Poliovirus cases and positive environmental isolates reported this week:

The 2026 New Orleans Zone Institute started with an opening session to beat the band, literally. The Warren Easton High School marching band welcomed attendees to the Crescent City, followed by Rotary International Director Brian Hall, Past Rotary International President Barry Rassin, RIPE Larry Lunsford, and The Rotary Foundation Trustee Ann-Britt Asebol joining in a lively discussion of Rotary’s status and future. For the first general session, the panel was joined by Past Rotary International Vice-President Nicki Scott in a “Q&A” format. After a short break for beignets and coffee, General Session Two featured Music and an inspiring “TED talk” format message from Rotary Peace Fellow, David LaMotte. The evening wrapped up with a three-hour cruise and dinner on the riverboat paddle wheeler, City of New Orleans with magnificent night time views of the city.

Rotary had stories coming from our Zones again this month:

This month’s Virtual Visit spotlights the Rotary Club of Logan, Ohio (D6690), whose annual community breakfast raises money for projects that support young people. Read “Ohio club serves up pancakes with potential.”

Just west of New Orleans, LA are thousands of acres of wetlands that provide an ideal habitat for alligators. And for nearly 50 years, the St. Charles Parish Rotary Club (D6840) has put on the annual Alligator Festival in honor of what is now Louisiana’s state reptile. A live exhibit overseen by expert gator handlers offers the opportunity to see the critters up close. Meanwhile, attendees can eat alligator prepared in numerous ways, from burgers to egg rolls. Visit from September 24th to 27th for the festival, which benefits local scholarships, and includes live music, carnival rides, and craft booths.

Is your District looking for partners on its next Global Grant? Do you have clubs looking to expand their service beyond the local level? Let them know about Project Fairs and how these events can help them find projects or partners. Project fairs are a powerful way to build international relationships that can grow into strong, community-led service projects. Rotary’s updated project fairs guide offers practical tips on planning, promoting, and participating in project fairs. It clarifies expectations, provides guidance to improve projects, and emphasizes the connections and collaborations that make these fairs such a valuable experience.

Download the Project Fairs Guide to get them started and check this map of upcoming fairs.

Every district has Rotary alumni. They’re the people who were in your Interact or Rotaract clubs. They participated in RYLA. You successfully nominated them for a Global Grant Scholarship or Peace Fellowship. They may have participated in a Group Study Exchange, Vocational Training Team or been an Ambassadorial Scholar. Since then, they’ve gone on to be contributing members in your community, the nation, or the world.

You can shine a spotlight on the excellence in our Rotary alumni community. Recognize a Rotary alum who is making a remarkable difference or an alumni association which is demonstrating exceptional connection and service. Nominations are accepted until September 15th, so you can still get yours in. Visit the alumni webpage to learn more and submit your nominations.

Every day year-round, in ways big and small your members’ commitment to service makes an impact. We have several opportunities coming up for them to join together and create lasting change through The Rotary Foundation.

• International Literacy Day, September 8th. Help Rotary build a more equitable world where all children receive quality education and adults gain essential literacy and numeracy skills. Honor Literacy Day with a project or a gift to The Rotary Foundation directed to our Basic Education and Literacy area of focus.
• International Legacy Giving Day, September 13th. For more than 100 years, Rotary members have created legacies of Doing Good in the World through The Rotary Foundation’s Endowment. Celebrate their impact and shape the future with a gift to the Endowment. 
• International Day of Peace, September 21st. Peacebuilding is central to Rotary’s mission. When communities create peace locally, global change follows. Mark Peace Day with a gift to The Rotary Foundation that empowers Rotary and Rotaract clubs, districts, and peace fellows to build lasting peace worldwide. You can direct your gift by selecting the “Areas of Focus” tab at the top of the donation page, then clicking on the Peacebuilding and Conflict Prevention box.

Have you told your members about Raise for Rotary? Since being made available six years ago in August 2020, Rotarians and our supporters have created more than 4,000 fundraising events to celebrate birthdays, athletic challenges, and other occasions. These have generated over $3.5 million for the PolioPlus Fund, World Fund, Disaster Response Fund, and areas of focus.

In celebration of this anniversary, Raise for Rotary has made some updates:

• It’s migrating to a new platform and has an updated logo.
• You can now download a donation report from your fundraising page to more easily track who donated and when.
• If you’re fundraising for PolioPlus through physical activity, you can now track your activities on the exercise app Strava to share your progress with more people.

Key points to share with your members as a Rotary minute, weekly program, or announcement at a district event:

It’s simple to use and share. Setting up a fundraising page is fast. You can support specific Rotary causes and easily share your fundraiser with others — especially on social media.

Donors can get recognition credit. Anyone who gives using the same email address they use for Rotary functions such as My Rotary will receive all applicable Rotary giving credit and recognition.

An organizer’s club is credited with donations from nonmembers. This recognizes the work of organizers and encourages them to seek support beyond their Rotary networks.

Lower fees mean we can do more. With our own platform, we have more flexibility and more of the funds you raise go directly toward Doing Good in the World.

For more information about Raise for Rotary, review the frequently asked questions or write to raise@rotary.org.

If they want to apply for Global or District grants, your district and club will need to be certified each year. The Rotary Foundation has recently updated the online Grant Management Seminar and Grant Management Recertification to help clubs with the global grant application process. Districts must qualify and clubs are required to complete a Grant Management Seminar before they can apply for a global grant. The online recertification learning plan in Rotary’s Learning Center are great tools to help with that process.

Registration opens next month for the 2027 Rotary International Convention in Barcelona, Spain. Dates are June 26th-30th, and now is a good time to promote attendance. Unfortunately many members have never been exposed to Rotary beyond your club or district. Exposing them to our global family is a great way to get or keep them engaged.

In Barcelona, we will come together for an exceptional experience focused on learning, collaboration, and discovery. The energy of the convention venue, the Host Organization Committee’s events, and the city itself will provide endless excitement. Barcelona offers iconic architecture, a rich artistic culture, and the relaxed charm of the Mediterranean coast.

You can visit the convention website and also sign up for email updates with important dates, registration information, and special promotional rates.