Monday, May 15, 2023 By: Jeffrey Romine
It is important for RLI-HOA District Coordinators to know and understand that RLI-International is working on curriculum changes. Every 2-3 years this occurs. District Leaders of RLI should watch for the opportunity to adopt new materials, when available. Accordingly, work towards depleting material inventories may save resources.
Saturday, May 13, 2023
When I received a call from Tom Greene, RLI-HOA Board Chair, to consider replacing Bo Porter as the Faculty Trainer, I told Tom I’d have to think about it. I’ve known Bo Porter for many years, and I know the job he has done to keep RLI on the tracks and to train the many facilitators over the years, including me. I took a week or so and then told Tom that I would accept the challenge. I feel I’m up to the challenge. There is another article about me that has been published that details my background.
So, what has happened so far since I took over. I’m in the process of working with the various Regional Coordinators to determine where they are in their areas of responsibility and where there are positives and where there are gaps that need to be addressed. By the way, we are blessed with six excellent coordinators who know what they are doing and are dedicated to growing RLI.
Once I finish that task, I’ll be able to determine where resources and energy need to be applied and we can get more Districts involved and get others to grow. In my District 6780, I know that the reaction after attending especially RLI-I, is ‘that I learned more today than I have in the many years I have been in Rotary’. That’s what I like to hear. I believe the more we can educate our Rotary members about Rotary, the better the chances are that we can retain them and get them more engaged.
The other challenge will be having enough facilitators to facilitate the various RLI programs that we anticipate. If you are interested in facilitating, please contact your District RLI Chair and let them know you want to be part of growing Rotary thru RLI. Thanks.
I look forward to working with all of you in any way I can to make the RLI program as strong as it can be. The stronger RLI gets, the stronger Rotary gets.
Greg Maciolek
RLI-HOA Faculty Trainer and Training Chair
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Sunday, February 5, 2023 By:
At the January 10, 2023 Quarterly Board meeting, RLI-HOA leadership indicated that it should be within the grasp of the RLI-HOA Districts to register 500 participants in RLI sessions during the next calendar year. This goal accompanies an earlier stated goal of each RLI District generating 1 RLI graduate by June 30. In the calendar year prior to the Covid pandemic, approximately 900 registrants completed RLI sessions. Many districts rely on their RLI programs to assist in the preparation of leaders for Rotary. District Coordinators and District Governors are encouraged to collaborate and help the Rotarians that they serve to develop a heightened understanding of Rotary and its many meaningful and substantive programs. If you encounter obstacles or barriers to expanding your RLI program, please let the RLI-HOA leadership team know, so that energies can be focused on removing problematic obstacles and/or barriers.
Sunday, February 5, 2023 By: Jeffrey RomineIf you need ideas for promoting your RLI sessions, you may want to check out rgw RLIHOA.org website "Resources" and "
Marketing Materials" area. Recent contributors include: Judy Worth, Eric Marcus, and Julie McCoy. If you have marketing pieces that you are willing to share, please let Jeff Romine know, at jeff.romine@gmail.com.
Tuesday, January 31, 2023 By: Jeffrey RomineRLI-H
OA leadership is delighted that Greg Maciolek has accepted the position as RLI-HOA Faculty Trainer and Training Chair. Greg, a member of the Rotary Club of Knoxville Breakfast in Knoxville TN, is no stranger to training and hard work. He was club president three times. Greg is a former Rotary Public Image Coordinator in 2015-2018 and District Governor in 2019-20. He served in the MI Air National Guard and US Air Force for 26 years as a fighter pilot, instructor pilot, commanded a flying group of 1,100 personnel; commanded the ANG Professional Military Education Center in Knoxville. He retired as a Colonel. He also has experience with General Motors and Ford Motor Company in leadership positions. He continues to work with organizations on their leadership development needs. In short, Greg is well suited to his new responsibilities. District Coordinators can look forward to working with Greg as they encourage new and existing facilitators to develop and/or enhance their facilitation skills for teaching RLI sessions. Expect Facilitation Training opportunities to be available in the near future.
