District Thanks for Life Calendar

The crocus are blooming on my windowsill and are up in the garden.
Please follow up your crocus plantings and send images to the press and to me. Thank you. Anni

The Rotary Clubs of Burton upon Trent and Bretby are planning a joint exercise for Rotary Week, the details of which are currently being finalised but will consist of, inter alia,:

• A joint meeting of both clubs during Rotary Week; both clubs will also be holding new members / open evenings
• Free-standing triangular display boards illustrating the range of Rotary activities and projects locally, nationally and internationally which will be placed in the three main shopping centres in the town centre
• Visits to local schools to present the Thanks for Life story and talk about the wider work of Rotary, and Purple Pinkie Day
• A collection for Vision Aid Overseas over 2 days of the week in one of the shopping centres
• A series of articles on Polio Plus / Thanks for Life in the local evening paper, in the lead-in to Rotary Week, together with at least one interview with a polio victim and/or someone whose life/family has been affected by polio
• On Sunday Feb 27th both clubs will be manning a stand in the main shopping centre featuring the display stands, activities for children, and information about Thanks for Life and Rotary in general.
• In addition we hope to publicise the Week and the associated events on the local radio stations, and to offer a spokesman to feature in an interview should they wish to do one.

Message from Thanks for Life 2011 District Coordinator, Anni Gell

Thank you for all your hard work so far.

As 23rd February gets ever nearer I am keen to collect information about Thanks for Life/End Polio Now events taking place in your clubs. I would also like pictures and reports on the welfare and hopeful flowering of your crocus bulbs.

There is a national press release going out form Alcester for the event and we have an opportunity to highlight our own district's efforts. In particular if any of you have recruited a "big name" for your event I would be delighted to pass this information on.

I intend to produce a calendar of Thanks for Life Events to put on the district website page and also collect photographs of events for display at the Link Evening in March.

I have a box of Thanks for Life leaflets and a box of “Why Rotary” DVDs a share of which are available to any club putting on events. For the purchase of a do it yourself address stamp available for stationers these materials can be stamped with names and contact numbers and provide valuable membership tools.

These resources could be passed over to your SVPs at PETS on Sunday. Please phone me on 0115 9205905 or text or phone on 07957 565343 to request some and pass on your event detail.

Anni Gell, Thanks for Life Co-ordinator

2010-11

District 1220

Newsletter 5

November 2010

Focus on the Crocus

25 clubs in the district have been involved in planting 90,080 Giant Ruby Crocus during the month of October. The idea being that the purple of the crocus echoes the ink painted on the child’s finger when immunised against polio at an immunisation day event. The crocus should bloom around the time of Rotary day in February when clubs are encouraged to put on Thanks for Life Events and fundraise for Polio. More than 6.1million bulbs have been planted by RIBI clubs this autumn, skewing national supplies of the Ruby Crocus.

The majority of clubs have negotiated planting sites in their local municipal areas and or have liaised with local schools. Some clubs have chosen to fundraise with their bulbs, others have donated them as a community service. Highlights of the planting information so far received are:

Long Eaton Club who through new member Barbara James have worked with the Interact Club at Long Eaton school to encourage the pupils to sponsor a bulb for 20p “Buy a bulb and you may save a life” and to plant these bulbs in the school grounds at the canal side.

The four Derby clubs have worked together to involve the Lord Mayor in a planting in the city.

Bolsover Club have worked with the National trust to plant at Hardwick Hall

Bretby Club have achieved accurate publicity and a picture of their planting in a municipal area.

Kirkby in Ashfield planted bulbs at local school.

Please keep the pictures coming in I hope to organise a display of press cuttings and photographs at the Link evening in March. Don’t forget to photograph your crocus when they flower!

Thanks for Life

Thanks for Life is the creative side of Polio Eradication, probably until 2012. As referred to before we have materials, downloads and expertise to share. Clubs who have held events report great enjoyment and community spirit. If your club hasn’t held an event championing Polio Eradication please consider doing so.

If you have already decided to hold events under the Thanks for Life/End Polio Now banner please let me know what and where and advise me if you wish to book the district pull up displays.

I already have a few bookings for February and am anxious that they are used well.

Now available:

• Ten minute Powerpoint Primary School assembly, easily customised to your club, help available
• Shortened Connie Huq DVD of her visit to an Immunisation day
• Peter Moralee has this Plentiful resources through www.thanksforlife.org - Rotarians

Well done, everyone.

Anni

2010-11

District 1220

Newsletter 4

October 2010

FOCUS ON THE CROCUS

Hopefully planting around the district is now well under way. After a shortfall in some boxes all is now resolved Please send me details and photographs in order to keep our entries on www.focusonthecrocus.org up to date. I have artwork samples for those clubs wishing to order temporary plaques from www.sew-n-print.co.uk/products/signs.

YOUR CLUB’S THANKS FOR LIFE EVENT

May be around Rotary day 23rd February 2011 (n.b school half term)
Thanks for Life exists as a separate emphasis in RIBI and every club is asked to organise at least one event using its theme. Consult the website for a detailed explanation of this. However in a busy world here is my potted version.

