Larry and Paula Petrash
District Governor 2014-2015
Well, another big day in the life of a District Governor has arrived.   July 1, 2015 I officially became a Past District Governor.  The journey to PDG was absolutely incredible.  Thank you District 5790 for the rare, and incredible, opportunity to be your District Governor for the past year.  Thank you, more specifically, to the, now, Past Presidents that helped to make 2014-2015 a fantastic year for their respective clubs as well as to my Lieutenant Governor Deb Wey District Secretary Darhyl Ramsey, my  Assistant Governors, and my committee chairs for doing their part to make the past year successful.
 
 
Our District Conference this year, by all accounts, was great.   My objective was to make the conference educational, entertaining, and fun.  I think it safe to say we accomplished our goals.  Our conference was the first time we ventured out and conducted service projects.  The community had an opportunity to see “Rotary In Action”.  Rotarians worked at our Wichita Falls Food Bank and at River Bend Nature Center, and in Rotary fashion, made a contribution to the community and had a great time doing it.  It was ”Service Above Self” at its finest. Thanks, Deb West, my conference chair, for going the extra 10 miles with me to make that happen.
Our educational forum, for those that did not participate in the service projects, was also a huge success.  Thanks goes to PDG Sharron Miles who organized the breakout sessions.  We learned about “Leaving a Legacy” from PRID Don Mebus; we learned what our group of young professionals wanted from their clubs and the older members, led by Lenna Barr from District 5870, Rotary Club of Killeen. Last, and certainly not least, we learned some Rotary Basics from DGE Mary Ann McDuff and her panelists.  Thanks to all of you for making this a successful part of our conference.
As District Governor, my club visits were awesome!  I’ve often heard abut all the wonderful things our clubs are doing.  As Gary Huang said at the International Convention in Sao Paulo, “hearing something a hundred times is not as good as seeing once.”  I learned so much about each club.  Most importantly, I learned about the great work each club was doing for their community, their work on international projects, their contributions to The Rotary Foundation and to Shelterbox USA, an incredible Rotary partner. District 5790 Rotarians contributed $40,000 to Shelterbox, from all sources, this year.  By so doing we are helping more than 400 desperate families to survive and rebuild their dignity.  I say “Thank You” to each of you that have contributed so generously.
Another historically significant event in our district was the chartering of two new clubs. I had the privilege of signing, and presenting, the charters for The Rotary Club of Golden Triangle, chartered April 16, 2015, and the Rotary Club of Aledo which was chartered May 15, 2015. Two new clubs in one year! A milestone not easily accomplished.  Thanks to the membership committee and to PDG Jim Giffin to help make this happen.
Our contributions to The Rotary Foundation Annual Programs Fund almost reached the coveted $100 per member.  At approximately $274,000, the District was as close as we’ve ever been.  We should strive to hit that number, this next year, as we strive to “Be A Gift To The World”.  We can do it!  We just need to focus on that goal a bit more.
Membership growth in the District was outstanding this year.  Membership “drove the bus” this year and membership will continue to be a top priority this next year.  Thank you AGs for organizing all the area meetings so that we could emphasize what could be done to attain our goals.  Thanks to the membership committee for the ongoing promotion of membership in the district.  We ended the year at approximately a net gain of +87.  We were short of our goal but we ranked about #3 in our zone out of 22 Districts! (Please keep in mind these numbers change daily and it’s somewhat difficult to keep track)  It represents the second year in a row our district has ended with a big net gain.  Rotary International saw an 11 month gain of 47,084; 30 Zones of 34 saw a net gain in membership.  So, while we are making good progress, we must continue in our efforts. 
Our challenge, across Rotary and our District, is to realize, that we as Rotarians, have an individual responsibility, each year, to recruit at least one new member for our club.  That’s one member, each, within the next 12 months! When thinking of membership this next year, think, “if it is to be, it is up to me.”   If everyone does their part, membership will cease to be an issue.
Thanks again District 5790.  It’s been a great year. You have accomplished a lot to “Light Up Rotary!” Paula and I close out our year with a great feeling of accomplishment.  Most of all we are proud of your efforts “to do all you can do.! Now it’s time to accomplish new goals and “Be A Gift To The World!”