Tuesday, January 31, 2023 By: District Coordinators are reminded JD Rottero is available to help you set up the registration for your RLI sessions. To be best prepared to talk and work with JD, you are encouraged to review the document that is available by clicking
here to access, where JD Rottero provides written assistance in your RLI planning and registration process.
Tuesday, November 29, 2022 By: Jeffrey RomineYour RLI-HOA leadership wants your District to have a successful RLI program. JD Rottero recently took some time to record his advice for RLI District and Regional Coordinators to assist them with the RLI planning and registration process. Click
here to access the document directly from our RLI-HOA website.
Monday, November 14, 2022 By: Romine, Jeffrey M.I am sure you have seen the commercials that run on the theme of
"What's In Your Wallet?" It's about having an advantage in your shopping experience.
Did you know that the Rotary Leadership - Heart of America Division has a similar question for you? This question is: -- "What's in your personal toolkit?" Let me explain -- The real advantages of the RLI experiences include more knowledge about many aspects of Rotary that is gained, such as how Rotary works and how you might make something.png)
happen that would be very important to others and yourself. Along with an increased knowledge of Rotary, opportunities exist to further develop your leadership skills in a volunteer organization and to meet new friends.
Recently, I personally learned much from a brief survey about the use of one word "ENGAGEMENT". As a result of the experience, it has become very important to me that I listen intently to, partner with, and remove barriers for others. Interestingly these themes are also accomplished through our facilitation and sharing experiences in RLI. I want to help you in your District!
RLI has the potential to help each of our Districts to move forward, while helping Rotarians reach their full potential of “making a meaningful difference.” I encourage you to join with RLI-HOA leadership, to help identify the barriers to implementing a successful District RLI program where you live.
In the aftermath of the Covid pandemic, many Rotary Clubs are damaged; your help is needed to increase the momentum forward in strengthening Rotary.
Call to Action
The leadership of RLI-HOA is asking each RLI District within our division to graduate 1 (one) person from RLI during the 2022-2023 year. Of course, more would be better, but if you can help one person, your District will begin moving forward.
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Monday, May 8, 2023 By: The RLI-HOA Board met on April 11. Tom Greene, Chair, presided over the meeting. He indicated that during the recent election, RLI-HOA Officers were elected for the upcoming two-year terms, and the 2023-2024 Budget was approved by a majority of the RLI-HOA District Governors, members of the Board, and District Coordinators. The following individuals were re-elected to serve beginning July 1, 2023.
Position and individual:
Secretary – Linda Thomas, D 6190
Treasurer – Frank Bradshaw, D 6200
Regional Coordinator, serving D-6600/6630/6650/6670/6690 – Bill Shula
Regional Coordinator, serving D-6710/6740/6540/6560/6580 – Dean Hammond
Key budget details included:
Projected breakeven, and registration fees of $15 for virtual sessions without materials, $30 for virtual sessions with materials, and $60 for in-person sessions with materials.
Other action by the Board:
The board approved that under certain conditions, the registration fees could be flexible. When necessary, primarily due to unusual costs experienced with local venue and meal pricing. District Coordinators can have a discussion with J D Rottero, the RLI-HOA Registrar, and with his approval, change the price of an RLI session. District Coordinators need to be aware that a small financial profit is necessary for each session to provide resources to cover overhead of the RLI-HOA administration. Otherwise RLI-HOA does not achieve the goal of break-even.
Special Recognition of Bo Porter
The Board also recognized Bo Porter’s accomplishments and involvement in RLI, at the District, Divisional, and International level for his accomplishments and service. The Board recognized Bo as an emeritus member of the Board, a lifetime honorary position.
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Monday, November 14, 2022 By: Jeffrey RomineThe visual images of the lost and damaged property in the aftermath of hurricanes, tornados and fires dramatically influence viewers. Hopes and prayers go out to the individuals that are adversely affected. Financial aid may follow. Often, storm affected individuals demonstrate perseverance and persistence, and after shedding tears, develop a resolve and commitment to rebuilding their lives as they move forward. Help is deeply appreciated.
