Rotary District 6780 Conference 

April 19 & 20, 2013
Chattanooga, TN 

Welcome to the Rotary District 6780 Conference!  A wonderful and exciting district conference has been planned for the Rotarians in Rotary District 6780.  From great speakers and meals to family fun and entertainment, the conference will have something for all Rotarians and family members.

Register Now!

The District Conference Committee has partnered with PayPal for merchant services processing of payments.  Payments may be made via credit card (VISA, MASTERCARD, American Express, & Discover) without having a personal PayPal account.

Conference attendees are invited to stay at the Chattanooga Marriott Downtown.  To make reservations, call 1-800-841-1674 and ask for the Rotary District 6780 group rate or go online at Chattanooga Marriott Downtown >> (group rate is already factored in). The deadline to register at the group rate is March 23, 2013.

Guest Speakers

Frank C. Collins, Jr.
Past Rotary International Vice President

Frank C. Collins, Jr., a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh,is retired from Travelers Corporation, where he served as as vice president of organization and management development.  He and his wife Celia are both members and past presidents of the Rotary Club of East Hartford, CT.  He is a Paul Harris Fellow, Benefactor, Bequest Society, Major Donor, and member of the Arch Klumph Society.  Frank has received The Rotary Foundation Citation for Meritorious Service and the Rotary International Service Above Self Award.

Frank has served Rotary at all levels from the Rotary Club of East Hartford to vice president of Rotary International.  He served as District Governor for District 7890 during RY 1993-94.  He has chaired several district conferences and has been a trainer, facilitator, PETS trainer, and member of many committees.  Frank has chaired two Rotary Zone Institutes and been the convener of two more.  Also at the zone level he has served on the Director Nominating Committee and has been a faculty trainer and curriculum chair of Rotary Leadership Institute.

Frank has attended 22 Rotary International Conventions and three Councils on Legislation.  He has also attended several International Assemblies as a moderator.  He served as a Rotary International Director from 2002 to 2004 and Vice President in 2003-04.  In 2004 Frank was appointed as the Senior Representative to the United Nations through 2006.  He also served as the RI Board liaison to the E-Clubs through the 2010 Council on Legislation and was a member of the Leadership and Training Committee.

Frank is actively involved in his local community with service to various organizations.  He has served 21 years as the chair of Redevelopment,  has been appointed by two Connecticut governors to state commissions, is a past president of the Chamber of Commerce, vice chair of the Connecticut Visiting Nurses Association (CT VNA), and board member of the following organizations:  College Foundation Board, Riverfront Recapture, Connecticut Central Regional Tourism District, Past President Main Street Plus, Inc., Economic Dev. Commission, Masonicare of CT, and church investment committee.  Frank's awards for his work in the community include, Distinguished Service Award-Chamber of Commerce, Solon Weiner Community Achievement Award, and YMCA Volunteer Leadership Award.  He is a member of the World Future Society and the American Association of Individual Investors.

Carl Chinnery, PDG District 6040
RI Zone 31 Regional Rotary Foundation Coordinator

Carl was vice president of Kansas City Life Insurance Company until 1976 when he established his private law practice in Lee's Summit, Missouri, concentrating on estate planning, business law and real estate.

Carl served as District Governor of District 6040 for the 2002-2003 term, during which time he received the Presidential Citation.  He was 2007 Convener for Nomination of International Director for Zones 29 and 30.  He was 2010 delegate to the Council on Legislation.  He is a Major Paul Harris Donor, Level 6, and Benefactor, Inaugural Class of the Paul Harris Society of District 6040, and Arch Klumph Society, Chairs Circle.  He has served as Major Donor Advisor and Regional Rotary Foundation Coordinator, and RI President's Representative.

He received the District 6040 Humanitarian Award for Polio Eradication, 2010 Regional Service Award for a Polio-Free World and the Citation for Meritorious Service.  He has also served as Polio Plus Chairman for District 6040 and Rotary International Polio Plus Partners Task Force Member.  He participated in a National Immunization Day in India.

Carl has built two sail boats and two canoes in addition to other woodworking projects.  He enjoys traveling, gardening, sailing and golfing.  Between them, Carl and Jean have eight children and seventeen grandchildren.  Every member of Carl's family is a Paul Harris Fellow.

During his Rotary career, Carl has sponsored over 135 new members and the installation of three new clubs.

Mac Wall, PDG District 6740
RI Zone 30 Regional Rotary Public Image Coordinator

Mac recently retired after 40 years in public broadcasting, having worked in production, programming, development, radio, and management in Mississippi, South Carolina, Louisiana, Florida, Oklahoma, and Kentucky.  As executive director of the Kentucky Network, the largest of the statewide systems in the country, the network made the transition to HD production and transmission in 2008.  Mac served on all the national public broadcasting boards and served two terms as chairman of American Public Television.

A Rotarian with 25 years of Perfect Attendance, he is a member of the Rotary Club of Lexington, KY, a multiple PHF, a sustaining member.  RI President Sakuji Tanaka appointed him to a three-year term as Zone 30 Public Image Coordinator.  He serves on the cadre for Mid-South PETS, the Zone Institute and Success Seminars.

