Dear Rotarians,
Welcome to a new Rotary year! Congratulations to all those who have stepped into new roles leading their clubs. Please know that the District team is here for you with resources, training, guidance, and support whenever you need it.
President Yinka has challenged us to harness the change within ourselves, look to the future, and Create Lasting Impact. Across District 7040, we will be working to listen carefully, respond more quickly, build on the strengths of our clubs, and expand our reach.
This year, we will prioritize impact. We will invite more members to join us, support the development of new clubs, complete meaningful projects, fund polio initiatives, help those in disaster areas, and continue creating conditions for peace.
As I shared at PELS, District Conference, and our District Changeover, I will not be doing traditional club visits this year. Instead, I am looking forward to joining clubs in action. I would love to attend your activities, fundraisers, service projects, and special events so I can work alongside District Rotarians and see the impact you are creating in your communities. Please connect with your Area Governors to help plan these visits. Since I am still working, not all dates will be available, so lead time will be important.
I am also excited to launch the first of my five Governor challenges for every club. This first challenge is for The Rotary Foundation. I will give each club $20 cash of my own money, normally earmarked for The Rotary Foundation. This is seed money for your club to grow into something much more for either the Annual Fund or the PolioPlus Fund.
Use it to start a small project, fundraiser, public awareness campaign, member incentive, or anything else your club chooses. You may wish to do a single project or develop an ongoing effort throughout the year. It is your choice. If your club does nothing, simply return the money in June, and I will submit it to The Rotary Foundation as I normally would. If you grow the starter dollars significantly, you may keep the seed money and add it to your club total before sending the funds to The Rotary Foundation no later than June 15.
And yes, you will also need to share your project and some photos with the rest of us. Let’s rebuild our Annual Fund and continue our work with Polio.
Together, we will succeed to Create Lasting Impact.
In Rotary,
Barbara Fisk
District Governor, District 7040, 2026-2027