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Disaster Strikes
Much like a storm, the Covid pandemic adversely affected countless lives, communities, and service organizations. Some Rotary Clubs were seriously injured and destroyed, while others were only damaged. The RLI-HOA leadership and educational program was heavily damaged for understandable reasons. The success of the program had been based entirely on in-person sessions. Face-to-face interactions with other Rotarians in a classroom setting and during breaks and meals was a great strength of the program and oft cited as a wonderful experience, perhaps the most important portion, by participants. Then, like a lightning strike, valuable face-to-face interactions ceased in early 2020. The risks were too great to continue meeting. The offering of RLI-HOA sessions was dramatically impacted, and a 100% decline in sessions resulted for a short time.
Prior to the pandemic, from its inception in 2010, RLI-HOA had experienced steady growth in the offering of sessions, with over 900 individuals recorded as participating in RLI courses division-wide in 2019. By contrast, after a relatively abysmal 2020, in the 2021-2022 year approximately 225 individuals, division-wide, attended online sessions. This was our most recent full year. However, although it was division wide, of the 26 Districts with RLI programs, only a handful of Districts offered online RLI sessions during the 2021-22 year. This served as a double whammy for some clubs. Not only were their clubs injured, but one of the key methods of developing future leaders was also heavily damaged.
Reason for Hope and Optimism
With many of the major problems of the pandemic subsiding, there is reason for optimism. In many of the communities within our division, we can return to offering in-person courses. The RLI-HOA leadership team took advantage of the lull in offering RLI courses to adapt a new and much-needed information and communication system, which is based on the DACdb platform. Also, Districts were encouraged and supported in their efforts to offer online courses. A culture appears to be emerging where both online and in-person RLI sessions will be available. Districts that experienced some of the benefits of conducting online sessions are reluctant to completely abandon the approach, yet it appears that the in-person sessions are preferred.
Appeal for Assistance
Each Rotarian and RLI enthusiast should be considering these questions in the aftermath of the storm. How badly is your Rotary Club injured, and what can you do to help repair it? Since we need continued strong and educated leaders serving in our Rotary Clubs and Districts, how can you help repair your District’s RLI program to continue developing future Rotary leaders? If your District is offering RLI sessions, how can you help them be stronger or larger? If your District is not currently offering RLI sessions, how can you help that process to restart? Do you know your RLI District Coordinator? Can you reach out to that person and offer to help? If you have time and energy to spare, now would be a good time to step forward.
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Tuesday, May 9, 2023 By: Thomas GreeneIs there a difference between the Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) classes and the other training that one can receive in Rotary? Is the training in one area as good as the training in another? These are great questions to help explain why RLI training is a unique experience.
Rotary offers great training that improves the effectiveness of our organization. Examples are PETS training for Presidents-Elect which prepares an incoming officer for their new assignment.
This training is designed to teach a subject in depth to prepare a Rotarian for a specific role. Most of the time it is by invitation. One is invited to attend because of their new assignment. I refer to this as role-based training. It is targeted to a specific position such as club officer, member of the club board, or club Foundation or Membership chair.
In contrast, Rotary Leadership (RLI) training is leadership based and provides a broad overview of how Rotary works. This training teaches key insights that will guide participants in future opportunities. The different parts of RLI focus on the interaction among the people in the training. The facilitator’s skills are aimed at helping the students understand that the answers are in the room, within the participants, and not necessarily within the facilitator. Most importantly, the participants choose to participate rather than being asked to attend. This training provides the participant a broader understanding of what Rotary can accomplish and how to collaboratively participate with Rotarians to make a difference through their engagement. Because classes cover fundamental topics, almost anyone can benefit from RLI classes.
