Thursday, 26 May
Le Rotarien website relaunch
Le Rotarien, the French regional magazine, hosted a cocktail reception on 24 May for more than 400 convention goers from the French-speaking world, as well as Francophiles from Brazil, Germany, Portugal, Russia, and the United States. During the reception, Michel Thomas, chair of Le Rotarien, unveiled a revamped website scheduled to launch 1 July.
-- Alain Drouot
All that jazz
Saxophonist Ed Veatch, a member of the Rotary Club of Ponchatoula, Louisiana, USA, can be found on most days at the Market Cafe's bandstand, in the southeast corner of the French Quarter. Veatch, who has performed with blues great B.B. King and the legendary jazz singer Sarah Vaughan, said he was ecstatic to see so many Rotarians in the streets of the Crescent City during the convention.
-- Alain Drouot
Wednesday, 25 May
There's an app for that
Rotarians who attended the workshop "iInteract in the Age of Social Media" on 24 May were treated to a dose of youthful enthusiasm to match the workshop's theme. Interactors from District 5170 (California, USA) welcomed them into the meeting room with high-fives, then led an End Polio Now cheer before launching into their presentation, entitled "Interact: There's an App for That." The teens, who raised $75,000 for polio eradication in 2009-10, explained to Rotarians how they use YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo Groups, and GoogleDocs. Find out more .
-- Diana Schoberg
Polio Unmasked
Huge Mardi Gras floats, a brass band, jugglers, and a stilt walker were just part of the entertainment at the Polio Unmasked concert, 23 May at Mardi Gras World, on the banks of the Mississippi River. The event celebrated Rotary’s progress toward eradicating polio and was streamed at www.wwoz.org .
-- Antoinette Tuscano
Tips for improving your website
Rotarians looking to improve their club’s online presence got some pointers during the workshop "Putting Your Best Face Forward: Club Websites" on 24 May. Tips included making sure your site offers information about club meetings, lists upcoming speakers on a calendar, and features a photo gallery or videos to show off club projects. Read more tips .
-- Antoinette Tuscano
Getting the most from technology
A packed workshop on “New Technologies for Club Communications” offered tips on getting the most out of videos, websites, webinars, and social media, including using free web content and repurposing good content. Attendees learned that it takes six to seven repetitions for a message to get across to an audience, so they shouldn't worry about repeating it too much. View the presentation .
-- Antoinette Tuscano
Tuesday, 24 May
Future Vision update
A workshop on 23 May presented convention attendees with the latest information on the Future Vision pilot . Rotary Foundation Trustee Chair Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammar moderated a panel that included two representatives of the Foundation's new strategic partners: Terry Provence, executive director of Oikocredit USA, and Jan Damery, director of development, Canada, at Aga Khan University . Provence said his organization's ability to reach the poor in isolated areas was a perfect match for Rotary’s grassroots approach. Damery said she hoped the alliance with Rotary would allow Aga Kahn University to expand the vocational support it provides.
-- Alain Drouot
Third caption winner
We have our third winner in the Twitter caption contest. @L_I_S_A_13 won a free copy of A Visual Journey, Rotary's beautiful new photography book. Her clever caption: " No matter what the conditions, trust, because together we can achieve more ." Only two more days to win your free book. Not feeling lucky? You can still be a winner by saving US$10 on the book at the Rotary Bookstore in the House of Friendship.
-- Maureen Vaught
Follow Hewko at the convention
Rotary’s incoming general secretary, John Hewko, is at the convention and on Twitter. Follow him @JohnHewko and read about the convention from his perspective.
-- Antoinette Tuscano
Youth Exchange changed her life
Rotarians active in Rotary Youth Exchange found a new supporter in Margarita Hewko, wife of Rotary’s incoming general secretary. During the question-and-answer portion of the “Youth Exchange: The Next 10 Years” workshop, Hewko told attendees about her experience as an exchange student from Argentina to New Preston, Connecticut, USA, in 1975-76. “It opened the world to me,” she said afterward. “From that day on, my life has been international.”
-- Diana Schoberg
Monday, 23 May
Mayfield performs
Grammy Award-winning trumpeter Irvin Mayfield and his septet filled the second plenary with the sounds of sweet jazz. Mayfield, a professor and cultural ambassador for New Orleans and the state of Louisiana, pumped up the crowd with his solos. The three-song set also featured trombone and banjo solos. Thanking the crowd, Mayfield reminded Rotarians of the importance of the culturally rich New Orleans music scene.
-- Ryan Hyland
One shovel at a time
We’ve named our second winner in the Twitter caption contest. @ricklovall stopped by to pick up his free copy of A Visual Journey, Rotary's new photography book, at the Rotary Bookstore in the House of Friendship. His winning caption was " Making a difference, one shovel full at a time ." In keeping with the contest's theme, the winner had us take a photo of him holding the book alongside staff member Megan Ferringer.
