This Week's Program: Mel Alvar, PAVSA: Trafficking. It’s Here. Help End It.
Tomorrow via Zoom, meet with Mel Alvar, Safe Harbor Regional Navigator at PAVSA to learn about trafficking in Duluth, what you can do if you suspect trafficking, Safe Harbor Services and Resources for youth (up to 24 years of age) and how you can be a part of the movement to end trafficking. January is Trafficking Awareness Month.
PAVSA is dedicated to the elimination of sexual violence in Southern St. Louis County through supporting victims, educating the community, and advocating for change. Our core values include free and accessible services that are victim-centered and victim-driven. We are committed to providing support services for victims of sexual violence, educating and building awareness in the community and advocating for social change in the many systems that interact with victims following a sexual assault.
PAVSA is a part of the greater Safe Harbor network across the state of Minnesota, housing a Safe Harbor Youth Advocate and Safe Harbor Regional Navigator, offering training, case consultation, community awareness, technical assistance, and prevention and intervention outreach to youth and families. The Safe Harbor Regional Navigator is a point of contact for professionals and community members in Cook, Lake, St. Louis, Koochiching and Carlton County.
All of PAVSA’s services are FREE and CONFIDENTIAL, including crisis to long-term support, trauma therapy, legal and systems advocacy, forensic medical exams, support groups, and training and technical assistance related to sexual violence and trafficking in Southern St. Louis County. PAVSA Advocates can be reached 24/7 on the HelpLine 218-726-1931.
As we start the New Year, our District Conference Committee, with the support of District Executives, has determined that due to the uncertainty of the safety of large group gatherings, the 2021 Rotary District Conference will be held virtually. We are hopeful that health officials will allow us to incorporate locally held in-person events in conjunction with the virtual district-wide meeting.
Though meeting in-person is so beneficial, going all virtual may actually work to our advantage for participation/attendance! At 170,000 square miles, our district is geographically one of the largest in North America. As such, it has been challenging in years past, especially for younger Rotarians with families, to break away for an extended conference in the spring; time, travel, hotel, etc.
Going virtual allows us to make our district conference accessible for ALL Rotarians in D5580. Our genuine hope is to have a very high percentage of our 2,550+ Rotarians joining in.
Going virtual also allows a change of format using an approach similar to the Virtual RI 2020 Convention. The plan is to expand the conference from three days to six days but limit the presentation and networking times to specific times each day, providing optimum opportunity for Rotarians to participate.
This is a new venture for all of us and knowing we have three different time zones to consider when planning an agenda, we’d love to hear some feedback from you on the best times of day that work for you. Please fill out the following short survey before January 18th.https://forms.gle/vJoFnvqFgWWBjygg9
Rotary International releases the January 2021 issue of Rotary Magazine. This issue features essays from experts in a variety of fields, all about looking forward to the future.
During these challenging times during COVID, it has become an even greater challenge securing weekly program presenters. But this time also affords the opportunity of the ease of a Zoom presentation versus which can be a bonus for a busy presenter.
If you have an upcoming program duty (or if you are unsure, please check the upcoming duty roster) please be sure to secure a speaker and provide notice to Don O'Connor (Don@duluthbx.com) as soon as that speaker is confirmed. If you are unable to confirm a speaker who can present virtually, you could look at options for a Ted Talk, consider presenting yourself on a relevant topic or your business, or create some excitement for a community youth organization you are passionate about. It is your program, so think about what is interesting and engaging to you and share it with others!
Even during our virtual meetings, we want to present engaging content and make the meetings meaningful for those that are attending the weekly sessions. We've hosted several prospective members and we want to keep them coming back with great content.
If for some reason you are unable to switch duties with another member or you have simply exhausted all efforts to find a speaker, please notify Don no later than 3 business days before the meeting (the Friday before the meeting your program is scheduled) whenever possible.
Thank you for your help with this and thank you to all who are working hard to find engaging content for our upcoming sessions!
There have been a number of questions during this time regarding leave of absence and the procedure for submitting a leave. If you would like to submit a leave of absence, please visit the Harbortown Rotary home page under the Home Page Download Files section or contact admin@harbortownrotary.com to obtain the LOA form.
Below are guidelines regarding the Leave Of Absence process:
Leaves are not granted automatically
A leave of absence is granted by a majority vote of the Board
A leave can be granted only to a member who has no outstanding debts to the club
Career transition leaves are handled differently so please contact the club president or Jan for further details
A leave is granted for a specific period of time not to exceed three months
A member is still responsible for rotary dues and fundraising but not meals during the leave
For news, announcements, event promotion social media, media releases and more, please contact Charity Johnson (csjohnson@starbasemn.org or 218-788-7288).
IMPORTANT UPDATE: 1.5.2021
Chloe Strand joined the Marketing/PR committee last fall and is taking on many duties related to Facebook posts, Member Spotlights and more. When communicating PR details, please copy both Charity (csjohnson@starbasemn.org) and Chloe (Chloe.Strand@hdchrc.org) on relevant information.
For Scuttlebutt: If you are hosting the program speaker, please copy Charity on the speaker's name, organization and email. If you are the chair of a Harbortown Committee, please update Charity and Chloe on relevant information regarding grants and awards, meetings or news. Charity will use this information to create more dynamic and engaging content to share with potential club members and on social media.
It is our goal to continue to share the good work that Harbortown Rotary is doing in our community, so your help and support is greatly appreciated!