Karen Wentz, PDG District 6780
RI Zone 30 Rotary Coordinator

Karen has been a Rotarian for 22 years, first in Sterling, Illinois, and, since 1996, as a member of the Rotary Club of Maryville-Alcoa, Tennessee.  She served as governor of District 6780 (Tennessee) in 2005-06.

Karen is currently the Rotary Coordinator for Zone 30 (2010-2013), and the General Coordinator for Rotary Foundation Alumni Coordinators worldwide (2010-2013).   She served as a Rotary International Training Leader at the International Assembly in 2012 and was a member of the RI North American Membership and Retention Committee that developed the North American Membership Strategic Plan for 2012-2015.  Karen has represented the Rotary International president at district conferences in the U.S. seven times.  She has held several positions related to the Rotary Zone 30-31 Institutes and was General Chair in 2010. She was a founder of the six-district Mid-South PETS (Presidents-Elect Training Seminar).  Karen has served on many district committees and is the Rotary Foundation chair for her club.

Karen and her Rotarian husband Ron Appuhn are passionate supporters of The Rotary Foundation and are Major Donors, Benefactors and  members of the Bequest Society and Paul Harris Society.  She was honored to receive The Rotary Foundation Citation for Meritorious Service in 2012.  Karen was the Group Study Exchange Team Leader to England in 1999 and has guided the development of numerous Rotary Foundation Humanitarian Grants including the first District 6780 grant for water projects in Thailand. She traveled to Nigeria in December 2012 as a part of a team that immunized over 4,000 children against polio.

Karen travels extensively and has been to 54 countries and six continents including Antarctica.   Her career has been in higher education and she retired in 2004 from Maryville College where she was the director of the Instructional Technology Initiative.  She now devotes her time to family, travel and Rotary service.

Karen and Ron have six children between them, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Meals, Entertainment & Family Excursions

Friday Opening Ceremonies Featuring Keynote Address by PDG Carl Chinnery

A Chattanooga/Southern Welcome – creamy southern grits topped with grilled chicken accompanied with fresh/local regional fruit – finished with a tart, but sweet lemon bar.  Coffee/tea & hot rolls to accompany

 

Friday Evening Dinner at the Tennessee Aquarium with Keynote Address by PRIVP Frank Collins, Jr.

Are you a Food Network “junkie?” If so, you’ve seen beef cryo vaced and cooked where it comes out a perfectly delicious medium rare – well that’s what’s in store for tonight along with seasonal/local vegetables.  Prior to the meal – delicious passed appetizers and a salad with assorted dressings.  Afterwards enjoy dessert as you stroll through the award winning Tennessee Aquarium.  The price includes transportation to and from the aquarium.  Children under 12 are free. 

 

Saturday Foundation Breakfast with Keynote Address by PDG Karen Wentz

What could be better than to start the day with a fresh fruit parfait and warm, comforting cinnamon French toast!  Accompanying the dish – crispy home fries and bacon & sausage with steaming hot coffee and a cold glass of orange juice.

Saturday Awards Luncheon featuring Awards Presentations

Enjoy a healthy mid-day lunch with grilled salmon, cous cous and a baby spinach salad.  A light fresh fruit tart will round out the lunch before you visit the sites of Chattanooga.

Saturday Evening Peace Through Service Banquet with Keynote Address by PRIVP Frank Collins, Jr. and entertainment by the Uptown Big Band.

The south is known for its BBQ and we’ll round up the conference with a delicious BBQ roast loin of pork.  To accompany will be local/seasonal vegetables and southern style sweet potatoes.  We will begin the evening with a fresh Caprese Salad.  And every southerner loves key lime pie which will round out the dinner.

The Uptown Big Band has been performing both traditional and modern big band jazz for more than 15 years. Under the direction of Dan Dorrill, the band provides Chattanooga and the surrounding area with the great sounds of Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Count Basie, as well as the more modern arrangements of Tom Kubis, Gorden Goodwin, Bill Liston and other great writers and arrangers.

The Uptown Big Band has as its members some of Chattanooga's finest jazz musicians and vocalists. In addition to instrumental arrangements, its vocalists cover popular favorites from Frank Sinatra, Michael Buble', Dean Martin, Ella Fitzgerald, Anita O'Day, Natalie Cole, and others.

Family Excursions

Due to very limited response to the excursions on Saturday afternoon these have been cancelled.  However, there will be plenty of time to get out and enjoy beautiful Chattanooga and it's various attractions.  Brochures will be available in the House of Friendship.

 

Register Now!

 The District Conference Committee has partnered with PayPal for merchant services processing of payments. Payments may be made via credit card (VISA, MASTERCARD, American Express, & Discover) without having a personal PayPal account.

Conference attendees are invited to stay at the Chattanooga Marriott Downtown.  To make reservations, call 1-800-841-1674 and ask for the Rotary District 6780 group rate or go online at Chattanooga Marriott Downtown >> (group rate is already factored in).  The deadline to register at the group rate is March 23, 2013.