DG Court with PDGs Bob Hagan and Raymond Ray at District Assembly this past Saturday

Every day as your District Governor, I have the opportunity to give myself the Gift of Rotary - spending time with the Rotarians of District 6900, whether it's enjoying breakfast or lunch at one of your weekly meetings or seeing the fine work you are doing to make our communities and the world a better place. This month has included:

• Celebrating the start of a new Rotary Club - the RC of Atlanta Brazil - as club #70 in the district
• Congratulating the Rotary Club of Buckhead on becoming a Million Dollar Club through their continued support of The Rotary Foundation
• Watching the growth of Rotary Means Business - giving indivdual members a chance to connect with each others' businesses and share their Rotary experiences across clubs
• Meeting with many of you at District Assembly in Columbus, Georgia last Saturday - as District Governor Elect Jim Squire and the district and club leaders for 2019-20 continue their preparation to lead and inspire us in the next Rotary year

As we gathered in Columbus, some of you asked about my favorite service projects in the district this year. That was a tough question, because all of you are doing something great to serve your communities and the world. That said, I am touched by the 13 Rotary Clubs in the parts of our District that were devastated by Hurricane Michael. Even when their own homes and businesses were destroyed, these Rotarians were (and are) looking for (and finding) ways to feed and care for those in their communities who lost everything. That's the gift of Rotary.

And speaking of the gift of Rotary, what better gift could you give yourself than a weekend in Sandestin, Florida with your Family of Rotary? We are down to the last month and I know Rotarians always wait until the last minute. It is time for you all to register for the District Conference - taking place from April 25-28. We have continued to improve the events and have a very special Saturday evening opening ceremony. I believe it will be very impressive to all attendees and something you will remember as a highlight of the Conference.Thursday evening is continuing to build and you need to get your race teams registered. I believe we are going to have a full race card for that evening.The National Aeronautics team is revving their engines and Saturday lunch will be an event you will not want to miss.

I have already placed the order for the great weather we have always had. We have planned a fun and interesting conference and I want to see all of you at SanDestin.

In the meantime, thanks for all the gifts you give to Rotary! And enjoy its gifts of fellowship, business connections and making a difference everywhere!!