Meet Our New District 5400 Governor, Jim Hogge
OUR NEW GOVERNOR'S MESSAGE
Posted by Jim Hogge, District Governor on Jun 26, 2016
We are at an exciting time of year—all new Rotary leadership July 1st. Each Club has a new President and the District has a new Governor. In most cases, this is the first time that most of us have done this. On behalf of all of us that are new, please be patient. We are doing the best that we can and are learning as fast as we can. After meeting your new Presidents at PETS, I am proud to serve with them. They have Rotary in their hearts and will make this year fun and productive.I just returned from Seoul, South Korea. The Rotary International Convention was outstanding. The Koreans pulled out all the stops! The venue was great and the number of buses to get us to and from the hotels was beyond belief. There were 45,000 Rotarians from around the world. I believe there were about 20 of us from District 5400—it is hard to find everyone when there are 45,000. The speakers were inspiring. One morning, we had the Secretary General of the UN, Prime Minister of Korea, and Prime Minister of Sri Lanka speak to us. We were entertained by Psy of “Gangnam Style,” ask your children and/or grandchildren if you are not familiar. Here is a video that gives a few brief views of Seoul-- Gangnam Style.
Beth Markley provided her Facebook friend of us a running documentary on the family’s adventure in Seoul. Beth’s ability to tell a story in phenomenal—she could be the next Erma Bombeck. Next time you see Beth or Mike, ask about the “salmonella salad.”
I am now energized more than ever for the coming year. I encourage all of you to attend the Convention in Atlanta. I am confident that you will find that it is worth the investment in time and money. The Atlanta Convention will celebrate the 100th Year of the Rotary Foundation. This is a great time to meet Rotarians from around the world.
I am looking forward to learning about your club and learning how the District can help. Since most of the Clubs meet on Tuesday, it will take more than 4 months to visit all clubs. I have spoken with the last ten District Governors and they all say that the Club visits were the highlight of the year. My wife Carla will attend the majority of the Club meetings. The only thing that will prevent her from being there will be our grandson Emerson.
We just finished the review of the District grants and I was impressed with all the things our Clubs are doing in their community and around the world. Please share your projects with your community. There is no better way to attract new members by demonstrating that we get things done!!
Thanks and I look forward to meeting you at your Club! Jim