RLI training is truly leadership-based and not role-focused. Every Rotarian has the opportunity to participate regardless of their place in the club. RLI will prepare the participant with a broad understanding of leadership and knowledge of Rotary for whatever future opportunity may be presented. When a Rotarian is invited to take on a specific role, RLI provides a framework to use. You won’t be invited, but you can invite yourself to be a part of RLI and learn from others along the way. Why not invite yourself today? Courses being scheduled can be found at the following website HTTP://WWW.RLIHOA.ORG/CALENDAR
Tom Greene, Chair, RLI-HOA Division
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Wednesday, February 8, 2023 By: The current Board of RLI-HOA met via zoom on January 10 for their regular quarterly meeting. Action was taken on two items, election of officers and the 2023-24 operating budget were approved by the Board to be shared with RLI-HOA District Governors. Board members, and District Coordinators. Their votes are due on March 2, and the results will be shared in a future Bulletin.
Two other topics were discussed. RLI-HOA leadership is challenging the Divsion's RLI Districts to continue to ramp up their RLI programs and have set a goal of 500 total division-wide student registrants during the 2023 calendar year. This goal accompanies an earlier stated goal of each RLI District generating 1 RLI graduate by June 30. In the calendar year prior to the Covid pandemic, approximately 900 registrants completed RLI sessions. This goal is less than the registrations accomplished during the last calendar year before the Covid pandemic struck in 2020 but more than in the period of time post-pandemic. District Governors and Coordinators are encouraged to identify and overcome any barriers they encounter to accomplishing this goal. And always remember the RLI-HOA leadership can help with this important work.
The Board also expressed deep appreciation for Bo Porter's many years of work and support of RLI-HOA during its existence. Bo will be stepping down as the RLI-HOA Faculty and Training Chair. Without doubt, RLI-HOA would not be the organization it is today, where approximately 1700 Rotarians have benefited from RLI Sessions, without Bo. Readers are reminded that Bo received the Michael Rabasca Outstanding Achievement Award at the RLI Annual meeting in September of 2021. Please see article on the home page and elsewhere in this Bulletin regarding Bo.
The Board also appointed a replacement to the vacated position as RLI-HOA Faculty and Training Chair. Greg Maciolek has accepted the position. Greg is highly qualified to assist in RLI training of facilitators. Readers will find a brief article in this Bulletin and in the RLI-HOA news stories. Welcome Greg to the organization when you see and talk with him.
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Thursday, November 18, 2021 By:
Welcome to our website! We are now fully implemented. You can register for an RLI event at this site using upcoming events as well as get answers to your questions by using Contact Us on the ribbon above.
Tuesday, January 31, 2023 By: Jeffrey Romine[This article is a condensation of an article that appeared in the October 2021 RLI-HOA Newsletter. Bo Porter's contribution to RLI-HOA has been enormous. If you see him or know him, be sure to thank him for his contributions and sacrifices for RLI-HOA, as he steps down as the RLI-HOA Faculty Trainer and Training Chair.]
After approximately 35 years of Rotary membership, not much happens in Rotary to truly surprise me …. Not so on July 13, 2021 when I began reading e-mails for the day and opened a message, quoted below, from newly elected Chair of RLI International, PRIVP Mike McGovern. Quoting the beloved Gomer Pyle…Surprise! Surprise! Surprise! does not do the moment justice.
“On behalf of the Board of Directors of the International Rotary Leadership Institute, I am pleased to inform you that you are being recognized with the Michael Rabasca Outstandi
ng Achievement Award at the RLI Annual Meeting to be held virtually on 8 September. The award was recently named for Michael Rabasca who was the long-time Executive Director from the beginnings of RLI to this past year, when he retired shortly before his passing. The award was long known as the RLI International Outstanding Achievement Award. There have been 25 recipients of the award since 2010. This year we are providing this recognition to you and three others with two of the awards designated as 2020 awards and two as 2021, since no awards were given last year. This recognition is for your work both assisting the International RLI as well as your service in the Heart of America Division."
[This brief extraction is from an article originally published in October of 2021, written by Jane Malloy, it is just too good to not bring forward for others to see and know about Bo.]
RLI is designed for those Rotarians who have the potential and willingness to engage in future club leadership (not necessarily as club presidents) to provide them with a quality education in Rotary knowledge and leadership skills so important in voluntary organizations. The leadership skills you will obtain at an RLI event will help you not only in your Rotary career, but will apply to your leadership efforts professionally as well.