THE Express Rotary-West Newsletter 12/21/2010

10th Polio Eradication (NID) trip to India – February 2011

Dear Fellow Rotarians

District 5240 is putting together another team of Rotarians to India to participate in a NID (National Immunization Day) on February 20-21, 2011.

The trip will most likely start on February 15th and end around February 26th. Besides the activities on Feb. 20th, door to door immunization will be done over a few days starting on the 21st (we will do door to door only for 1 day). This will entail some long hours and lots of walking (which means you need to be in good shape physically and mentally).

Here are some guidelines that will influence the selection process:

1. Team size will be limited to constraints of our host Rotarians.

2. Rotarians who are sponsored by their clubs will be given a preference.

3. At this point we would prefer to have only 1 member per club. However, if there are more than 1person from the same club, we will have a list of alternates in case there is a last minute cancellation and/or changes. This process will give a better representation throughout the district.

4. The sponsoring club can consider this as an international service project and should be prepared to explore worthy projects from the host districts in India.

5. Preference will be given to those who have not participated in previous NIDs.

6. Team members must be in good physical and mental health considering the stress and strains of long flying time and a busy and hectic schedule while in India. This requirement is very important.

7. The District expects that the team members will become ambassadors of the Polio Eradication Program in their clubs and their local communities.

8. It will be nice if we have some team members who are in (i) health profession, (ii) journalist, photographers and videographers.

9. A rough estimate of the cost, including air travel, is around $3000, ($200 out of this is required to be sent with the attached Participation Form), for the whole trip – (this does not include your food or shopping sprees). You can reduce the cost by sharing the hotel room with another team member. Once we have the team finalized, you will get a copy of the participants with their contact information. You can contact other people on the team and seek roommates.

10. We will have a day or so to do shopping and sightseeing in New Delhi.

11. Once we are in India, the team will be split into teams of 3-5 people and each team will go to different locations, so some internal travel will be involved which will be arranged by us.

12. Please make sure that your passports are current and do not expire within 6 months of the trip completion.

13. A 3 to 4 hour’s orientation program will be held sometime in January 2011 at the home of PDG Anil Garg, 4537 Lubbock Dr. Simi Valley, Ca, for education on polio and other cultural nuances. It is mandatory to attend this session.

14. Our role on this trip is also to advance international understanding, goodwill and peace through fellowship united in the ideals of service, and providing moral support to the volunteers involved in the immunization program.

15. Once the team is put together, you will be asked to send the remaining funds for the trip.

16. I will be making all the arrangements for air travel to India, travel within India and the hotel stay.

     Forms may also be obtained from the District Website, under the End Polio Now section on the front page. Send them to the address below latest by December 24th , 2010.

--Anil Garg
4537 Lubbock Dr
Simi Valley, CA 93063

Res:    805 583 0246
Work: 805 520 9790
Cell:    805 300-9790
Fax:    805 584 9790

Join us in New Orleans for the 2011 Rotary International Convention
Greetings Rotarians of Rotary District 5240

I am proud to serve your District as District Governor for the Rotary Year 2011-12. My wife, Roxanne, and I would like to take this time to personally invite you. This is a great opportunity to experience firsthand the International family of Rotary.

     The convention in New Orleans is also the last convention in the USA for several years moving to 2012 in Bangkok, 2013 in Portugal, and 2014 in Australia. Come see what Rotary is like beyond your Club, and why YOU make Rotary the number one humanitarian organization in the world.

     New Orleans is on the road back and the French Quarter is stronger than ever. The Krewe of Nomura has a great hospitality event planned for you and our District on Sunday May 22 in New Orleans. Each year the District Governor- Elect has the pleasure of hosting the hospitality suite and we feel this is a great opportunity to say Thank You for attending the Convention and an opportunity to meet your fellow Rotarians from our District. I can attest that we have the Best Rotarians in Rotary!

