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Stafford Rotary
Board of
Directors
President
Debra Schleef
President-Elect
Nelda Mohr
Immediate Past
President
Mary Rose
Secretary
Jamie Larounis
Treasurer
George Franklin
Club Services
Linda Knecht
Service Projects
Jack Broome
Upcoming Programs
May 7- Club Assembly
May 14 – Holly Hazard
May 21 – Annette Jahnel
May 28 – TBA
June 4 – Jennifer Dobson, Better Business Bureau
June 11-Club Assembly
June 25 – NO NOON MEETING, Installation Banquet at Renato’s
Vocational
Phyllis & Craig
McBride
Youth Services
David Honadle
Rotary
Foundation
Mike Catell

Public Image
Julie Franklin
Membership
Carol Foley/ Anne
Overington
Wings & Wheels
Kathryn Barry
Rotary
Grace
O Lord and Giver
of all good,
We thank Thee for
our daily food.
May Rotary
friends and Rotary
ways
Help us to serve
Thee all our days.
April 23 Meeting
President Debra presided and welcomed guests: Kathryn’s guest Bo Barry, David’s
guest Brian Honadle, guest speaker Rick Yount, and Debra’s guests Megan Mason and
Melissa Okrasinski.
Announcements
Kat reminded everyone of the May 6 Community Give and asked that we support the
Central Virginia Housing Coalition’s Hotels for Hom program.
Holly requested a helper or two for The National Federation for the Blind’s walk on
April 27.
Carol called our attention to the District Foundation Newsletter. The District has
points to match donations to the Rotary Foundation. Our club also has matching points
available.
Mike gave an update on our TRF goals for the year. We need to give another $4,500 by
the end of May to meet our goals.
Nelda mentioned that S.E.R.V.E. is another agency in need of donations on the
Community Give day May 6.
Bert asked that we fill out information forms for the Sharing and Caring committee
which he chairs so the club can wish happy birthdays and anniversaries.
The cub elected Debra as our voting representative for the district business meeting.
Program:
Our speaker was Rick Yount from the
Warrior Canine Connection. Rick is a social
worker. The Warrior Canine Connection
connects dogs ready for training as service
dogs with service members and veterans
under treatment for combat stress
In July 2008, Rick created the first Warrior
dog-training program to provide a safe,
effective, non-pharmaceutical intervention
to help treat the symptoms of posttraumatic stress (PTS) and traumatic brain
injury (TBI). The program, based at the
Palo Alto VA’s Men’s Trauma Recovery
Program in Menlo Park, CA evolved into a highly respected intervention. To date, hundreds of Service
Members and Veterans suffering from symptoms of combat
stress have participated.
Rick was asked in 2009 to establish the Warrior dog-training
program at Walter Reed Army Medical Center’s Warrior
Transition Brigade (WTB) in Washington, D.C. In October of
2010, he and the program were invited to be part of the PTSD
and TBI research, treatment, and education mission at the new
National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE), in Bethesda, MD
– located at what is now the Walter Reed National Military
Medical Center.
In 2011, Warrior Canine Connection was founded to expand the
availability of this therapeutic service dog-training program to
DoD and VA medical treatment facilities throughout the
country, and to conduct research to establish this model as an
evidence-based therapy for PTS and TBI.
The organization’s website now has a puppy cam for a new
litter of future service dogs.
During the Q&A Rick was asked if he has thought of expanding
to civilian applications. Yes, there are groups working with
civilians.
Bert enjoyed the presentation. He was happy to report that Monica’s CT scan was good, and her
tumor is smaller.
Rusty paid a cell phone fine. He was happy for good weather.
Kat’s daughter is expecting a boy.
Kathryn enjoyed the program. She was happy that Bo could visit. Her older son Chris began his new
position at Rosner’s.
Shawn was happy for the program and our guests.
Debra was anticipating an exciting district conference. (and it was!)
New Member Corner
7 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR MEMBERSHIP DUES
How much does it cost to be a member of your club? You can probably answer that question. What do
your membership dues cover? That may not be as clear.
Many Rotarians know that a portion of their dues funds club and district expenses, as well as Rotary
International operations worldwide. Few know exactly how that all breaks down. Dues are extremely
important, as they are the single biggest source of revenue providing the services you enjoy as a
Rotarian.
As a companion to Rotary's annual report, and on the heels of a $1 dues increase approved by the 2013
Council on Legislation, we answer some frequently asked questions about where your money goes.
HOW MUCH OF MY TOTAL MEMBERSHIP DUES GOES TO RI?
Right now, RI dues are $53. Depending on where you are in the world, that equates to about 4 to 14
percent of your total membership dues. The rest of your membership dues total primarily covers club
and district expenses, meals, and a subscription to The Rotarian or your regional magazine.
WHY ARE RI DUES INCREASING?
The RI Board of Directors proposed the increase based on a five-year financial forecast projecting that
Rotary's spending would exceed its revenue by $9 million in 2018 if there were no increase. With the
dues increase of $1 a year for three years, spending is still projected to exceed revenue, but by a
smaller margin. The increase keeps the general surplus fund, which is Rotary International's savings,
above the mandated level but does not prevent cutbacks in service.
WHY INCREASE DUES? WHY NOT CUT SPENDING?
