Thank you for being uniquely you and for your presence last weekend at the Hanover Marriott.  Are you refreshed, rested, and energized after more than two days of "doing Rotary" with us in Whippany, New Jersey?  May the information you shared and contacts you made empower your journey in club leadership and allow you and your club to CREATE LASTING IMPACT .

Have you started to unpack your take-ways from our time together?  The potential partnerships, connections, tips, tricks, and best practices that stood out to you CAN form the basis for a great 2026-27 Rotary year. 

As you continue toward July, use Rotary's Action Plan as your strategic guide to creating lasting change, locally and globally.  Be the one that motivates your club to think and act more strategically, setting goals in the Goal Center and making them the foundation for club continuity and stability over three-year "rolling" cycles.

For a motivational message from Rotary International President-Elect Olayinka Hakeem (Yinka) Babalola, who regretted that he was not able to join us, please click  here .

 

Speaking of videos, why not start one of your next club meetings with a next-gen "Rotary Rap" from Paul Harris  or  Arch Klumph ?

PELS, like everything else in Rotary, is a team sport.  Please thank and appreciate with me all those who made last weekend special.

  • Trustee and Rotary International Director-Elect Marty Helman
  • Our sponsors and donors - Lincoln Financial | NJ Rotary | Wakefern ShopRite | Russell Hampton | Rotary Club of Metro New York City |Wegman's
  • Our House of Friendship exhibitors -  ClubRunner |  EPIC Day of Service |  Flags for Heroes |  Gift of Life International | My Custom Tailor |  Period Product Initiative | Russell Hampton
  • Our plenary speakers - Joanne Rosa | Radhi Spear| Marty Helman | Cindie Kish |Joanne Ventura | Amy Sheller | Michael Sheldrick
  • The seasoned Rotary leaders who so ably led each breakout session
  • The Rotary International staff who joined and informed us - Diana Edwards | Rebecca Silber | Celeste Herbert | Lauren Fields
  • Managment and staff of the Hanover Marriott
  • DJ Mike Harley
  • Our AV team - Matt Dizefalo and Tom Kubacz from THS Multimedia, LLC.
  • My Rotary family from District 7230, whose support continues to carry me through my Rotary journey.  Special thanks to Assistant Governor Cecily Smith, RC of Yonkers-East Yonkers President Alan Gray, and PDG Rev. Dr. J. Loren Russell for their incredible production help.

To the persevering and untiring group of volunteer leaders that spent the last year united in club service with me, THANK YOU!  You enabled every success of the 2026 Mid-Northeast President-Elect Learning Seminar.  We ran this race together to the end.   This event would not happen without your untold hours of hard work and dedication over many years.  Kudos to PDGs Mel Ellwood, Cindie Kish, Mary Ellen Bentler, Marcia Loughman, Arnie Quaranta, Mike Polasek, Mahbub Ahmad, Loren Russell, Nikki Mederos et al., and soon to be PDG Tim Genetti.

To District Governors-Elect Rose Quaranta, Maksud Chowdhury, Carrie Hernandez, Joe Nastus, Andy Chapman, and President-Elect Bill Mercantini, I wish you and your Districts well on what will be one of the most amazing years of your lives.  To Vice Chair Mel Ellwood and District Governors-Nominee Pam Greene, Serkan Ceylan, Todd Bowen, Kalpana Patel, Rob Oldroyd, and President-Nominee Nikki Mederos, the future of this organization is yours. I look forward to celebrating your every success!

Stay amazing!   YOU can CREATE LASTING IMPACT!

Yours in Rotary,

Mary

Mary Eileen Shackleton,

General Chair 2026