newsletter and members can offer comment and input in writing to the membership chair within seven days of the date published in the newsletter. If no comment is received, membership will be activated eight days after publication in the newsletter. Any comments shall be brought by the membership chair to the board, who may reconsider the application. The membership chair will notify the sponsor and/or applicant after the board vote becomes final.  
 
Section 5—Following the election, the membership chair, sergeant-at-arms and club secretary will arrange for induction.
 
Sergeant’s Report
 
Filed by roving Amigo Will Hodgkinson from the Boston Bureau of the Plaza Rotary Club
 
The Impact of the Rotary Foundation
 
  • John Hewko, General Secretary of Rotary International, from his dinner address at the 15th Annual District 6040 Rotary Foundation Dinner, November 8, 2014.  General Secretary Hewko identified three Rotary initiatives that reflect the organization’s Humanitarian engagement. 
  • Rotary’s first initiative is the global eradication of polio, its primary corporate goal.  The General Secretary estimates the Rotary will need to raise an additional 5.5 billion dollars over the next five years to complete this task.  
  • Second is Rotary’s new grants model that offers several improvements over the past model by providing “more bang for the buck” and greater year over year sustainability.
  • Last is Rotary’s brand strengthening initiative with at least three facets that include a new logo, partnering with community organizations with parallel goals, and clear messaging which asks Rotarians to join with community leaders, exchange ideas, and take action.