This issue is a hot topic not only for Rotary but for the larger philanthropic community. In fact, the
three major U.S. charity-rating groups have publicly agreed that nonprofits should not be judged solely
on frugality; impact is also a critical factor. Significant spending cuts will translate into diminished
service for Rotarians, clubs, and districts, reducing our impact on the communities we serve. So,
Rotary is committed to monitoring and controlling expenses closely, making prudent cuts, and investing
where needed. For example, more meetings than ever take place virtually, and Rotary's data center,
software development, and some transaction processing services were moved to Pune, India, to lower
costs. However, it is important that Rotary continue to invest in staff and technology to grow and
improve the organization.
BESIDES DUES, WHAT OTHER SOURCES OF REVENUE DOES ROTARY HAVE?
Dues account for about 65 percent of Rotary's revenue. The next largest source of income comes from
return on investments. Rotary also earns money through publication sales, international convention
registration revenues, royalties, license fee income, and rental income at the world headquarters
building in the U.S.
IS ROTARY FINANCIALLY HEALTHY?
Yes. Rotary International's general surplus fund exceeds the target established in the bylaws, and the
budget is balanced. In 2011 and 2012, the RI Board of Directors designated $15 million of the general
surplus fund to support strategic initiatives to grow the organization. It allocated $10 million to be
spent over three years on additional public relations grants, a new communications plan, the creation
of Rotary's new visual identity, and the expansion of the organization's social networking presence. The
Board also approved $3 million to be spent on creating and implementing regional membership
development plans, and $2 million for other initiatives. In 2013, the Board approved $2 million to be
used for strategic and operational costs if needed. This strategic spending is important to promoting
Rotary and helps support membership growth, which is critical to the future of the organization.
DOES RI EVER MAKE SPECIAL EFFORTS TO SUPPORT THE ROTARY FOUNDATION?
On occasion, the Board will take extraordinary measures to support the Foundation financially. For
example, over the last two years, RI contributed $10 million from the general surplus fund to PolioPlus.
As a result of that commitment, the Foundation received a $50 million grant from the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation.
HOW DO OUR COSTS COMPARE TO THOSE OF OTHER SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS OF SIMILAR SIZE?
It's difficult to compare Rotary to other international service organizations. However, The Rotary
Foundation's financial performance is included in assessments by various charity-rating agencies. For
example, in the United States, the Foundation receives high marks from several ratings groups. Charity
Navigator gives the Foundation four stars, its highest score. The Foundation meets the 20 standards for
charity accountability set by the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance and is a silver-level
GuideStar Exchange Participant, demonstrating its commitment to transparency. Rotary's partnership
with the Gates Foundation is another strong affirmation of our metrics and reputation.
Peace Corps, Rotary Bound by Service
Posted on May 5, 2014
By Carrie Hessler-Radelet, acting director of the Peace Corps
I come from a family of Rotarians. My father is a Rotarian, and my Aunt Ginny —
whose Peace Corps service inspired me to become a volunteer — was also a Rotarian.
Peace Corps volunteers and Rotarians like my father and aunt are bound by a common
purpose: service. That’s why I’m excited about Peace Corps’ partnership with Rotary International and to see what
we can accomplish together.
The missions of our two organizations reflect and reinforce each other, and our two families – encompassing
Rotarians, Peace Corps volunteers and returned volunteers – overlap and intersect, many times over. In an
increasingly interconnected world, coming together in common cause provides more opportunity than ever to have
the greatest impact.
The Peace Corps and Rotary are old friends. Our organizations have collaborated on projects in literacy, water,
sanitation, and health. Volunteers of both organizations work as members of local communities to address
community needs. Rotary contributes to the Peace Corps Partnership Program, a mechanism for Peace Corps
volunteers and their communities to access small amounts of funding to support grassroots, sustainable development
projects. Rotary funds have helped to purchase everything from construction materials to library books.
This new collaboration will build on our continued efforts to promote service and global development, beginning in
three pilot countries: Philippines, Thailand, and Togo. By piloting ways of working together, we hope to be more
strategic at the country level, find administrative efficiencies and maximize our development impact.
We are eager to join together as we continue to inspire volunteerism across the country and around the world. If you
are a Rotarian working with a Peace Corps volunteer, or a Peace Corps volunteer working with a Rotarian, please
feel free to share your story!
Carrie Hessler-Radelet is the acting director of the Peace Corps. She began as deputy director on 23 June, 2010.
She is a returned Peace Corps volunteer (Western Samoa 1981–83) with more than two decades of experience in
public health focused on HIV/AIDS and maternal and child health.
Other Dates to Remember
May 10 Club Leadership Training Seminar
June 1-4 Rotary International Convention Sydney, Australia
June 28 District Awards and Installation Banquet
October 18 – Wings and Wheels 2014
Room Setup and Take down Schedule
The Friendship Team is responsible for Room Setup in May
Ralph Sutton, Captain
Trevor O’Toole
Shawn Huwar
John Lafley
Each member of the team should arrive early enough to assist fellow team mates in the set up and
remain to assist with the take down. In that way, your team can make these assignments a fellowship
opportunity.
SETUP involves hanging the welcome banner, the Four Way Test banner, the club banner, the Paul
Harris Fellows banners and as many of the banners from other clubs as possible; bringing out the
podium; bringing out the badge box and other materials for the Sergeant at Arms. All of the items are in
the cabinet.
TAKE DOWN involves putting all of these items away.