     The District hotel is the N.O. Convention Marriott and we already have 56 rooms booked for the President-Elects and 23 District 5240 Rotarians have already reserved rooms in other hotels in the area. Sharon will provide a list of suggested properties at the end of this message to help you make a decision on booking a room. We have been told we have the most Rotarians registered for the event, including the host district! There is lots of excitement already for an event six months away.

     Getting to New Orleans promises to be an adventure for some of our District Rotarians. They are planning to go by Amtrak and Amtrak has offered a discount on travel to the Convention.

     We are also planning on many other “surprises” for those that are going. So please let my COO, Sharon Girod of the Rotary Club of China Lake, know if your are going and where you will be staying.

A couple of deadlines:

* 15 December is the first registration deadline. For most attendees, the convention registration cost increases to $340 after this time.

* 31 March is the second registration deadline. After this time, the convention registration cost increases to $380.

     Please come and join us for this “Memory of a Lifetime” Rotary Event! Roxanne and I look forward to letting the good times roll with you in New Orleans.

--Wade Nomura

District Governor 2011-2012 District 5240
"Transforming Our World"

Quick Notes From Sharon:

     December 15th is the last day to register for the RI Convention before the price goes up from $300 to $340.

     CLICK HERE for convention info. The Host Committee has lots of great tours and "New Orleans" experiences planned for visitors.   CLICK HERE for tours and activities.

     I asked Experient for hotels that had 20 or more rooms available for the convention. My thought was to suggest to District Rotarians several choices so we can try to keep our group fairly together. The Westin is also in a GREAT location but it was not on the list that Rose sent me. The W New Orleans was on the list and is in a great location but traveler comments are all over the place and it skews to the negative. You don't have to use any of the properties suggested and I can't guarantee the performance of staff or condition of at a specific property.

     This Ranking is based on location, price, type of property, and travelers comments on the list that Experient gave me. The current available hotels with 20 rooms or more are the following:

     New Orleans Marriott - #1 Choice, surprising this is one of the primary convention hotels but it still has rooms, the only downside is that they charge for internet access

     Astor Crowne Plaza - #2 Choice

     Bourbon Orleans Hotel - #3 choice - This is in the heart of the French Quarter, smaller rooms and it can be VERY noisy due to the location. Some rooms have been remodeled but many have furniture and fixtures that pre-date the Civil War.

Courtyard by Marriott Downtown	Hotel Intercontinental	The Roosevelt New Orleans
Renaissance Arts Hotel	Ritz Carlton New Orleans	The Iberville Suites

Also: Le Cirque - close to Business 90 and the Garden District, kind of out of the way

      Springhill Suites - not fancy but close to the convention center and just behind the N.O. Convention Marriott

        W Hotel New Orleans - some negative traveler comments

     One-day House of Friendship passes. A one-day pass for the House of Friendship is available to Rotarians. The pass costs US$40 and is valid only for Saturday, 21 May , for the House of Friendship exhibition area (Halls G-H of the Morial Convention Center). Pass holders will also be permitted to purchase tickets for Host Organization Committee (HOC) events on that day. (Passes are available only to those eligible to register for an RI Convention.)

     If you purchase a one-day pass and later decide to register for the entire convention, full credit for your payment will be applied to the registration rate in effect at the time of the upgrade. If you’ve already registered for the convention and want to purchase a guest pass, just check the box at the top of the One-Day House of Friendship Pass form and skip to the guest registration section. The pass will be added to your confirmation.

    Download the One-Day House of Friendship Pass form (below) for more details and to register for a pass. Submit the form in one of three ways:

     E-Mail:
     Fax: 847-866-3064
     Mail: Rotary International, 14244 Collections Center Dr., Chicago, IL USA 60693

     Forms must be submitted by 31 March . After that date, a limited number of passes may be purchased on-site.

--Sharon "She Devil" Girod

Rotary District 5240
www.rotarydistrict5240.org
District Secretary 2009-2011
District COO 2011-2012
760-446-2414 Work
760-446-4707 Fax
760-677-9124 Cell

Click to see or download these .pdf forms:

Hotel Reservation Form

One-Day HOF pass form

Registration Form