1.Publicise Rotary using the theme of Polio Eradication as a significant achievement and intention. Remember the pie chart PDG Tony Stimson showed us last year. Rotary International is the orange chunk of the pie in world giving for Polio immunisation. We are doing the job, we have much to be proud of and much to tell our local communities.
ACTION - A shop window or library display
ACTION - A club special guest meeting with a speaker, maybe one of our district Rotarians who has been on an immunisation day.

2. Go out into your community and engage others in events. Invite others to think of their own ideas. These events mean interaction between Rotary and the community and give opportunities for others to see the human face of Rotary, to consider it worthy of their time and commitment and to wish to accept an invitation to join.
ACTION - Purple pinkie, school assemblies, competitions. Purple stalls and games at Christmas Fair’s. Christmas trees decorated using Thanks for Life pictures. Business dinners, could your President’s dinner dance have a purple theme and have a raffle for Polio?

3. Fundraise to meet the Bill Gates Challenge and the suggested aim of $200 per Rotarian by 2012.
ACTION – News attracting sponsorships, bucket rattles. Ideas from 2. which include fundraising.
 

YOUR SUPPORT

Every club has six posters, the district has two pull up banners, there is a second leaflet which is in my view excellent for sending out to groups with whom to work in partnership. (see merchandise part of newsletter 3.)

I have plentiful further details of how to obtain ink pads, further posters etc and am committed to supporting any club which needs my input. I am attending a meeting at Alcester on 16th October with most other District Coordinators and hope to come back with more ideas. Please keep me informed or your plans. ACTION
 

The August RIBI Thanks For Life newsletter is available for download as a PDF

2010-11

District 1220

Newsletter 1

July 2010

Contact Anni via APAC

Hello 1220

DG Val has asked me to be the District Coordinator for Thanks for Life this year which is continuing with a national focus in October and around Rotary Day, 23rd February 2011. We hope that many clubs in the District will be planning to organise some type of activity around the themes explored last year and the new ideas for this year. I see my role as facilitator to distribute and exchange information and practice throughout 1220 and it would be useful if clubs could let me know the Rotarian responsible for the Thanks for Life event in their club in order that information can be collected and distributed in the next Newsletter.

FOCUS ON THE CROCUS

Adding a new dimension this year, Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland have partnered with the Eden Project and the International Flower Bulb Centre in Holland to take part in The Big Bulb Plant. With a focus on the crocus, this nationwide project will get ‘everyone’ planting bulbs to enhance their environment and develop their communities. Perfect for our year of Building Communities and Bridging Continents! So, how do you take part?

• Plan to plant on 2nd October, when we plan to take the Guinness World Record.

• Buy some purple crocus bulbs – contact me now to benefit from the low cost District purchase scheme or buy locally from a member of the Garden Centre Association.

• Find somewhere to plant them – you know your area, but we can give you more ideas!
  Consider getting young people to plant them in wacky containers, tend them over the winter and bring their displays to school before half term in February

• Encourage interest groups to help you – children just love this, so ‘hands that can’ shouldn’t be a problem!
  Celebrate Rotary Day 23rd February 2011 with a blaze of colour!

National Trust Properties have been approached and I have contact details for Hardwick Hall where they would be happy to have 3,000 planted in their wild border.

Bulbs are available to us from the Gee Tee Bulb company at around 25% of RRP, £13 +VAT per 1000 with a minimum order of 5,000. Recommended planting density, formal 150 bulbs per square metre, naturalized 75 p.s.m.

Postage 8 cartons or more, £40+VAT, smaller orders £5+VAT each 5,000.

To take advantage of this offer orders must be with me by 30th July, (a negotiated later date than other districts) and I will coordinate a district order on that date.

IF YOU THINK YOUR CLUB IS INTERESTED IN GETTING CROCUS BULBS IN BULK TO PLANT IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT YOU TALK ABOUT IT NOW AND E-MAIL OR PHONE YOUR REQUIREMENTS TO ME ASAP

I have lots more information and links for those of you wishing to take part in this and a means of getting smaller quantities of bulbs a preferential prices if that is more appropriate.

The intention is that many clubs may wish to continue or use activities from last year’s successful campaign. We can however draw useful direction from that experience:-

1. Plan early, once Autumn comes and many clubs look towards Santa sleighs etc it is too late. Also if you are thinking of inviting schools to take part in a fund raising activity many schools choose their charitable causes in September for the year and decisions are made by the School Council based on information received.

2. Decide what sort of event you wish to hold and what its purpose is, then it will become clear which club committee spearhead it.The Club TfL event organiser could be a good springboard for a newer member. Every event will have a membership aspect so don’t forget to look outwards.

3. If you are fundraising for Polio remember what worked well last year. Judging from the photographs at RIBI conference Purple Pinkie events, Purple hair, Purple Bath Buns, Purple Football Strip and Wear Purple Days all seemed to catch public imagination and proved very interesting to the Press. I have access to plentiful materials and ideas for schools in addition to that on www.thanksforlife.org

4. As far as I can gather there are no new materials, posters this year but quite a lot of us have last years unused. So events such as window displays around Rotary Day and other awareness events are possible.

5. There is no reason why events have to be in February, think outside the box.
   Events can be a small or as large as you dare, the important thing is to do SOMETHING.

Don’t forget to let me, your District thanks for Life Coordinator know what your plans are; you could be just the inspiration someone else is looking for.

Anni Gell