-- Maureen Vaught
"This Close"
Rotary's “ This Close ” public awareness campaign is on display throughout New Orleans during the 2011 RI Convention. The ads are in the airport, on billboards along highways and streets, and in the 19 May edition of the Times-Picayune . Be a part of the excitement and make your own “This Close” ad .
-- Antoinette Tuscano
What US$10 can buy
Hey, convention goers! Is that US$10 voucher burning a hole in your pocket? The Rotary Bookstore can help you spend it. For 10 bucks, you can buy two copies of the After Katrina: Rotary Stories from the Gulf Coast DVD. Or use the voucher to purchase A Visual Journey, Rotary’s new photography book. Combined with the special $25 price, you’ll pay only $15. Stop by the bookstore to see what else $10 can buy you.
-- Maureen Vaught
Sunday, 22 May
RYLA Council
Word from the delegates of the 2011 Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) Council is that the future of RYLA is bright. About 40 Rotarians and Rotaractors with RYLA experience on the club, district, and international level gathered on 20 May for a daylong discussion of the program’s core curriculum, purpose, target participants, and alumni. During small discussions, they shared ideas and drew inspiration. The council will send recommendations for improving the program to the RI Board.
-- Jean Stanula
The first winner
We’ve selected our first winner in the Twitter caption contest: “ Rotarians reaching out as one to embrace humanity .” @carlamom will receive a free copy of A Visual Journey from the Rotary Bookstore in the House of Friendship. We’re posting a new photo on Twitter each day, but you have to play to win.
-- Maureen Vaught
Sounds of the South
If music tells a story, the blues tells the story of the South, said Jerome LeDoux, master of ceremonies for the Sounds of the South Concert, a Host Organization Committee event held 21 May at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. During the two-hour musical tour, Rotarians clapped their hands and stomped their feet to the sounds of the Treme Brass Band, Topsy Chapman and Solid Harmony, Les Getrex and Creole Cookin’, the Bruce Daigrepont Cajun Band, and Michael White and the Liberty Jazz Band.
-- Antoinette Tuscano
Green Light
About 200 Rotary Youth Exchange students from 43 countries teamed up with Green Light New Orleans , going door to door in the Central City and Freret neighborhoods of New Orleans to replace more than 1,000 incandescent light bulbs with energy-efficient bulbs.
-- Ryan Hyland
Future generations
During his keynote address at the Rotary Reunion, 21 May, Michael McQueen, founder of the Australia-based Nexgen Group, encouraged Rotarians to work with younger generations to ensure that Rotary continues to have a positive impact on the world, well into the future. He invited participants to envision the organization celebrating its 200th anniversary on 23 February 2105 and urged them to dedicate themselves to making it happen.
-- Jean Stanula
A night on the town
Rotarians had an opportunity to stroll through the Riverwalk Marketplace, sample regional dishes, and visit the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas during an event Saturday evening coordinated by the Host Organization Committee.
-- Ryan Hyland
Word of hope for Japan
Kathleen Koch, former Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholar and author of Rising from Katrina: How My Mississippi Hometown Lost It All and Found What Mattered , will be a panelist at the Katrina Revisited presentation during the second plenary session on Monday, 23 May. Koch has also launched the Words of Hope for Japan campaign, encouraging people to write letters of support for those affected by the March earthquake and tsunami.
-- Ryan Hyland
Saturday, 21 May
Enter the Twitter caption contest
Have you entered the Twitter caption contest? Every morning we’re posting a new photo from A Visual Journey, Rotary’s new photography book, and asking convention goers to send us a clever caption. A winner will be selected daily and announced on Twitter. Follow Rotary’s convention tweets (#ric2011) to play. Don’t forget to stop by the Rotary Bookstore to see a copy of this handsome keepsake book. During the convention, we’re selling it for US$10 off the cover price -- only $25!
-- Maureen Vaught
Riding for polio
More than 100 Rotarians arrived at the convention on their motorcycles Friday, ending a ride that began in various U.S. cities, including Albany, New York; Chicago; Miami; Sacramento, California; and Seattle, Washington. The riders converged on Baton Rouge, Louisiana, before making their grand entrance in the Crescent City. They set out to raise $1 a mile to help Rotary in its goal of eradicating polio; the results are being tallied.
-- Arnold R. Grahl
Youth Exchange
Rotary Youth Exchange officers mingled and shared laughs over drinks and appetizers during a welcome reception at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on 19 May. The event allowed officers to network and share ideas for the upcoming year. The Youth Exchange Officers Preconvention Meeting took place 20-21 May.
-- Ryan Hyland