ADG Fred Carpenter speaks to Winslow Rotary

Assistant District Governor (ADG.), Fred Carpenter, was the guest speaker at the Rotary Club of Winslow this week. The ADG. addressed the club, which meets every Wednesday at noon in the Casa Blanca Restaurant, by saying jovially, "I'm from the District, and I'm here to help."

Arizona is divided into three districts with Winslow being in District 5510 which has 42 charted clubs. The ADG's position was established several years ago to provide better communication between the District Governor and the clubs as there are several assistants in each district. To become an ADG, Carpenter commented that one has to have typically been a club president, willing to serve a three year term, visit each of his assigned clubs four times a year, answers concerns of the clubs, and promote "Rotary Spirit."

He outlined for the members services that the District provides to help clubs survive, grow and thrive. For example, a Visioning and Strategic Planning facilitator is available to the club to reach the goals set forth by each Avenue of Service that Rotary provides: Club, Community, International, and Foundation. The ADG also reviewed programs that the club could become involved in such as Group Study Exchanges, where a group of non-Rotarians visits Rotary Clubs as Ambassadors to foreign countries, Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) and Youth Exchange Programs were Clubs ask young adults/students to "switch places" with youth/students of other countries. Several funding possibilities were explained such as District Simplified Grants and Rotary International Matching Grants.

Assistant District Governor Carpenter became a Rotarian in 1983 in Buckeye, served twice as President, Secretary and Treasurer. He move to Payson in 2002 to take the position of Town Manager, retired, and most recently was elected to the Payson Town Council. He is the immediate past-President of the Payson Rotary Club.